Advice please re: Dsis' long slow induction

[NotAlert]

I know there's nothing I can do about this, I'm miles away. but still.....
Dsis was induced on Tuesday, and nothing has really happened since. She was on a ward until earlier today as it was all so slow. Waters broke during Tuesday night, had some really painful contractions and had pethidine, but since then everything slowed right down, progress sounds minimal. She's now in a delivery room hooked up to 'something beginning with v' to kickstart contractions, plus an epidural, and Dbil has been told that baby unlikely to arrive today. To me this seems a bit shocking - Dsis must be knackered, we know that the baby is 'big', and Dsis is almost 39 - first baby, should have said. Does this all sound ok to you wise people? It all just sounds soooooo slow; we're stuck waiting for Dbil to phone with updates and it's always ,"well she and baby are ok so they're leaving things to progress........"
Sorry, bit of a ranty waffle, but I feel so helpless and I'm really worried about her.

[Lulumama]

ok

my advice would have been to remain active, upright and mobile

is she having a syntocinon drip?

being immobile is not the best thing ,especially if labour is long and slow, gravity can help, but if you are on a bed, then your pelvis cannot open up as much, and baby cannot move down as well.

if she can , she should be up, if she can let the epi wear off... after a rest to regain some energy

is this a first baby, and why was she induced?

[NotAlert]

Lulumama, you raise lots of the points that I can't get out of my head. Thank you for your message - am complete stresshead head!
Yes, it is a first baby. Hospital decided to induce on Tuesday because by then babe was 9 days late () and he wasn't moving around much (common I know when bubs are thinking about being born) and basically the hospital already had loads of bookings for inductions later in the week! I only know what Dbil is telling my Mum (who is in pieces) who then phones me. She's on something to encourage contractions, not sure what, and sounds as if from Tuesday until this morning she was stuck on the ward and not moving around much at all. It just sounds horrendous to me, or have I lost perspective?

[SpacePuppy]

I was induced on a Tuesday morning, and again the evening and again the next morning and nothing happened. They put me on the ward and Wed evening started with contractions, they broke my waters somewhere in the middle of the night, gave me pethidine and later an epidural, it all ended in an emergency C-section as ds got stuck in the birth canal, purely because my body wasn't ready and neither was he to be born.

All I can say is once they've interfered that's it, she will be interfered with until the end.

Good luck, I'm sure they know what they're doing, you most probably don't have all the information, I remember my dsis said she felt like she had to lie down throughout my process as she couldn't do anything either (6000miles away).

[Lulumama]

it doesn;t sound ideal

she can request to allow the epi to wear off, and then have a walk around, mobilise, eat and drink, and get some energy back

if her waters have gone, tehn that is good, means she is dilating and thing are moving, but when the waters go, it becomes more intense as no cushioning between cervix and baby;s head...

so more pain, epi given, before labour is established, immobile, therefore longer, slower labour

[NotAlert]

Thank you for your kind messages.
Indeed there's probably lots going on that I simply don't know about - feeds the frustration, really.
Her waters broke at about 4 in the morning on the Wednesday, but by 10 am she was still only 2cm dilated, apparently. There was much later (this morning I think) some query over whether all or just part of her waters had broken, haven't heard any outcome. Apparently she's been told that she has a long, thin cervix which is fairly radically pointing backwards??????

[Lulumama]

oh long and posterior would suggest not that ready, but 2 cm dilation and waters partially gone is good...

she needs to be up and about and moving and getting baby down onto the cervix to aid dilation and effacement...

[NotAlert]

Thanks Lulu. AFAIK the 2cm was by 10 am on Wednesday, and not much has happened since - she must have been reasonably OK on the Wed and Thursday nights as he DH left so that she could sleep!
My main concern really is how mobile she's able to be, but who knows??? (Knaws knuckles). Also, it's the timescale - are there any guidelines re: how long things can be left to drag on for?

[Lulumama]

if her waters are still intact it does buy her more time, if baby is tolerating things well, and she is making slow progress, they might well let her carry on

try not to be too anxious

sure all will be well

[Mintpurple]

Hi Lulumama and NotAlert

Reduced fetal movement with prolonged hindwater leak and T+9 are 3 individual reasons to induce as far as the NHS is concerned.

If cx is only 2 cm, posterior and long, and she has an epidural and synto running, she will most likely be in labour for quite a long time, probably a good 12 hours, and it will depend on her m/w if they will let her up to mobilize. (also if it is a mobile epidural) They will almost certainly want to have continuous fetal monitoring, for the synto and the RFM. And probably not want to let her eat much in case of a c/s.

Lulu, if she lets the epi wear off she will probably be in quite a bit of pain with the synto, and if she is really tired anyway (which she will be) she will probably be grateful for the rest and will want to lie on the bed, although I completely agree with you regarding the benefits of mobilizing / eating etc.

Have to agree that its not really a great situation, hope it all goes well for her, notalert.

[Lulumama]

i got the impression her waters had possibly gone after the induction process started...

anyhoo, it is hard waiting for baby news, isn;t it? especially when it has been days

[Mintpurple]

SRM still about 72 hours now, so she will be on IVAB.

Yes its especially hard being a long distance apart and waiting for news.

In my hospital this situation is so common its almost 'normal'

Not nice though....

[NotAlert]

Thanks yet again for your thoughts.
Will try to surrender to the inevitable 'not-knowing-all-the-details-and-can't-do-anything-anyway' situation - have tried nice wine as medicine!!!
Hopefully tomorrow I'll be on here saying 'yay, am an Auntie' or suchlike......
Am sending lots of good breathing vibes to my sis now.

[Lulumama]

hope Dsis had a comfortable night, and hope she is holding her baby very soon x

[fawkeoff]

i was brought into hospital on a thursday night to start induction.......didn't have dd until the monday evening after them popping my waters and putting a syntocin drip to start my contractions.

[NotAlert]

"Yay, I'm an Auntie!"
DNephew born just before 5 this morning, by caesarian - they upped the drip, she got to 9cm dilated and then no further - for hours..... so the decision (and incision!) was made. Both doing well, he weighed in at 9 lbs 10 and latched on really well for first Bfeed apparently. She's expecting to be knackered later, but is still on an emotional high.
Thank you all for your support, esp Lulumama!

[Lulumama]

congratulations auntie notalert!!

glad to hear of the safe arrival of your nephew