First Time Induction

[HaNNaHC92]

I'm 10 days overdue with my 34rd baby. After being to the midwife today, she's done a successful sweep (I also had one done Friday too), but I'm also booked in for an induction this Friday morning. I was dreading it coming to this but it looks like it'll be happening now. I know nothing about inductions. All I know is I'll be having what was described as a tampon placed in me. Sent home to see if it works. If nothing after 12 hours then I'll go back to the hospital and stay there then until the baby is born. I've heard nothing but negatives stories about inductions so I'll be honest I'm bricking it. Can anyone change my opinion on this and hopefully relax me a little?

@HaNNaHC92

I'm 10 days overdue with my 34rd baby. After being to the midwife today, she's done a successful sweep (I also had one done Friday too), but I'm also booked in for an induction this Friday morning. I was dreading it coming to this but it looks like it'll be happening now. I know nothing about inductions. All I know is I'll be having what was described as a tampon placed in me. Sent home to see if it works. If nothing after 12 hours then I'll go back to the hospital and stay there then until the baby is born. I've heard nothing but negatives stories about inductions so I'll be honest I'm bricking it. Can anyone change my opinion on this and hopefully relax me a little?

Definitely not 34rd baby. 3rd baby*

I've had two inductions. First baby was induced due to preeclampsia, they used the pessary induction. I was admitted because of my symptoms. First pessary in the morning, no affect. Second one that evening. Light, period cramp type contractions through the night (baby was back to back), then 8am the next morning I went to delivery and she was born at lunchtime.
Third baby was induced due to SPD. I had an IV induction so was admitted. Was on the drip for around 24hrs. A little boring but I was ok. My contractions came too quickly so I had something to slow them down. Baby was born around 30 hours after IV started.
I'm currently expecting baby 4, so it hasn't put me off. I don't mind if this baby is a natural start or an induction.
Hope all goes well for you

I had an induction a few weeks ago. Had a pessary put in at 2 in the afternoon, didn’t feel anything all day then went to bed and woke up at 5 am to my waters breaking. Baby was here by 7.30 am.

@HaNNaHC92 I’m glad you clarified 3rd baby 🤣 34 would have been brave!!

Had an induction with my first at the end of last year during covid. Was terrified as he was a big baby and I’d heard nothing but horror stories about inductions always ending up with forceps/ventous or emergency section etc. I had 3 pessaries, my waters broken & hormone drip. For me, it took quite a while - 39 hours of contractions. While I was in 3 ladies who had had babies before came and went - statistically it’s much faster if you’ve had a baby before 😊 didn’t need any interventions, only had a minor tear with just internal dissolving stitches and didn’t need any pain relief. Baby born at 3am and we were home as a family by 3pm the same day 😊

The only negative for me was that I spent the first 27 hours alone due to covid 😊 DP was only allowed in nearer the end. Not sure what the rules are regarding birth partners now 😊 The actual induction process was fine 😊

Is there something in particular you’re nervous about? Happy to answer any questions ❤️

The tampon thing is called a Propess pessary, there's lots of information online about what it is and how it works! It's smaller than a tampon and the midwife puts it right up through your cervix, having it put in feels very similar to a sweep in my experience.

I was induced like this last year for my first baby, i had an evening appointment for them to put the pessary in around 7.30pm, I had to lie down and have the baby's heartbeat monitored for a couple of hours then I went home. I was having regular but painless contractions by the time they sent me home. Back in hospital around 4am and he was born just after 8am. It was difficult but not as painful as I'd feared and I was OK with gas & air for most of it.

You can also refuse induction if you're not comfortable with the idea. Generally the hospital will then ask you to come in every other day for the baby & placenta to be monitored as there are risks associated with going over 42 weeks. When I went to my induction appointment I still hadn't decided whether I would agree to be induced which sounds a bit silly but was actually a really good experience because I got to talk to 2 midwives and 2 doctors on the induction ward and ask them lots of questions

@HaNNaHC92 bless you even when it's not your first child it's completely natural to feel emotional about induction/ childbirth in general isn't it. I really wanted to share my experiences as I've had two inductions - firstborn I had an induction due to going to 42 weeks. I'd been desperate to have an MLU pool birth so was really disappointed and went into the induction feeling stressed and sad. Although the induction itself went well- the pessary did its job quickly, my waters went spontaneously after that and I was able to stick to just gas and air as I thought I wanted, for lots of different reasons I found the birth really scary, negative and traumatic and ended up in theatre with forceps and episiotomy.

I'm actually in hospital now having had to accept induction a second time around but this time at 39 weeks for low PAPP-A. In all, honesty I was really terrified of going through induction again. However I'm currently sat on the postnatal ward with my baby..., on paper my experience this time should have been my worst nightmare come true- the pessary didn't get contractions started but my hind waters broke, so they had to remove the pessary and then send me straight for the syntocin drip (literally what I feared most as I'd heard nothing but negative things about the drip). I insisted on having an epidural set up first and then had the drip. I honestly cannot rate having adequate pain relief highly enough as I found from the point of the epidural going in and the drip getting things going I actually had a really positive, calm and controlled birth. I felt like my body was working with the induction, as opposed to how I felt the first time around of not being in control or having any choice. I guess what I want to say is that you always have choices as to how induction works for you, and I never thought I'd be the one saying this but I've genuinely learnt in the last 24 hours that you really can have an induction and also a really positive experience of birth. Really hope it goes well for you on Friday and enjoy meeting your new little one! X