Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Original poster

How long was your induction?

77 replies

BiscuitLover3678 · 05/12/2023 20:27

Once you arrived at hospital how long were you there for and I guess what was each stage, then how long were you in recovery afterwards?
bonus points if it was a vbac!

trying to work out how long it might all take and if a C-section would actually be quicker if overdue. Don’t want to leave my firstborn for days.

OP posts:
Mystro202 · 05/12/2023 21:56

What a lot of people don't understand is that the pessary or balloon are needed to get you to at least 1cm. So although it seems pointless getting these first they are needed to open your cervix at least a tad so that waters can be broken. You can't go on the drip until this has been done. Some people are lucky in that the balloon or pessary start regular contractions (not me lol)

Original poster
BiscuitLover3678 · 05/12/2023 21:58

elm26 · 05/12/2023 21:52

I was there for almost a week.

Dilation rods, various pessaries and gels and sweeps did nothing but give me false contractions and made me really sore. I finally made it to 2cm and then had to wait 24 hours for a delivery room.

Started the drip and DD was born 16 hours later on gas and air as 2 epidurals failed.

Never again.

Oh my 😰

OP posts:
TheBestSpoon · 05/12/2023 21:58

BiscuitLover3678 · 05/12/2023 21:47

Why couldn’t you go home? That sucks!

Show quote history

Because they'd technically started the induction process and wanted to monitor me every few hours, plus a bed could have come up at any moment. It's not a prison and I was encouraged to go for walks so I could just have gone home for a bit (I live less than a mile from the hospital), but sods law if I'd done that I'd have missed a slot!

Original poster
BiscuitLover3678 · 05/12/2023 21:59

Mystro202 · 05/12/2023 21:56

What a lot of people don't understand is that the pessary or balloon are needed to get you to at least 1cm. So although it seems pointless getting these first they are needed to open your cervix at least a tad so that waters can be broken. You can't go on the drip until this has been done. Some people are lucky in that the balloon or pessary start regular contractions (not me lol)

Do you remember how long they take to see if this will work?

OP posts:
TheBestSpoon · 05/12/2023 22:01

Saying that, although the waiting was tedious, I much preferred this birth (which on paper was very medicalised and not at all the NCT dream) to my first midwife-led painkiller-free one. Epidurals are awesome, I was much less tired afterwards than after nearly 24 hours of labour first time round and I felt we got a lot more attention on the labour ward than in the MLU which helped avoid some of the complications I had after the first birth. So don't be too put off by my story!

StopLickingTheDog · 05/12/2023 22:03

I went in weds morning, he was born Friday night. Nothing was happening and they weren't in a rush. It was incredibly busy and they only got me a delivery room when they did and ramped things up because my waters had broken 24hrs before (on the Thursday morning) otherwise id have been waiting longer. It was in no way awful, just boring and I was unable to sleep so exhausted. I didn't make it home until the Tuesday night so it was a long slog

elm26 · 05/12/2023 22:05

@BiscuitLover3678 one of my pessaries was a 48 hour one, or it was gel can't remember then I had 2 x 24 hour pessaries, plus 12 hours with the rods in.

MrsT84 · 05/12/2023 22:06

I had a VBAC with my second. Called in Thursday, 6pm ish. Balloon inserted 11pm ish. Told I would be checked 24 hours later to remove balloon and break waters...Balloon fell out after 23 hours so they said it had worked as I had dilated enough for it to fall out.... Irregular pains but didn't progress to much. Kept being out back for breaking waters as no rooms available. Eventually called me up from ward on the Sunday morning! Broke waters (they went everywhere!) and encouraged me to walk... well, traipse around the hospital corridors. A few hours later decided to put me on a drip, which they kept cranking up to no effect. Pain got unbearable so inserted epidural. Within 20 minutes I was fully dilated and encouraged to push, however baby became distressed every time so decided to take me to theatre for force delivery. Luckily the epidural was already in so just needed to increase that. Turns out the cord was wrapped round baby's neck twice, stopping her from coming out without help. She needed a little help but was screaming within about a minute. Recovery was so much more bearable than from the c-section with my first. I had second at 2.55am on the Monday morning and we came home on the Tuesday afternoon. So I was in hospital for 5 nights.

Ladyj84 · 05/12/2023 22:07

Went in on a Tuesday for 5pm they said they would start induction around 7pm but unfortunately an emergency came in so I didn't get it till midnight and at 2.24 and 2.26am wednesday morning I had our twin girls so not long for me at all

Glitterbug86 · 05/12/2023 22:14

Arrived at hospital at 8am. Brought to a room at 10am. Had waters broken shortly after (didn't need pessary as cervix was already thinned and was 2cm dilated though not in labour yet). About 2 hrs later they were talking about starting drip but agreed to give me more time. Contractions started at 1pm. Epidural inserted shortly after 2pm but was already fully dilated. And it didn't seem to do anything. Top up about 30 mins later which only took the edge off. Delivery around 3:45pm.

To add, I had twins and the epidural was planned and generally recommended for twins which might be why it was still given when I was already 10cm. And I had a previous singleton with spontaneous, relatively fast labour at 38 weeks.

BurbageBrook · 05/12/2023 22:15

Planned C section would likely be quicker than most inductions, many of which turn into C sections anyway.

BurbageBrook · 05/12/2023 22:16

And yeah OP they make you wait around for days. I did, and then ended up having C section anyway.

BurbageBrook · 05/12/2023 22:18

PPs who got to go home with pessary inserted are really lucky. I was told to stay and while obviously I could have self discharged, they made me feel I'd be putting my baby's life at risk if I wasn't continually monitored. (Despite no risk factors except being overdue.)

Original poster
BiscuitLover3678 · 05/12/2023 22:19

BurbageBrook · 05/12/2023 22:16

And yeah OP they make you wait around for days. I did, and then ended up having C section anyway.

I’m sorry to hear that. Are you glad you still tried? Or would you have not bothered if known? What made yours a C-section?

OP posts:
Mumaway · 05/12/2023 22:20

DD1 Contractions started Tuesday night, waters went Thursday morning, then contractions stopped. Went in Friday evening, induction gel 9am Sat, nothing, medication, very little something, waters broken again(as hind waters initially), baby came 11am Sunday, then had to stay in 48hrs due to prolonged rupture of membranes.
DD2 elective CS, went in 745, baby our by 9am, home the following morning, up and about and back in the car the day after. Never needed a painkiller (unlike after DD1 when I had a million stitches)
Would recommend elective CS to everyone.

SnowSnow · 05/12/2023 22:22

I had a planned induction at term for medical reasons. Had 3 gels. The first caused me to have 4 contractions every 10 mins but cervix not open enough. A 2nd gel would normally be put in after 6 hours but due to risk of hyper stimulation they waited for the contractions to calm. 2nd gel didn’t do a lot so we were offered c section or try 1 more gel. This was 48 hours after the first gel. We tried 1 more gel which didn’t get my cervix low enough so had a c section. Process started on the Thursday and c section Monday evening as they couldn’t fit me in until then!

PointeShoesandTutus · 05/12/2023 22:25

Booked in for induction on the Thursday. Canceled until Saturday but brought in every 24 hours for movement monitoring. Waters went Friday night which I think pushed me up the queue. At 8pm Sunday called in. Pessary put in at midnight. Contractions started at 3am Monday morning. I opted for an epidural at around 4pm as baby was back to back and it was very painful. Baby was born at 11.05pm on Monday, and I was discharged on Tuesday afternoon. So away for 2 nights. Recovery was pretty straight forward and I was back on the school run for eldest by Wednesday morning.

blushroses6 · 05/12/2023 22:27

I think it really depends if baby is ready, mine was evicted for reduced movements and just wasn’t ready to come. Lots of people have quick, successful inductions. I had the pessary inserted Sunday night, think that had to stay in for 24 hours, then two separate lots of the gel. Finally my waters broke by themselves late Tuesday night, got taken to delivery 6am Wednesday. Then things slowed down, got put on the hormone drip and baby finally arrived 10pm Wednesday night with forceps. Having elective section with the next one!

MummyJ12 · 05/12/2023 22:31

I had 2 pessaries and 2 drips. It took two days in total and they should’ve called it. I should have had a C-section. Please let someone advocate for you because in the middle of it, you can’t. If it feels too hard or too long, then ask for a consultant and demand a C-section.
Good luck!

BurbageBrook · 05/12/2023 22:32

@BiscuitLover3678 kind of wish I hadn't bothered and went straight to C section. I went to C section because after pessaries there was precisely zero movement of my cervix despite being two weeks overdue when the induction started. Inductions on the drip are notoriously unsuccessful if you have a poor Bishops score apparently so I just decided to have a calm planned C section the next day rather than try the drip/having waters broken and then end up with EMCS anyway. Baby was very large too. Have replied on your C section thread too!

BurbageBrook · 05/12/2023 22:33

I didn't have another child at home but personally found being stuck in hospital with little sleep for days before the birth quite tough. Induction wards are noisy places!

BurbageBrook · 05/12/2023 22:34

Great advice from @MummyJ12

Barleysugar86 · 05/12/2023 22:34

1st induction - pessaries- about 72 hours from the first one going in to the birth.

2nd induction- drip- about 24 hours from start to birth.

Glitterbug86 · 05/12/2023 22:35

Glitterbug86 · 05/12/2023 22:14

Arrived at hospital at 8am. Brought to a room at 10am. Had waters broken shortly after (didn't need pessary as cervix was already thinned and was 2cm dilated though not in labour yet). About 2 hrs later they were talking about starting drip but agreed to give me more time. Contractions started at 1pm. Epidural inserted shortly after 2pm but was already fully dilated. And it didn't seem to do anything. Top up about 30 mins later which only took the edge off. Delivery around 3:45pm.

To add, I had twins and the epidural was planned and generally recommended for twins which might be why it was still given when I was already 10cm. And I had a previous singleton with spontaneous, relatively fast labour at 38 weeks.

Meant to say we went home the next day

MooseBeTimeForSnow · 05/12/2023 22:37

First gel at 8am Boxing Day, second at 8pm, third at 8am on the 27th. Absolutely no progress. Refused PROM and elected for a c-section. Papers signed 8pm, DS delivered 9:22pm.