Page 3 | If you had an induction at 38weeks..

Eenameenadeeka · 13/01/2025 06:51

First baby induced at 38 weeks ( because of large size)
Took about 2.5 days, 17 hours in labor. Ended with ventouse delivery and PPH.

Original poster

anonny55 · 13/01/2025 07:35

@AllThePotatoesAreSingingJingleBells perfect thank you! I actually have a letter with the lead consultants name on somewhere so will give a call and ask for his contact details and hopefully it'll get me somewhere☺️

OP posts:

Spaghettisour · 13/01/2025 07:47

@anonny55 my section recovery was fine, he was born on Sunday night and I was walking round Sainsburys on Wednesday (although slowly). I kept up with the paracetamol and ibuprofen and it was only really painful sitting up and going over bumps in the car! I didn’t get constipated I actually went the other way for a while.

My only concern is that it does potentially have implications on subsequent pregnancies, there’s a limit to how many sections you could have so if you wanted 7 babies it could be problematic and I believe risks do increase with each pregnancy.

Maybepossibly22 · 13/01/2025 07:48

Second baby induced at 37 weeks due to GD - pessary at 11am ish, went for a walk around the hospital grounds and contractions started by 4pm. Taken to delivery suite as high risk, epidural (my request), then the drip as no progression, ramped up contractions a bit then baby born just before 1pm so just over 24 hours in total - baby was 7lb 11
my first was also induced at 39 weeks and that took 48 hours, 2 pessarys and 2 gels and she was only 5lb 12!

Pamelaaaaarrr · 13/01/2025 08:07

@AllThePotatoesAreSingingJingleBells With hindsight I wish I'd opted for an elective. I was induced for previous shoulder dystocia and now a large baby, and he was well over a 1lb heavier than they predicted - so at 38 weeks he was almost 10lb I was knackered, emotional and on the verge of having a breakdown by the time they broke my waters. There's no sleep on the induction ward!

SlipperyLizard · 13/01/2025 08:12

First baby induced at 38 weeks due to high blood pressure. Pessary at 3pm, they broke my waters at 9pm, powerful contractions started immediately, had remifentanil drip, DD1 was born c 3am.

MrsElijahMikaelson1 · 13/01/2025 08:26

Mine’s not a great story but PROM at 35 weeks. Drip up as baby in distress. Too much drip led to placental abruption so raced to theatre for EMS; baby out within 20mins-apparently was the fastest they’d done it! Baby fine though and that’s the important bit.

i would say don’t worry about the scan sizing though; the scan I had when baby was in distress estimated at a good 6lbs 4 they said.Weight at birth literally within hours was 4lbs on the dot. Ultrasounds are easily a good +/- 25%

My second I had an elective section-was a lovely experience and so calm. Was really glad I opted for it. They got that baby out a little early as well as they weren’t convinced I could give birth vaginally or that they would stay in any longer!

Itsnotyouitsmeiswear · 13/01/2025 08:34

38wks with twins - first babies
pessary at around 10am - within 2 hours i got severe back pain and cramps - taken back to ward
babies born naturally in theatre at 354am and 401am
had gas and air and had to have epidural because of risk of having to have cesarean but luckily didn’t have to !

feelingrobbed · 13/01/2025 09:24

I was induced at exactly 38 weeks by pessary.

Everything went fine, baby was jaundiced a few days later.

First baby, no further assistance. Took less than 24 hours. You really have to stay as calm as you can as the pain can be a little more intense than with a natural labour. When it gets to the point you feel as though you can't go on, that's when the baby is about to come. You've got this!!!

feelingrobbed · 13/01/2025 09:25

I didn't have an epidural just a pain relieving injection.

Pamelaaaaarrr · 13/01/2025 09:36

i would say don’t worry about the scan sizing though; the scan I had when baby was in distress estimated at a good 6lbs 4 they said.Weight at birth literally within hours was 4lbs on the dot. Ultrasounds are easily a good +/- 25%

@MrsElijahMikaelson1 I was being induced for a large baby. He was estimated to be 8lb at 38 weeks (not huge but I am petite), he was actually 9lb 11 😅

louisl8 · 13/01/2025 09:43

Induced with a pessary at 9am Thursday morning.

Nothing happened, waters broken by consultant after third attempt.

Nothing happened, had epidural and hormone drip.

Saturday morning pushed for around an hour, turned out she was back to back, finally rushed to have assisted birth, forceps then suction, failed, ended in emcs and she was born Saturday lunch time!

louisl8 · 13/01/2025 09:45

Forgot to mention I was 37+3 due to cord being wrapped around her shoulder & leg and not being fed, she was estimated to be 5lbs but was 6lbs.

Mrs86 · 13/01/2025 09:51

anonny55 · 12/01/2025 23:54

@Mrs86 how comes you were induced?

Hi, I had gestational diabetes, they kept scaring me saying that the baby was going to be too big! I don't know if they had their measurements wrong, he was just super tall I just remember his long legs unraveling as he was passed to me 😂.

He was born 7lb 10, so not big compared to other people's babies. I wanted to opt for a water birth but I wasn't allowed one because they considered it 'high risk' or whatever.

It's been lovely thinking about it all now, he's going to be 8 this year. Time flies.

Wishing you the best of luck with yours and I hope everything goes well for you x

AGirlsNameIsAryaStark · 13/01/2025 09:54

Induced at 37+2 due to preeclampsia (first baby).

I had the dilapan rods at about 2pm on Saturday, had them removed the Sunday at about midday. Was ready to have my waters broken but there was a strike and no doctors available in delivery.

I waited until 11pm the Monday night and my waters broke on their own. Was given the drip, started pushing at 4.55am Tuesday morning and baby boy was born at 5.05am. No forceps, no emergency section etc :) he was perfectly healthy and weighed 6lb 1.

I did have some other issues but they were due to the preeclampsia and not the induction. My actual induction experience was really positive apart from the wait for a doctor!

Nerdlings · 13/01/2025 10:03

First baby.. she was almost 10lbs.

First lot of gel at about 6am, waters broke at 5pm. Started with strong contractions after that but they were bearable with gas and air. Dd was born at 7am. Not assistance needed. It was actually the easiest delivery of all of my pregnancies.

elliejjtiny · 13/01/2025 10:16

I was induced at 36+5. Drip went in at 9pm, baby went into distress at about 1am, born at 1:53am by emergency c-section. 5th baby. To be honest I should have asked for a c-section at that point because I already had an infection and baby needed to be out soonish by that point. Induction at that stage most likely takes days. But I was desperate to avoid a c-section so I went along with what the Dr recommended.

LBOCS2 · 13/01/2025 10:19

Induced due to preeclampsia at 37+5.

Had the gel at 10am. At 10pm I rolled over on the bed while I was being monitored and my waters broke, which started my labour.

Had an epidural at about 3.30am. Delivered DD1 at 10.29am. No interventions or hormonal drip. It took 12hrs from waters breaking but probably 8hrs from the start of established labour. It was all absolutely fine.

It does seem that I labour pretty quickly though, as DD2 was born at 41wks after 2.5hrs of established labour!

Bells3032 · 13/01/2025 10:26

Second baby (first born at 34 weeks).

Pessary inserted midday. I was 2cm dilated but waters couldn't be broken as baby wasn't engaged.
Contractions started at 730pm
Hyper contracting by 830pm and reversing agent given at 9pm
Waters broke by themselves at 930 and was 4cm so decided to take me down to the delivery unit.

Baby born as I got through the door of my room with my trousers still on at 10:06pm. Ooops

Blixem · 13/01/2025 12:04

My first baby, pessary inserted at 7am, my waters went at 2pm while I was bouncing on a birthing ball and baby was born at 7.30pm.
No intervention needed.
I was induced due to gestational diabetes.

WickWood · 13/01/2025 13:54

I went in on the Monday at 40 weeks for an induction, had 3 gels over 2 days nothing, had the balloon induction on the Wednesday, nothing. They said there was nothing more they could do (I wasn't dilated at all, couldn't break waters and was unable to be started on drip) While waiting for a section I went into labour on day 5/6 (early hours Saturday morning), ended up in theatre with an episiotomy and ventouse delivery. While being rushed to theatre the plan was a section under general anaesthetic but thankfully babies heart rate increased enough for the above. I wish someone had told me the induction could take so long, I was on the prenatal ward 6 days, I honestly expected 2 days tops. My experience wasn't normal and everyone else there had their babies much faster, but just letting you know that it can take an age. I could have had the baby a lot sooner but there was no space for me to have a section and I am now glad it happened this way, though wasn't at the time!

Ineedanewsofa · 13/01/2025 14:02

Induced at 38 weeks due to GD and baby being ‘big’ (she was 7lb 4 in the end) not offered alternatives or told I could refuse (the advice has now changed so it’s not automatically induce at 38 weeks with GD)
Pessary inserted, 4 hours of my becoming more delirious and baby going into distress - turns out I am allergic to something in the pessary and was going into shock. Nurses though I just had a low pain threshold.
Eventually my consultant came on shift, took one look at me and whipped us in for an emc. Baby spent two weeks in neonatal, I got PTSD. Surgery recovery was fine though

PostpartumMama · 13/01/2025 14:11

Was it your first baby? Number 2
How many days did it take? Balloon inserted at 8.30am, fell out at 10am as was 2cm, waters burst 1pm, contractions started right away, 10 cm at 5.30pm, baby out at 6.35pm
assisted delivery? Had suction cup

This was at 36 weeks rather than 38 though.
Very positive experience - after a very very traumatic first time birth that was also at 36 weeks.

Don't always listen to the negative stories. I would do the induction all over again. It was much more relaxed than first time spontaneous labour

All the very best🌸

Lunde · 13/01/2025 14:12

Was it your first baby? 2nd baby

How many days did it take? pessaries Wednesday, Thursday (removed at night). No pain, no action either. Friday taken to delivery suite for drip - labour lasted 5 hours from 1st pain to baby out.

assisted delivery? No. I was asking for epidural after 5 hours and midwife decided to take a little look and baby fell out into her hands. Don't think I actually pushed at all.

Did it end in emergency caesarean? No.

Baby 7 lbs 10oz. We went home after 12 hours.

zebranotzeebra · 13/01/2025 17:10

@anonny55 a lot of the time I've heard that babies measuring big don't end up being that big! My bump measured normal and baby was only 5 pounds so it's very inaccurate in my experience. Though if you've had a growth scan, might be more accurate. I'm now thinking about baby 2 and I definitely do not want to be induced on the drip again. Forceps recovery was hard. I was very lucky to heal neatly and with no issues. I wouldn't want to risk another assisted delivery incase the outcome wasn't as good. I also have a real fear of a c section but most planned section stories seem to be positive so if I don't manage to labour naturally then I think I'd pick a section over the drip.

One thing I have learned since delivering is that you can refuse anything. I believed I had to be induced but that's not the case. So ask all the questions and don't be railroaded into anything!