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Childbirth

Really don't want an induction :(

47 replies

Dobinette · 22/09/2015 09:13

Hi all, am currently 41w. Booked in for an induction on Sunday as mw says 'they won't let you go more than 12 days over'.

The thing is, I've been hoping for a homebirth (2nd DC) for months now and have hired a birth pool. I'm quite an anxious person and the thought of going to hospital to have a potentially longer and more painful birth, with a greater chance of forceps (from what I've read) etc has really upset me. I really feel that my baby should be born when he wants to and not be interfered with.

Mw (who is actually lovely) didn't present it as there was any choice. Plus, I now feel under pressure to have a sweep :( in a couple of days in the hope of that bringing on labour so I can stay at home.

The thought of having to argue my case to refuse a sweep and an induction brings me to tears. What shall I do, and is there really a risk to baby leaving things a few more days?

Sorry for long post.

OP posts:
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steppemum · 22/09/2015 09:23

sorry you are feeling so anxious.

I felt the same with my first, I really wanted to have a natural birth. So I held my ground and waited a full 2 weeks before I let them induce.

The thing was I still had to be induced and, and he was big, and in retrospect, it would have been better to induce earlier.

I have had inductions for all 3 kids, and it doesn't have to be a massive medical intervention. If the pessary or sweep works then it kicks start the labour and then you proceed as normal. My 2nd and 3rd babies were induced and then very quick very easy labours, so don't assume it will all go ppear shaped.

The best laid birth plans do get turned over in the reality of birth. At this point I would have a think about what is the most important part for you, is it the home birth part, the medical intervention part (drips etc).
Make decision about what will get you what you want. So would a sweep, which kicked start labour still let you have a home birth? If so, then be a little pragmatic and do that to get the home birth you want.

If you do end up in hospital, with my second I was much more assertive, so when they said they had to continually monitor, I said, fine, but I am standing up and walking round and you will have to work round me, I am not lying on a bed. The MW was wonderful and did just that.

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Newlywed56 · 22/09/2015 09:23

I had an induction, was incredibly painful though as this was my first I have nothing to compare it too! I did it on gas and air ( not for the want of an epidural but I was either too early or then too late... I'm still annoyed I didn't get it lol) the main thing is that you get you and your baby through it safely, I had a couple of episodes of reduced movement and although fine etc I was induced at 39w. If it was me I would go with the induction with no hesitation

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AGrinWithoutACat · 22/09/2015 09:30

All 3 of my babies were over term by 2 weeks (longer by my dates than the midwives!) and the last 2 were induced as sweeps failed to get things started. None showed any of the signs of overcooked babies, no dry skin etc, but all were 'healthy' sized! The inductions were not horrible by any means and the last one was the easiest. I had the gel inserted to soften the cervix and this worked allowing the midwife to break my waters allowing a normal and otherwise unassisted delivery each time. The midwives/hospital will strongly advise to the point of pressurisation to go for the induction when they want you to but the dates are not absolute. There are risks that increase with overdue pregnancies but not in all cases. You can say no, or, not yet. They cannot make you go for induction until you are ready. I delayed baby 2 for a few extra days (so I could attend my nieces birthday party!) but went along with the midwives for baby 3 as was fed up being pregnant and wanted her out for cuddles. Best advice I ever got was take a breath, work out why you want what you want and when you know that, you will be able to make the right decision for you.

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mmmuffins · 22/09/2015 09:37

I feel the same as you OP. Induction to me represents an more painful birth/cascade of intervention in a hospital, so unless a very good medical reason presents itself I wont be considering induction until 42 weeks. I think I would be much happier/less stressed birthing at home when the baby is ready. I'm only 23 weeks right now so I suppose my feelings and the situation could change, but I understand how you feel.

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jorahmormont · 22/09/2015 09:40

You can refuse induction if you want to, but it's not recommended.

There are a lot of horror stories about induction, but that's only because people who had bad experiences tend to talk about it more than people who had good experiences.

I was induced at 37 weeks with DD, who is now 17 months old. It was a fantastic experience - I had the full induction, from pessary to drip, and although people told me I'd need an epidural as soon as the drip went in, I didn't. I had gas and air, and a diamorphine injection, which wore off after three hours. They examined me after the three hours and I was at 10cm, ready to push. Three pushes with gas and air and she was out. I was able to keep active - they put a clip on DD's head to monitor her rather than the bands around the bump - and didn't need forceps or any intervention to get her out. DD had no adverse effects from the diamorphine at all, and I look back on the whole experience with really happy memories - I'd have another induction in a heartbeat. I also had quite bad anxiety at the time but the midwives totally put me at ease, and explained that actually, you're more in control with an induction, not less.

Try not to let the horror stories scare you - there are plenty of people who've had really lovely induction experiences with assistance-free births.

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LieselVonTwat · 22/09/2015 09:48

You do have a choice, of course you do. If you don't want to agree to induction, you DON'T have to, and unless you're considered not competent to consent and make your own medical decisions (rare) then that will have to be respected. Nobody can force you into an induction you don't want. It was wrong of your midwife not to make this clear to you. If you feel up to it, you might want to consider complaining about that after the birth.

But in answer to your question about whether it's riskier for the baby to leave it a few more days, the answer to that is yes. The stillbirth rate gets higher every week once you go to term (37 weeks). This, plus the fact that induction at 41 weeks reduces your chance of an emergency section, is why women have to be offered induction at the stage you're at. Put bluntly, you have less chance of having a stillborn baby at 12 days over than, say, 16. The chances are still pretty small, but every woman needs to decide for herself what increased level of risk she's willing to accept.

And I understand feeling that you don't want your baby to be messed about with and they'll come when they're ready, but really that's not how it works. Your baby doesn't have a particular time they want to be born. They don't really want anything apart from to have their basic needs met. Babies don't intrinsically know when the optimum time to arrive is, or at least plenty of them don't, or we'd never have micro-premies. Most of them will come when they come, and this may or may not be safer than them being given a nudge: depends entirely on the circumstances. Best of luck.

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HazleNutt · 22/09/2015 09:58

Health care professionals really really should not be using expressions that might make you think like someone else can decide what medical procedures are done on you. 'They won't let' my arse - so what exactly will 'they' do? It is only up to you to agree to the proposed induction, or not.

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shiteforbrains · 22/09/2015 10:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 22/09/2015 10:50

Have you tried any of the things that are supposed to bring on labour, Dobinette? Curry, champagne, fresh pineapple, nipple stimulation (always gave me Braxton Hicks), sex. And there are herbal things too - clary sage oil and raspberry leaf tea - though I would suggest getting advice from a qualified herbalist/aromatherapist for those.

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WtfWasThis · 22/09/2015 10:55

It is entirely up to you whether to consent or not. For what it's worth, I was induced at 42 weeks and I would never consent to another induction. Refusing sweeps is surely quite common - I was offered them a few times and always declined without any fuss being made.

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LieselVonTwat · 22/09/2015 12:13

I refused a sweep at 40 weeks exactly with my first, it wasn't even commented on. The same midwife had just told me, correctly as it turned out, that she expected I'd go into labour within the next couple of days anyway. She only offered the sweep as it was Trust policy to give women the option.

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PosterEh · 22/09/2015 12:17

I've had two inductions and both have been very straightforward labours and deliveries. No ventouse or forceps. Very short pushing stage each time (dd was out in two pushes). Second one was born with only gas and air.

But it's your body, your choice.

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CityDweller · 22/09/2015 12:29

I turned down the induction appointment with DC1 - it was 'automatically' booked for when I was something like 12 days over. I too was planning a hb. My hb team were great and basically said that after 14 days they didn't like doing hbs, but if that was my choice they'd support me. So, I opted for monitoring from 40 + 14 and in my own head had decided that I would succumb to induction if I went to 40 + 17.

Anyway, I went into labour spontaneously at 40 + 13 and DC was born just into 40 + 14 - at home, in water, as planned. Completely straightforward.

You don't have to do anything you don't want to. They can't force you to do anything. Ultimately, it's up to you to weigh up the risks, etc. I did a lot of research on going overdue and induction, etc, and felt comfortable with my decision.

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PeanutButterFiend · 22/09/2015 13:00

I was like you, had my heart set on a home water birth...until I got so uncomfortable at 38 weeks, I started doing everything to try and kick-start labour: curry, doing the crab walk up and down the stairs, bumpy car rides - nothing g happened. Then me and DH decided to try my mums advice "what got that baby in there will get it out" - hey presto, waters broke....but then nothing. Not even a twinge. So was induced the next day. My birth plan said no pain relief, but my bitch of a midwife said "well I'd rethink that if I were you, inductions are notoriously brutal".....well turns out my induction was no where near brutal. It really wasn't that bad at all! A pessary got me going, and then I had a perfectly normal, drug-free delivery, without forceps in sight! Please don't be scared by other people's horror stories! And either way, whether it's at home or induced in hospital, you will get your beautiful baby Grin

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ShowOfHands · 22/09/2015 13:09

Curry, sex, pineapple, whatever don't work so don't start heaping pressure on yourself. You're already feeling pressurised and demoralised and believe me (I think you already know this) babies come when they are ready and nothing short of chemical induction will start labour for you.

You do not have to be induced. This is your decision but make the decision based on fact, not on a perceived ideal. If there is no clinical reason to induce and you are happy to continue with the pregnancy and monitoring, then that is your choice. However, if there are clinical indications that induction is the best route for your baby, take heart from some of these positive stories.

One of the biggest problems with childbirth and labour is that people have a notion of what is 'perfect' and when you don't achieve that ideal, you feel disheartened or like you've somehow failed. You do have choices but you don't have ultimate control and finding that fine line means you will feel empowered.

You have days yet until your hospital's preferred induction date. Take this time (during which your baby very well might put in an appearance) to do some research and decide what might be right for you in any given situation. You know what you'd like as an ideal, but what decisions might you make outside of this? If induction is clinically indicated, what choices would you like to make within this?

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shutupanddance · 22/09/2015 13:16

I wanted a hb with dc4, had one with dc3. I was induced at 38 weeks, my request as I had pup and would have been induced a week later for gd. My i duction was fine, very quick, straight forward birth.

Look i t the risks and then decide if they are ones you are prepared to take. I can understand your disappointment.

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AnneElliott · 22/09/2015 13:21

As others have said, you can refuse it. I was also told that "the consultant won't let you go over 41weeks". I was very assertive in response and I think you will need to be as well. My dates had been changed though, and I was convinced they were wrong.

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ACatCalledFang · 22/09/2015 14:17

OP, I could have written your post myself 4 weeks ago. My trust has a policy of booking induction around your due date for 40+12, which really made me feel under pressure, as well as it being the opposite of the birth experience I'd wanted (water birth, midwife-led unit). I really get where you're coming from and, for me, one of the most disturbing aspects of the whole experience was the lack of discussion around consent and options - not that I would necessarily have refused induction myself, but I would have welcomed a conversation about options. For what it's worth, I think DS would still be in there now had he been left to his own devices....

I would recommend the following, based on my own experience:

  1. Ask your midwife about risks and benefits of induction vs "expectant monitoring". The latter was never presented as an option to me but, as others have said, they cannot make you be induced and the risks and benefits of both courses of action should be explained.

  2. If you do consent to induction, make sure the midwife explains how it works in your trust, in advance. Ironically, nobody did explain this to me until I asked on the day...

    In my area, you're given a pessary, monitored and kept in for a few hours, then sent home if nothing has happened and told to return the following day. If you haven't gone into labour at this point, they will break your waters. If that doesn't induce labour (within 2 hours at my hospital), the next step is the syntocinon drip to induce contractions. If you need the drip, you'll be nil by mouth bar water and possibly glucose tablets, so eat before they start you on it.

  3. Induction means you will be closely monitored, in my hospital with monitors strapped to your bump to check baby's heart rate and strength of your contractions. If you end up needing the drip and don't want to be confined to the bed, tell them, and insist that they try monitoring you in a different position, e.g. in a chair or on a birth ball. If that doesn't work, you can always move to the bed, but do insist on trying this first if it's what you'd prefer. One bonus is that you're likely to have one-to-one midwife care because of the monitoring.

  4. Pain relief: you can ask for an epidural as soon as the drip starts, or start off with gas and air and see how you go. I went for the latter and found it was good for relaxing me between contractions and taking the edge off. What I found most helpful was breathing exercises, which made me feel more in control. Have/try whatever you think will help.

  5. Without wishing to sound alarmist, it's worth being aware that induction may not work, in which case you will be offered a C-section. This is what happened to me - despite the best efforts of the drip, I failed to dilate beyond 2 cm and was offered the choice of continuing on the drip for longer or going for a section; as I'd only dilated 0.5cm after 9 hours of the drip, I went for a section. But the section was actually a very positive experience and within a couple of hours of deciding on it, DS and I were snuggling in recovery Smile.

    Fingers crossed that things kick off naturally for you before your induction date - and try to focus on the lovely newborn snuggles to come!
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DrCoconut · 22/09/2015 15:16

I'm in a very similar position. Officially 40+5 and no sign of a baby yet. The problem is my estimate of my due date is tomorrow not last week which means that the pressure to induce will begin earlier than I think it should. I went 10 days over with DS1 and 11 days over with DS2 so I seem to cook them for a bit longer! Curry, pineapple etc don't work. Only nature or medical intervention can start labour IMO. I really want to avoid induction and will be refusing a sweep on Thursday unless there is a medical reason. I had one when I was admitted in labour with DS2, I was told after that it was to "speed things up" apparently even though I'd gone 1 to 9 cm in a couple of hours, there was no consent sought - they just did it during a VE and it was agonisingly painful which has put me off ever having one again. I have made my position very clear already and will complain if anyone does anything I have not agreed to. Let's hope we both go into labour really soon.

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ToadsforJustice · 22/09/2015 18:21

In my view the MW can fuck off with the "they won't let you" comment.

What ACatCalledFang said.

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WanderingTrolley1 · 22/09/2015 18:23

My induction labour was by far the best out of my 3 labours.

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Topsy34 · 22/09/2015 22:23

If you dont want to be induced, dont let them!

What will they do if you phone and say you have changed your mind about induction and you are happy to have monitoring.....will they drive to you and drag you in by your ankles? No.

They obviously have to follow guidelines, and that is what they are doing. Try not to let it be personal. Get prepared with info.

Here is a link to aims, question 8 is particularly interesting www.aims.org.uk/faq.htm#Question8

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Topsy34 · 22/09/2015 22:26

Here you go, here is another link. Dont forget 40 weeks is post dates, 42 weeks is actually over due, a normal pregnancy runs 37-42 weeks

midwifethinking.com/2010/09/16/induction-of-labour-balancing-risks/

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QueenStarlight · 22/09/2015 22:32

OP, you don't have to argue your case. You have complete autonomy over your body and have no-one to persuade.

You don't even have to give a reason for your decision, though sharing enough info so you can be supported in the way that you need to be is wise.

You don't have to agree to a sweep. You just say 'no thank you'. I was in your position and added 'no-one is sticking their fingers in me at any time during the birth' which for the first time meant they all took me seriously instead of simply 'half-listening'. I don't know why. I think it is because they assume you've suffered sexual assault or something. Anyway they all became a lot kinder and paid attention after that.

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LieselVonTwat · 23/09/2015 09:26

Wow, that Midwife Thinking article devotes almost the same amount of space to the unquantifiable claim that your contractions will be worse if you're induced as it does to the increased risk of stillbirth...

Regarding sweeps, I know some women want them which of course is 100% their call. But for myself I couldn't see the point. I just felt that if the midwife, as a medical professional, feels steps need to be taken to deliver the baby soon, then fine. In that case I want it done properly. Bring out the big guns, induce me or section me. If it doesn't justify either of those, why does anything need to be done at all? I'm in no way an all intervention is eebil type, I've had an emergency section. But I can't see the point in halfway houses. My worry was that it would dislodge things a bit, but not enough, so I'd end up with prolonged early labour (did anyway, but oh well). My midwife actually agreed, the one I saw for my last baby said in her experience sweeps weren't much good either and she actually recommended sperm!

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