Induction with second baby and will labour start without head engaged?

[cinnamongreyhound]

I am almost 37 weeks pregnant with my second baby. My first was induced due to being overdue, although I'm more informed this time and will try to go hold out a bit longer before being induced I was just wondering if anyone had any experiences of being induced second time around? Did you need less intervention to get things going? Was the labour shorter?

Mine started very quickly after the first gel was inserted and I got to 5cms and water broke without anything else but when I got to that stage I felt the need to push (back to back labour) and after examination the midwife told me to. After 1 1/2hrs of pushing and a change of midwife was told I was actually only 5cms dilated and to stop pushing. After this the contractions slowed down and I ended up with a syntocinon drip.

This time around the baby was still free at my 36 week check. I have read and been told that second babies often don't engage until labour and can pop in and out, but if baby's head isn't engaged what is it that starts labour? DS never engaged more than 2/5th and I always thought that's why I didn't go into labour naturally.

Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks :)

HI

Sorry to say fist one was late, second one was late. First one I had everything in the end (not nice) but they pulled him out liek the ginormous turnip in the end. Second one I had an alective c section once he was a week late. it can be done although they prefer to do c sections early. I gave the little chap a fair chance to come out in his own time then sent someone in to get him. He was 9.10 already by then.

So sorry not much help but hope you are ok and good luck.

sorry about my spelling

Hi. Just had my second baby. My DD was 4 days late and came on her own, DS - 8days old - was not interested in making an appearance. I went in to be induced at term + 14 as I had had enough. I had also had 2 sweeps, a show and lots of contractions over the preceeding 2 weeks but he never engaged and was still ballotable when I went to hospital. I think the sweeps helped though as I was already 3.5cm and fully effaced. Because of this they just ruptured my membranes and labour was a very intense 1hr 16 minutes. My first baby took 27 hours and tbh the second labour although somewhat of a shock was much better. 1st baby in pool but I was completely knackered. 2nd baby - contractions were 2 minutes apart immediately and got stronger and longer alarmingly quickly. Had a shot of pethedene which didn't have time to work. Because he hadn't been engaged one MW pushed him down into my pelvis while another broke my waters, to minimise cord prolapse. Sat on a ball for a while using entonox before getting onto the bed Kneeling and leaning over the back to deliver. Ist baby was 6lb 8oz and I had grazes and 2nd degree tear. I was very sore for months. Ds was 8lb and I had a 1st degree tear which 8 days later barely stings. Within 2 hours I had showered, dressed, tidied the room and was waiting to be discharged. I really didn't want to be induced but all in all it was a very positive experience. Good luck.x

Having never been induced I have nothing helpful to say there, I'm sorry.

But the engagement thing...
I went in to labour naturally at 41+2, he was born the next day by EMCS. He never actually engaged at all, after 27 hours of labour they decided to do a section, and he was still floating free, no engagement at all. And he'd been that way the whole time. So no idea what actually caused labour to start, but I know it's completely possible to go in to labour naturally without the head being engaged.

Hope some of that was helpful! Good luck