Booked for late night induction

[toohardtothinkofaname]

Still a week to go but I like to be prepared (know everything ). I'm booked for an induction at 9pm & I'm not sure what would be best; sleep all day with the view of being as active as possible or do you sleep & wait after insertion before being active?

I'm lucky that my hospital are all private rooms & partners can stay overnight. Would we be kept in the assessment room before being moved to a labour room or am I likely to be sent home after a certain time?

Oh, and can you still have a water birth of you're induced & all progressing ok?

The speed an induction starts labour varies. If you are before due date or its your first baby it may take more than one try. If you are overdue or have previously had children it can be quicker.
I was 10 days early with baby number 2. First pessary started contractions which lasted 12 hourish then faded away. Second pessary had baby out within 6 hours.
I would go in as rested as possible. Even in a private room you will be disturbed by nursing and auxiliary staff doing their checks etc.

Good luck

Hard to say but probably would be as rested as possible when you go in! My pessary was given at 7pm then had to go on monitor and be examined again at 1am, was in private room but I hardly slept due to noise on the ward and being nervous/excited. Was moved to delivery suite from the antenatal ward at 9am where my waters were broken and drip started 10am. Once you're on the drip you can't go in the water as have to be continuously monitored.

Good luck hope all goes well :)

Oh and that was my first baby at 37 weeks gestation (was induced for cholestasis) and baby was born 8 hours after drip started so it didn't take as long as I expected.

Thanks guys! So if pessary works & I avoid a drip I can still try for a waterbirth?

I'll definitely try & rest during the day, going to be the longest day of my life isn't it? Haha. OH still going into work that day so I'll just have to lounge around & eat pasta between naps.

I'll be 11 days overdue at induction, or 9 days by 'my dates' but not going to quibble over that.

DS1 was induced. I was 40+14, had the pessary inserted at lunchtime. Nothing happened. Well, they told me when I was being monitored that I was having some 'good' tightening but tbh I'd had strong braxton hicks for weeks anyway, I think that's all they were picking up. I couldn't get off to sleep that night as hospital is not my sort of environment at all so walked loads, and suddenly at 2.30am my waters broke and full on labour started with a bang. DS1 was born at 5.14am without any intervention.

I'd sleep. Mind you my general advi e.yo anyone about to have a baby is to sleep sleep sleep, grab every chance you can get to sleep. And then sleep some more. DS1 will be 10 in May and I still think back to my pregnancy with him and wish I'd spent more of it asleep!

My induced labour was 3 hours so it might not take long at all. I would go in rested to be honest. They do advise that you mooch around and try to get your labour going so even though it's night time plan to be active.

Wrt to the water birth, I was in the early stages of contractions and advised to have a bath so I'm sure water will be allowed.

I didn't think you could have a water birth as they like to monitor you constantly with a drip?

I was induced at 9pm with my first.

I had pains all night and then at 8am they stopped, which meant I got some sleep. Because the labour rooms were all full they didn't do any further induction till 6pm the next day. 9pm on that day I was moved to a labour ward - so that had been 24 hours so far. DD was born 11.30am the next day so it took a day and half or so for me.

I don't think I especially rested during the day I went in. - sorry I can't remember as she is 14 now!

I had several hours in the bath the first night and the birthing pool in the labour room the second night.

Mine was 4 days, i had 5 pessaries then drop , I would probably rest during the day because you may 1. Go into labour having been up all day and night 2. Be in pain so can't sleep 3. Need to be monitored, have bloods done, be examined etc.

They do the pessary then monitor you after 5/ 6 hours for 30mins.

Only 2 pessaries in a 24 hour period so they won't get you going again until 7pm the next night.

A word of warning it can be a lot of waiting around. I had it timed in my head, but we didn't get started until nearly 2 hours after arrival, then the midwife monitored and left it on for an hour. Then they had to reassess, maybe wait for a consultant. Then start all over again.

Take money for hospital TV, books, iPads, walking shoes! Food!

Good luck

No experience with induction but was told to keep active after my waters broke at 39 weeks. Ran around like a loon all day getting stuff sorted and was totally knackered by the time things kicked off properly.

Hang out on the sofa and doze all day would be my advice. Maybe a bit of a walk if you are restless.

Ah money! That's something I need to get out, thank you unimaginative.

Right then, plan then is to rest as much as I can during the day & go in with a completely open mind as to timescales & expectations. Might persuade OH to work from home that day to save a 2hr round-trip commute & have him feel more rested too. Will also download/take some films & plenty of food!

Suss out the parking too, we got a week ticket which was the same as 3 days parking. So if you need to do that allow some extra time.

Also we learnt we needed to not be the ones not to say anything, there were only 2 midwifes, so we found we needed to be the ones to go out and remind them that the 6 hours is up, or that I needed to go on the monitor or come off.

Walking is good but didn't work for me, but helped with cabin fever.

Have a look at a map of the surroundings of the hospital for walks that take about an hour or so and don't go too far. We did a nice walk round the woods several thousand times.