hope it goes well today Looby whatever is happening!

AtheneNoctua - I would prefer a natural birth but your mention of a section just raised something that I hadn't been offered as an option so I asked you the question. But VS has explained it and I understand now.

Head was 4/5 engaged apparently, last Weds. But I was told that with your second it can pop in and out as the muscles aren't strong enough to hold the head engaged.

lailasmum - i hope I have the same experience as you, or it starts after pessaries - unless of course I go into labour tonight which would be the ideal...

thanks for your input everyone. hopefully i will be a mum for a second time this time tomorrow xx

Yes, VS, that is what I meant.

I personally would refuse an induction and say that if they wanted the baby out they would have to schedule a section.

But, I have had two sections. The first one was emergency. The second one I had to put my case forward but it was granted without too much resistance.

Now, do I think it's an option for you? Well, to be honest I don't know. I think you'll have a hard time convincing them when you are overdue if you have never mentioned it before. And someone will surely point out that you have already had a baby so you are clearly able to birth another one. Also, doctors tend to listen less to women who are 9+ months pregnant because they think your plea might be out of desperation and not what you genuinely want.

What do you want? I gathered from your OP that you wanted a natural birth, but now I am confused.

looby, I think what athene means is that if you're induced before your body/baby are ready you are more likely to tear/need forceps etc, which increases the risk of an emergency casearian.

I was induced at 15 days over due, had waters broken, It wasn't to horrible, not painful or anything. I had 3 sweeps with no action before hand over the previous few days and it was less uncomfortable than that. had a super quick labour after wards 1hr 47 minutes. Just had gas and air.

Is the head engaged, read somewhere that large majority of inductions that start at 1/5 or less end up in emergency sections. think this is because drip and or montoring makes it even less likely that baby will manovere himself into position during labour. You need to be able to stand up, squat and move around

thanks for sharing your experiences and your best wishes. i am pretty sure about my dates.

victorian squalor, i am keen to get things going as my mother in law has come to stay to help with dd and her daughter has just had a miscarriage so i'm pretty sure she'll want to go visiting her once she has been here for me- don't want to keep her longer than is necessary. theres noone else who can come and stay, so it is really a practical matter.

athenenoctua - i am interested in what you say about having a section. i haven't been given this as an option. do you think it is one ??

everyone who says they had pessaries and or their waters broke naturally, i hope this happens for me...

i have had three labours started through having my waters broken, at 15 and 17 days 'late'. i had to have my waters broken as i am allergic to the prostin gel they use to induce.

i was very wary of having my waters broken as if it didnt work then i would need the syntocin drip (had it in my first labour) which like you have experienced is NOT pleasant.

however in all three labours breaking my waters was enough and i started in labour, with ds2 i started straight away and he was born 7hours later.

with ds3 they broke my waters and i had mild contractions but not much was happening, consultant getting techy, esp as he was technically 18days late by this point (it was after midnight) anyway i had a good midwife who said no, baby is fine, go away, mum just needs to rest.

i had a nap for two hours, woke up at 2am, contractions started shortly after that and ds3 was born at 5am

ds4 (8wks old) again i got to two weeks overdue, went in had my waters broken at 8:30pm, not much happend to begin with just niggly back ache, so i stayed mobile and went for a walk etc, 10:30ish started having proper contractions, continued walking up and down and bouncing on birth ball, 11:20 got into birth pool, and ds4 made his appearance as 6 mins past midnight.

so it can work and you can have good natural labours, i just had gas and air each time, used the bath for pain relief and was lucky enough to get the birth pool for ds4

hope everything goes as well for you xxxxxxx

Hi, I was induced last week.

They started off with the 3 pessary tablets over the course of 2 days which helped me dilate to 3cm. They then burst my waters which got things started straight away. I think they will assess a) how favourable it will be for you to go into labor with just the waters and then b) how long they leave you before giving you the drip.

I'm due to be induced next week also at 40+10, though hoping things will happen before then. My hospital leaflet seems to imply pessary, then waters broken, then drip as necessary.

However I'm hoping to buy myself some extra time as I don't think 10 days is that late - especially as my mum was 6 days late with both of us and my maternal aunt 10 days late. We have long menstral cycles in my family which must influence dates. I'd be really interested to know if anyone else thinks this is the case or knows if there's any evidence for this? My cycle was typically 33 - 36 days, whereas the normal is considered 28 days so surely my due date ought to be a bit later than some? Interestingly when I first found out I was pregnant I put my dates into the BBC pregnancy planner which allows you to adjust cycle length and it gave me the due date of May 16th - 6 days later than drs.

My Dr tried to do a sweep yesterday but I wasn't favourable so I think I'm still a way off. I should have queried things yesterday, but she wasn't sure about the babies heartbeat so I was hooked up to a CTG etc and not really in a state to think as far ahead as next week! All was fine fortunately and the baby is very active which keeps me sane.

Sorry this isn't much help to you Looby34 and good luck for tomorrow, I definitely agree trust your instincts, we're all individuals but hospitals don't really treat us as such. (not that I'm anti hospitals, but everything is generalised not adapted for individual differences).

just be careful about scan dates, my dates put me at 42 weeks when I went into labour and my waters broke full of meconium. That was Monday the 5th of May, the scan dates would have only had me at 42 weeks yesterday. My DS was born on the 5th by emerg c section. I would trust your instincts.

Was there a big discrepancy between scan and date dates? It may also be worth asking for a few more days particularly if baby still active, and nothing else going on. (low levels of waters etc)

Will depend Im afraid as to what is actually appropriate when the get a look at you today.

If cervix really is starting to ripen, rupturing membranes is very much a possibility, but sometimes cant be done if babys head is too high/baby in an odd position.

Even if they do rupture membranes, if you dont start contracting shortly afterwards they will start the drip to get contractions going, as once you have set off down the induction route there is no going back, baby has to be delivered.

You do not have to have an epidural with syntocinon, it is perfectly reasonable to see how you get on, if you then want an epidural it can be stopped to allow you to sit comfortably to have it inserted and then restarted.

Second labour, I would imagine if you can pop your waters youll get going.

I think the usual practise is to do both. First break waters, if that doesn't do it, put you on the drip.

Of course if drip means epidural and epidural means get on your back, I'm not sure this is a good start to a natural birth.

Personally, I'm quite happy to miss the whole natural birth thing and would rather skim the indiction and go straight to section.

But, you sound as though you want a vaginal birth, as natural as can be. So, I would have to say that VS makes a good point about questioning why you are being induced at nine days over when you could probably wait a few more days to see if things ripen.

In my experience, being induced when your cervix is not ready is often a recipe for a section, increased tearing, forceps, etc. Can you wait a few more days? Or is there reason to get this bub out now?

If you don't want to be induced right now, speak to the MW and give yourself a day or two.

With DC4 I went to 41+6, I was due to go in for induction the next day. Spoke to the MW and bought myself some time - until after the weekend. She was born that day.

If you don't want to go in tomorrow, you don't have to. You can ask to be monitored. I think they call it Expectant Management or something. There will be much tutting and rolling of eyes probably, but hey, its not them going through it, is it?

Whatever you do, best of luck.

I went in and wasnt ripe enough so was given the pessary.

This was at 6.30pm.....contractions started at 10.30pm...baby out by 12am

Why do you need to be induced? You're not evenm really 'late' yet! Term is anything between 37-42 weeks.
You may just be one of those ladies whose babies take longer to cook, and if it's not ready to come, no matter how it is induced, the more likely any intervention.
Do you want to be induced tomorrow or would you prefer to wait til your body is ready?

Pretty sure my dates are correct. I was given a sweep last Weds (week ago today) and the consultant said my cervix was just starting to ripen.

I just hope the consultant advises me to take the best course of action for me - rather than what is most convenient for them in the delivery suite ! I really want to try it without an epidural this time as I didn't feel anything last time and can only remember snippets from the whole time I was in there.... I must sound like a sadist.

Are you sure your dates are correct? I went in to be induced with DS, drip and all...but looking at him after he looked right on time, no signs of lateness. I have concluded that he wasn't late at all and was simply not ready.

It's also possible that they may try and start you off using a pessary gel.

Good luck for tomorrow!

Hi. With my second, they examined me first and said they couldn't brak my waters as I wasn't 'ripe' enough. They then gave me the induction pessary and left me for a few hours. When they examined me again I was further along so they broke my waters then.

I hope it all goes well tomorrow.

I had my waters broken with dd2 and it did nothing so ended up having the drip and had dd2 3hours later.

I was offered an epidural but i didn't want one and managed with just gas and air.

Hope it go well for you today.

I am 40+9 with my second and have been asked to go to hospital tomorrow for an induction. Consultant said they would decide at the time whether to break my waters or put me on a drip.

Can anyone give me any advice about which to ask for if given the choice or do you think they will examine me and make a recommendation of one option over the other ?

Had v difficult delivery with dd1. Laboour for 27 hours, was not dilating and no regular contractions so was put on a drip. DD was dragged out after her shoulders getting stuck.

Would have liked to have as natural a birth as possible this time but will defo be asking for an epidural if am put on a drip. Are contractions as forceful when your waters are broken ?

Please - any advice you can give would be appreciated as I am a bit in the dark about this ....