Induction - what time of day are you induced in your hospital?

[BeautifulBlondePineapple]

I was induced with DC1 & DC2. Both times we were told to arrive at the hospital at 5pm. After all the checks etc, I got a pessary at 8pm. DH was told to go home at 9pm (hospital rules) and I was left on my own having contractions for 3-4 hours until I was moved to the labour suite and put on the drip. DH was then called to come back to the hospital.

DS1 was born at 10am and DS2 was born at 6am, so I had been awake for about 24 hours both times.

I am now pregnant with DC3 and am dreading another induction - simply because if it goes the same way then I'll be shattered and on my own for part of it.

How does it work in your hospital? Do they induce in the morning or the evening? And has anyone requested a different time of induction?

[mejon]

DD2 was induced 3 weeks ago and I had to present myself at the hospital at 7am to start the process. I didn't actually get the gel inserted until 9am after all the other monitoring and checks were done (and a change of shift for the MWs). She was born at 7.30pm after I'd had the second lot of gel at 3pm.

[nicklenackle]

I went to the hospital to be induced with my DD1 at about 4pm but with my DD2 it was first thing in the morning. I imagine that was because they assumed it would take longer the first time than the second. They were right :) My husband stayed all the time both times though - sounds a bit rough for you if he has to go home for part of it!

[happycamel]

Can you pay for a private room so that he can stay with you? That's what I'm doing, £100 a night but I don't want to labour on the antenatal ward with up to 11 other women in there and no DH!

[LifeOfKate]

This was one of the least enjoyable parts of my labour. At the hospital I was at, they have you come in at 10pm and put the first pessary in at about 11pm as the first one 'hardly ever works' so you can have a good nights sleep .
It worked for me, I literally started contracting as soon as they had put it in, so spent all night up and on my own as DH had been sent home. The contractions weren't painful but I couldn't sleep through them. The worst bit was that the midwife didn't even pop her head around the door the entire night, despite my room being next to the nurses station, there was a window at the top of the door so they would have seen the light was on all night, the ward wasn't busy and when I popped to the loo at about 2am, my midwife was sat with her feet up eating. I know I could have called her if I needed her, but TBH, I was just lonely and it would have been nice to have had someone just poke their head around the door to sympathise and let me know that I wasn't the only one awake all night! :(
As it was, I didn't see her again until postnatally, when she was equally rubbish, am going to a different hospital this time, so hopefully I'll never see her again unless I'm very unlucky!

Anyway, sorry for that small rant . In retrospect I would have wanted to go in in the morning, and if I am induced again this time I would definitely be asking about the possibility of a morning induction, although I'm not sure what the new hospital's policy is.

[breatheslowly]

I think that the NICE guidelines or somewhere similar mention that greater maternal satisfaction is noted with morning inductions. I got to choose, but ended up with evening as I had a wobble about being induced at all.

[BeautifulBlondePineapple]

LifeOfKate - it sounds like you had similar (but worse!) experience than me. It is terribly lonely isn't it? My low point was going to the loo on my own, having a contraction and nearly passing out on the floor. Had to use the emergency cord & everything - would never have happened if DH had been with me.

I'm going to read the NICE guidlines and speak to my midwife to see if I can request induction in the morning. Bet I go naturally after all this worry :)

[Icanonlytry]

I was induced with DD1, had to go in at 7pm and had the pessary at 10pm. Dp was sent home so we could both get some sleep but my contractions started within 10 mins of him leaving.
The midwife refused to believe I was having contractions so I was left on an anti natal ward with 5 other women trying not to wake them up.
After an hour the lady in the next bed woke up and saw how much pain I was in (it was my first baby and she was pg with her third) she said I needed to be seen asap.
I went to find another midwife who came and examined me, turns out I was 8cm dilated already so they rushed me down to delivery and rang dp to come to the hospital quickly as they were worried he might miss the birth as I had gone from 0cm to 8cm in an hour and a half. Luckily it was ok, he got to the hospital and DD was born 4 hours later.
Will be asking for a morning induction this time if I need one. Labour and birth after being awake for almost 48 hours was not nice.

[coppertop]

I usually had to get there for 9am but by the time they'd dealt with the more urgent cases it was usually noon before anything was done (3 inductions).

[megonthemoon]

I was meant to be induced at lunch time but they were so busy that delivery suite told them to hold off until 5pm. I was dreading it as I was knackered from being 2 weeks overdue and didn't want to be up all night. The first gel didn't work, so they decided not to give me the second lot after 6 hours (11pm) as delivery was super busy again. so they sent DP home and i got a reasonable night's sleep. Gel at 8.30am, DH arrived at 9am, 3cm by 2pm, DD arrived at 4.30pm, dinner by 7pm, tucked up in bed by 11pm when DH went home :) It was really perfect in every way :), so i would now always recommend morning induction, but of course if it doesn't work first time then you may end up with a night birth anyway.