help: waters broke but no contractions and nasty induction booked tomorrow!

[theprecious]

Hoping someone can beam contraction inducing karma to me.

waters broke last night, went to St Thomas to be checked out today - all fine - but their policy is to give me 24-36 hours to start naturally. They have booked the induction app for 1pm tomorrow.

I know I do not have to go, I did not argue as thought contractions might start tonight anyway.

Two questions: any hot tips to start the contractions? I have been walking and trying Lulumamas favourite nipple stim.

Also if I do go tomorrow but just ask for a sweep, no IV, and another 24hrs to wait, do you think they will go for it?

A friend said St George in Tooting gives you 72 hours.

Help! Wanted a lentil-weaving-tastic birthpool experience, not hooked up to IV with constant monitoring.

I was just going to stay niple stim!

nipple stim

lots of it

with a breast pump too

alos, NICE guidelines do say 96 hours is ok, between PROM and induction, IIRC

so you can buy yourself some time

are you 100 % sure it is your forewaters that have gone?

you can certainly go back, ask for a sweep, and wait , they cannot force you to be induced, at all

if you are induced, you can decline continous monitoring, and keep as upright and mobile and as active as you can

try a visualisation tonight, lie down, dark room, candle, clary sage or lavendar oil in a burner, and really imagine the birth you want, as strongly as you can

walk up the stairs sideways too

thank Lulumama, that's exactly what I needed to hear. I am getting the breastpump out now. Why are they so damn keen on induction?

No stairs though as live in a ground floor flat - anything else instead?

gently bouncing on a birth ball.....

if you are well, no temperature , signs of infection and baby moving, and well, then you can hold a bit longer if you feel comfortable doing so

also, you could stop thinking about induction being 'nasty', i know it is not ideal, and you wanted a birth pool,but just let it go, and que sera sera, so that if you do have to be induced, you go into it positively, some inductions are really straightforward, qucik and easy !

true - the first thing everyone says about labour is you can't predict it. Will keep up the bouncing and the nipple stim. 100% sure waters have gone, and are still going.

okey doke

will be thinking good strong birthy thoughts for you x

96 hours at our local hospital. Accupuncture and reflexology can help.

Just wanted to duck in and wish you good luck

I had PROM and was in same position with induction booked for 48 hours later. I ate a whole fresh pineapple and contractions started wihtin the hour. Good luck!

National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) says 96 hours.

Do you know what position the baby is in? Sometimes babies in an OP position can result in the waters going and no contractions following.

Oh, and have you had an internal examination already? If not, then it's worth considering whether you want the sweep as internal exams do increase the risk of infection.

thank you for your advice and best wishes!

Baby isn't back to back but mainly against my left hand side.

I just drank a carton of fresh pineapple and played with my breastpump - got some colustrum out! I was most chuffed.

hello theprecious. this happened to me but (unlike you) i was both clueless and without sensible advice and ended up with induction at 36hrs after waters went. get moving, shame no stairs i have heard that is effective.

if you do have induction ask hundreds of questions and don't worry about being a pain, they don't give a stuff will never see you again. anyway i am sending you contracty vibes and it'll all be behind you in a few days anyway.

good luck fishie!

Ok so I bounced, I stim'd, I visualised, not a single bloody contraction! Although I did get a good night's sleep so am feeling OK.

I haven't leaked any more fluid since yesterday. Is this coz baby's head is jammed on my cervix like a plug?

Going for walk in a bit to see if that helps.

So sorry to hear that your contractions haven't started naturally yet but please try not to think of induction negatively. As lulumama said earleir it can be quick. mine certainly was. For dd2 my hindwaters broke at 05:00 on the Friday - I was already booked for an induction on the Saturday anyway as dd2 was already 2 weeks overdue. Went in on Saturday morning at 10:00, they broke the rest of the waters, at 10:30, they hooked me up to a drip and monitoring and put my TENS on. Importantly however, I was mobile and spent the majority of the next 4 hours bouncing up and down on a ball reading the paper or walking around the bed. Was in established labour by 3:45 - so 3 contractions in 10 mins and dd2 was born at 4:15pm with only a few puffs of gas and air and me being immobile on the bed (lying on my left hand side) for only the 15 minute pushing bit.

It was a really lovely birth despite the induction.

Hope everything works out well for you though.

thanks for that - it's good to hear positive stories. Junior certainly seems in no hurry to move and getting him out safe is the most important thing.

Hi I had the same thing and missed an induction by the skin of my teeth (but was hooked up to IV antibiotic drip and monitors). My MW gave me some homeopathic tablets to help establish my contractions - oh my God these worked well (so well I refused to take them for a bit!)

Also having an orgasm really worked well i didn't fancy nookie with DH so try doing it yourself! This started the contractions.

Good luck xxx

what were the homeopathic remedies? I've been necking caulphyllium like its going out of fashion. Nada. Nothing. Zip. Sob!

oooo stop the press, I've had ONE contraction! It hurt like hell and was over an hour and half ago - boo. On the basis of that I am still at home though and drinking fresh pineapple juice.

Sorry Foxy I am in Ireland at the minute so I cant check, and I dont remember what the other set of tablets were, you had to alternate between them and caulphyllium. Start a homeopathy thread and someone should know..... xx

Thanks MM!

TP - any more? Will you start a childbirth thread and keep us updated?

I was told only eating a fresh pineapple does it - no cartons or tinned stuff!

I'd heard that Cece - about 7 of them! Mango juice and spicy food worked for me at 10 days over.

Currently 8 days over, and eyeing up a bottle of castor oil ...

Is there any news yet?

yo!

I have a ds!

Born on saturday by C-section. Quick version: on induction drip at 2am Friday night, 12 long and painful hours later, ONLY 2cms dilated and baby wasn't even on my cervix. Rotter!

I did a Hypnobirthing course and it was fab, and was dp. The 12 hours were drug free. The midwives were impressed.

C-section was swift and easy.

Home now and all's well. He is the cutest baby in the world.

I will post the long story on Birth announcments and had a photo.