Confused if this is the normal process

[IsoBordem]

I am in Australia.

I feel like I had a horrible hospital appointment today at my 41 weeks check up and wanted to check if this is normal. I came in for assessment and to get an induction booked in, which my midwife originally thought would be on Friday. Unfortunately the hospital is full and the earliest they could book me in to get the induction started is next week (at 41 +6). I'm not happy about the delay but I have no choice.

I had an internal exam and an attempted stretch and sweep but this was unsuccessful due to my cervix being too high and unfavourable. Apparently this means I will have to have a ballon inserted next week. This will be put in one morning and then I will go home and wait until the next morning to see if it worked. They will then break my waters.

I feel like I am getting absolutely no say in my care and have no power at all. The internal was so painful that I am so scared of getting the ballon inserted. Is this treatment the norm?

Hiya! I'm 40weeks and this is what my midwife has told me to expect. Including the mechanical balloon induction. They should be giving you a say though. You should feel empowered in the decisions that are being made

I'm in the UK but I had the balloon. Didn't hurt (just slightly uncomfortable for a few seconds and I actually found the sweep worse) but they did offer me gas and air if I wanted it while they inserted it but I didn't need it. Good luck x

I dunno about Australia but you can refuse any of the treatments they offer. Here you could refuse induction, refuse the balloon, etc. You have to live with your decisions, of course. They are trying to avoid you going into the high risk period for stillbirth. I doubt you can bring the induction day forward, though, unless you go private, maybe?

Those are ways to take more control.

In the UK you could refuse to consent, although this would leave the options of waiting to see what happens or a CS.

Talk your options through with your partner or someone who can support you; be clear with them if there's something you know you don't want, even if you're less clear about what you do want (after all, you haven't been given other options yet). Then call the hospital back to discuss the plan with your support person included. Your supporter needs to be able to tell the midwife or doctor to stop or let you have a discussion or time to think if you need a minute.

It helps if you can look up risk factors first; the RCOG website is useful for this, e.g., CS can halve the risk of stillbirth but increases risk of maternal death, etc. Look at the risks around induction for your age group. 1:10 fail - what's their plan for that? What was your Bishop score when they examined you? Under 5 and an induction is much less likely to be successful.

When you've checked out the risks and options, you can decide what's right for you and push for that. For example, you could suggest a plan where, next week, if your Bishop score is below 5, you won't have the induction but will go straight to CS (if that's what you want - the point is that you have options for discussion).

I know this is daunting. I did refuse consent to induction - over 100 hours into a failed one. It was 4am, I hadn't slept in over 24 hours and the head of midwives was sent in to try and talk me around. I refused to change my mind so they sent in the consultant at 9am. He was also unsuccessful and had no good argument as to why the induction process should continue any longer (he offered to have a rummage with his 'magic hands' - I declined as politely as I could manage, which wasn't very). By midday DC1 was safely delivered by a lovely CS (I'd been induced originally because of gestational hypertension).

Unfortunately it is horribly normal to be treated as though you have no say - I suspect this is why the education women receive about childbirth is so woeful, it's less effort for staff.

Best of luck