Please talk to me about early induction

[bushymcbush]

I have a baby with IUGR and there are other possible indicators of problems. Currently 30 weeks.

The doctors plan to wait as long as possible but are adamant they will want to induce labour by 37 weeks at the latest.

I had been planning a home water birth. That plan is obviously now out of the window.

What I want to know is:

What methods of induction are used for premature labour? Is it the same as induction at full term?

Has anyone had a waterbirth after being induced? Or when having a premature labour?

Will I even be allowed to get up off the bed or will they want to CTG monitor all the time?

How many vaginal examinations and general vaginal pokings around can I expect? I hate them and find them incredibly painful.

Does anyone have positive stories to share with me?

I am absolutely dreading this. So much so that I am considering asking for ELCS instead. It's not labour and birth I'm afraid of. It's medicalised, passive, out of my own control labour and birth that I'm scared of.

Thanks.

Bump.

Bump.

I was induced at 38 weeks. As far as I know, the same methods are used, just it tends to take longer, from the research I did. But that's because it's less likely that your cervix is ready to dilate.

Wrt vaginal examinations, I had one before the propess, then 1 before each lot of gel, then 6 hrs after each lot of gel. Monitoring of dd's heart rate was done for an hour after each new gel then I was encouraged to move around to make things work.

Eventually my waters were broken, and at that poin

sorry pressed send too soon.

Once waters were broken, syntocinon was started, and I ended up having a cs for failure to progress.

Tbh, if i knew then what I do now, I would have pushed for an elcs - I found the induction process exhausting, and didn't sleep for 4 nights before dd was born, which I believe adversely affected my recovery.

I think my story is similar to iliketea.

I was induced at 39 weeks. I came into hospital on the Tuesday, examined and given pessary. After 24 hours not much had happened, examined and I was 1cm dilated, given more gel. I did start contracting then but very slow progress. My waters were broken Thursday lunchtime and I started syntcinon Thursday evening. I had an epidural for the pain - may have fared better without it. I did get to 6cm but no further and had emcs Friday morning by which point I was beyond knackered.

I am sure others will have more positive stories though.

Sorry to be negative.

Good luck with everything.

Posting on phone so apologies. My experience was like iliketea's. Almost identical. Also at 38 ish weeks with IUGR and reduced fluid. Labour just didnt happen even after 3 days. Also ended in CS. For me that was a good outcome rather than a traumatic assisted VB. although I was tired and worried about DS I did not have a moments pain and we were both fine after and I recovered quickly.

Am currently in for induction at 39 + 2. I think it's the same process as when overdue, but as iliketea says, it seems to be taking longer. I had gel last night then two hours of mild contractions which have now stopped.

I did get a good nights sleep but so far the exams have been very painful, baby's head is low and midwives can't feel the cervix so don't want to do anything else until someone can feel it :(

Can certainly get off the bed and move about, have been ncouraged to. Monitoring has only been every 6 hours or so.

No option for a waterbirth here, consultant refused, but I think that's because I've had elevated blood pressure rather than the induction process. Although if you needed a drip you'd have to get out...

I was induced at 39 weeks with ds3 due to gestational diabetes. Went in Sat lunchtime and had the pessary. Took a long time to work and was having mild contractions for the next 48 hours on and off. Mon lunchtime they broke my waters but that still didn't get things going so they started the drip. That worked and he was born about 2 hours later. So took a long time to get going but once I was in labour it was quick. I did have to lie on my back the whole time because I was being continuously monitored which was a pain. Wasn't allowed a waterbirth because I had been induced and had to be monitored. Probably had about 3 or 4 vaginal examinations to check progress while the pessary was in.

My story is also the same as iliketea except I had 4 propess and by the time I came to have AROM on the saturday morning the midwife said 'I bet your tuppy looks like a baboons arse with all those pessaries!' needless to say I had EMCS at 5am the following morning for failure to progress!

i was induced at 38 weeks due to gestational diabetes - wasn't allowed a waterbirth because they wanted to keep me on the monitor as much as possible.

no gel, they just got in there and broke my waters. 2 hours later, started syntocinon (sp?) drip. labour progressed steadily, i used tens machine for the first 3 hours then gas and air towards the end. i could move around, sit on birthing ball and eventually had my baby on the floor, leaning over the bed. no vaginal examinations after my waters were broken, they pretty much left me alone.

drip started at 12pm, had my baby at 4pm. it went sooo much better than i thought it was going to. i had been dreading it too, having planned a water/home birth. but i honestly felt that i got the birth i wanted despite all the wires hanging off me! i hope things go just as well for you.

With DS1 I was booked in for an induction at 39 weeks as he needed surgery soon after birth and NNU bed needed to be set aside. In the end though my waters broke a week before that but no contractions so was induced anyway. Was put straight on syntocin drip as obstetrician was unhappy at how long waters had been gone. From memory the drip started at around 5pm and contractions didn't really get going until about 5am. Managed on gas and air and DS1 was born at 1pm. Had to have constant monitoring which was a PITA for me as the trace kept being lost every time I moved but I know some people have been able to be much more mobile than I was. Once DS1 had moved down they were able to put a clip in his head to monitor him (sounds horrid I know but it meant I could be more mobile and give birth on all fours rather than my back). Might be something you'd want to put in your birth plan? From memory I think I was examined every four hrs.

With DS2 I had another induction (waters breaking but no contractions again). This time I had the pessary which I found better.

With DS1 I really struggled with the birth having to be so different from how I'd hoped (would love to have a home or water birth). I went to see a hypnobirthing practitioner for a one off session and listened to hypnosis and meditation CDs throughout the last bit of my pregnancy which helped to get me to a calmer place. Ok it's not what you would have wanted but try to work on ways of making it as positive as possible.

I was induced at 38 weeks exactly (High bp) and my experience was much more positive than most of the other replies. I had one pessary and went into active labour about 6 hours later, so no syntocin drip required. I laboured very quickly and went from 3cm to delivery in under an hour (pain was pretty intense!) However, this was my second baby and my first had been a spontaneous delivery at 39 weeks, so I think I may have been pretty near going into labour on my own anyway.

HTH and good luck!

Is it your first baby OP? I think that may make a difference to how well induction works. I was induced with DS3 last November at exactly 37 weeks. DS1 and 2 had both been 2 weeks overdue, DD1 was born at term, so I really didn't think it would work as it was so early, was almost hysterical with fear and wanted a section.

They wouldn't use gel as I ended up with a section for DS2 and they won't use gel for VBAC where I am. So they used a propess pessary.

I had continuous pains like period cramps from about 2 hours after it was put in, bad but not unbearable.

I had dilated enough 6 hours later for them to break my waters, then went from 4cms to delivery in 12 minutes! It hurt. A lot. But it was very quick!

I think it helped that I had had 2 natural births before.

I did need continuous monitoring, and to be honest after previous experiences I wanted it. But I was able to move around, sit on a ball etc.

I only had 3 internals, 1 when they put the pessary in, 1 when they broke my waters, and 1 when they realised I was fully dilated.

And I am so glad now I didn't have the section.

The main thing I took from it is that you can read all the stories you like beforehand and get very worked up and scared about induction, I certainly did, but you can't actually know what your experience will be like. Mine was so different from what I was expecting, so so much better.

And the main thing is DS is here safe and well and cuddled up on my knee right now. Good luck, hope it goes well.

It's my 2nd baby Friday. With DD1 I went into spontaneous labour at 41+6, was having an active and positive labour at a midwife led birthing centre, never once going near the bed. My waters broke when I was fully dilated and because there was meconium, I was automatically transferred to another hospital, 10 miles away. From the moment my waters broke I was never off my back again - I just became a non participating observer to what was happening around me. The contractions seemed to stop or somehow lose meaning, I had no more urge to push (having been ready to do so when in the birth centre), I had my legs in stirrups and a male doctor I'd never met before sat at the business end telling me he was about to cut me and insert a ventouse. When he did so, it was by far the worst pain I have ever felt in my life, despite my labouring all that day without pain relief. I felt I had no choice in any of this. I also felt that if I'd just been left alone, where I was, I would have pushed my baby out, in my preferred position (squatting or all fours) and probably done it a lot bloody sooner too.

I am dreading this induction being a repeat of the last part of my previous birth - no control, no choices, no ability to get off the bloody bed, strange people poking about in my fanjo causing excruciating pain and discomfort.

It's good to hear that a couple of you had positive experiences of induction.

I was induced at 36+3 for IUGR.
I was admitted to the hospital on the Monday afternoon & waited for a bed for a couple of hours, first in the labour ward waiting room, then on a ward waiting room before being taken down to a room on labour ward late that evening. I was then told that since there were no special care beds and my baby was predicted to be under 2kg, they weren't happy to induce at night. I waited a bit longer for a ward bed....
After a couple of hours on the ward. I was moved down to the labour ward observation bay at 1:30am, to see if I was ready for a pessary. They did a CTG then examined me & discovered I didn't need a pessary and would be ready to have my waters broken when I got a labour ward bed in the morning.
I had a very restless rest of the night with all the comings and goings.
On the Tuesday morning there were no labour ward beds, so I just had to wait and had the occasional CTG. In the afternoon there was a labour ward bed, but no midwives.
At 5pm on the Tuesday I got moved to labour ward & they found a midwife. She broke my membranes at about 5:30 then went off to do my paperwork & said she'd be back in about an hour to see if I needed the oxytocin drip. She didn't think much would happen.
Well, I stated contracting as soon as she left the room, only I wasn't prepared for it, so wasn't really sure that's what the discomfort was! After about 90 minutes we called the midwife back & she said I was in labour & examined me again. The CTG wasn't picking up very well, so she went off to get a scalp electrode.
I was getting a bit uncomfortable, so was going to ask about analgesia, but as she was attaching the scalp electrode she said I was fully dilated!
Everything happened pretty quickly & I found it exhausting. I just wanted to go to sleep. I don't know if the baby was having problems, or if it was because of the IUGR or because the monitoring wasn't working, but I wasn't able to push the baby out fast enough, so ended up having a forceps delivery (with local anaesthetic and episiotomy).
In the end my daughter was born at 8:20pm at just over the 2kg she needed to be to avoid special care review. The whole induction took about 3 hours!
I think that's all pretty positive :)

Bushy at 37 weeks you are full term. The earlier you are induced, the more likely it is to fail. Also because your baby has IUGR and labour is being induced your baby is more likely to show signs that it may be distressed during labour so all that monitoring is important.

I was induced at 40 weeks plus 14. Was all over in 8 hours and was able to have a waterbirth with very little intervention. Good luck OP!

I think the fact that it's your second gives you a good advantage. Your first birth sounds very traumatic, but there's no reason why this one should go the same way. I have had 4, and they were all completely different. My consultant told me that the statistic of 50% of inductions failing applies to woman having their first. If you've laboured before the chance of a failed induction is more like 5%. (I'm sure someone will be along to correct my statistics, thats just what my dr said.)

Do you have good midwifery support? Make sure you tell them how you feel. I was worried about ending up tied to the bed, but I was able to move around, sit on the ball etc. I was in a terrible state of nerves but the midwife who looked after me on the day was great, really supportive, even though it all ended up a bit scary at the end as I delivered on the operating theatre table where they'd wheeled me to do a section (babies heart rate dropped). They just didn't have time before he appeared. And they pulled him out with the ventouse, in all the commotion I didn't even notice, dh told me afterwards!

You may be being induced but you do still have choices, make sure you voice them before things kick off so your midwife knows what you want. You shouldn't need lots of internals and believe me, BadDay is really right, the monitoring is important.

Sending you lots and lots of luck, I worried for weeks but I really didn't need to.

i had one induction being overdue and one induction early, and it was the same procedure but it was easier the 2nd time round (was my 3rd birth and 1st induction was my 1st) i think 1st birth is always harder especially cos you don't know what to expect whereas you can probably stand up for yourself more now if you feel things are not going in a way you are happy with, or feel you have not been kept informed properly.
i did find the same thing mentioned about not really being able to get off the bed, because of them putting continuous monitoring on both times. i was hoping with the 2nd induction that i would be able to move around a bit more, but no.. but still was not as bad as the first one as my body was more able to cope with it.
good luck