Induction - how long is it likely to take???

[looneytune]

No, it's not me, it's my best mate! She's not due for another week or so but her waters broke yesterday morning and after a check up, they told her she had to come in at 11.30pm and is going to have an induction this morning (or may have had it).

She was told she's having the drip type.

I'm just an impatient excited friend who can't stop thinking about it!! lol

I go away on Friday and am hoping it will have worked by then so I can see her!

So, who's had this type of induction before and what was your experience?

Thanks

I was induced at 9:00 on Thursday night and had a section on Saturday at 3:00am. God only knows how long it would have been for the baby to go out the old fashioned exit.

But then it's only Wednesday, so good luck. And I think the drip is faster than those lovely pessaries. I'm rather anti induction as a result of the experience. Afraid Im not going to be a happy poster on this thread. I'll go away now so someone more positive can come along.

Hiya... I was induced at 9pm, with gel up my thingy, and went into labour slowly at 1am. Was in full flung labour (well, they let me in the delivery suite) at 5pm and DS was born at 10.59pm, but I think it was slowed due to epidural, but then speeded due to drugs as he was in distress. Thats not the same type, but I thought id share anyway

I think if waters have broken and she is going straight to drip it would be quicker than starting with the pessaries.

When I was started with the pessaries I was told it could take 3 days or more. In fact, after 3 days I ended up with a c-s but I was induced at 37 weeks due to problems.

Thanks. I'm just so impatient and she's wanted a baby for so many years (had problems ) I'm just so glad it looks like it's finally happening.

I hope it's before Friday!!!

Wheelybug - they did say they were going straight to drip due to risk of infection so obviously want something a bit quicker.

She's a bit gutted as she'd actually planned a home birth so spent a lot of money on that and now she's in hospital which she didn't want. Anyway, I think she's in the best place now!

My waters broke on the monday night and I didn't have DS till Thursday morning - although I only had suppositories and not the drip!!

my waters went on a Monday, was induced 4pm Wednesday to speed things up (I was having contractions but they weren't very effective) had dd early hours of Thursday, so the baby should be along before Friday!

I don't think they use pessaries if the waters have broken they use a syntocin (I believe it is called though I may be wrong) drip.

My waters broke on Weds evening 6pm and they wanted to induce me then as I had strep B so there was a higher risk of infection but for most women they wait 48 hours or so to see if full labour starts on it's own. Then they use a drip as they believe that waiting too long for labour to start after waters break can increase the risk of infection in a baby.

I persuaded them to wait until the next day as I didn't want to be induced and wanted to give my body a chance to go into labour on it's own or at least to have a sleep first. This didn't work so I had the induction.

They started it at about 1pm on Thursday and DS was born by 9pm. This was quite quick I think for a first labour as I had been told sometimes it takes a long time especially with the first.

I had a doula (paid female birth partner) with me who was fantastic.

Things to know about drip inductions

Firstly - They can be (not always) be perceived as more painful than normal labours. The contractions are usually full on very quickly. I had very strong contractions 2 minutes apart almost from the beginning for about 7 hours of the labour.

The problem with this is that it is difficult to cope without an epidural and then the epidural can make the labour slower and make the contractions less powerful so they up the amount of syntocin to increase the contractions but the mother can't feel them very well so pushing can be difficult etc.

Secondly - they have to monitor the baby so many women are made to lie down for the whole thing which in itself can slow down labour. It is important to keep moving if you can, insist on it if necessary - I did

In the end I coped with a tens machine and gas and air again with the help of my doula. Without her I would almost certainly have had an epidural which I didn't want as I genuinely believe they can prolong labour and I wanted it over as soon as possible tbh.

The final 2 hours was pushing which was much calmer for me than the preceeding 7 hours.

Overall I think it was fine though as with most I wouldn't say I enjoyed it. The real danger was being steamrollered into a more and more medicalised birth without my real consent. My doula really helped to make sure this this didn't happen.

Thanks so much everyone. Just had text from her dp and she's just been induced and is 2cm dilated but no real pain yet. Hopefully it will happen quite quickly but without too much distress to her!

I know what you mean about not wanting an epidural lazycow. Towards the end of my 19 hours I started screaming for one but my lovely dh and midwife kept telling me how well I'd done and that it was near the end, I didn't want one blabla. My poor dh was in bits - he didn't know whether to listen to what I had said before labour which was 'DON'T LET ME HAVE ONE!!!' or whether to listen to my plea for one in the end. Thank god he went with the 'you're near the end, you don't want one etc' which I know he found really hard (my best mate, the one in there now, told me he called loads and was in tears/almost in tears as he couldn't stand seeing me like that - bless him!)

Right, I need to keep busy for the rest of the day so I stop feeling sick about it!

the night before i had two gels,

then at 12 i had my waters broken, then i had a drip. 9 hours later i had my baby!

My waters broke on the Sunday morning - I went in on the Wednesday to be induced. Had a pessary at 3.30pm - by 5.30 pm contractions were every 2-3 minutes (and I threw up my dinner LOL) - I was fully dilated by 10.30am the following morning and DS was dragged out kicking and screaming (with forceps) at about 12 pm.

Oh - and I had the full works of pain relief - gas and air, pethidine (2 shots) and epidural (countless top ups) - the only one that worked was the first pethidine..........

Everyone's story really is different eh!

I had updates yesterday afternoon/last night. Last one was around 8pm saying that contractions were getting stronger and she was 4cm dilated but they didn't expect arrival until early today.

Not heard anything since then so hope all is well. Just waiting for another update!

My induction started at 7.30am on the Friday, was only 4cm dilated at 4.30pm on the Saturday and DS2 wasn't delivered until 10.29pm on the Saturday night!

Agree with lazycow about the potential cascade of interventions that an induction brings with it. Went into hard contractions every 2 mins from 2 cm onwards - continuous monitoring, no pain relief yet. Dd went into distress a few hours later. Was born by crash cs. The only good thing I can say about my experience was that I did not get to the pushing stage. Don't have good things to say about induction so will now bow out.

i was 15 days overdue when i went in to be induced, i had a pessery at 6pm - nothing at all until about 2am when i felt a pop in bed & got my first STRONG contraction (my waters had popped but didnt come out as babys head was big & far down), i went down to delivery at 3am, laboured in a birthing pool & gave birth to my son at 8.31am

i went into labour naturally 2nd time

kitty

Hi,
I didn't have adrip but it was very quick after my waters were broken for me. I was 12 days overdue though. It took 1 hour and 24 mins after waters broken.

Hope she has baby soon and it doesn't drag out too much.

24 hours from pessary insertion to delivery for 1st baby, 8 hours from waters being broken to delivery for the 2nd. any news yet?

Heres my version!! I was officially 8 days overdue, I knew it was more like 15 and consultant decided I should have an induction. Labour started spontaneosly but didn't really progress so they gave me a pessary - nothing happened. I waited 2 days - getting more and more upset, discharged myself from hospital only to have delivery ward sister charge after me and tell me they could take me to delivery now - I was now 5 cm dilated. I told them I didn't want pain relief and wanted to keep moving. They told me that because of previous cs and induction I would need constant monitoring but agreed to try and let me move around. They also told me that pethidine and epidural more or less inevitable. Syntocinon cranked up to top level and eventually I started to have stronger and stronger contractions. I used my birthing ball, then sat astride a chair (midwife said she thought it would be extremely uncomfortable but it was good for me) then moved into a rocking chair (I still have nightmares about that) and finally on the bed on my side with my leg in the air to deliver (very undignified and felt like a total heifer!!) Syntocinon stopped and I went from around 6 or 7 cm dilated to 10 in ten minutes. I had gas and air for a bit then. Midwife couldn't stop me pushing, though she tried to slow me down so I wouldn't have to have episiotomy but nothing was going to stop me then. Gorgeous ds born back to front and very bruised after about an hour and a half of pushing. I did have stitches and had just gas and air and used visualisation to help with the pain which I found quite inhuman but bearable if you know what I mean. Can't believe I did it but obviously it can be done. The visualisation (of galloping my horse across an empty beach) really really helped...lol Labour shocked me and I won't be doing it again as I feel our family is complete but it really wasn't that bad!

mine took a week

no time to reply to each but thanks for your stories was at toddlers this morning when best mate called. had little boy around 1am and told her dp not to tell me as she wanted to call and tell me herself. when she phoned, she was worried because dp had to leave at around 6am (they wouldn't let him stay) and around 7am baby was taken to special care (went blue, that's all i know). she called me at 10.15am and asked if i'd heard from her dp, which i hadn't. poor thing couldn't get hold of baby's father to tell him anything anyway, got text from him recently saying he's now there and they are fine - blokes eh, i need details!!! tried calling her on hospital phone and it just rings. so, pleased she has little boy but worried as until SHE tells me everything is ok, I'll worry!

My waters broke on the friday morning, not alot happening so went in on Monday to be induced with gel - nothing doing induced with drip Tuesday 10am - had dd at 7.10pm, although would have been quicker had not they not stopped half way through due to irregular heart beat - and then started again! Had pethidine and gas/air was a bit out of it kept falling asleep around 3-4pm!! Fingers crossed be here way before friday

• think you missed my update Baby here, just waiting to find out how he is as was taken to special care.

Meant to say........she did all this with NO pain relief whatsoever! Must say I'm very proud of her as I thought my 19 hours with just gas and air was quite an achievement but she had nothing!!

Took 36 hours ( 2lots of pessary) after being induced with my first - ended up with epidural & forceps. With my 2nd i was induced again(they were both 12 days late) and although it took 3 lots of pessary it only took 6 hours after they broke my waters and this time I only needed gas and air and tens. Was a great birth and he was a whopper - 10lbs 13 oz!!!!Now booked in for induction on weds - only 5 days overdue so hope ds2 is not so big! And hope it doesnt take too long!

I was 3cm dilated when I went in at 3pm on the monday. Had gel at 4pm and by 3am the following morning had only reached 8cm and had a very distressed baby desperate to get out. She was born out of the sunroof (caesarian) at 3.33am!