To induce or not to induce?

[Joanie]

Hi everyone. Tomorrow I will be 42 wks with my first baby. I have been having monitoring and scans for the last week and everything is fine. I am not sure how much longer it is wise to keep waiting for nature to take its course. Has anyone any ideas? Also, is it worth trying a sweep as that might negate the need for an induction? Some people have said its very painful? The hospital seems to be leaving it to us to decide what to do, but we don't feel we have the knowledge to make a decision. Have tried sex, raspberry leaf tea and long walks to no avail. Added complication now is that the baby has gone all posterior on us (back-to-back)so want to get her to move and am a bit reluctant to start labour with her in this position. Has anyone else been in this position and what was the outcome? Any thoughts from you experienced mums welcomed!

I am surprised you haven't been set a date for induction as I thought the policy was to do it at 42 weeks. It depends how you feel about waiting longer. When did the baby move? It is unusual for a first baby to move so late. I would think she is so big now it is unlikely that she'd move now but may move on the way out. If your midwife/consultant aren't concerned then I always feel that it is best to let nature take it's course. I was 41 weeks, 1 day when my baby was born. I was actually dreading the induction because I was told it could be a very long process. I assume it has been explained to you with gel applied initial to the cervix, then drugs are given and finally if this doesn't work then the waters are broken artifically. I don't think a sweep is at all painful so I would try that.

Try relaxing - I'd practically given up, we had a curry the night before and at 3am my waters broke (not that there was much water left by that stage!)

Good luck and keep us posted.

Joanie, I had a sweep with both my babies and it didn't hurt at all, you have to relax as much as possible, if you've been learning breathing do that. In both cases it seems to have done the trick and it sure is alot less interventionist than drugs.

I also had acupuncture for second baby as I was being threatened with a caesarian. In your case it may also help to re-position the baby. Plus lots of 'scrubbing the floor' position may help move the baby

Hope all goes well.

It is awful waiting. My second was two weeks late and posterior aswell. I went to a reflexologist, it was the best thing that I ever did. I was really relaxed and I am convinced that the labour was brought on by my treatment. Also the therapist gave me some techniques which helped during the early stages. See if you have a local reflexologist who could help you, tell them you are overdue and I am sure they will fit you in. Also the curry tip is fairly popular although never worked for me and the raspberry leaf tea made me feel really sick after two weeks! Good luck with it all.ps I had a sweep too, but although it didn't hurt,my cervix was not ready (not soft enough I think) and so it did nothing.

Howaggravating for you. I went to 42 weeks with both my 2nd and 3rd - having been 38 weeks with the 1st it felt like 4 weeks over. It seems like a horrible waste of time. Apparently in France they see 42 weeks as the usual time for a first baby, not 'over' at all.

What is a sweep? I'm sure it's more high tech than my suggestion - get down on your hands and knees and scrub the kitchen floor rhythmically, lots of stretching!

Best of luck with the birth, when it comes.

Like Puffin I saw my reflexologist and that it worked for us... Good luck Joanie.

I had my first one at 41 +5. I had seen an accupuncturist - 2 days before that - but it did little because he gave me a light treatment that would only work if the baby was ready. 2 days later I took caulophillium 200 and 4 hours later I was in labour. I know a lot of people for whom it worked and know some for whom it didn't work. I have also heard wonders about reflexologists - but do fine one who has experiences with expecting mums - I am now 40+1 so I may go down that route soon myself.
And then there is the relaxing bit : which is what my homeopath recommended first and foremost as she tought that my anxiety towards labour might be what was holding my labour back.

Good luck - I know how you feel !!!!

P.S. They will let me go to 43 weeks before they induce me.

Poor you, doesn't everyday over feel like a lifetime.

Maybe by the time you read this you will have started naturally. I was told that curry, sex and pineapple could help start labour off. You've already tried sex so give the other two a go, you never know!

Good Luck.

Copper - a sweep is where the midwife sweeps her finger across your cervix. Usually it is done anyway once your contractions start just to check how far open your cervix is. It can speed up contractions or bring them on if they haven't started yet.

That is interesting about how things are viewed in France. I felt that everyone here was so obssesed with the due date. My midwife said that people forget that it is only approx 40 weeks. I was actually glad I was over as I had an easy pregnancy and I made the most of the last few weeks (I didn't finish work till I was 37.5 weeks and so had a whole month to myself) reading and relaxing and it helped me to get organised by cooking dishes for the freezer - I even ironed some clothes in advance!

Joanie, I went 42 weeks with my little girl, and then was induced. It was not a very nice experience, very clinical, I almost felt as if I'd been 'robbed' of the experience of waters breaking naturally, rushing to the hospital etc.!. I still think that my dates were wrong, and that she was just not quite ready to come. If you and your baby are fine, i think it's best to let nature take it's course!. How about a really hot curry? I've heard that works!, or you could drink Castor Oil.... perhaps not!. Sorry, but other than the ones you've already mentioned, those are all I can think of!!

Thanks for all your support. Ain't mumsnet great - its been keeping me going the past few weeks. Well, as it turned out, today I went into hospital for the now daily check only to be told by a Dr that it ought really be time to induce. However, they did say they would let me go further if I really wanted it (patient choice and all that) I don't mind now, I feel we've given bubs a long time to come of her own accord, but for some reason, she's not having it! My other half was worried that something might go wrong between the daily monitoring sessions, so might not get picked up until too late. He does have a point - as time goes on its more likely the placenta will fail, it feels quite good to be in professional hands and better safe than sorry.

Yes, tried sex, curry and walking (some seemed to have a brief effect, but the curry none at all). Forgot all about pineapple. Too late now. My Holland & Barrett tea (50% rasp leaf) tastes the same as most other fruit teas, if you like that sort of thing.As a follow-up to reflexology, a phsiotherepist told me to find a spot on the inside of your leg 3or 4 finger widths above your ankle bone. You just apply pressure, quite hard and it is supposed to set things off. You will know when you have found the spot as it hurts if you press hard. I did try it and it may have had some effect, but those 'contractions' or whatever they are, just faded away. Have tried getting on all fours, its not bad for a while is it, the baby seems to have moved a bit, but whether its right round again, I'll have to see when I'm induced, 'cos they didn't do another scan today.

Well, the midwife did an internal and a quick sweep. My advice for anyone is that it didn't hurt that much, more uncomfortable really and nowhere near as bad as the sex a few days ago, which only served to give me period-like pains for a few hours and a bit of bleeding for a day! In fact I think sex and being monitored/scanned etc at the hospital may have led to the baby moving into the wrong position as I was on my back, something I had been avoiding like the plague!

Apparently my cervix is ripe and suddenly they want me to come in at 8am tomorrow to get the ball rolling. Induction doesn't sound too bad (or am I being nieve?) because the cervix is ready, I won't need the gel and the first thing they'll do is break the waters. They will leave me for a few hours and only then if nothing is happening will I go on to the drip.

Oh well, this is getting to be a long ramble, so I'd better get off and check my hospital bags (AGAIN!) See you folks later, hopefully, with a little bundle as well.

Good luck.
Make sure the anesthetist isn't too far as I hear that once they have broken your waters - it might get painful (the head will press heavily on the cervix and if the baby is still posterior it will be painful on your back)... so an epidural might be needed.

Let us know how it went.

Will be thinking of you tomorrow AM !

Good luck for tomorrow Joanie, you never know you may not need it, and it may all happen tonight!!

Good luck Joanie.

Hope all goes well Joanie, good luck!

Hi folks,

Just wanted to let all you kind people know that Joanie had a beautiful baby girl, 7lbs 8oz, after a brief and straightforward 6 hour labour. Once the waters were broken (which, for anyone facing this procedure, I am told this was not too bad at all), she went into labour quite naturally. Both are doing fine! Won't say too much more, or I will steal the limelight from Joan! I am sure she will let you know more when she returns home (baby permitting!!).

To any ladies facing the 'ordeal' of labour: don't listen to all the horror stories too much. To any fathers-to-be out there, don't miss it, take a hanky, you'll need it!

Kind regards,

Pete, the NewDad at last, (Joanies other half)

Many congratulations Pete and Joanie. So, so pleased for you. Thanks for letting us know so soon, we do worry if things go a little quiet!

We look forward to hearing name and details from Joanie soon. Take care all of you.

Congratulations all three of you!

Congratulations to all of you!! Look forward to hearing more soon!

Brilliant news... and great to hear that labour was "good" -
All the best to all 3 of you.

Congratulations and well done all three. What a proud dad.

Hi folks, finally coming up for air after the first few weeks and able to find time to type. Thanks very much for all your good wishes and support. Yes, in the end I ws induced on 8th August, 15 days overdue. It turned out to be a good decision as when they broke the waters there was meconium in them. They then had to monitor the hearbeat throughout labour and, when it came near the end the midwife said I should have an episiotomy to get the baby out quicker. They vacummed her lungs but everything was fine. So, one word of caution for people waiting when overdue, there's no way of telling if there's meconium in the amniotic fluid, except if the baby's distressed. Who knows what would have happened if we had waited another day?

I'd like to re-assure people having an induction. All I needed was for them to break the waters (I was 3cm dilated without knowing it) and then it all started, so no need for pessaries or drips. I think the only thing with the positioning was that she kept head-butting my perineum, making me want to push too early! The whole thing was over with in 5 1/2 hrs with just entox and tens and a large birth ball (highly recommended for rocking on). The episiotomy didn't hurt. They give you several injections around the area which hurt less than a blood test, and after that, I couldn't feel the stitches at all. Talking to other people on the ward, I think I was lucky, but just to reassure you pregnant people out there, you can have quite a good birth experience, not everyone's a horror story.

ps - she was a healthy 7 1/2 lbs and we called her Hannah. Can't think of a second name yet, as we were going to call her after my mum, but that would then be Hannah Barbara and there would be too many Scooby Doo jokes to handle!))