what to expect from induction at 38 weeks

[fallingandlaughing]

I am currentlY 25+4 and will be having either a caesarean or an induction at 38 weeks for medical reasons. Probably an induction as things are going well but won't know til closer to the time.

I get the impression that people aren't too keen on induction but don't know why - I haven't done this before! What should I expect? I told my obstetrician and midwife that I am not keen to spend my whole labour lying in bed - they said great, they encourage movement and responding to instincts. So that's a good start, right?

I am resigned to not having the perfect earth mother labour, but is there anything I can do/ask to make it as positive an experience as possible?

it's good you get lots of time to think about things and plan a good birth plan accordingly. I had a failed induction at 38 weeks so imo it is a good idea to also plan for the possibility that your body will not be ready and to also think about what you would like from a c section. lots to read up on about pain relief and whether you might want an epidural in place for example before synto drip is used (I would) or if not, how you can best stay as active and mobile as possible if you need a drip. ime plan for a couple of days of boringness so pack lots of books and magazines to read while you wait for things to take effect - I didn't bother having dh around for that part of things.

thanks merci and loopi

I was wondering if it might take a while to get things moving. Can you sleep at all in those early days if it takes a while to get going?

Will start reading up on pain relief. I'm not against it at all but would love to be able to vary birthing position so need to explore what is do-able.

I'm satisfied that my baby needs to be delivered at 38 weeks (I have diabetes and epilepsy) so am OK with that. What sort of risks are we talking about though?

Some of my medical team do seem to think I'll end up with a caesarean - maybe even without trying induction - so I need to really start thinking about that too.

Hmm - wonder what I can do to create a favourable cervix.

My understanding is that if the start of labour is not spontaneous then further medical interventions are likely because, well your body wasn't ready to begin labour. Induction is not one process, there are many different options for how to achieve labour. Perhaps you could get more info on your own hospital's procedures when you next speak to your MW / OB. (There may be different procedures depending on why you are being induced - fetal concerns / maternal health / post-dates.) Whatever though, it would be good to have a plan in place so you know roughly what to expect / what may happen and the timescales e.g. if x then a CS will be offered. If you are keen to have an active birth then for example you may wish to delay a hormone drip as contractions tend to be both stronger and more painful and so are more likely to be accompanied by an epidural which means you're more likely to be in bed. I believe that the % of people having a CS is higher if labour was induced rather than labour beginning spontaneously but that's probably sensible, given that if labour was induced there was likely a good reason to want the baby out soonish! There are some stories about inductions being tried unsuccessfully for several days. I'm not sure what you could do to minimise the chances of that other than: have a plan in place so you know what to expect (they will first try a then b then c; if no progress by x hours...); stay calm - adrenaline slows labour; try to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible; try some of the standard ideas for optimal fetal positioning and to get your cervix ready e.g. birth balls / being upright and mobile in the days and weeks beforehand etc etc.

Anecdotally I know of one person who was induced twice (2 pregnancies) and each time, labour was quite fast,

Hi all. I have 3 kids and my third was induced at 38 weeks because of little amniotic fluid and my other too were naturally born at 38 and the fluid was already greenish so doctor didnt want to risk. I was just 2 cms dilated at my 38w app but not even near labor. The day of the induction I had a tablet inserted deeply in thee vagina and after an hour of waiting everyth started. very fast and painful. The broke my waters when I was 7cms to acelerate the process and gave me pitocin. OMG that was concentrated pain in very short period of time. My little girl was born in 4.30 hrs form the tablet. It was and unpleasant childbirth but went well. I would have preferred have it naturally. Just telling you this not to be afraid but prepared that could be really fast. Everyone is different for many stories that you might read everyone will tell something diff. Good luck

I couldn't sleep with my first gel pains; was in hosp for 3 days start to finish, but my cervix was unfavourable at the start, so generally think my body wasn't ready to give birth.

Thanks everyone.

am feeling a tiny bit scared now, but at least I know I need to ask more questions and be better prepared!