how to have as active a labour as possible when induced. pls advise??

[madeindevon2]

to lulumamma and other birthing gurus!!
im due to be induced tomorrow (13 days over) and been told they think im carrying a big baby.
i dont want to insist on anything that is going to be unsafe for me or the baby but also i dont want to be flat on my back the whole time if its unnecessary...just making their lives easier... i know im gonna have the continuous monitoring and drip too but can i still be mobile will this gubbins attached to me?
i want to do whats best for me and baby not whats more convenient for the doctors.
midwife yesterday advised me to go for the epidural when im 4cm.
yesterday i was 1cm dilated but baby only 1/5 engaged. MW said its a possibility that baby not fitting well...so talked me thru c section in case.
im a little confused about whats for the best now i have to say. all a long i was hoping for water birth in birthing centre.

am not a birthing guru, but I was induced 4 weeks early with my latest baby and was on a drip and being monitored - it wasn't a problem at all to be standing, squatting, using a birthing ball and even walking around a bit. I only got onto the bed towards the end - but only to kneel on bed facing the wall iyswim?
so it is possible

right

if you are induced, you can insist on intermittent monitoring , it is important to put these things in the birth plan...and make sure your DH knows how important it is. so that when you are in the throws of labour, someone else can stick up for what you want

why did MW advise an epidural? makes a longer labour more likely, and can make it harder to push the baby out, and will certainly confine you to the bed!

there are lots of pain relief options before you get to epidural !

being upright and active, especially if baby is big, is better, as is squatting or all fours as opens the pelvis up , better for baby to pass through......

it might be you are not ready to be induced, in which case, could take a while.....can you delay the induction?

if baby is still high, then being upright and active is better to help get baby down

I was induced with ds (9lb 10oz) and was continously monitored as I was bleeding from somewhere, although no-one was really sure where. Like hana I could move around. I spent quite a lot of time squatting, although TBH the best position for me was lying on my left side. Speeded things up no end. Something to do with my cervix.

thought i just posted but lost it
thanks for replies
will tell dh about monitoring. mw told me was necessary to have continuous to keep checking baby because of the drugs used to induce you.
re epidural...advised coz of being less mobile, baby big and incase of c section can top up quickly to do that.
didnt mention slowing labour up!?
slighly concerned im at the stage now where i just want baby to be out and ok and dont care what they do to me....not really the right frame of mind is it

not sure about epidural , just in case...if the baby had to be got out soooooo quick, you'd have a GA....IMHO...it does slow things, as you are on the bed, rather than moving, and can make the need for assisted delivery greater..not to say tehy aren't benefits.but it certainly goes against getting an active labour!

why are they so sure the baby is so big?

if there is genuine reason to think that baby really won;t fit through the pelvis then fair enough

is this your first baby?

I had an emergency delivery, and I had a spinal anaesthetic which acted straight away. No epidural prior to being wheeled off to the theatre.

However, there was a bit of a barney between the obstetrician and the anaesthetist. OB wanted to do a local for forceps and then GA if CS needed. Anaesthetist said a spinal would be just as quick and would do for both. DH suggested they took it outside . I had the spinal thank God!

was having growth scans until 36 weeks coz baby was big for dates they were saying.
not had scan since then. so they cant be sure can they from just feeling the baby? it all seems like guesswork to me.
yes this is my first. so not sure what to expect. and whose advice to take. its all so confusing!?

I was induced lst year with ds and was able to move around whereever i wanted. Infact after 2nd pessary i was told i could go and walk round the park opposite the hospital as long as i didnt go too far and wasnt too long. I was mobile up until i had my waters broken then i had asked for epidural which did slow things down for me and i ended up with emergency cs as ds was getting distressed.
I would talk to the mw's when you go in tomorrow and tell them your concerns before they start and they should try and put you at ease.
And as far as the epidural goes, if you dont want one then you dont have to have one so do go with what you want and make sure your dh/dp knows your wishes as well as putting it on your birth plan.
Hope it all goes well

right no more time to think about this. i just called the ward as requested and they want me to come in tonight. so im off now. hopefully will have a nice midwife to discuss options with there.

sorry if i have missed you, but best of luck, and i look forward to the birth announcement xx