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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

induction without lots of intervention?

21 replies

Fennel · 20/04/2004 15:35

Can you be induced and still have a fairly unmanaged labour? am 8 days overdue and booked in for an induction on Friday with my 3rd child, though I'd wanted a home birth. With my first two have foudn TENS and gas and air enough for pain relief, and haven't had constant monitoring (though dd1 did end in ventouse). But the hospital information sheet about induction seems to only give you the choice of constant monitoring etc.

Is it worth taking in the TENS machine and birthing ball or is that sort of labour just impossible with a managed induction? I am realistic here and realise that epidurals are far more likely to be needed than in "natural" labours, and I haven't had particularly easy births before but had hoped this one might be different. Would like at least to try.

Can I refuse constant monitoring after induction or is that unrealistic?

ps yes I have already tried all the recommended ways to bring on labour this baby clearly does not want to come out.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

mears · 20/04/2004 15:56

Firstly you do not need to be inducd on Friday if you don't want to be. You could still have a homebirth up to 24 weeks.

However, that said, if you are going in to be induced then you can certainly still use a bithing ball and TENS machine, even if you are going to need a drip.

If you are going to get prostin gel, that might be enough to get labour going. You do not need continuously monitored after prostin unless there is a problem identified in the 30 minute traces before and after it has been given.

It might be that all you will need is your waters broken (with or without prostin). Again you will not need continuous monitoring. Only if you need syntocinon will you need continuous monitoring but the wires allow some movement so you do not need to be stuck in bed.

If you go into labour before Friday is the homebirth still on the cards?

mears · 20/04/2004 15:57

Woops, meant 42 weeks.

Original poster

Fennel · 20/04/2004 16:31

Thanks Mears

Homebirth is still an option til 10 or 11 days over, then they are not keen.
I was all set to refuse induction til 42 weeks (Monday) but the hospital doesn't want to wait longer and also is apparently fully booked for monday, can only fit me in on Friday (have just had a depressingly impersonal visit which confirmed why I'd wanted a homebirth in the first place).

I think the community midwives don't like to anger the hospital consultants. they start talking about ageing placentas and chances of stillbirth and while as far as I can tell there isn't much risk up to 42 weeks, if they are not keen I can't really go for the homebirth without their approval.

OP posts:

californiagirl · 20/04/2004 16:44

I was induced, and most of my labor was what you might call fairly unmanaged. I had constant monitoring, and a drip, which sounds awfully constraining, but actually I was unmedicated and moving around. Some of the nurses were better about this than others. I was told that if the first trace they got hadn't shown heartrate issues, they would have let me have intermittent monitoring. In the end, they effectively did for most of the afternoon (as they couldn't get any monitor to work reliably, they eventually decided to just let it go). I spent most of the time on the birthing ball, and the only real issue was that there wasn't enough padding and my knees were bruised for days afterwards. No TENS or gas and air as I am in the US where they are not readily available, so I just had nothing at all until things went haywire.

frogs · 20/04/2004 17:14

I was induced with my 3rd baby, 48 hours after my waters went.

I had the gel in the morning, which produced quite impressive contractions all day. I think I must have had some monitoring, but I spent most of the day wandering up and down the corridor leaning against the wall, so it can't have been continuous. Sadly when they examined me at teatime it turned out absolutely nothing had happened -- not dilated at all.

They then put a drip up, which again produced impressive contractions. I was on continuous monitoring, but spent most of the time sitting on a birthing ball. At 10.45pm they examined me and I was STILL not dilating (no wonder I've never had a miscarriage...). By this stage the contractions were really painful, and I thought we would be there all night, so agreed to an epidural.

Sent off to have a wee before the epidural went in, and while in the bathroom felt I might as well have a poo while I was there. 15 seconds later realised what was happening, and braced myself against the end of the bath. Posse of midwives came running and tried to persuade me into a wheelchair to go back to the room. I was apparently less than co-operative (by this point the head was crowning).

They managed to more or less manhandle me back to the room, where I leant forward over the bed and three pushes later, at 11.10pm, one 9lb 5oz baby!

The moral is that you can have an induction and a full-on drug-free natural childbirth, although I have to report that it was outrageously painful, but over very quickly and felt fine v. swiftly afterwards. Wouldn't have minded a bit of gas and air, though...

Good luck, and HTH

suedonim · 20/04/2004 17:27

I had two inductions. The first was by ARM and prostaglandin. Labour progressed very quickly and ds2 was born four hours later without further management. Dd1 was induced with a pessary. I agreed to ARM some hours later and also monitoring, as monitors weren't available when I had ds's, and I was curious! I didn't have any drips or epidurals and the labours felt natural once I'd got going. HTH.

JJ · 20/04/2004 17:35

Fennel, with my first I had a pitocin (syntocin) drip and intermittent monitoring. I could walk around (pulling my medicine bag thingy) and walked up and down the corridors until deciding to have an epidural. But just to let you know, it is possible to have a drip and not be continuously monitored.

Bradsmum · 20/04/2004 18:04

I was induced (none of it worked though and ended up having a caesarian...) and was surprised with the drip how easy it was to get around and I wasn't continuously attached to a monitor. Good luck!

motherinferior · 20/04/2004 18:58

Fennel, love, what would (shhhhhh) happen if you just didn't turn up? I do remember, second time round, having to make a '41 week appointment' months in advance and wondering what would happen if I didn't go...

Woman in my antenatal group had home VBAC two weeks late but we had VERY stroppy - in the best way - midwives.

mears · 20/04/2004 19:07

Fennel - they would have to fit you in if you present in labour! Also midwives must attend you if you go into labour at home and refuse to come in. Have some nookie tonight and see if that does the trick

motherinferior · 20/04/2004 19:08

Mears, you are OBSESSED with nookie for the heavily pregnant lady. And the breastfeeding one. Some of us think of other things, you know

aloha · 20/04/2004 19:30

I had my ds early by c-section for unavoidable reasons...but...8 days isn't very long is it? If you don't want to be induced you don't have to be and if you don't go to hospital they have to come to see you! I think Mears advice is always wonderful.

milkybarkid · 20/04/2004 19:38

There is still time for you to go into labour naturally. Have you had a stretch and sweep, I had a quick labour after my third sweep, when I was over 3 weeks late, so don't think you have to agree to induction. My baby was fine

Original poster

Fennel · 20/04/2004 19:58

Thanks for all the advice and info. It's true there is still time for spontaneous labour, I wouldn't have thought 8 days over was lots but here they seem to treat it as time to start panicking people.

I am indeed considering not going in for induction til the full 42 weeks, it's useful to know that midwives would have to attend a home birth if I refused to go - thanks for that info mears.

am waiting for a sweep but hospital consultant doesn't like them and my phone messages to the midwife have got lost in the system (our midwives are always just too busy) so am still working on that one.

as for the nookie hints, anyone following the Due in April thread will know that I have been diligent in that respect and am conclusive proof that sex will NOT necessarily lead to labour

OP posts:

batgirl · 20/04/2004 20:22

Hi - I was induced for my second child, for high blood pressure just after my edd, and I had a very good experience.

I found there were some unexpected good sides to induction - for example, meeting my midwife before I went into labour was lovely - we discussed my birth plan etc (first time round I could just about grunt when I met my midwife, but certainly couldn't talk). I was monitored, but was able to keep fairly mobile, I think mw just followed me round the room with the monitor.
I used TENS for pain relief - again this was more effective than first time, as I could put it on in advance.

I delivered squatting on the bed - no stitches - 10lb baby!

Of my two labours I always think of this one, rather than my spontaneous labour, as the one without medical intervention!

mears · 20/04/2004 20:35

Have to say that it never worked for me either. More hassle than it was worth One of my friends swore by sex (or was that during it) for getting labour going

motherinferior · 21/04/2004 09:15

It's good for getting pregnancy going, I'll grant you that

You sit tight, and we'll cover for you!

musica · 21/04/2004 09:32

fennel, I went over with both my babies - ds was induced at 12 days, and dd was born at home, 14 days late. In our area, the midwives are quite happy for you to go up to 43 weeks, but you do have to be monitored by the consultant. If dd hadn't arrived when she did, I would have had to go in each day for an hour to be monitored to check the baby's wellbeing. Could you ask for this as an alternative?

(I'd also vouch for sex getting it going....and a long walk).

Hope we get a birth announcement soon - it's horrid going this far over isn't it!

Original poster

Fennel · 21/04/2004 09:33

Thanks again for all the responses. Midwife is too busy to do a sweep til tomorrow and hospital didn't offer it. So I think I will have the sweep tomorrow and then refuse induction til 3 days after that - in accordance with the NICE guidelines, which they're obviously not following

If they are all so busy and booked up why are they so reluctant to provide the low-effort options like sweeps rather than full-on induction, surely it would save them resources in the long run?

meanwhile, more sex and nipple twiddling and long walks I guess....

OP posts:

musica · 22/04/2004 10:30

Fennel - do you want to be induced at 12 days? Because if you don't, do hold out longer if you can - I was really glad I did. But obviously by 12 days you may well be glad to get on with it!

Hope something happens soon!

mears · 22/04/2004 11:56

Guess the nipple twiddling worked

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