Hospital doesn’t have capacity for inductions

[RPH92]

Hi mums,

I’m 42 weeks tomorrow and have been waiting since Wednesday for a slot to become available for my induction at the hospital near me. Unfortunately they are very busy at the moment with women in natural labour and have said there are women labouring in maternity triage due to a lack of delivery rooms, and all inductions are prioritised with those which are medical emergencies placed at the top of the list.

I’m obviously anxious about going over 42 weeks because risks increase, but also just desperate to get this baby out.

The ward manager said that other hospitals in the area are not in a position to help either so not an option.

Does anyone have any advice? I never thought I would not be able to have this by 42 weeks

Can they arrange a scan to check all is okay while you're waiting? That can pick up early signs of problems with the placenta.

I think you need to show them the Guidelines ..if they aren't able to induce you they must offer increased monitoring

NICE guidelines that should say

i would try other hospitals personally, she may be wrong

Agree with PP.

Ask to speak to the consultant, ask for extra monitoring if they can’t induce you and make sure the conversation is documented in your notes.

We are staying in the hospital now, on the induction ward and have been given additional monitoring but I’m just not seeing any solution which gets this baby out…

September babies and staff shortages apparently!

I was induced on Friday and had to labour on the induction ward with 3 other ladies and their birthing partners present who had not yet been started just being monitored like yourself. It was honestly awful, there was no room on the labour ward for me so through the night I was progressing in a room where you could hear a pin drop, I insisted to be moved when my waters broke as it's my second delivery I knew it wouldn't be long and did not want to birth him in the room with others, they got me out the room with about ten mins to spare.

As it was the ward and not labour. I couldn't have gas and air, was offered the pain relief that makes you out of it but did not want to feel out of control, especially when there were 6 people listening in!

I would take the reassurance you are being monitored and try go with the flow, the labour will be safer and more comfortable when they have the right level of staff to patients and they'll just stop all none emergency until back in that position. My hospital was quietening off again as I was discharged and admissions back open again.

Good luck xx

Definitely ring round other hospitals yourself. There is a reason why NICE say to induce at 42 weeks. I get if they have no space then they have no space. But if they are “closed” to new admissions then they actually have a responsibility to find you another hospital so they’re failing in their duty there.

Sorry, seen you’re actually in the hospital and being monitored. Which is good, but not as good as an induction. I would still ring round other places myself.

hopefully they can get on asap. I’m a midwife in a busy unit, it’s really shit. They are holding off your IOL due to safety for you and other women, if they start your IOL and you labour with no 1:1 care in a 4 bedded bay it is more unsafe than being monitored whilst baby is still inside. They will be in communications with other hospitals and they have their own IOL/workload. We don’t accept other patients from elsewhere for IOL.

hopefully they can get on with it soon

You could let them know a distance you are prepared to travel, so maybe they can ring hospitals further afield than those they've tried to see if they will accept? I appreciate people are suggesting you call yourself, however it's likely that either the triage midwife/midwife in charge is both ringing out to other hospitals at least twice a day, and will also be requesting they call with any updates so you're likely to get exactly the same answer 🤷🏻‍♀️ it's shit though.

It’s rubbish. They tell you that for safety you need an induction but then don’t do it. I had a horrible induction experience in one hospital in a 6 bedded bay, waters broke, proceedures where everyone could hear, labouring. Eugh. It is awful but there’s not a lot you can do except sir tight, try to stay positive, keep asking the difficult questions and wait.

Sorry to hear this, maternity services really are in the gutter in this country. Hope you manage to get an induction soon.

@primhutch something quite similar happened to me, I was booked to have an induction because my waters had broken before any contractions started.
When I went in the next day I was in labour, 4 dilated and progressing.
They didn't have enough staff in the delivery suite, so was left on a ward of 5 other women (waiting to be induced or in for monitoring) for 11 hours, wasn't allowed my curtain drawn and the only pain relief I was given was paracetamol and one other l, which made no difference.
By the time we got to the 11th hour, my waters had gone brown because baby had passed meconium, magically a room and midwife became instantly available.

That's good advice. Make a fuss; being compliant means you just get pushed to the back of the queue.

I wasn't overdue but I was due for inductions with both my girls due to intrauterine growth restriction at 37 weeks as their growth stopped and both times we were delayed by 2 days due to capacity and staff shortages so I feel your pain. They did mention other hospitals but nothing ever came of it. I really hope you get induced soon. If it helps I had a 2 hour active labour and 1 hour active labour with my inductions so there's hope when you get started that it won't take too long. :) good luck

How did / are you getting on @RPH92?

I'm close to 41wks and was a little anxious at the start of the pregnancy when I realised I was due in September!