Being induced at 38 weeks

[emilyjayne5]

I'm being induced at 38 weeks with GD and I'm just wondering if anyone else has any advice to give me on what to expect? Or how long it took?
My first labour was very long (36 hours) and I'm terrified that this labour will be the same!
Also did everyone partner stay with them? We are debating whether my other half should go to work on the day I go in?
Any advice or birth story's would be lovely 😊

[Phoenix76]

Hopefully this will reassure you. I was induced at 37 weeks with dd2 due to OC. I, too, had a long labour with my first. I had a pessary inserted, was admitted to a quiet ward, told to gently walk around as much as possible. That happened in the afternoon. I stayed the night with no activity. Next afternoon they broke my waters, brace yourself it wasn't fun but over relatively quickly. Contractions started almost immediately. They left me for around 2 hours. Checked me, decided to put me on an IV and advised epidural. I can honestly say it was a relaxed, calm and beautiful experience (very different) to my first non induced. Everyone reacts differently to be induced, some go fast some take a bit longer. In my case, DP was able to go home for some rest before the big event but you can normally gauge what the situation will be like for you. Best wishes and try not to stress, if I'd known then what I know now I wouldn't have got into such a state about it.

[GinnyBaker]

Apparently I had a textbook slow induction! I'd had a midwife who'd been with my throughout the PG and when she saw I was down to be induced on Thursday, said she'd come in and see me on Sunday as it was her next day off and the baby would probably only be born on Sunday (I thought she was bonkers- go in on thursday and baby not born till sunday...turned out she was right).

I was admitted at 6pm on the thursday (waiting at home all day for a bed), pessary inserted about 10:30pm, told they don't check you for 24 hours until you think something is happening beforehand....

Very loooong boring 24 hours wandering around the hospital with nothing happening. Dh could easily have been at home doing stuff that day.,,

Checked over at 9pm the following day, Fri evening, broke waters. Moved me to delivery suite.

Checked at 2am, told about 1cm. Checked at 6am (now saturday), told 2cm. Checked at 12noon, still 2cm, told would go on Syntocin drip at 6pm if no progress as they can't leave you too long after waters break.

Syntocin prescribed at 6pm but the hospital I delivered in wouldn't start the syntocin without epidural in as apparently too painful. Waited for anaethetist to be available.

Epidural about 10pm saturday, syntocin started. Mostly slept through the night. Checked every hour or so.

At 8am told labour had slowed down and syntocin needed to be switched up (this hospital try and do it on half speed for first 12 hours in case baby doesn't like it).

Syntocin switched up at about 10am. Baby didn't like it (heart rate dropped). Drip removed after 5 mins to stop this happening. Section soon afterwards. Ds born about 11am on sunday.

It was honestly all fine. Very boring for the first couple of days, and after that it was all well monitored, pretty pain free for me and efficiently handled.

[Michellemc1xo]

I'm also getting induced at 37 weeks this is my second pregnancy I'm being induced because my first baby was still born i also had to be induced then because of the circumstances. I was in labour for 24 hours and it was you horrible because of the situation of knowing I wasn't going to have my baby afterwards. I was jn labour within an hour of recieving first pessery. it was tough going but they wanted me to give birth naturally so nothing would compromise my chances of having children in the future. Everyone's different and some people say trying to start labour is hard but hopefully it goes OK for you and you aren't waiting a long time