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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Anyone refuse to stay on their back during INDUCTION?

21 replies

lexyjay · 09/02/2016 17:30

Hello,
I am about 8 weeks pregnant with my second so am thinking lots about what went wrong last time and hoping i can avoid it this time!

With my first birth i had an induction on my due date because of reduced movements. I was given the pessary and was expecting a long slow build up. What i got was waters breaking after a few hours and very painful contractions every minute from the start. I was dealing (ish!) With the pain by moving around. However I had no idea how much monitoring i would need and i had a horrible midwife who insisted that i must lay on my back for ages at a time without even gas and air. Not only was this position absolute agony but i believe it slowed my labour down and contributed to needing forceps. I was eventually transferred to the delivery ward where i still had to stay on my back but at least i had pain relief.

So i guess what i am asking is if you had an induction, how much monitoring did you have? Did you have to stay on your back the whole time? Were you allowed any gas and air?

(Fingers crossed i wont need an induction this time i just cant stop worrying about it. Thanks for reading!)

OP posts:

RandomMess · 09/02/2016 17:33

Yes they want continuous monitoring but you can refuse it - as I did.

With 3 of them I had an epidural

With the last I was absolutely fine with just gas and air and spent most of my labour sat on a birthing ball.

hazelnutlatte · 09/02/2016 17:43

I had induction and continuous monitoring, plus I was attached to a syntocin drip and IV antibiotics - and I didn't have to stay on my back! I went from bed to birthing ball and back every time I got fed up / wanted a change, plus I walked to the loo about 50 times as I was drinking loads of water and the baby must have been bouncing on my bladder!
I think the midwife probably got a bit fed up with me as she needed to help me with all the wires etc every time I wanted to move, but she had to stay in the room the whole time with me anyway so it didn't matter that I was quite demanding of her time.
I'm sure things would have been different if there had been any concerns about baby's heart rate etc, and I had an emcs in the end so I don't know if they would have let me move about when fully dialated - I imagine I would have had to stay on my back at that point for safety reasons.

Plateofcrumbs · 09/02/2016 17:44

I was induced and had continuous monitoring, but stood for most of my labour next to the bed and swayed about and had loads of G&A. I was told to get in bed to push - wish I hadn't as everything slowed down and ended up with forceps. Next time I hope to avoid lying down.

ARichVernacular · 09/02/2016 17:50

I was induced with DC2 and managed to move around a fair bit despite CTG belt, syntocin drip and scalp clip up the chuff Okay, by that point I was just moving about on the bed but the lovely mw was very supportive of my need to move and encouraged me to stay active. I ended up turning on my side to give birth.

Mind you, it was only 55 minutes from drip hook up to baby, so that probably helped!

tangerinesarenottheonlyfruit · 09/02/2016 17:51

I tried to not be on my back. The MW was wholly unsupportive and pretty much stopped interacting with me when I was not on my back.

We got to a ridiculous situation when she was bargaining with me to be on my back for 20 minutes so she could monitor me.

The 20 minutes turned into over an hour, when I realised how much time had gone I felt tricked. I was in agony

If I'd had to do that again I would have stood my ground and refused to have a MW who treated me like that.

But luckily, no induction second time round, hoping not for you too.

NeedsAMousekatool · 09/02/2016 17:53

I had induction, continuous monitoring (I think), a mobile epidural and a fucking wonderful midwife who went out of her way to help me have the birth I wanted, which included walking around, bouncing on a ball, and pushing both upright and on a birthing stool.

goodnightdarthvader1 · 09/02/2016 19:39

Thanks for this thread, OP, I didn't even think of this. If I'm induced, will insist on mobile monitoring and moving around.

Mummyme87 · 09/02/2016 21:13

So continuous monitoring is advise with inductions, not so much if just had pessary for definitely required for syntocinon drip.
You don't need to be on your back at all and should be encouraged to mobilise. Although if monitoring is difficult discuss it with your midwife

Piffpaffpoff · 09/02/2016 21:21

I had lots and lots of G&A (I loved G&A!) and was actively encouraged to get up and about. I spent most of the afternoon bouncing up and down on a birthing ball in fact. That was with a drip in my arm and on a monitor.

I think you should start telling your midwife asap that you have concerns based on your previous experience so that she can hopefully alleviate them and help you get the birth that you'd like - if possible - this time round. Good luck!

dontcryitsonlyajoke · 09/02/2016 21:22

DC1 was hooked up to drip and monitor part way through due to needing to get things moving. On my back, horrid etc.

DC2 was an induction as 40+13 but gel got it going so proceeded without monitoring from then on. Used birthing ball for bouncing or leaning on. Didn't go near a bed. Delivered her while kneeling but upper body upright.

DC3 waters broke with meconium then nothing happened. Had to be drop induced which required continuous monitoring. Insisted I wouldn't go on my back. They checked the monitor could pick up trace while on ball before inducing. Once they were happy with that the drip was started. Stayed on the ball for a long while, then had epidural due to exhaustion really but still on ball. Then got on to the bed as I got more tired, but with the back of it raised and leaning over it while on my knees. Never ended up in my back, gave birth on my knees again with upper body upright just like DC2. The drip was a bit of a pain

somebody had to hold it and flip it out of the way every time I changed position but the midwives were brilliant at doing it. Despite all the contraptions and worry about the meconium which made it like my 1st birth, they made it as much like my second birth in terms of me being in control of positioning as possible so it was a much better experience than DC1 and I recovered much quicker.

Amziix · 09/02/2016 21:25

Please be cautions if you believe you have a good midwife. I was laid on my back after an epidural finally feeling comfortable, then they moved me onto my side and I was in agony and wanted to move as the epidural had worn off as soon as I wasn't on my back but they refused, quite sternly. I was so out of it but oh later told me they made me move because baby's heartbeat kept dropping dangerously low when I was on my back (53bpm at the lowest if I remember from my notes), in the end they pulled the emergency cord and the whole team came in to get DD out as fast as possible due to scarily low heart rate. I know it's tempting to push for the birth you want but if you have a good midwife they have studied for years, are the experts and genuinely want what's best for you and your baby. If I'd have refused monitoring or not laid in the position they had told me to my DD could have suffered a lot more as a result. Good luck with whatever you decide

Amziix · 09/02/2016 21:46

That first bit made no sense, what I meant was if you don't think your midwife is a fire breathing witch and your instincts are to trust them. Then do. Had to re word, it sounded all shit and flowery. I was lucky to have lovely midwives- I don't think that's the case a lot of the time!

Original poster

lexyjay · 09/02/2016 21:48

Thanks for all your replies everyone. Amazing how different everyones experienced are, i was made to feel like i was being completely unreasonable for wanting to move and asking for gas and air! Fingers crossed for a homebirth this time but if not will def insist on mobile monitoring.

OP posts:

Original poster

lexyjay · 09/02/2016 21:57

Amziix - i got what you meant. Part of the problem was that the midwife making me lie on my back was horrible and never really explained why i had to be on my back. She was Totally unsympathetic, impatient and rude. The worst thing she said when i told her how much pain i was in was 'well what did you think labour would be like, you've seen one born every minute!' Hope i get a nice midwife this time...

OP posts:

Original poster

lexyjay · 09/02/2016 22:02

Oh and the consultant was horrible too after using the forceps to get the baby out, she turned to me and smugly said 'next time you don't have the epidural, you'll be able to push the baby out yourself'. Don't think i'll be going back to that hospital somehow....

OP posts:

BlueBlueBelles · 09/02/2016 22:04

I had induction, drop, epidural, continuous monitoring, and I didn't have to stay on the bed.

Potterwolfie · 09/02/2016 22:07

I was induced with DS1 and monitored, told to stay on my back and not move (I didn't realise I had an option) and it wasn't a great experience on the whole, apart from gorgeous DS arriving safely of course; unsympathetic midwife, pretty chaotic delivery room, threat of intervention and a bad tear.

With DS2, I was induced again (both DCs were two weeks overdue) and my midwife was awesome! She helped me have an amazing water birth (not usually advised after induction), minimal monitoring, gas and air, it was a totally different experience altogether.

Hope you get the labour and birth you wish for.

Twistedheartache · 09/02/2016 22:18

DD1 - I had great midwives & was encouraged to move despite the continuous monitoring - continuous monitoring pissed me off big style though coz it wasn't actually working.
Dd2 - midwife was less keen on me moving but I still did a fair amount. Tried wireless monitoring but they didn't work v well.
Spent time in bed watching telly & reading more on my side than back though coz it was more comfy

Amziix · 09/02/2016 22:25

I get what you mean, I had a few midwives on the postnatal ward that seemed like they were just in the profession for a bit of a power trip!!

How rude of the consultant! Do not understand why people who speak to others like that would even go into a 'caring' profession.

Good luck for getting the birth you want, i sometimes wish I'd have been a bit more assertive with some of my care!

elliejjtiny · 10/02/2016 00:28

I was induced with DS5. He was an attempted vbac, my waters had been gone for 9 days and I had an infection so there was a lot of wires and monitors. I stood beside the bed for a bit, bounced on the ball for a bit too. I have to admit though despite being very active with my other 3 labours I voluntarily spent quite a bit of time on my back because I was so exhausted. I hadn't been allowed to eat all day just in case I had a C-section, they put the drip in at 9pm and after an hour of pacing and bouncing I was shattered.

zannyminxoxox · 10/02/2016 09:52

Forst stime I was in drip as baby pooed inside me continuous monitoring really annoyed me I still moved about heartbeat belt was pointless, so they attached a heart monitor to the babies head. Second time I was able to stand up and sway next to the bed eventually they ended up putting heart monitor on head again as when contractions are too intense I have to go on my side.

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