Can I go home during induction?

[Funnyonion17]

I probably sound really stupid asking this but I'm over due and keen to have as much of a natural birth as possible. It's DC3 but other DC were spontaneous labours so not sure what to expect.

I've probably got a week, max. Then they will want to induce. I've had two membrane sweeps so far, I will have one more then after that it's induction. Is it possible to have something started at the hospital then go home or am I being totally unrealistic due to monitoring?
Thanks

I wasn't allowed home and I believe that's the norm. I think it's because once they start they don't know how long it will take and have to do things in a set time and order.

Ask your trust, some do ourpateint inductions. However, as someone whose had babies before you're more likely to respond well to induction (by well I mean to into labour) and crack on quite quickly, so they may be less keen to let you go home.

I wasn't allowed to leave the ward once the actual induction had started because it can move very quickly after that (although in my case it was about 48 hours between starting induction and going into the labour ward, so it was pretty frustrating!)

Do ask your midwife though as obv it varies

Mine didn't. Even something as mild as the pressary or gel can in rare cases result in distress for the baby and so they will likely want to keep you under observation. You could always ask but I personally wouldn't be happy to risk it.

I was kept in - on the drip and body reacted baby and they lost heartbeat for a few seconds - all turned out fine but it was very scary and I was very happy to be under close monitoring then!

You can refuse induction. Unless you are detained under the mental health act you can leave hospital whenever you want. The conversation you need to have is what are the options: no intervention or different treatments with/without a hospital stay and what are the risks/benefits of each. Then you decide. Don't let them talk to you about what they will/won't allow. Ask them what they advise and why and what the alternatives are.

Thankyou everyone, some great advice.

I really don't want to be induced, I have severe SPD aswell as a genetic risk of blood clots so they were keen to induce from 39 but I refused. If I'm induced I'm likely to be bed bound aren't I? That will be horrific for my SPD, increase my blood clot risk further and likely prolong my labour.

I labour much better upright and mobile. Are all induction methods bed bound with monitoring? I'm at the consultants again tomorrow, but I like to know a fair bit before I go in as they can often not let me know my full options!

My induction wasn't bed bound - it took 5 days before going to CS so I can't image being stuck in bed that long! I was monitored every 4 hours though since I was induced because baby was at risk.

The thing I took away from it all is that you can say no. If this isn't what you want ask for a discussion of your other options before making your decision. I wish I'd known that was possible - I was a very naive first timer.

I think they can do continuous fetal monitoring using wireless equipment (possibly called telemetry) instead of attaching you directly to a monitor. I was tethered to a machine with a catheter and a drip during my last labour and plan to resist this time.

I was allowed home after the pessary was inserted, was at home about 12 hours then headed back into hospital when things started happening. I do believe that isn't the norm for most trusts though.
Would echo what others have said about finding out about your options- I was another naive first timer and just thought induction was what I had to do as baby was overdue, I wish I had been more proactive in finding out about alternatives. Good luck!

Normal practice would be just intermittent monitoring while using both the gels and you would be encouraged to walk about, etc. Then once you are given a drip to get contractions going, continuous monitoring is advised from then. I would not worry about this part being lengthy - there is no way you'd be left on a oxytocin drip for days on end.

Talk it all through with your consultant, don't assume anything, but in my limited experience, induction would not unduly interfere with your preferences at all.

Best wishes.

You may find the contractions are more painful when being induced as its not the bodies natural build up to labour, so you may find you need strong pain relief and want to stay in hospital- i was induced with first baby and cant imagine going home as the pain was unreal, but good luck everyone is different xx

I had an out patient induction.
Once pessary was put in I was allowed home after some monitoring.

I went back in the next morning ,they were able to break my waters as nothing much was happening.

Once waters broke I had constant monitoring. However my midwife was brilliant and let me move into what ever position I felt comfortable. I gave birth on my knees over the bed. In under 4 hours. All very positive.

I wasn't allowed home after the pessary was in situ, but I was encouraged to go walkabouts around the hospital and pop back for regular monitoring. It kept me sane :)

I was also induced 10 days overdue. They wouldn't have allowed me to go home and I wasn't allowed off the hospital ground. I was allowed around the hospital though for a little walk and the greggs on site. I had a sweep and gel at 8am. Another sweep at 7pm my son was born 7.16am the following morning!

There are different steps to inductions. They start with a pessary, maybe two then possibly break your waters and then if all else fails, the drip. I had the drip and was able to walk around as much as I wanted to (ask for mobile monitoring) and then did most of the labour kneeling on a bed. I delivered the baby lying on my side.

You can refuse it or ask to delay. You can have the pessary but refuse the drip. Ask lots of questions before agreeing to anything you aren't sure about.

I'm not trying to tread on any toes here, just give an impression of how your doctors will see it...

There aren't that many different forms of induction. Stretch & sweep isn't really seen as induction, more a gentle help along the natural process. But an induction is almost always a vaginal prostaglandin (pessary or gel, or various combinations), breaking your waters, then oxytocin via a drip if the breaking your waters doesn't start your contractions after a few hours.

Some women respond very strongly to even just the pessary, and any of this medicines have the potential to make you contract more than your body naturally would want to, or than your baby is happy with. I only know of one hospital in my area that did outpatient inductions (I.e. go home with the pessary in) and I think they may have stopped it - IMHO it's quite a risk just to avoid 24 hours of being in hospital, especially when after 30 mins of initial monitoring you can wander around, use a ball etc. in the induction area usually. You only need to be on a continuous monitor when you're on the drip, and most places have at least a few wireless machines so you're not tethered to it.

This thing of "you can refuse..." - well, yeah, you can, but framing it like this isn't particularly helpful IMHO. If you think you don't want certain aspects of the induction process, it's very much best to be clear about this from the outset, because the LW staff will assume that you've discussed induction and agreed to the whole process, which is essentially everything it may take to get you into labour.

Some consultants may be willing to use a pessary but then not break your waters, but that's quite "off piste", and if you have the pessary but then refuse the next step as it happens, you're quite likely to confuse/worry/generally annoy staff. You're welcome to do that if you want, but it could be easily avoided by discussing everything up front.

Had one induction. Straight on drip, as some concerns.

Even with drip, and continuous fetal monitoring, I was helped by midwive to change positions, walk to loo. Spend most of the labour upright.

I think you need to have a conversation with hospital head of midwives as to what being induced would actually mean for your labour.

Otherwise, you may be planning for how you think it would be, not how it actually could be.

You may find hospital shares your view.

Three pessaries, all failed, ended up with CS after 60+ hrs wired up to a monitor.

I'm one of the 1 in 12 that doesn't react to the pessary. They couldn't get in to break my waters so drip wasn't an option - my cervix was clamped shut so CS it was. Please note every man and his dog on here recommends epidural at the same time as your drip goes in as it can be really fast if it comes to it.

HOWEVER; I digress....I was allowed to go home after pessary #1, remarkable as I have a heart condition. But I do live 3 mins from the hospital.

And weirdly, I felt the whole experience was quite good. Even though it reads awful.

Good luck OP. As big a cliche as it is, focus on the cuddles with your baby x