Need a handhold pease... Induction at 37 weeks due to placenta insufficiency

[user2233]

Hi,

So I had a growth scan (I have these once a month due to a high risk pregnancy) and it was found during the scan that my baby's cord isn't working as well as it should. They decided I'd need to be induced (I was 36w5d) and was told to return the following day 25/11

I received a call from my MW on the 25/11 who mentioned that I'd need to come in to be scanned again to double check and decide next steps.

I went for my scan today and again, the scan showed the same issue. There was also a poly (can't remember the exact term) but basically a sac of fluid of some sort that measured slightly higher than it should?

The consultant said that they would like to induce me today (26/11) and I'm really really scared.

I've scared of giving birth (I'm an anxious person generally - I know I'm not the first and won't be the last to give birth but I was starting to research pain relief and come to terms with the processes of labour ready for my mid December delivery) I'm also scared that the above things that are wrong are the result of a abnormality of some sort with the baby? Ive been Googling all sorts which doesn't help. But I'm just petrified of the unknown. I wasn't expecting things to go like this, I thought I'd attend this scan (was meant to be my last growth scan before she's here) and that everything would be fine as it has been and that I'd give birth in December.

Sorry I know this post is a bit all over the place but I feel like I need to let out how I feel :/

OP,

Firstly, you are in the best hands possible.

I had a high risk pregnancy with my first and had an induction. It was long, sometimes scary, but fantastic and the support from the team was outstanding.

I also had an induction with my second and it was such a beautiful, fast experience.

I opted for the epidural and I can safely say that was the best decision I have ever made. Didn't feel a thing until I felt ready to push and it was just pressure. I felt her come out and it was just magical.

Remember if there is a medical emergency during the induction they can have your baby out in minutes.

Reserve your energy during the induction process and try and sleep as much as possible.

When they start things, and you feel cramp. Go for a bath, walk, get on the ball, ask for heat packs & drink plenty of water.

Lucozade sport for when you're in the labour ward.

Sending you a hug, you can do this, you are strong enough

@justanothermanicmonday1 thank you. How long did it take for them to administer the epidural after you asked for it? Does the epidural itself hurt a lot?x

@SeaToSki thank you 💕

With first DC there was a big medical emergency and it took a few hours for them to come round.

Second DC, they were in the room less than 5 minutes after I got into the labour suite. It took longer for them to set it up than what it did to administer. Didn't feel a thing, honestly the needle looks scarier. You're completely numb by the spray.

There is also a machine you have attached to you when you feel the epidural wearing off you just press it and it tops it up for you. Was great 🤣 every ten mins I pressed it just to be safe lol

@justanothermanicmonday1 I'm seriously considering having an epidural so it's reassuring to read your positive experience! I initially wanted a water birth to help just soothe some of the pain away - but I was told I'd need constant monitoring so I can't have one... 🥺. However, an epidural sounds like a great option!

I think I was shitting myself re. Birth. I had an induction and it all went fine. I’m not sure anyone can be prepared for what going to happen but ultimately I was impressed by my body just doing what it needed to do!

you’ll be good!

If you are induced I don't think they will allow a water birth.
I popped in for a check because I was concerned about a couple of things and they induced me there & then due to preeclampsia. Try not to worry. Although it will feel like a shock now because it's sudden you are in safe hands. Stay calm, take advice and take pain relief.
Good luck xx

I know how scary it feels (and I’m a midwife). Stay away from Google is my biggest piece of advice; what you’re being induced for does not warrant any worry about an abnormality with your baby. Your baby is amazing and you are absolutely able to do this.

There should be a bath on your Induction ward. With my first I was in mines for 6 hours! It really helped.

With my second it was that fast I wasn't in the induction ward for long.

Definitely go for the epidural if you have anxiety over the pain/birth. It made me relax and sent me to sleep in between contractions (which weren't that bad because of the epidural) and I managed to have a joke with my DP and etc!

X

I had the same at 28 weeks, had the growth scan and noticed the cord wasn’t working as it should, I had regular scans and at 33 weeks I was given steroid shots and told I would have to have a c section. They then decided to scan me very regularly every 2/3 days to try and give her more time to develop. They eventually took me for a c section at 37 weeks (c section was still recommended as baby hadn’t grown much since 28 weeks so would have been too light for gravity to help a vaginal birth, and also because the blood flow on the cord was poor contractions pressing on the cord would be too much of a risk to baby)
had to e section at 37 weeks, baby was born 4lbs 3oz, quite jaundiced but otherwise fine. We stayed in for 4 days to make sure the jaundice didn’t get worse and then we took her home. No NICU stay although we did have lots of NICU people in the theatre on standby just incase she was poorly.

She was super tiny, but so so strong and healthy. She’s now a very excited 4 year old, still small for her age but she’ll catch up eventually!

I know how scary it is ti be told your placenta isn’t working, I found that I didn’t ask enough questions, I just let them tell me information and then I had to process it at home. So if you can.. ask lots of questions! If you find yourself asking anything at home, write it down and take it to the next appointment.

Aw Op, I feel for you. I’ve had one child and I remember the fear of childbirth as you are describing. I also ended up with an induction earlier than planned and quite soon after a growth scan. I won’t lie, I was terrified and the birth wasn’t pleasant. However, you will get through it and it will be over a done with sooner than you think. Within a blink of an eye you will have your beautiful baby in your arms. You might feel a bit overwhelmed now, but you will get a sense of peace soon once it’s over. It’s unlikely anything will be wrong with your baby because of a failing placenta, they would have picked up on that in the scans. Remember, this is a precaution measure to ensure the best outcome for your baby- it doesn’t mean anything is wrong now, it’s to ensure they get the baby out before any negative impact is had on the baby. You will both be ok.

I have 4 dc and had 4 inductions (Im not a good starter when it comes to child birth 🤣) They were all very straight forward. I got an epidural as soon as I could with each one and it meant I could chill and rest while my body did its thing of dilating. When it comes to pushing, pretend you are pushing out the most ginormous poo , it activates the best muscles for delivering the baby, lots of women push with their weeing muscles (I cant think of a better way to describe it) and those ones arent as strong.
My top tip is, if you want an epidural, tell anyone and everyone that you want one, every single time you see them. Then you will be top of mind for the staff when you are at the point you can get it.

You can do this. You are strong and we are all cheering you on

I had a failed induction (drip) with DD at 40+3. I would be prepared to ask for an epidural at an early stage if that’s what they’re using with you, it’s intense. DD was just in the wrong position, despite my waters having gone naturally, and it went to EMCS which was fine. A friend however has had two completely unproblematic inductions with the balloon which she breezed through with gas and air. Try and rest as much as you can now, I know it’s really hard.

More relevant perhaps to your circumstances, I was also scanned weekly due to a high risk pregnancy and they picked up on slow growth with DS. It slowed so much I was pretty much told at 35w he was coming at 37w and not a day later. I always knew I wouldn’t make my due date because I was having an elective section, but it really took the wind out of me them telling me he was coming so early. In the end there was nothing amiss with him, he was just small. It is a shock and it was a really anxious time, but I was glad that they were being so cautious with me and him. Good luck X

FYI I suffered for a while after starting labour from the induction, and I was vomiting a lot. Then I got the epidural and it was a dream. I slept a lot after and stopped being sick. If you need the epidural, then get it.

@MummyMumMumMummy thank you for sharing your experience. I'm glad to hear that your LO is well and thriving 💕.

It's awful isn't it?! It feels as though your body is failing to do what it's supposed to do which is to grow and sustain the baby. I keep going down this rabbit hole of wondering where I went wrong and what I may have done wrong that caused this (as I've been on Beta blockers due to tachycardia - I've been wondering if that's what caused this for me... or the fact I've been taking anti sickness daily from about 9ish weeks due to HG and maybe that's what caused this).

However, I do feel hopeful to read other people's positive experiences as it gives me hope that there's a good chance that things will be okay 🤞🏻

Also as a side note: it’s completely normal not to have a rush of love or strong feeling towards your baby after birth (other than relief!) but I read so much about ‘you’ll feel this that and the other once that baby is in your arms’ - I’m an anxious person, I was scared for my baby, I was scared for me. I was too anxious to really feel anything else except anxiety after DD’s birth. It made me some away feeling like I wasn’t normal because I didn’t have all the fireworks and ‘rush of love’ feelings everyone talked about.

I made a post about it a long time ago and there were so many other people who felt the same, it actually seemed to be more common to feel neutral than anything overwhelming.

So if you get your rush if love, that’s beautiful! If you don’t, don’t worry, you’re normal.. and the live grows every single day. I’m 4 years in and the loves still growing even though I can’t see how it can!

@user2233 these things happen out of the blue, I don’t take any medications at all, I’m healthy, I eat well.. and it still happened to me. It’s just unlucky.

My second pregnancy I took a low dosage aspirin to prevent it happening again and had a very healthy pregnancy.

This was the same as me but that all went out the window when I had to be induced due to slowed growth!

But I LOVED my epidural and even slept some of the night and pushing was an amazing experience!

Good luck you are in the best place and will get to meet your little one soon!!

@Eminencegrizzly thank you for the reassurance 🥰... Thank you for all that you do in caring for pregnant women and their babies too!

So sorry you've had a stressful pregnancy, OP, but so nearly there now! You have totally got this. I was induced at 36+5 in very similar circumstances - problems with the placenta that meant it was suddenly all systems go. DD was (is!) a tiny little thing but it was such a relief to have her out with us. Sending you all good wishes.

I went in for an induction at 37+2 and changed to c-section at 37+4, and all was well. Now have a happy and healthy nearly 1yr old.

I had growth scans every 2 weeks from 31w with higher risk pregnancy and initial small <5 centile baby measurements. All the scanners and doctors mentioned they would want the baby to come earlier than the due date, first saying they would not let me go past 39 weeks, then consider induction/c-section at 38 weeks, then ultimately, let's get the baby out at 37w. I wanted to try the induction first even though I was warned that a small baby may not tolerate the labour, so I went in at 37+2 for induction.

They placed the rods on 2 separate occasions while I was on gas and air, and it was quite unpleasant, but only for a short duration. I think I really don't like my cervix to be messed with.

I was slow to respond but eventually they broke my waters. The first real contractions after that caused the baby's heart rate to drop, so we changed to a c-section. It was a bit scary but the team were on it and knew what to do. I had a spinal anaesthetic which worked well. Soon after I had my 2.5kg baby in my arms.

Recovery was relatively straightforward, and I was in the hospital a couple more (sleepless) nights, mainly to monitor baby's mild jaundice. Was so glad to go home to be with DH and the baby together.

Good luck, you've got this! It will be OK!

have you fully discussed all your options with a consultant dr (not a midwife) and Do you definitely not want a C-section? (Just asking about this as sometimes people write off certain options early. When circumstances change it’s sometimes worth reviewing.)

Birth is generally potluck. i know women who had a wide range of birth types they liked /disliked and had a range of outcomes.
i had an elective C-section and found the fact it was planned and I knew what was happening really worked well and removed a lot of panic for me. Might be worth considering this.
induction experiences can be very variable and I know a few people who said they wouldn’t choose it again.

the bit that makes it tricky is you just don’t know it advance how it will go - hog of luck and chose what you think is right /best for you and baby.

You'll be fine OP. Good luck for today and you'll soon have baby in your arms xxx

Good luck op. I was induced last week and was terrified. My body responded to the pessary and i was having contractions after 4 hrs. I had an epidural at 2cm and it was the best thing I did. They said my babies head was so low and think they could see I was struggling with pain so wheeled me down to Labour ward and my waters popped on the way. I then had the epidural and slept until I was checked and I was 10cm and got told I had one hour until I would start pushing. I fell asleep again and felt well rested by the time the pushing part came. Overall my induction was a much more positive experience than I anticipated. Good luck and come back and update us with how it went💗