Outpatient induction experiences?

[OrDis]

Hello,
I’m currently 40+5 and have been offered the option of an outpatient induction at 40+10, or an inpatient induction at 40+12. Not sure what to go for. I didnt realise my trust offered outpatient inductions- i think it’s fairly new. Has anyone had any experience of outpatient induction with a propess they could share? How did you find it? Was it helpful to be able to go home?

I am close to the hospital so thats reassuring but i’m just wondering with induction whether it is better to be in and have monitoring.... ugh. Still really hoping it doesn't get to that point and bubs makes an appearance on her own!

I was dead set on an outpatient induction & it was definitely the right thing for me. I find being in hospital pretty stressful, makes me feel anxious & out of control which is the last way you want to feel when going into labour. I had the propess put in around 7.30pm. I had to be monitored for nearly 3 hours instead of the usual 1.5 hours as my son was having a dance party in there and every time he moved, the monitor cut out I had headphones in the whole time to block out the noises of the induction ward (mostly other women stressed & in pain... I really felt for them but also really didn't want to hear it...)

I got home around 11pm had a bath and went to bed. Contractions really kicked in around 1am, 4am I was back at the hospital and 8am baby was born! The last hour was a bit scary as his heart rate dropped & I needed a forceps delivery. But other than that it was all straightforward & the only pain relief I needed was gas&air. And the birth pool which was lovely.

I would say it's definitely worth a try. If the propess doesn't work they will want you to come back in 24 or 48 hours to try other methods anyway right? Personally I was really keen to try the least invasive methods first rather than going straight for the drip, and it worked.

Thanks @goodnightsugarpop for sharing. All sounds nice and straightforward. I do like the idea of minimising my time in hospital at the mo with Covid cases back on the rise where we are....

Can I ask, what is an outpatient induction? I am 34 weeks. Freaking over the idea of being induced with current restrictions.

@SqidgeBum it's when you go into hospital to be induced and then can go home to see if you go into labour. At my hospital the outpatient induction appointment takes a few hours cos they will stick you on the monitor to make sure baby's heartbeat is OK and you're not getting super fast contractions. If everything looks OK you go home. If you haven't gone into labour within 24 hours you would go back for them to try induction again, maybe by another method. I think its usually only an option for low risk pregnancies. Exactly how it works will vary at different hospitals I guess but you can ask your midwife about it!

Oh wow! I will definitely ask. I didnt even know this existed. I thought just being induced and staying in was the only option. I am as low risk as it gets.

I've had 2 outpatient inductions. First one was offered that way, second time I had to push for it as they didn't offer willingly. I would definitely have another!

First time round propess went in at 10am. Stayed in for monitoring for an hour, all good so sent home. By 1pm I started having mild contractions from the comfort of my sofa. As the afternoon progressed I went for a walk, watched some netflix and had a takeaway. I felt ready to go back to hospital at 8pm, was 4cm by then so onto gas and air and baby born by 4am.

Second time the propess went in at 10am again and took longer to kick in. I had to go back to hospital at 10pm (12 hours in) for 60 mins monitoring again, then back home to sleep in my own bed as no labour. 6am I woke with twinges, back down to hospital at 10am, baby arrived 3 hours later.

I waa grateful to have the distractions of home and be able to get some rest in my own bed because I certainly didn't get much in hospital.

Make sure you have paracetamol, a birthing ball and a hot water bottle/bath on hand. Good luck!

Thanks @Mamabear2020. I think your experiences are swaying me towards it. I do like the idea of being at home so its more normal/relaxing. Plus we are only a 5-10 min drive from the hospital if anything did feel wrong.

Were you overdue? I’ll be 10 days over by that point (if she hasn't arrived by then) so hoping that would make things more ‘favourable’ and likely to progress.

I have to go for a sweep tomorrow so I will ask them about monitoring etc. The leaflet says about staying for a bit after to be monitored but doesnt mention anything else, and i’m interested to see how it compares with how much you would be monitored if you were an inpatient.

Yes @OrDis I was 12 days overdue for both!

I really hope it works for you x