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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Induction - do you have to go onto labour ward?

14 replies

petitverdot · 06/10/2014 17:53

I realise this is likely to be different for every hospital - specifically talking about St Mary's Manchester if it helps - but is it generally the case that you have to go onto a labour ward rather than a midwifery led unit if you are induced, even if you go into "normal" labour? I'm booked in for an induction at 40+12 on Wednesday and feeling grumpy that I'll have to stay for at least an extra night on a shared ward if I don't deliver on the MLU.

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Pointlessfan · 06/10/2014 17:56

Yes I did l. I was in the induction room for 2 night, a delivery room for one then on the ward. I was pretty grumpy about it too!

Original poster

petitverdot · 06/10/2014 18:14

Bugger. Well may as well just sod it and go for an epidural from the start if that's the case!

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Pointlessfan · 06/10/2014 18:16

Yes, I wish someone had suggested that I did! It wasn't in your hospital though, I'm in Birmingham. Sorry I missed that bit in your post earlier.

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petitverdot · 06/10/2014 18:20

It sounds similar though! I'm definitely not allowed home for labour to progress and it's especially annoying that the MLU is only one floor up so you have to wonder what the harm would be!

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capecath · 06/10/2014 20:47

I think that is generally the case, well it is here in Edinburgh anyway...

littleluna89 · 06/10/2014 20:51

I did, though I was told this was because I was a high risk and needed a dedicated midwife and then she only saw me every 2 hours, and always seemed rushed and uninterested. As it was my labour progressed quite suddenly and then 2 hours after birth (I only found out about the time frame last week!!) they realised I was still bleeding! So it's just as well I was on the normal floor...

lunar1 · 06/10/2014 20:54

I was given the pessary twice on the midwife unit but it didn't work. I was then taken to labour ward for the iv induction.

littleluna89 · 06/10/2014 21:12

lunar1 what hospital was that? the N&N wouldn't even entertain the idea of the midwife unit and I was given a pessary! feels kind of cheated

RedKites · 06/10/2014 21:54

A different hospital, and I only needed my waters broken, but I was told after the fact that I could have transferred to the MLU. I was also told I could have been discharged direct from the delivery suite on the labour ward, again after the fact. As it was I got an anything-but-restful night on the postnatal ward, but hopefully you might be able to avoid that!

3boys3dogshelp · 06/10/2014 22:01

I had to be in the delivery suite or the labour ward (not mlu downstairs) after I had been induced all 3 times, but after 2 of the births I was discharged straight home from the delivery suite. In total I spent 2 nights in hospital between 3 inductions so try not to despair!

Original poster

petitverdot · 06/10/2014 22:34

Thanks ladies. The idea of the postnatal ward stresses me out more than the prospect of labour itself! I suppose I can console myself that if baby had arrived when he was supposed to, I'd already have had a lot more sleepless nights by now!

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Moochops89 · 07/10/2014 21:45

It depends how far along the induction process you get. For some women the prostin gel or pessary is enough to push them into spontaneous labour, if that's the case then you can generally go to MLU (as long as you're otherwise "low risk"). If you don't go into labour with the prostin alone then you would go to the main labour ward so they can break your waters and start the hormone drip to make the contractions happen, which then makes you "high risk". They send a fair few women to MLU from the induction ward (sometimes there's a bit of a wait to go down to delivery suite so the women go into spontaneous labour anyway!) They make good use of the MLU at St Mary's. I worked there not long ago hope that's of some use to you!

Pointlessfan · 07/10/2014 21:53

Yes to be fair I had the full works: gel, pessary, waters broken and the drip. I also ended up having a section so had to stay on the ward. It actually wasn't as bad as I feared on the ward, I was scared about it as I'd never been in hospital before and I wanted DH with me but apart from the food and sub-tropical temperature it was fine. I felt well-looked after and got lots of help with breastfeeding. You shouldn't be in for long anyway, just make sure your visitors bring you something nice to eat!

Sapat · 07/10/2014 21:57

I went to a pre natal ward for the induction, where I was to stay until I was in full labour, at which point I was moved to the labour ward. The only thing they wouldn't do is break my waters, that could only happen in the labour ward. Wise precaution as when I failed to progress and they broke my waters, baby was born in 10 minutes!

I then went to post natal ward like "normal".

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