AIBU to really, really not want an induction?

[PterodactylTeaParty]

40+5, first baby. Yesterday the midwife booked me in for an induction at 40+13 if I go that long. I know there are good reasons to induce - risk of stillbirth goes up after 42 weeks (even if it's still tiny), I won't be sodding pregnant and sick any more - but I am feeling more and more strongly that induction is not what I want to do.

MW thinks everything looks good and there is progress, it's just not happening fast (baby still high but more engaged than last week, Bishop score of 2, sweep unsuccessful). There's a family history of 42-week pregnancies, on both mine and DH's side. I can feel my body starting to gear up for labour (spells of painful contractions that fizzle out). 40+13 is still over a week away. And then I start thinking, this time next week I'll be arriving at the antenatal ward, and the thought of it makes me want to burst into tears.

I do think IABU to some degree to be dreading induction this much, because I can't even quite put my finger on why. I'm convinced that if they induce me, I'll end up on syntocinon and continuous monitoring and then have a section anyway and the whole thing will go wrong and be awful. I know most inductions aren't horror stories, but I am convinced mine will be, and that it'll be my own fault for trying to push things before my body and my baby were ready, when maybe it's just the kind of baby that takes 42 weeks to make. Originally the midwife tried to schedule induction for 40+14, then the hospital had no slots that day so it became 40+13, and then they want you in the day before so that's 40+12, and now it feels like a ticking clock getting louder and louder and louder.

I know I can say no to induction, but then I'd be taking on extra risk and I wouldn't be super-happy with that either. I just can't stop thinking about it and dreading it. Everything about it feels wrong. I even wanted to put my hands over my ears when DH asked which building the ward was in! All this is totally unlike me and I have no idea where it's all come from. I don't ever cry, ffs, and yet I know I'm going to be turning up for that induction in tears.

So. AIBU to consider refusing/delaying induction because of this? And if I am, how the fuckity fuck do I get over it?

OP, at the end of your post you say AIBU to delay or refuse it. Remember that you can always consider it to be a delay, day by day if you want to (although avoid Fridays and weekends as there's less cover on the ward). You can always change your mind and accept the offer of induction (it's an offer, despite how it may be "offered") at any time. It's not all or nothing.

I was induced twice, once at 40+11 once at 40+12. With the second baby I was begging for an induction appointment at 40 weeks because there were no signs the baby was ever going to come out, I was huge and had a toddler.
The inductions were good, staff monitored me and the babies. Ended up with normal delivery each time. Baby 2 was over 10 pounds & I was told next time they would induce earlier to prevent massive giant baby.

Can't you opt for twice daily monitoring instead, one you get to 40 + 13? That's what a midwife friend of mine did to avoid induction. You need to weigh up the risks. Is it riskier to have an induction? Or riskier to wait?

Good luck either way.

I felt like you did before DC1 (mostly as a result of reading mumsnet) but ended up being induced after my waters broke but labour failed to progress. I insisted on prostaglandin which did not work but I think helped things along sufficiently that when they put me on syntocinon my body was ready. They were also very clear that they were going to start with very low levels of syntocinon and build up. Labour was quite long but only uncomfortable for just over an hour and I did not need much in the way of pain relief.

DC2 was induced for other reasons right on 40 weeks and it was always going to be the case that continuous monitoring was needed due to a medical condition she had developed. I was at a different hospital this time and they use the prostaglandin pessary as a matter of course. This did not work but again I think prepared my body, dilated my cervix and after a sweep my waters broke. I was then put on syntocinon again but again building up gradually from very low levels. About 3 hours actually in labour but again no more than an hour which felt any worse than a bad period.

Inductions really do not have to be bad. I hope you manage to destress a little whatever you decide.

I was booked in for an induction (at my insistance) at 41+1. Went into labour spontaneously while I was in the hospital. Arrived in hospital at 10pm, induction scheduled to start at 5am, DD arrived at 2.10am.

You can always say no to an induction, or tell the midwife when you would like the induction done.

You'll have a beautiful baby in your arms very, very soon. Enjoy your last few days of sleep, long baths and sleep.

Anything is an option ! Most pregnant women do not realise they have a choice.you can refuse induction i refused it three times was monitored regularly and finally induced at term plus 22 thats three weeks past my dd but that was my choice.

You could try acupuncture &/ or reflexology

Walking walking walking

Spunk tea

Good luck

"You have induction, which reduces the chance of mortality and increases the chance of morbidity, or expectant management which is vice versa."

Sort of.. although the evidence is really poor, and expectant management is actually a really good option and is part of the guidance. IE, women should be offered induction or expectant management as there is little, if anything, to choose between them in terms of outcomes. Of course, both are optional anyway.

Once my due date came and went I did the 'book lots of nice things you will be unable to so with a baby' route. DD came the next day and I had split ends, manky feet and I didn't get to have afternoon tea or go to the cinema.

The midwife I spoke to told me loads of people go in to labour spontaneously before they are induced. Hopefully you will be the same!

I felt exactly the same. Didn't want to be induced, was sure I would end up on the drip and with an EMCS.

I was right. But, you know what? It's all fine. I'm sitting here with my sleeping 20 week old in my arms and her method of delivery into the world is the least important thing about her.

That said, fingers crossed you go into labour naturally and have the birth you want.

I think induction with a pessary is much different to induction with a drip. Induction with a pessary is ok, induction with a drip is less gentle

Not always. I was given a pessary when pregnant with DD1, I hated it with a vengance, I was on a ward with 4 other women in early labour, no DHs for any of us, I got no sleep, no pain relief and vomitted repeatedly due to the intense period-like pain overnight. I was only 2cm in the morning so was induced with the drip. It took a lot to get me started but I had a normal birth (no epidural or CS), but I was shattered after 2 nights of no sleep on the antenatal ward. I could have done without the pessary and expectant management that had happened before that.

Had the drip again with DS (no pessary this time) and had a quick and normal birth (again, no epidural or CS). Since the alternative in that particular situation was a CS an induction was my way out of major surgery.

Wouldn't that be brilliant :) x

I absolutely agree that it's not for everybody, Chunderella, and I'm sorry if I didn't come across like that :) Equally, the fearmongering put about around 42 weeks is totally inappropriate, and not supported by either evidence, or NICE guidelines, it's entirely defensive practice.

There are various options, some of which are right for some, and others for others. I look forward to the options being presented properly, not one route being pushed very hard over the others, but women being given the opportunity to choose whatever is right for them as an individual.

lego your first birth sounds really hard :( When you say expectant mangement, do you mean after the pessary was inserted? That's not expectant management, that's the start of induction, which is different. expectant management involves keeping an eye on the baby through various non-invasive methods, and only inducing if there appears to be a reason why baby would actually, rather than statistically, be better out than in.

You're right, the pessary can cause very strong contractions.

Alas, still no baby! Doing lots of walking though. I don't know if it's doing a bloody thing to bring on labour (it does bring on contractions but they always stop afterwards), but it's calming me down a bit and stopping me climbing the walks with fed up frustration.

Op apologies if this has already been mentioned but my acupuncturist says that no pregnant woman she has treated has ever had to be induced.

You'd need to ring around to find someone with experience of treating pregnant women but I would have thought it would be well worth giving a try - and certainly will do no harm and should help you feel more relaxed too.

Good luck!

Walls, even.

Induction procedure here seems to be: come in the night before, then pessary, wait 6 hours or so, another pessary if nothing's happening, wait again, then artificial breaking of membranes if possible (and section if not), then syntocinon drip, then section if nothing else has worked. Doesn't seem like they will let you leave the ward during the early stages.

MW said that if the first pessary sends me straight into labour they might let things progress as they would with spontaneous labour, with chance to move around a lot, use the pool, etc.; anything beyond that and no. I didn't have my heart set on a water birth but I really don't like the idea of not being able to move around.

It's odd, because for most of the pregnancy I've been really pro-induction as soon as possible after 40 weeks (horrendous sickness throughout), but since it's become an actual possibility, I hate the idea.

I was the same as you, terrified of induction, too worried to refuse being booked in for it. As it happens my waters broke at 40+9 but they were heavily stained with meconium and although the monitors showed I was contracting they weren't productive so I was put on syntocinon drip anyway to speed things up. When they told me I fought back tears because I thought that automatically meant an epidural, forceps and/or a section. I had none of those things, gas and air helped beautifully when I needed it and baby was out 12 hours later.

Whatever will be will be. All you can do is try to manage whatever labour you have in the best way you can. So stay calm, breathe deeply and work towards delivering your bundle of chaos.

Two inductions; both scheduled. Was taken out to lunch both times, had glass of wine (yeh!), first one had suppository (not the most fun ever but better than alternative IMO), then pessary. Straight into full pelt labour - baby arrived in 6 hours. Second baby - waters broken (again, not most fun ever but bearable) pessary, baby born 4 hours later. Had gas and air and a bit of pethidine. Two healthy babies and very happy and relieved mum which is IMO the object of the exercise. Don't listen to all the horror stories; I am not convinced that in the UK HCPs do things to you' unless there are valid medical reasons, although I am sure people will come on here to say differently. Sometimes medical intervention is necessary to get a good outcome; natural doesn't always turn out well in countries where health care is not developed.

I did not mean that last bit to sound so patronizing, sorry!

lego your first birth sounds really hard When you say expectant mangement, do you mean after the pessary was inserted? That's not expectant management, that's the start of induction, which is different. expectant management involves keeping an eye on the baby through various non-invasive methods, and only inducing if there appears to be a reason why baby would actually, rather than statistically, be better out than in.

My waters broke and weren't completely clear so they kept me in hospital for 48 hours to see if I'd go into labour naturally before the pessary was inserted, that was what I meant by expectant management. They didn't want to induce me before giving me a chance to go into labour naturally (I was overdue by this point).

It's funny, I don't think it was that bad, but then I'm a tough old nut. There was a lot of hanging about and waiting and the night of the pessary wasn't great but otherwise it was just tiring (shock horror). I certainly never felt that the pain was that bad and certainly no worse than my completely natural labour I had between the troublemakers (DS's was definitely the most intense but it was intense for 15-20 minutes at most). And it all feels a long way away after a few years.

I think each person's labour is quite individual and you don't know how you will feel until you've got the baby in your arms. Some people have terrible inductions that end in a CS, some have good ones. Same is true of naturally induced births. Truth is it doesn't matter how calm and prepared you are, what age you are, how many children you have already had, you don't have 100% control over what happens.

Oh, I see lego :)

wispawoman I agree with you completely. HCPs of course have our best interests at heart, otherwise why would they have gone into a caring profession? Unfortunately, they are bound by the system, which has guidelines, which are supposed to not be rules, but HCPs who don't follow them, but instead take an individual into account, will be hauled over the coals for it. It's not fair on anyone, but that's why there is an issue. Women are not treated, on the whole, as individuals. The statistics and the guidelines drive the care decisions, and that leads to care which is protective of the practitioner, not the woman. Sadly, that means that often interventions happen not because they're needed, but because it might help one in hundreds or thousands of women. "First, do no harm" has been put to one side and replaced by a fear of litigation.

That said, it doesn't mean for a moment that interventions are not sometimes necessary, and we are very, very lucky to live somewhere with access to medical care. Nature is not perfect. It is, however, pretty darned good, and left to its own devices works really, really well. Countries with poor access to health care also have other problems which lead to worse birth outcomes, such as malnutrition and can't be directly related to us. On the other hand, the similarly developed countries with better birth outcomes than us (of which there are many) have a hands-off, midwifery led care model for most women. We've got it far better than many, but we haven't got the balance right yet.

PterodactylTeaParty have you had HG? That is so miserable :( But, you sound like you know where you stand and you are definately NBU!!! xx