Birth plan and induction questions

[MrsBradleyCooper]

Hello! 2nd baby here so I should know what I'm doing but it's so different to my first that I think I need to prepare myself. First baby was born at 41+4 after a long labour, normal delivery, no problems.
This little monkey has decided he's coming early - waters broke at 35 weeks, have been kept in hospital til today to see if things start but probably being sent home this morning. If I don't labour naturally I am being induced on Tuesday.
So my questions are:
Has anyone been induced early but after their waters have gone?
What should I be writing in my birth plan?
I was going to write it at 37 weeks
I seem to remember something about vitamin k, the injection for the placenta, how I wanted to labour etc. is there anything else important I need to write in it?
Also I will be a 25 minute drive away from hospital, so if I do start labour naturally, do you think I should try to get there quickly?
Do you think it's safe for DH to go to work in the interim as he is 2 hours away from home and I don't have anyone else who can take me.
Also, anything you think I should be doing or not doing once I get home?
Sorry for all the questions - it's all a bit scary especially as baby will be 4 weeks early and at risk of infection - font want him born at home or in the car

don't

What pain relief you want to consider....

Birth plan.35 weekers are unpredictable. Some act like term babies others like prems ie sleepy, not good at staying warm, prone to jaundice, need a lot of encouragement to feed. Some also need supplemental oxygen at first. The hospital will anticipate this.

Labour can be fast with 2nd babies.You do need to get in quickly. If there is noone to drive you and/or its really getting going, call 999 and say you are in labour with a premature baby. They will take you in quicker and safer than any car.

You will be managed as a high risk labour which means continuous monitoring unless you definitely don't want that.

On your plan say that you would like to delay clamping the cord for at least 3 minutes so that the baby gets its full blood volume which is particularly helpful to preterm babies.

You should ask for skin-to-skin to regulate babies temperature and breathing and early breastfeed should be encouraged.

Vitamin K by injection is recommended for pre-term babies especially becuase they might not have absorbed full amount from you.

Don't panic, 35 weeks is old enough. They are all different and you will need to wait and see how ready junior is for independence.

That's great thank you for the replies
Yes I haven't really thought about pain relief....mainly because last time it was a very straightforward labour and I just had tens and gas and air. This time I haven't had a chance to hire a tens and also feel that if I do end up getting induced I will probably want an epidural even though I really DON'T want one IYSWIM? I think I'm just going to have to go with the flow on that one.
And I really really don't want a forceps delivery - it actually makes me feel unwell to think about it but if the baby or I were in danger then I suppose I'd let them do anything.

If you end up being induced by drip, get them to give you an epidural BEFORE they hook you up and start cranking up the dial.

I agree with anchorwoman I ended up on the drip with no epidural and by the time I was desperate for it I was refused one.

Do you have to have the drip? It sounds very dramatic but I think if I got to that point I'd rather have a c section than have to go through the drip/epidural thing.

Still planning on trying to get this baby out naturally before the induction though! Might need to have a curry tonight .

I was induced (drip) at 34+0 after my waters broke a few days before and the baby was found to be small for her dates. I didn?t have a birth plan at that point either but an epidural wouldn?t have featured! However, the doctor said that labour would be hard going without an epidural and I?m glad I had it. A c section was never mentioned as an option...

I agree about asking for skin to skin contact straight away if the baby doesn?t have to go to the neonatal unit immediately. The doctor wanted to take my DD straight up but the midwives insisted I had a chance to hold her for a little while first because she was well enough. If the baby has to go to neonatal but you?re still recovering in the delivery room, consider now whether you want your DH to stay with you or go with the baby. In these circumstances you can get going with breastfeeding by expressing colostrum - someone can show you how to do this.

It might be worth getting some clothes in ?tiny baby? size (up to 7.5lb). My DP spent a fortune buying prem 5lb baby clothes as the hospital expected us to provide babygros etc after the first day or two but larger supermarkets sell nice tiny baby clothes and hopefully he / she won?t be in them for very long!

If you need the drip I would seriously consider an epi tbh. I was induced early for medical reasons and was on the drip for 12 hours, with them ramping up the dose every 30 - 60 mins. I was so glad I couldn't feel the increasing rate of contractions as seeing it in the monitor was impressive enough!

however you may not necessarily need the forceps. the doctor threatened me with them so that I managed to get dd far enough that they were able to use ventouse!

Thanks for the advice

The midwife I saw yesterday said to seriously consider an epidural as I'm only 36 weeks and they are going to be forcing the body into doing something it's not ready for.

I am really hoping that the gel/pessary works enough to get things going.

I have had quite a few "gushes" of waters today and a few period type pains so I'm still holding out for it to happen naturally.

I also have a problem with anxiety and had been terrified of the birth, but my community midwife had helped to allay my fears by saying that it will probably be a quick and easy birth being my second. Now this has happened and I feel like I am back to square one .