SIL asking for induction at 40 weeks due to being 'fed up' of being pg....

[EthelredOnAGoodDay]

SIL is due with DC2 this Monday. she has said that she is sick of being pregnant and has asked MW to give her a sweep tuesday and if nothing doing after that, induction on wednesday as she is 'fed up' of being pg.

I know that with DS, she she started off in a MW-led unit but then ended up being blue-lighted to hospital as baby was back to back and ultimately ended up with forceps delivery. She was pretty upset aftewards with all this and was trying to avoid similar this time round.

Am I right in thinking that by being induced, there is a high chance of epidural and consequently an increased chance of assisted delivery? she has told me herself that she is not particularly well informed about her options/choices and i just wonder whether i am being over the top about this, or whether there is potential for it to lead to further intervention...

Any advice would be great.

bump

basically yes you are right. I was induced on my due date and after 3 pessaries and a night on the Synto drip I ended up with a CS because DS just was not ready and the synto induced contractions just had him pressing on my bladder.It was bloody agony and I ended up morphine and consequently don't really recall the first 24 hours with my DS. Tell her to hang on if she can.

I have been induced twice once at 38 weeks and once 40+1 both times I had an epidural - I asked early on for one as I was told the contractions are a lot stronger when induced! My induction at 38 weeks I was given a pessary in the evening then the next morning taken down and my waters were broken the put on the drip my DS was then born at 6.20 that afternoon with no help. My second induction at 40+1 they were able to break my waters when I went in at 7am and then I was put on the drip I had my 2DS at 1.20 in the afternoon so in less than 5 1/2 hours From start to finish!

The thing is everyone is different! but I have been told an induction is less likely to work if you are early.

I am also being induced in 3 weeks at 38 weeks (Due to GD)

Good luck to your SIL lets hope she goes on her own over the weekend!

I'd be surprised if they agreed to induce her on those grounds, given that there is a much increased risk of intervention.
Saying that, I was induced a day past 40weeks and DD was born 12 hours after the first pessary - no drip no epidural etc, very quick natural birth, so it could be fine.

Thanks all. I am hoping it will be fine for her, or that DC makes an appearance pronto! I guess like everything in this life, it is different for everyone.

Nothing is certain. I was induced at various points (DD1 39+6, born at 40+0 after a 4 hour labour; DD2 35+3, born at 35+4 after an 8 hour labour; DD3 38+6, born at 38+6 after a 3 hour labour) and only need gas & air for 2 of them, had pethidine (yuck) with DD2.

No synto, nothing.

Lots of women have intervention free inductions. Lots of women have cascading intervention during induction. Lots of women have intervention free spontaneous labour. Lots of women have cascading intervention during spontaneous labour.

At my hospital they would tell her to sod off if she asked to be induced at 40 weeks with no medical reason for it. I think most places would be of that view.

Doubt they will induce her. They prefer to let you go as far as you can for the safety of baby and yourself.
Induction is horrible and ended up with epidural and forceps after failure to progress. Wouldn't recommend it!

I've had 3 inductions and I'd be surprised if your SIL was offered one for Wednesday.

Even when it's decided that induction is necessary, it's unlikely that you'd be able to go in for one straightaway.

Mine involved having to phone the maternity unit first thing for several days to see if there was space for me to come in that day. If the unit was too busy I would be asked to phone again the following morning.

I don't know whether or not it was a coincidence or whether it just so happened that weekends are less busy but mine were all done at weekends.

I don't think that induction necessarily means further intervention. I only needed ventouse/forceps for my first and that was due to the baby's size.

I feel for your SIL and think it is rather unfair to assume that it is because she is "'fed up' with being pg". It sounds to me more like she is pretty scared of spontaneous labour and being blue-lighted again. Maybe she also doesn't want to know anymore as she is scared. Perhaps you don't have the full picture.

I say this as I had a traumatic first birth and met with the consultant this week to say that I didn't want to go overdue and how would we manage this. I was told that a second birth is likely to go much more smoothly with or without an induction and they have put it in my my notes that I am not go over 40 weeks. I was also told that rates of assisted delivery even with epidural are much much lower at a second VB birth.

Trust me, they will tell her to fark off. It is very unlikely they will induce her so close to her due date. With my first I was induced at 9 days over, she was born at 11 days over after a terrible labour involving an epidural and a 3 hour second stage on my back with a back to back baby that didn't turn. My second was spontaneous, also 11 days over but with a 3 hour labour and an 8 minute second stage. Ds was also back to back but turned in labour, and I believe it was because I was fully mobile and upright.
I know, I really do, that induction seems liek the easy option. But ime, it's not, and it reallt is better to wait for spontaneous labour. It doesn't mean she can't still have the epidural if she wants it, but by being induced she does run the risk of it beign more painful. I just wasn't ready, despite being do far overdue, and I needed 3 pessaries before anything happened. WHen it did, it happened too fast, even though the labout then lasted 13 hours.

If she has opportunity this late in the day, tell her to read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. It prepared me fabulously well for my second labour.

Lucy101, she is fed up, i know this from speaking to her myself. She is getting no sleep and has a very full on toddler to contend with as well as a less than helpful DH. I think in her mind she thinks that the sooner the pg is over she can get on with her 'normal' life. Plus, she will be having this DC at the local consultant-led hospital rather than the MLU, so is on site if there are any complications.

I understand how she feels, I really do, as I had a very similar stressful birth experience with DD (ventouse delivery, retained products, PPH etc etc), but just know that with one exception, everyone i know who has been induced has ended up with an epidural and whilst I know that it isn't always the case, epis can result in more intervention. She is really keen to avoid forceps again and a c-section would be a nightmare for her as she lives on a farm in the middle of nowhere so not being able to drive would be a total PITA.

Well anyway, I've not heard anything for a day or so, so maybe things are starting spontaneously...fingers crossed for her!

Im booked to go in for a sweep at 39 weeks due to 9ld 12 oz first ds and same guesstimated weight for this one. Im 5 ft 6 and slim build so they're worried. Im not too keen on having a big baby myself but diagnosed with Group B Strep so not sure about sweep, dangers with infections etc?? I had an induction first time round, only one pessary but as soon as they broke my waters everything went into overdrive and I had to have an epidural pronto. Don;t really want same to happen this time round would rather have spontaneous labour and be able to even try to cope with pain as long as I can rather than have epidural bascially forced on me oh the trials!!!!