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Childbirth

Induction tomorrow

18 replies

MaverickSnoopy · 12/07/2016 09:41

Tomorrow I will be 42 weeks and am booked in to be induced. I really don't want to be induced. This is Dc2 and likely my last pregnancy. I really wanted to this to happen naturally for many reasons. At booking in I was given a due date of 5 July but this was corrected to 29 June at my scan because of irregular periods - not massively but 26 days, 27 days cycle - however I had only come off the pill a few months before conceiving so my cycle was settling down. I know for certain that my date of conception was 10 October and so I feel that 5 July was a more accurate due date, making me in fact 40+7. If this is the case then I'm also mindful that I would be being induced earlier than the 42 week mark.

I don't want to put the baby at risk in any way and so will be induced tomorrow if labour doesn't happen spontaneously. I was 5cm a week ago and so I've been told I will only need my waters breaking. I just wanted everything to happen at home. Being induced feels so clinical.

I phoned the midwife this morning to talk it through and she wants to stick with the due date of 29 June. She said I don't have to be induced tomorrow and could wait until the end of the week but in the meantime I would need to have daily monitoring at the hospital. This isn't an option for me because the hospital is 30 minutes drive away and I have no one to help me get there. DH can only take paternity leave once the baby is born and can't take annual or unpaid leave. I'm currently on crutches with spd and the non car route is a 30 minute walk to the bus stop and then an hour to the hospital. I struggled at the weekend walking 5 minutes from the car to the shop.

There's no real purpose to why I'm posting. I just feel so deflated and am sat here in tears. I realise worse things can happen in pregnancy and I know I need to just focus on the end result but I feel so unhappy.

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Bottomchops · 12/07/2016 12:46

Oh no you poor thing. I suppose on the bright side you will be in hospital once and won't have to worry about making that awful journey. Also you are 5cm already! That's amazing! It sounds like it could be very fast. Good luck!

moobeana · 12/07/2016 13:14

Both of my babies were induced. Although my notes for my first say it isn't an induction as the act of putting the pessary in started my labour. It was basically another sweep. I had a baby 2 hours later!

I imagine that if you are 5cm already they will simply burst your waters. This should normally be enough to get things going. Induction really wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, even second time when I was just 37 weeks.

Just think, you get to meet your baby soon.

MaverickSnoopy · 12/07/2016 15:11

Thank you both for your kind words, I'm very grateful. Being home alone today and not getting to talk to anyone about it has been the hardest bit and I consequently have very puffy red eyes. I've decided that I need to come to terms with it and then everything will be easier to deal with. DH will be home in a couple of hours and we can talk properly tonight which will help. You're right of course, it means that very soon I will have my lovely little DC here.

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moobeana · 12/07/2016 15:40

Honestly, I am the worst person for waiting for things. Anticipation is worse than labour in my opinion. It really tortures your mind. Labour feels like progress as far as I'm concerned. So console yourself with the idea that you are in the worst part today. Tomorrow will be a productive day.
Enjoy your last night together, have a takeout, a film and a cuddle with DH. Tomorrow you will be parents.
All the very very best luck and please let us know how it goes. X

dramalamma · 12/07/2016 15:53

If you're sure of your dates I'd be very inclined to hold off - they can recommend monitoring every day but they actually can't make you and if you say it's not possible they might be able to find another way of monitoring like going to see a midwife every couple of days or something where they can listen with the doppler.
I'll probably make everyone very cross for saying this because i've noticed MN can be very risk averse on this subject, but it's your body and your baby and your decision about what happens to it. Midwifes and doctors like to use words like "allowed" and "have to" but all they can actually do is recommend - and all they can recommend is what is within their guidelines to recommend. If you're sure of your dates and you want to hang on for a while longer, go for it. I know it's horrible to have to fight your corner at this stage of pregnancy (I may be there in a couple of weeks myself so I totally sympathise!!) but either way, it's your decision, not theirs.

MaverickSnoopy · 13/07/2016 06:24

Thank you all and thank you drama. I am sure of my dates and know I'm not as far along as they say. At one point the midwives didn't want to go with the scan date (earlier one) & then half way through my pregnancy they just started using it because they needed "to go with a date". I should have fought my corner back then in hindsight. It's interesting to know that I could refuse the induction but DH is very risk averse and I am his (only) family and I don't want him to be worried. He was very worried when I said about waiting to be induced. He trusts medical professionals on a god like level and so the thought of delaying was terrifying to him. I promised that I would only consider waiting if the midwife agreed to my dates and she didn't. It might be my body but it's his baby too.

I woke up about an hour ago unable to sleep. I'm still unhappy about it but I'm coming to terms with it. At the very least I won't be in this pain soon and we will have our baby.

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moobeana · 13/07/2016 07:22

As much as I agree that your baby is probably just happy where it is right now and you could happily wait a bit for induction, I have 2 children from the other side of the coin. Both of mine were induced early. DD2 was induced at 37+ 5, so quite early. 4 weeks earlier than you are now, so I guess what I am saying is even if baby is a little less ready than the doctors think, baby will be at least 40 weeks and properly full term.

I know that is not an altogether 'natural' way to think of childbirth. But as it is you are thinking what is best for your whole family, yourself, your DH and your baby. All the very best today. It will be over soon.

Bottomchops · 13/07/2016 07:52

Good luck for today! A warm bath made my waters go. I bet you've tried all that though.

canigoontheipad · 13/07/2016 14:55

When I was induced I gave birth literally minutes after they broke my waters. I was already contracting with the syntocin drip though. If you are already 5cm then i shouldn't think it would take much. I was also terrified of induction but it wasn't anywhere as bad as i thought and actually much preferable to my first completely natural birth.
Good luck!

MaverickSnoopy · 14/07/2016 05:19

Thanks ladies. I think i had about 100 baths, lived on my birthing ball, ate spicy food, tweaked my nipples day and night and DH has never been so lucky! I'm not worried about induction, I just wanted it to happen naturally at home.

So I booked in for induction yesterday and they gave me my fourth sweep. This one has started contractions off - been having them every 5 mind for the last 15 hours but they're not that strong or doing much. Midwifes here also say that I'm 3cm and not 5cm and I've not been induced yet because they're too busy. I've stayed in over night and poor hospital food and lack of sleep means I now feel exhausted and quite wobbly. No idea when they'll induce me or how I'll now find the energy to actually give birth once I am induced. Must try to be positive!

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MaverickSnoopy · 14/07/2016 05:21

Oh and they don't think that my waters will go or labour will progress without being induced...but obviously you never know.

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Bottomchops · 14/07/2016 07:23

But they don't know your labour won't progress??? If you went home now for a rest you'd have to make sure that you came back for monitoring etc.

MaverickSnoopy · 14/07/2016 12:03

Well contractions have stopped now. I'm in the delivery suite 25 hours after arriving. They've still not induced me and have said that they'll be too busy for a while. DH is getting frustrated and I'm trying not to. We haven't said anything about being fed up because we're not sure if we're being unreasonable I'm our expectations. I don't want to go home at this stage because I'll have to do this waiting all over again!

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Bottomchops · 14/07/2016 12:09

Oh no, I was hoping for a baby announcement! I turned up for induction day at 2cm and contracting, but I did gradually progress over the day/night. At least they're not kicking you out and you have your own room. Send dh off for a bit or can you go to the cafe or something?

Lj8893 · 14/07/2016 12:14

Oh I hope they can break your waters for you and you don't have to go through the whole lengthy prostaglandin process!

Good luck

MaverickSnoopy · 20/07/2016 05:15

Update: waters were finally broken Thursday afternoon and baby was born early evening. Very quick labour in the end. Thank you all for keeping me sane!

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Bottomchops · 20/07/2016 06:51

Congratulations! Hope you're both doing well. Hospitals aren't nice places to be.

canigoontheipad · 22/07/2016 11:34

Congratulations! Hope all went well and you're getting some rest xx

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