Ok <<deep breath>> please can anyone come and talk to me about hospital and induction?

[QueenOfFlamingEverything]

So for anyone who has missed my self pitying other threads, I am now 40+16 with DC2. Was intending to have another homebirth as DD1 was born at home with no problems but this baby is staying put, it seems.

So, I am now thinking about induction. This is very distressing and scary to me, obviously I will do what is best for my baby but I had hoped so much that it would not come to this and the baby would be born soon and it just isn't happening. I have been going for monitoring and there doesn't seem to be any problem with me or the baby but I just don't know how much longer I can take. I feel like everything has been on hold for so long now. I have been taking it one day at a time but its making me so upset, dreaming at night of having my baby and then every morning waking up and still nothing.

I'm finding it very hard to balance the relative risks now as well, so few women go beyond 42 weeks that there isn't much information out there about what is really best after that time.

What happens when you are induced then? Will DP be able to stay with me the whole time? How much privacy are you likely to get, or will we be sat waiting for things to happen on a ward? How do I get over the feeling that my body is failing me and my baby? Will I ever stop fucking crying over this?

Induction for me really wasn't bad. I was at hospital for my +10 check and the sweep she did was so violent my waters broke five mins after. There was macconeum in waters so they kept me there and induced.

As for what kind of room your in alot depends on the hospital. I was in a observation room by myself with dh through out the induction process. Then when it was decided that I was nearly ready to ddeliver I was moved into a delivery room.

I was given the pessery to start induction. After the initial 20mins obbs my dh and I went out to the car park to walk laps (it was night time) My contractions came on strong fast and I walked through them and did lunches and it was so much better than being in the hospital room.
Have you been given a sweep or two? Are you dilated at all?

Technically the dp is not allowed to stay the whole time if its overnight and you've not yet gone into labour but sometimes they do let you off with it if they see you are quite upset or worried? I kept my dh with me when i was induced, against the rules but they just overlooked it in the end.

In my hosp the induction bays where like two ladies in each end of the room but big curtains around each side, so quite private if you close the curtains. Its not all packed in together like the post natal wards, whether all hosp are the same on that I dont know.

they start with the prostin thing, however if its not your dc1 i dont know whether they do that? if they were going to just start with the drip and breaking waters straight away they would put you straight onto the labour ward with your dh i would have thought? (was only induced my 1st so not 100% on that)

the time you spend sat around i found was mostly in the morning/daytime before actually being induced, because they call alot of people in for it but they wait til there is enough space on the labour ward. i went in with a group of about 4 or 5 ladies on the same day about 8 or 9am, mine was started 9pm and none of theirs till the next day, but then if your dh had to go home atleast you wouldnt have been induced before hand iyswim?

anyway you still have a chance your baby will just come out now at the last minute and wont have to be induced, you never know.. but in the end if you have to be, you will get through it and perhaps not as bad as you are expecting. im sure not ideal as the lovely homebirth you were wanting but you can still try to stay active in the hosp ward if you want, you do not HAVE to stay lieing on the bed in one place with all the monitoring etc (although tbh i did..)

but good luck, try not to worry too much it will all be worth it in the end however your baby comes out

Oh dear you poor thing. You are allowed to be upset though, you are pregnant and overdue and it is a bit of a funny time to say the least.

I was induced at 40+12. I went into the ante-natal ward at 11am and was given a prosting tablet and a good old sweep at the same time. Told to walk about a lot, and was attached to monitor every couple of hours. Absolutely bog all happened until about 5.30pm, when xp went off for some food. (Slight TMI ahead). I had the urge to do a huge poo, about three times in half an hour, as well as wicked period type pains and low aches. The midwife came back to monitor me about 6pm and xp arrived back then too. It was pretty hellish to be hooked up to the monitor and have to keep still. MW declared me to be 4cm dilated and obviously in labour so off I went to the labour ward, I got my TENS machine on up there and had a puff of gas and air, which made me sick, so that got chucked off. DS was born at 9.20pm after 4 hours of established labour. I had no pain relief, no stitches, no tear. It was very painful, with no gaps between the contractions, but it was quick. I don't have anything to compare it with but as an experience of birth I would tend to prefer the quick intense option.

Privacy wise - well, I was on a ward of 4 beds, with curtains. I did feel a bit embarrassed when things started to kick off as it was so intense, but TBH by that stage you won't care much. XP stayed the whole time until after ds was born when he had to leave as it was 11.30pm.

Your body isn't failing you. Your baby just isn't ready to come yet! I know that althgouh they told me I was overdue I was actually about bang on target, because I knew the exact date ds was conceived and they were just going on LMP dates.

I was in tears the night before the induction because I was terrified of an over-medicalised birth with intervention left right and centre. But it doesn't always happen. Sometimes it just gives your body the nudge it needs to get on and do what it needs to do.

Good luck, I hope things start off for you, but don't worry about the induction, it is not necessarily the evil that it is sometimes portrayed to be.

Oh poor you QOE I had not logged in until now and am so sorry you are facing potential induction. Sending you lots of thoughts and positive vibes

My waters broken at 40+10 at my ovedue appointment. This was about 10am. At 11pm, after absolutley no signs of labour I was taken to a delvery suite to be induced. DH was with me for the whole time so I would say it depends on which hospital you are at.

I think I need to make a list of questions to ask when I go in for CTG monitoring tomorrow.

I've had 4 sweeps (!) though only 2 were actually proper sweeps. At the last they said I was 1-2cm and they could feel the membranes bulging and baby's head, that was yesterday morning. I was hoping that if I went for induction they would agree to just break my waters to start with and try to avoid drugs.

I am very sure of my dates btw and this is definitely a very well-done baby now.

One thing to bear in mind as a possibility is that if the maternity unit is very busy, they may well leave you on hold until it's quiet. I came in on a Sunday morning with DC3, was given the pessary thing and exactly nothing happened. And then they got really busy - it wasn't until the Monday lunchtime that they broke my waters. And it wasn't until Monday evening that they put me on the drip thing - DC3 was born quite quickly after that.

This may not happen - but just be prepared that it could. Bring lots to read, don't let all the mothers with their new babies make you too jealous! Re the labour itself - fast and furious once the drip finally got going, much more intense that my spontaneous labours were and yes, more painful.

I know how you feel. I had one induction and it was as described above. I take it you have tried all the old wives tales?

With my last I had a sweep every second day as midwife was keen to help and understood my desires. I think it worked as he was born at 40+14.

Being so overdue I suspect it would take very little to tip you over. Perhaps just the pessary.

I know it's hard but try and de-stress. Have a foot massage (some people swear by reflexology to get started) or just a normal massage.

I had a pretty crappy induction, my DD just didn't want to come out, I had no dilation at all, cervix completely unripe etc. Even taking all that into account it wasn't that bad.

I had four lots of prostin gel over the course of three days, this finally got me to 3-4cm, then they broke my waters, still nada, started me on the drip which took ages to work. When it did, I had an epidural, laboured for about 8 hours with no progress and ended up with a c-section. Even after the induction completely failing it was still fine iyswim? I was so thrilled to see my gorgeous DD that what came before it didn't matter a jot.

DP stayed for the whole shebang after my waters were broken, with the prostin gel he was allowed to stay quite late but did have to go home to sleep - they just don't have the space and wouldn't want men sleeping on an ante-natal ward, understandably.

Suspect if you're +16 and it's not your first baby everything will be much speedier! Privacy was fine too and you really shouldn't feel like you/your body has failed, when the end result is a healthy mum and a healthy baby, it's all been a success.

Good luck!

I've had 3 inductions. The first was because I was overdue and there were concerns about my BP, and the other two were due to concerns about the size of the baby.

The procedure was pretty much the same for all three:

You wait around on the ward until you've been checked over (BP, baby's position etc). As Hassled said, you may be waiting around for a while if they're particularly busy.

They will usually start you off with the gel and tell you to do lots of walking around. This is repeated a few hours later if nothing is happening. For one of mine the waters broke spontaneously, and for the other two they were broken by the MW after a couple of tries with the gel.

Again you will be encouraged to keep moving around as much as possible.

When they think you are ready they will take you to a private delivery room. From then on it will depend on what progress you've made and what your particular needs are. I had a drip for two of mine but it wasn't needed for the third.

Partners are usually allowed to stay with you on the ward if it's during visiting hours. Once you are in the delivery room they can stay throughout labour etc.

I've had 4 inductions, I went in at +16 days with dc2, was induced within an hour I was in pain and asking for an epidural she was born within 10 hours of the first (and only) pessary/gel going. I think you are likely to have a similar experience.

The send your dh home overnight if there is nothing much happening but call them back if things change.

I am especially worried about DP being able to stay with me as we live 22 miles from the hospital and there are only 4 buses a day (DP doesn't drive). I will ask them about this tomorrow though and see what they say.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences, I really need to get my head round this somehow and start planning for a very different experience. I know it doesn't have to be grim, I am just scared of the unknown I suppose.

Well presumably if he can't stay on the ward there is nothing to stop him camping out in a corridoor somewhere else. If they start you off at 9am I really cannot imagine that nothing will have happened by that evening - and yes I've been through 2 3 day inductions but the ones when I was properly overdue were much quicker!

I had an induction at 38 weeks with DS (my 2nd baby) and it was absolutely fine. I was told it would take a couple of days as I was so early (in terms of induction), but in fact it was just 5.5 hours from the pessary to delivery (I was 2cm dilated at the time of sweep and pessary, but cervix was very posterior). It is more a intense labour even with just the pessary, but it wasn't scary or horrible, just fast!! DP was allowed to stay the whole time and with regards to privacy I was in a private room (but on the ante natal ward and I was so jealous of the ladies with their babies while I was waddling down the halls on my crutches (spd) trying to get everything moving!) and when I was ready to deliver they wheeled me down to the delivery suite.

Good luck with everything and you never know, tonight might be the night and you won't have to be induced at all!!

Hi - I was 40 + 16 when I had 4 sweeps too - it took 2 days to go from 2 to 6cm - then mw tried to break my waters but DD was too far engaged. Eventually I thought sod it - she'll be here when she's ready and instead of induction I went for a long (miserable, uncomfortable but worth it) walk, my labour started properly and was over in 6 hours. I had my homebirth and was bloody glad I did everything I could to avoid induction. Know it can work well, but FOR ME i think it's best to let them come the natural way. Hope it's the best experience you can have, whatever you decide

all 3 of mine were inductions - No 1 because she was overdue, nos 2 and 3 because they were gettin to big.

No 2: given gel in evening and again in the morning - labour started at 9am, baby arrived 11:58am.

No 3: as above, but gel did not work. Dr took a look and declared he felt he could break the waters rather than do another gel. DS2 born 1 hour 45 mins later - from a cold start!

queen

bless you! listen, at least if you are induced you have some certainty, and you can get an epidural

DS1 was induced and there were no dramas

you will get your own room and DP can stay with you

the emotions are normal too

big hug and let us know when you have the baby!!

I am 38 weeks and I am BRICKING IT

I am going in at 8am tomorrow for induction.

I am terrified. And they will not allow DP to stay with me until I am moved to a delivery room.

The whole way they do it seems so counter-intuitive - I have to go alone onto an ward with several beds and wait until I am in established labour, then they move me to the delivery room and DP can come in. Its like they actually do not understand the basic needs of women when they are going into labour - privacy, peace, safe space of your own, continual support from people who you are close to...

Oh and the staff told me that my baby will almost certainly be taken straight to special care for observation as s/he will probably have breathed in meconium by now.

I just want this over now.

Oh, QOFE. I can't believe that your DP isn't allowed to stay until you are in delivery suite. What is all that about?

I think only the way to look at it is to find the positives (I know that is easier for me to say than to actually do) and that is that by this time tomorrow you could well be holding your baby.

Good luck and really I hope it all goes smoothly (and quickly!) for you.

That about the meconium is just bollocks, really; fancy them saying such a silly thing. I think you should check with another member of staff or the patient liasion people about your dp not being allowed in with you. That doesn't sound right.

Don't be scared. Maybe things will kick off tonight for you.

Thinking of you

QOFE - if they thought that the baby had breathed in meconium they would have kept you in today already.

Please don't worry about the baby being taken into special care - they will only do this if they see that there is a need to do so when the baby is born.

Good luck for tomorrow. The signs are good for an induction, as the baby is well down, dilation has started, and the waters are bulging. I think your dh should stay with you, close the curtains around the bed. I've heard of husbands staying because someone has forgotten to ask them to leave.

They said partners are not allowed on the AN ward to protect the privacy of the other women there - its definitely their policy, its in the written bumf they gave me. Well, he will be allowed during partners' visiting hours - 90 minutes twice a day.

I hope I get taken to delivery pretty damn quick. Have shoved evening primrose capsule up my fanjo to help ripen cervix as if they can just break my waters I will be sent there straightaway, its only if they need to do the gel/pessary that I have to go on the ward and wait.

As to the meconium, apparently that is policy to take all babies with meconium in the waters for observation. And as I have 'chosen to let things to get this far' there is a very high chance my baby will have inhaled some and need special care, so I am told.

yes of course if there is meconium in the waters they must take the baby in for observation - but that doesn't actually mean there definitely is meconium in the water - they will only know that when the baby is born.

I suppose they are only preparing you for all eventualities, but in doing so they are making you more worried about something that might not happen.

If there are meconium in the waters they get a dr in to help deliver they try and keep babies faces out of the puddle of waters on the bed etc and try to clear the face as you deliver. I had the thickest grade meconium in my waters, yes they whisked her off to the corner of the room to use the sucky thing and keep a close eye on her agpar score but I got her back within a few minutes and all was fine.

They can't inhale meconium until the deliver as they don't breathe on the inside