first baby. Worried about being induced.

[Bumpybelly]

Not due until end of september but i am already worried that i may have to be induced. Heard lots of horror stories which coupled with normal birthing horror stories are not helping. Could anyone tell me what being induced involves? is being induced the only option? Is it really that bad?

I was induced, it wasn't fun but they got there in the end. First stage is a pessary (didn't feel any worse than a smear) which should start off your contractions then a few hours later if your waters havn't broken they do it for you with a hook was more scared of this than anything else but when it came to it I didn't feel a thing. If thing don't progress from there then they wire you up to an artificial hormone drip which does make your contractions more painful but that's point I asked for an epidural which I would recomend. The thing I was most sad about was that your birth is very medical with an induction, no midwife led unit or birthing pool for me!

Why the worry? Does your hospital have a policy of inducing early?

A normal pregnancy lasts 38-42 weeks. Hold out on induction until 40+14 and it is v unlikely you will 'need' an induction.

Tribunalgoer I was induced 4 days after my waters went. Not sure how long I should've waited for my body to do what it was designed to.

I was induced by drip and it took about 6 hours. Not how I had planned it but still a beautiful experience.

Try not to worry. Probably won't happen to you and if it does may not be bad.

I was a bit worried about induction and as long as my baby was ok I planned to refuse induction for about 5 days or so.

However I had been having regular acupuncture to help me out with sciatica, to get pregnant and during pregnancy (bye heartburn!) and once I was medically overdue she agreed to 'induce' me with needles. Well that took place at 2.30pm and at 12.30am with no warning apart from a 'christ I need the loo' my water's broke and within 1 hour my labour started. Coincidence maybe but I felt 2 distince 'pops' in my front when she needled my back - maybe you should find a good practioner in your area and have a consultation?

But I must say my mum was induced with my big sis, and me in 70s and both her labours took no more than 6 hours.

I know people who swear by reflexology to get things moving too.

I have this worry too, particularly as I know they have my due date wrong (IVF pregnancy) and will consider me overdue almost a week before I really am. I am going to refuse induction up to 40 +14. I am pretty sure you can.

bumpybelly, I had to be induced 14 weeks ago and I can honestly say that my whole labour was a very positive experience, despite me having to have a C-section in the end. Throughout the induction process I tried to have an active labour - I was on my birthing ball and was sitting up, only lying down to have examinations. I chose not to have an epidural (until the c-section of course!) and the pain was manageable with gas and air and diamorphine.

I would not worry about it at the moment. Chances are you may go into labour yourself anyway so you would have had nothing to worry about anyway!

My advice to you would be to read up on the different types of labour/birth to prepare yourself for all different eventualities. It definetely makes you feel more relaxed when you know what is happening to you and why.

I was induced for my first pregnancy. I was given a pessary and, other than that, the experience was very similar to having (non induced) DS. I had a consultant led pregnancy and birth, but a midwife delivered me and my birth was lovely and calm (well, perhaps I'm looking back a little too fondly!)

Please try not to worry about it, for a start it might not happen. And if it does, chances are it will not be the horror that you imagine.

tribunalgoer Sun 18-Jul-10 18:58:13
"you NEVER have to be induced. Why would your body not do what it is designed for?"

Never is perhaps a strong word. Sometimes bodies refuse to do what they are designed for. I had to be induced early in both my pregnancies because babies had stopped growing in the womb. Wasn't particularly scary or nasty, just a fact that something that we were designed for failed to happen.

You don't have to be induced at all. Midwives tend to assume you will be and you have to be prepared to make a stand and say you don't want it. They should only offer induction, not just go ahead and book it in. They should explain the alternatives too. If there is no medical reason for induction (e.g. baby not growing, you have high blood pressure etc), you can ask for 'expectant management' where they monitor your baby every day or two beyond two weeks late.

You might have to prepare for a bit of a fight because by 42 weeks I think they are keen to get you off their books. Expectant management also involves more work on their part.

I refused induction but fortunately my baby arrived 10 days late. I know two other people who refused induction, one baby was 16 days late, one was 21 days late, all babies were fine. Babies come out when they are ready IMO.

tribunalgoer what shit.

of course ideally you go with your body. but if, for example, your baby is at risk of death, you'd be nuts not to accept medical intervention.

of course induction rates are miles too high, way way too high. but that doesn't mean that there is never a case for medical induction as I myself know too well at the moment.

Unless your waters have broken and you're concerned about infection or you're overdue and concerned about the placenta, you shouldn't have to have an induction and even then, it is your choice.

The doctors cannot force you to have one. This is true tribunalgoer & sophable. They'd have to get a court order to do so. I don't think many (any?) people would choose not to have an induction where it was clear it was needed for the baby's sake, but it's still your choice.

I know in my area, they want to induce if contractions haven't started 24 hours after the waters break because their research has shown that the risk of infection increases sharply after that. I think I'd be okay with that as it's a definite risk management thing. With being overdue, my area suggest induction at 40+14 but will support a monitor and see (expectant management) policy if that's what you want. Obviously if it seemed the baby was getting in distress I'd go for an induction, but I think otherwise I'd opt for monitor and see.

Oh and of course, if you have a health problem that means the baby needs to come out early (e.g. OC or pre-eclampsia) then induction is recommended.

I was induced with both my dds. Labour was 12 hours and 6 hours. I can't compare it with anything else so I don't know if it was worse or not. Managed with gas and air only with both.

I can only go by my own and 4 of my friends experiences. 3 of us had emcs and 2 had a forceps birth after induction.

I think its wise to keep reminding yourself that only after 42 weeks are you actually overdue. My own induction was at 10 days over, even though I told them I knew their dates were wrong and mine were right, according to my dates, they induced me at 40 weeks and DD was just not ready to come.

Induction seems to open more doors to intervention after intervention. Some go smoothly, but most Ive heard of in RL are not positive experiences, apart from the girl being induced in the next bed to me, who had her 10lb'er 2 hours after her first pessary!

Id avoid induction, unless theres a genuine medical need.

Obstetricians are schooled in medicalised birth, until midwife led care is seen as important as consultant led care by the public, induction will continue to be the norm. induction is cheaper than a c-section for the NHS and helps to control the flow of labouring women through the hospital. Additionally many parents to be like the idea of controlling the arrival date to fit in with work, moving home or childcare for siblings.

I went to 40+15 with DD who is six weeks now. I was well aware I had a choice and that 42 weeks is considered term in many other countries. I agreed to an induction ARM only (no gels or drip required as I'd had my show three weeks prior and my cervix was already 'ripe' - 4cm dilated and effaced) for a non medical reason which changed my home birth plan to an induced birth on the labour ward!

I had been very anxious about a labour ward hospital birth rather than a birth centre or home birth. I am one of those people that just hates hospitals. The labour ward was fine, lovely midwives (consultant not so lovely) no pain relief required (though constantly offered in true NHS fashion). The bathroom was lovely and dark even in the middle of the day and as I couldn't be strapped to a monitor in there I made good use of the corner bath and sit in shower (no access to a birth pool on the labour ward - run by doctors, as opposed to the birth centre - run by midwives).

I would happily have gone for another week waiting for spontaneous labour, but my sister in law lost her baby a few months earlier at 40 weeks and the whole family, understandably, was finding the wait too stressful due to the (very slightly) increased risk of still birth post term. However, I certainly wouldn't have agreed if my body hadn't been showing clear signs of ripening. I do think unless there is a very good medical reason for it, applying gels (the active ingredient is derived from pig semen) to force your cervix open before it's showing any signs of being ready is quite barbaric. I also wonder how serious a medial reason for induction is, if a c-section is not being offered?

We are all able to make our own birth choices, the NHS will of course push induction, so it is very important, as pointed out by tribunalgoer that women understand they do have a choice and induction is not inevitable.

"I also wonder how serious a medial reason for induction is, if a c-section is not being offered?"

Why would they offer a c-section if it is not needed? I am pretty sure I did need early induction, but I was perfectly capable of delivering vaginally with minimum pain relief once I'd been induced: why on earth should they have offered major surgery when it was not needed? It would have meant more risks to me and a higher cost to the health system, taking resources away from someone who might need them more than I did.

In my second labour (also induced) I did need an emergency caesarian, but it was still a very low key affair (fully awake, spinal block etc)- so again, there would have been no advantage in offering a planned section from the start: as far as I was concerned, it was worth my going into labour and then seeing if I could cope.

Bumpbelly Was induced with dd2 - absolutely grand, was given gel packs at 4am, slept, walked about listening to ipod, no need to stay in bed, had another pack at 11am, spent day watching tv, reading. Nothing happened but no pain, had a bath around 3.30, labour started at 4pm, had baby at 6.45pm, no drip, no forceps, had baby while kneeling at side of bed. Was absolutely kacking myself at thought of induction, but way too many horror stories out there, tbh much easier that dd1 11 hour labour!

Burmesegrumbler - that is an awful story about your SIL. Im sorry. How did she lose her baby at 40 weeks?

Im still planning to hold out to 40+14 and take any advice from MW about monitoring. Id hold on a bit longer (local record 40+21) but I think if I had to go 3 weeks overdue Id go mad!