How long did you wait to have your waters broken?

[scat123]

Currently been on the induction suite for 24 hours being told I'm able to have my waters broken. I didn't need a pessary or gel as I was 1.5cm when I arrived yesterday morning. Since being here, the labour ward has been packed and we've been pushed back and back on the list. I'm really starting to get upset as we have a little one at home and we're just stuck in a ward bay being told absolutely nothing. Has anyone else experienced this? And how long did you end up waiting?

All times it's been as soon as I got in there. I didn't know they could delay it. I'm in London if that helps. Hope it's not to much longer.

Currently 31 hours waiting and still nothing :(

Can you ask to wait at home and they phone you when it’s your turn?

My SIL went back and forth a bit but it was about 48 hours in the end I think; most of that was at the hospital but she did get sent home for a bit at the start

DD2 was born on Thursday 🥳 and DW had her waters broken around 31/32 hours in. I hope you don't need to wait much longer. It'll all be worth it

@IDontDrinkTea my husband asked this morning and they said I'd lose my place on the list :( even more frustrating when I keep getting pushed back and back due to more inductions with pessaries being bought onto the ward too

@BookwormDadUK congratulations! 🫶🏻 currently 31 hours in so just a waiting game. Spoken to the midwife and she said I'm high on everyone's radars because they hate to keep people waiting over 24 hours

Wow I went in on Monday and was induced, was 2cm waiting to have waters broken... they didn't come for me until Friday! Hopefully your not waiting too long x

@Needahandholdplease2023 oh my goodness! I'm so sorry it took so long. I'm petrified the same will happen here. It's so disheartening. I'm so tempted to self discharge. Little girl is absolutely fine in there, just on the smaller side. I have other little people at home who need me too 😭

I went in 11am on a Wednesday and finally got onto labour suite and my waters broken ar at 1am Friday, so a while!

Fingers crossed for you

@UpUpUpU ah no! It seems to be a common theme for it to take ages and ages. I might've taken my sisters words to heart a little when she told me it only took them two hours to stick her on delivery! Thank you x

Surely it depends on the reason for your induction.

Having been induced a few times. When the clinic need was because baby wasn’t doing well it was fast when the need was just post dates it took a while.

My suggestion is to get up and keep walking around (or grab a birth ball and rock on it) listening to music you enjoy. Its not going to start labour but it will help you feel active. Good luck.

Hi OP, sorry you are going through this, I know exactly how you feel because this is what happened to me. The longer I was waiting the more anxious and pissed off I was getting!!
Went in on the Tuesday for a balloon induction which worked and got me to 3cm so they could break my waters as no contractions were starting but frustratingly i had to wait all day Tuesday, all day Wednesday and then was finally taken up to labour ward at 12am on the Thursday morning. It was super busy and they just couldn't fit me in. Luckily from there it went quickly though, they broke my waters (nothing happened) so they put me on the drip around 3am and by 7am she was born!!!
Good luck, hopefully as I type this you are in labour 😘

@DrJump only being induced because she's little! She's been doing fantastically on the ctgs so there's really no cause for concern other than her being small. I'll keep bouncing and listening to music to keep positive. Thank you 🤞🏼

@nameshame24 thank you! Yeah it's definitely such an anxious feeling and the more people I see going down before me the more annoyed I'm getting!! I'm really really hoping as we're the last ones on the ward tonight, that they'll call me during the night. My poor husband is dying for a shower but he's too scared to leave incase he misses anything 😂

I've just read your updates, sorry should have done that before my message and sorry you are still waiting :(
I also wanted to discharge myself and cried to one of the midwives as I was ignored the whole day on the Wednesday after being told in the morning I would be taken to labour ward at 12pm and then after that they just seemed to avoid me, I wasn't even getting put on the machine where the monitor movement anymore or anything. I said I was going home and she pleaded with me not to but I said it was my choice and my MH was struggling being in a hospital for no reason and then she got me a side room and asked me to just stay for one more night so I agreed and then they took me up about 4 hours after that chat. Just keep telling them how unhappy you are and how your MH is struggling and you think it's best you go home and hopefully it will help them make room for you.

I know you are not in labour yet.. but it might be worth looking at some of these techniques from Spinning Babies:
In labor, there is a series of four techniques that solve most stalls, especially in the presence of contractions:

• Rebozo sifting, to encourage deep relaxation of the smooth muscles and mind
• Forward-leaning Inversion, to give room in the lower uterine segment
• Side-lying Release, to give room in the pelvis and soften or balance the pelvic floor
• Standing sacral release, to allow sacrum and sacral ligaments room for mobility and expansion

or https://www.milescircuit.com. They might get things moving along ...

Think it depends on reason for induction.

I was given pessary around 10am and waters were broken around midday.

They were in a hurry to get him out though. He wasn’t doing well at all.

@scat123 DD was induced in part for being small she is now at 5 able to take up most of a king sized bed!
The wait is blood hard work. Hope you get to meet you baby soon.

Should add.. I was induced for reduced movements and still made to wait 5 days.. she was born with sepsis!

Now being told tomorrow daytime :(

Sorry OP labour and postnatal wards are hellish places when they just leave you. What did they say induction would achieve if baby is small? Especially if she is otherwise healthy, It won't make them bigger so why do they want to induce?

I'm sorry. It really does suck.

With my first they practically dragged me downstairs as fast as they could. Gels over the course of Wednesday, taken downstairs very early Thursday morning, baby born Thursday afternoon.

Second baby took 4 days. I had the gel on the Monday morning, taken downstairs Friday morning, baby born very early Saturday morning. I'm staff, so at least people were more willing to talk to me about where I was in the list/I knew people who could find out for me. At one point I was 8th it was that busy. Even though I had pre-eclampsia, as baby and I were fine and waters were unbroken, we still had to wait. Thankfully hospital stays don't phase me, as I'd already been in for a week prior to the induction even starting.

Hopefully it'll be first thing in the morning for you. Get as much rest as you can for now

If it won't be til tomorrow can you ask if you can go off and have dinner or breakfast somewhere.

Just to give you a break from the ward? Or can someone bring a nice meal and find somewhere ok on the grounds to sit.

An induction isn’t compulsory. If they thought there were serious risks to your baby they’d be sending you down for an emergency C-section.

When I went for my scan at 40weeks I asked out of curiosity what size my baby was. I was told at that point the estimations could be 40% either way.

if you want to go home, go home. If they genuinely think you need an intervention they’ll find space for you. Good luck OP