3rd baby - induction stories please *TW stillbirth*

[MrsXx4]

Hi, I am due to have my 3rd baby in 7 weeks time. I have a 4 year old who I gave birth to at 38 weeks after going into spontaneous labour at home at 37 weeks and 4 days.

My second baby was another healthy pregnancy, low risk and straightforward, I went to 38 weeks and 4 days with her when I picked up the sickness bug that my son had at the time. I was very unwell, couldn’t keep water down and felt myself getting dehydrated so I phoned the labour ward for advice, they told me to come in for a check up, however in the time that it took for my mum to come round to watch my older child I had given birth at home without a contraction in sight! No pain, no warning, just suddenly pushing and a baby on our bedroom floor. Our baby was lifeless and after attempting CPR while waiting for emergency services baby was whisked away from us and rushed to hospital, very sadly our baby didn’t make it and after tests were completed both baby and I were found to be infection free and completely healthy. They basically told us that there was no reason for this to have happened. No reason for my labour to have happened the way that it did, it was put down to ‘one of those things’.

This current pregnancy I am now high risk and having a lot of extra monitoring. They aren’t letting me go over 38 weeks and have booked me in for an induction for 37 weeks.

Having had two spontaneous labours previously I don’t know what to expect and am looking for true accounts of inductions and how safe and reassured you felt during them. I am obviously so anxious about losing this baby at the last moment, I don’t think I could survive it again, I still have very dark days and I can’t do it all again. I can opt to have a c section from the start and not even try an induction but I’ve been really encouraged by my consultant and midwives that an induction would work for me because I’ve had two babies previously and that my body will know what to do.

can anybody offer any stories or advice.

thank you.

Hi OP,

I'm so so sorry for your loss.

I had an induction at 38 weeks with DD. Everyone's experiences are different because there are a few different methods. I had the gel and pessary (can't remember in which order, one didn't work so they moved to the other) and had lots of monitoring of DD throughout the process. I went in on a Wednesday night and the induction took 48 hours, they eventually could break my waters and labour was 2 hours in total from waters breaking to her being born. There was a lot of waiting around and waiting for a bed but I imagine that would be the same with a C-section too.

There are other methods too such as a balloon or the hormone drip (although I've read this is really painful and to make sure you have an epidural if you're having the drip)

Thank you @mrnook for sharing your experience.

Those options have been discussed with me and they have said they would start me on the gel and then the pessaries and give it 24 hours and see if my cervix is favourable and how I am reacting. Then they would break my waters if favourable. I want to avoid the drip because I’ve read that it can cause stress to the baby and their heart rate.

My first baby was born in an emergency situation after his heart rate dropped, it had all been straightforward up until my waters were broken and then turned into a bit of a panic with a full room of people all shouting at me to push.

Obviously with my second I’ve no idea about the babies heart rate but I’ve got it into my own head that baby may have been stressed at the labour and that’s why they didn’t survive.

if they mention the drip to me I think I’d rather a c section and just get the baby out. I’m so scared of making the wrong decision. I kind of wish someone could just tell me what the safest way would be to get my baby here! But I know nobody can and so it’s all on me! X

Bumping to see if there are any more experiences x

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I was induced at 37 weeks with DD2 (after my waters leaked at 34 weeks). Overall the experience was fine. It only took 11 hours and I just had the gel which kicked off the contractions straight away, but not too strong/painful. Then about 9 hours later they broke my waters which made the contractions a lot stronger, and DD was born a couple of hours after.

I'm really sorry for the loss of your 2nd baby and all that you have had to endure. Have you had the opportunity to discuss your worry/thoughts that may have been stress during labour that caused your baby to die, with an obstetrician or midwife?

Noone can ever know for certain what happened but I think they might be able to provide some reassurance which would surely affect how you feel about labouring again and also how you feel about the circumstances of your 2nd baby's death. I say this only because I have read that labouring after a baby has died is usually faster and that fits with your labour history. Also that stress during labour sufficient to result in the baby's death is usually more prolonged - what you describe seems to fit more with a baby that sadly died in the womb and not during labour.

In response to your question I have had both pessary induction and ARM with syntocinon induction. For both I was fortunate to have an unassisted vaginal birth and my babies were born healthy. The syntocinon labour was extremely fast but extremely painful and in hindsight if I had to repeat the experience I would have an epidural even though it was so fast. Otherwise I would gladly have an induction again if I needed it.

From what I understand one of the main risks of induction is failure of labour to progress effectively resulting in an unplanned caesarian section. As remaining pregnant until you go naturally is not an option, I'm not sure you have much to lose by choosing induction (with perhaps a low threshold to proceed to CS if you have concerns). I would imagine they will be very attentive to you due to your history of stillbirth. Likewise though, caesarian section is probably also a perfectly good choice and you are likely to have a good experience. I would think of this as a choice between 2 good options. Lots of love to you

Thank you @WeWereInParis that does sound reassuring to me that it worked relatively quickly and your experience with it went smoothly.

@Littlemissfroggy yes we have had lots of appointments since our babies death with midwives and consultants as well as an investigation by HSIB who interviewed all of the emergency services that attended to us that night, we had 4 ambulances turn up and the air ambulance, they even spoke with the call handler that talked us through how to start the CPR etc. We did not opt to have the post mortem done as we were honestly in such a state of shock at the time it was offered we went into denial for a good few weeks and we’re in no fit state to be thinking straight at the time we were asked. So basically judging by the swabs and bloods they took from myself and baby and my placenta that had been taken away for testing all was found to be healthy and no clear reasons for it to have happened, cord wasn’t round babies neck when born etc, there were no signs of life from birth. I do think baby passed in my womb but it must have only been that day because I have text messages to my mum from that afternoon saying that baby was active, plus my baby was absolutely perfect when born, pink in colour and pink pouty lips which is why it was all such a shock.

yes this what I am trying to weigh up, the risks of having a prolonged labour if I go for the induction. I am hopeful that because it will be my third that it will move along quite successfully but that’s probably wishful thinking. I am not against having a c section at all but it really scares me, I feel there are more risks involved and I’m really concerned about the recovery.

Hey, I’m so so sorry for the loss of your baby, for everything you’ve been through and the anxiety you’ll now be feeling as a result.

I was induced at 39 weeks after having fortnightly scans because oxygen flow to my baby was looking sketchy. I was scanned on the Friday night and brought back in on the Saturday morning to start off. When I was checked on the Friday I was 2cm so they gave me a sweep then and there. Had I not been dilated at all they wanted to keep me in and do the balloon which I’ve heard positive stories about.

I went in at 8am and I was 3cm, they broke my waters at 9:30am, started the drip at 12:30pm, contractions came thick and fast and at 2:30pm I asked for an epidural as I was still only 3cm. By the time the anaesthetist came at 3pm my baby’s heart rate was dropping so they were talking me through emergency c-section plans when started to feel as though I was pushing. They decided to quickly examine me and I was 9.5cm! Baby was born at 4:45pm.

I was extremely nervous about being induced having heard lots of horror stories about how it can go on for days but it was a very positive experience for me and I’m really glad everything happened as it did. I was closely monitored from the minute I arrived and they were very quick to respond when baby’s heart rate started dropping. My advice would be to trust your gut though and if you feel more in control with a planned section, do what you think is right and advocate for yourself, regardless of what the medical folk are saying at present! Thinking of you xx