How long did your induction take?

[birdofthenorth]

I am 33 weeks with DC2 but have gestational diabetes and the baby is measuring very large so they are likely to induce me at 38 or 39 weeks.

I have a bit of a child are nightmare with DD2, aged 2.5, as I expect I'm going to be in hospital for several days and we have no family nearby to help (well, our brilliant ILs were set to come down and help but now MIL will be recovering from an operation herself). We will manage somehow with extra nursery hours and DH having to come home in the evenings but this gives a massive risk of him missing the birth which is harsh on him & not great for me!

I am hoping to (a) persuade the hospital to give me an induction date longer in advance (they just want to "play it by ear") and (b) get some sense of the maximum time induction is likely to take (they won't let me go home in between stages as they'll need to monitor my blood glucose levels) so I can attempt to rope some close friends into doing shifts with DD.

So please can you tell me how long your induction took, from the first contact to delivery?

I realise I may well also have to be in a for a few days after the birth but that's much less of a problem as I won't mind DH not being there!

I went in and had first pessary on Tuesday morning, dd was born at 9am on Thursday morning. Nothing at all happened on Tuesday. Wednesday contractions started about 11am.

With DD, I was admitted on the Thursday morning, finally found a bed in the delivery suite on the Friday at 8am and she was born at 6.39am on the Saturday.

So 48 hours from arriving at the hospital to birth. I wasn't discharged until about 4.30pm on the Sunday.

I was induced for GD too. Went in at 8am, but an emergency meant I wasn't induced (pessary) until 3pm. I was 39weeks and already 1cm and contracting. Waters went at 4am I went down to delivery at 6am and had him at 4pm. They will make you stay in until the baby has had 3 okay blood sugar readings. I think they are done 6 hours apart.

I have had 3 inductions. First one at 40+10 took 19 hours from first contact to delivery- 2 prostin gels needed, epidural etc

2nd took 6 hours no prostin needed as was already dilating so ARM carried out-no epidural

Third took about 13 hours from first gel - 2 gels needed + ARM and no time for epidural in the end.

Could you get an exam and sweep beforehand to see if you are favourable for induction because it was only my 2nd labour and delivery that I was really favourable.

Good luck

They put me on the drip at 9pm, went into labour at 11pm, son born at 6.30 the next morning. No pessary or anything beforehand as my waters had already gone, which I always thought was why it was so quick - I would probably have gone into labour naturally anyway.

If I were you I would start talking to friends now and see if they can help out - I'm sure anyone who has your best interests at heart would be happy to help, and of course with these things there isn't any set timing and anyone who has had a child would understand that.

My waters went unexpectedly at 38 weeks. I had the pessary thing to try and get me started (had 2dc at school so wanted to get the show on the road) the pessary didn't work at all, had the odd niggle every hour or so. They put me on the drip at 2pm the following day, she arrived at 6.30. I was very surprised how quick it was as 1st dc took 48 hours of hard labour and second was 14 hours.

I had the pessary at 9pm. Ds was born at 4.45am the next morning. I was 42 +5 with no signs of labour being imminent and a very unfavourable cervix!

Hope it all goes well OP.

Induction was fast for me with DC1, was 9 days overdue with symptoms of PE (protein/high BP). Had Gel at 11am, ARM at 1pm, got pethedine at 3pm was 1cm at 5pm wheeled into delivery where it kicked off very rapidly and DC1 was born at 6.13pm after 13mins pushing. All very fast and furious, the midwives said that was down to the high BP although my mother had fast births too.

Hope you get the birth you want and with it works out with childcare -best of luck!

Prostin didn't work for me at all. Had ARM and drip in in the morning and DS was born just before 1am.

Whole thing was just under 14 hours.

Thanks very much all, this is proving very helpful indeed -not just the times but the different induction methods.

Obviously I meant to say Childcare in my OP not child are! I have a few friends willing to help but they all have their own commitments so if I could at least narrow down what week we are talking about and roughly how many days we'll need cover for I'd sleep easier.

No-one has said it took 5 days which a midwife warned me was possible, so it's a relief that doesn't seem common!

I went in at 9pm on the Monday night, had the pessary/gel (can't remember which) at 2am (!), 2nd dose at 8am then contractions started around 9ish. Around 2ish I was 1cm + went to labour ward for ARM. Then around 8pm ish was 1.5-2cm :(. Had epidural + syntocinon. Examined again around 11pm, still only 2cm but midwife could feel baby's nose. Cue multiple exams by midwives + doctors, then told baby was face presentation + I would be best to have a c section. All quite leisurely as I was making very slow progress + had had epidural so not in any pain. DS was born at 3.30am on the wednesday morning. We were discharged on the saturday night - DS had jaundice + needed phototherapy so we were kept in an extra day or two.