Induction after waters breaking - fed up!

[micegg]

I am 39+6. My waters broke at 2AM this morning and since then there has been nothinbg. I am feeling very . Waters broke at start of labour with DD but I had her within 12 hours. We are waiting for hospital to call back with a date for induction if things don't get going. Have any of you had experience of waters breaking then nothing? how long were you told to wait before being induced and what did the induction consist of?

I am getting so fed up now. Sounds stupid but I assumed baby would be here by now. Most fed up with the world and his wife phoning for updates!

When I was being induced there was a lady in the bed opposite me and she was being induced after her waters had gone and the process was the same as a normal induction (minus the Artificial Rupture of Membranes obviously!!). She went into labout after one lot of prostin and I believe they monitor you more closely for signs of infection.

Good luck!!

you are allowed 96 hours according to NICE guidleines once waters have gone, before you should be induced
if you feel unwell, develop a fever or your fluid loss is green or dark, then you need to go straight to labour ward

try to stay positive, do visualisations, relax and sleep and try to distract yourself from waiting.

baby will be here soon enough

It depends on your hospital. NICE allow 96hours. What you need to keep an eye out for is rising temperature.

You may well find that you go into spontaneous labour. You still have the choice as to whether or not you allow induction. What they worry about is infection. You certainly don't want to have any vaginal exams now.

I have been told to phone tomorrow at 7.30 in the morning to disucss a time to go in. The m/w said I will be given the option to be induced or can be monitored and leave it a bit longer. I hadnt really considered an induction so don't know an awful lot but am so fed up with the anticipation it sounds appealing to think there may be an end to all this by tomorrow if I opt for the induction.

The m/w said they will probably use oxytocin. Is it advisable to request an epidural before they start this as I have heard this can be very painful?

Your hospital may start putting the pressure on to induce after about 48 hours or so-- mine did. However (thanks to advice on here) I knew about the NICE guidelines, so actually waited about 5 days. I monitored my temperature regularly and went in every day for a fetal heart monitoring. No internal exams, baths (showers ok) or, erm, anything else up there. Once I decided to have the induction they did an exam and discovered I was quite dilated. If I hadn't been I think they would have started with a pessary, but as it was I went straight onto the drip. Dd arrived (with a little help from the plunger) about 8 hours later.

My advice would be to take it really, really easy. I made the mistake of hiking about the place every day once my waters broke in an attempt to get things going and as a result was knackered by the time I went into hospital! Best of luck, and rememember, however you decide to proceed, you will have a dc very shortly!

thanks so much everyone. I have been charging about the place so will definately take it easy. Just wish the waiting was over!

x-posted with you there. I've only had the one so don't have any comparison for how painful it is. If you think you want an epidural definitely ask for it straight away though-- I made the mistake of thinking I could have one halfway through and when I asked for one was dismayed to be told 'too late!'

Good luck!

This happened to me micegg, with DD, last July. She was my first. My waters broke at 6pm on the Sat night. Advised to go to hospital to get checked. My temp was a bit raised, so they wanted me to stay in and induce the sunday morning. I said I wanted to go home, but would come back sunday morn to check my temp. Did that, temp back to normal so was 'allowed' to go another 24 hours. Was convinced it would get going before then but no, so back in on monday morning for induction. 3 lots of gel, 12 hours on the drip and reached the dizzy heights of 1cm dilation, so at 5pm on the Tuesday, had an emergency CS. Was advised this because of the risk of infection, but if I am honest, I was was so desperate for it all to be over, felt like it had gone on and on for days. I did have an epidural almost as soon as I went on to the drip. I knew they allowed this because with induction they KNOW the baby will be delivered one way or another, and I felt so distressed at that time that it had gone that way (ie birthing pool plans out the window!) that I pretty much freaked out about it all.

I'm not sure thats very helpful - other than to say I've been there, and if you have any other questions please ask. From my point of view, I would and did ask for an epidural straight away. I had thought I would probably end up with one and thought there was no point adding to the stress of it all if I didnt have to.

Good luck and I hope your DC arrives SOON!

Hi micegg. I went 46 hours between waters breaking and birth.

Labour kicked in after about 40 hours. My hosp gave me 48 hours and I measured temp regularly. I just went for walks- although had to rush home a couple of times due to waters leaking- and had last good night's sleep (relatively speaking!).

Birth was natural with no intervention or pain relief apart from G&A and TENS. Don't be afraid to keep moving about to try to get things going, and don't give up hope.

Good luck!

My hospital wanted me in 18 hours after waters broke for IV antibiotics. In the end, I went into labour 15 hours after waters broke and ds was born 8 hours after that. natural home birth. I did lots of walking to try and get things going - nothing happened. In the end what kicked things off (I think) was a lovely massage from dp and nipple stimulation to get the oxytocin flowing. good luck!

Hi Micegg. My waters broke then nothing with both my dcs. My hospital indcues after 36 hours, so that is what happened. First time round, one lot of prostin gel got things going, and I think I had a pretty "normal" labour, with just gas and air. DD born after about 8 hours after prostin.

Second time the prostin didn't work, so after about 12 hours they put me on the oxytocin drip, and offered me an epidural at the same time. That was fab, I slept as I dilated, then they let the epi wear off a bit so I could feel to push. It was a lovely birth in the end.

But, you've still got loads of time for things to happen spontaneously. And as others have said, different hospitals have different procedures. But I'd say don't be scared of being induced - it might just mean getting things going a bit sooner.

I think induction was suggested after 36 hours at our local hospital. My waters broke at around 1.45 am on the Wednesday then nothing. I went in to be monitored at lunchtime then sent home. I'd been due to phone at around 3pm on the Thursday to get a time to come in to start the process, but luckily my contractions had started coming very strongly and very regularly from mid-morning so I'd actually already arrived at the hospital by that time. DD was born just after 7pm. We ended up staying in hospital for an extra night (so 2 in all) just to ensure that neither of us had an infection.

This happened with my last baby who is now 6 weeks. I was booked to have a home birth but my waters started leaking on th due date and then nothing happened. After discussion with a consultant at the hospital I waited a week before induction to try and achive a home birth. Had to go into be monitored a couple of times and also had to take my temp regularly at home.

In the end I went in to be induced. Had onee dose of prostin but nothing happened and they said I would need syntocinon drip but they were very busy. About 7 hours after the pessary I went into labour and 1.5 hours later DS2 was born.

it was a limit of 72 hours for me. had a few contractions but they didn't progress and eventually disappeared. was induced with a syntocinon (?) drip.

won't be long now