Quick question about inductions

[somewherewest]

My induction has been booked for the 12th, but they want to bring me in for it at 3pm on the 11th. Does this mean that the actual induction procedure (gel etc) might actually start on the 11th, or will they just keep me overnight and get going first thing on the 12th? I should've checked this with the miwife, but was feeling a bit deflated after a failed sweep...

Sorry...'midwife'

I was brought in for induction twice. I was given a date to come in, and the time was say 3pm. Met Dr etc and was checked in over the evening. Got first pessary at about 8pm,second time got first pessary at about 12MN. Went into labour with both pretty much straight away.
Luckily both labours went well,was able to stay active etc with both,no stitches-yay!
No monitoring either which was a bonus.
Hope it all goes well-not long to go now!

Thanks woopsidaisy. Thats what I was hoping for!

Ring the hospital and ask.

If they're not going to do anything until 12th then I'd stay at home on 11th rather than spending a miserable night on a noisy AN ward. You're better going into childbirth well rested if you can - hospitals are generally not conducive to good sleep!

I say this as I went in for induction at 10am, spent all day waiting around on the ward bored out of my mind waiting for a bed, DH was restricted to visiting hours only so I kept leaving the ward with him anyway - he finally went home at 8pm. I said to the MW that I might go home and come back on Friday morning as they don't start induction after 6pm here, so nothing was going to happen overnight. She said that I'd need to speak to a doctor about that (God knows why looking back, I didn't need permission to leave) and one never appeared. It wasn't until 9am the following morning, having spent a night on a hot, stuffy ward with women in labour coming and going all night, that they got me a room to start the induction. I felt bloody knackered, stressed and generally pissed off. And then when I read my notes back, it said that I had been 'encouraged to stay' when I asked about going home!

Ask. I misunderstood what was going on with mine, and it caused problems with family arrangements. They don't all use the same procedures - where I am you get sent home overnight.

You should phone & ask. There are 2 different forms of induction, gel & pessary. The gel only lasts for 6 hours (i think) the pessary is 24 hours. The thing with being induced is you've no idea how quickly you'll react. For me it was about 40 mins after the second lot of gel, given I live a hour from the hospital I'm v glad leaving wasn't an option.

Good luck x

nannyn I had neither gel or a pessary - I went straight to ARM as I was over 2cm dilated followed by Synto 4 hours later, so there are more than two methods

I have NEVER understood the overnight induction thing. I have had two inductions. Arrived at 8am, waters broken, drip to get things going, baby born in the evening. No lying on a ward, wondering, 'am I starting yet?'

My sister was started off in the evening, sent her DH home, then had to ring him up at 2 am to get him back. She would much rather have started off in the morning too.

Thanks everyone. I rang the hospital to check and apparently they will try and start me off on Sunday evening, but it depends on how busy they are. Its my first time ever night in a hospital for anything so will be a bit weird.

coffeeaddict I don't get the induction at night (up to 11pm I think was looked at in the trials NICE used as evidence) thing either, especially when the full NICE guidelines for IoL agree that (at the risk of scaring the OP, which I don't intend to do!):

There is evidence to favour morning admission for induction if Prostaglandin is used.

Women were more satisfied when induction of labour took place in the morning.

Small cost savings to the NHS might be realised as a result of reduced length of stay and lower admission costs.

And that two trials have shown that:

More first time mothers in one trial having evening inductions delivered with forceps or ventouse than those starting off in the morning

The women being induced at night had significantly worse sleep

23% of women being induced in the evening said in future inductions they wouldn't agree to evening induction (compared to 8% of women who were being induced in the morning who said they wouldn't agree to a morning induction again)

Inductions earlier in the day at 2 p.m. were associated with significantly shorter hospital stay

Morning induction is associated with a reduced need for oxytocin and operative vaginal birth, the latter in nulliparous women. There may be an increased risk of instrumental birth when induced in the evening.

Of course, I say all this, I was a morning induction in the end and still had forceps and a drip, so equally it's not a given that if you're induced in the evening that you won't have an easy ride!

Just get an epidural is my advice! Bypass the G&A and pethadine, entonox doesn't touch it and pethadine just made me off my face, sleep then wake up in pain. I went through 20hrs of labour after being started off in morn and typically when I decided I wanted an epidural it was night time and only the on call team on, busy being called away to emergency sections! They did eventually get to me as at least the anaesthetist's stay was fairly quick in theatre.

I would get that request in quick, is my biggest tip. Possibly I had a longer/harder labour than most (?) but it does say in the leaflet they give you that most women require epidurals for induction. I know this has absolutely nothing to do with wot you wanted to know btw! ; )

All the best with it anyhow.......x

Last time I had the epidural sited BEFORE the drip began. My reasoning was: I know I'm going to want one, and it's safer if I can stay absolutely still because I'm in no pain whatsoever.

It stands to reason you will have less sleep and less energy if you're induced overnight! It seems a completely nuts way to go about it.