Good bye homebirth, now how can I get this baby out before having to be induced?

[caramelbunny]

Waters ruptured yesterday morning at 6 am when I was 38+4. Was planning a lovely homebirth so phoned midwife and settled down for everything to progress nicely.

Anyway, nothing happened so had to report to hospital this morning, I thought for antibiotics but they wanted to induce me.

After checking that everything was ok, I have been allowed to come home and don't have to go back til tomorrow when they will definitely want to induce me.

Already gutted about no home birth. What can I do now to avoid induction? Or is it not that bad?

I am not an expert but I think that NICE guidelines state that you should be OFFERED an induction but that you can be treated with expectant management for up to 96 hours (4 days).

Some info on it here as well as stats showing how many women go into spontaneous labour in that time.

As I say, I am not an expert so please don't treat this as gospel, but you could always ask your care provider what the current NICE guidelines are for your case, and why they are recommending a more cautious approach.

btw I was induced and it was completely fine. So it doesn't have to be the end of everything

Good luck whatever you decide...

Try acupuncture. It works sometimes...

If it doesn't though, I had an induction for my third and it was really really fine, SO much better than I'd feared

Good luck!

Thank you. Was surprised that they let me come home so quickly today. Maybe after another 24 hours waiting around the idea of induction will be more appealing tomorrow.

Hi caramel - I was in exactly the same boat 7 weeks ago with DS2. Had planned a HB, waters went at 2am on the Friday, and I was really paranoid it would all happen very quickly as DS1 only took 4 hours (HB as well.) Couldn't have been more wrong - nothing happened all day! They were also talking about taking me in and "accelerating" me on the Saturday morning, but I told a midwife I didn't want that and she was supportive. I think up until recently NICE guidelines were that you could have 48 hours after your waters went, but they've recently changed to 24. Anyway, I was preparing for a fight as I really didn't want to go into hospital. I came on here and got some good advice from Lulumama, who said to try nipple stimulation (she said even stick a breast pump on if you have one!) and it worked - contractions started but were a bit irregular, and when things got well underway a midwife gave me a sweep and it all happened rapidly after that. And still ended up having my HB. It's worth a go - you should still be able to have one if things kick off soon, shouldn't you?

Even if not, I've got some friends who have managed to have lovely hospital births so it could still work out well. Either way, you'll have a beautiful baby before you know it! Best of luck, let us know how it goes.

This happened to me also -the induction was fine though, try not to be too disappointed about your HB, the important thing is you will have your LO soon

Similar to me, except I was term+12 when DD finally decided to show up! My waters went on the Thursday morning but contractions didn't start until Friday night and DD was born in the small hours of Saturday morning - thus narrowly avoiding the induction booked for 8.30 am on Saturday.

My trust were happy for me to go 72 hours over before they wanted to induce me, so pretty sure you can refuse it and just keep going in for monitoring.

I think something like 86% of women go into spontaneous labour after waters breaking and 5% on each subsequent day, so your odds are good. Nipple stimulation may have helped me but did cause some very powerful long (like ten minute!) contractions before they settled down - otherwise stressing about it on MN seems to have done the trick

Wishing you lots of luck

I would suggest that if you can walk, then walk, walk, walk but make sure you have someone there with you so you don't fall. Also no pushing until you are fully dilated. I hope you had instruction on breathing so you don't push.
I always knew when it was business time as it felt like I had to do a poo really bad (the baby moving down and pushing on my insides).
Don't stress though, your baby knows when you are stressed . So good luck dear and we will be expecting a baby shortly!

Thank you all for advice and support. Have just come home after walking aimlessly around the park and lake. Have got a breast pump so will stick it on for a while and see what happens.

Home birth definitely out the window as I checked with the hospital this morning. Guess that different areas have different guidelines. They said that I now fell outside normal boundaries so had to come into hospital and have IV antibiotics during labour.

www.aims.org.uk

you do not have to abandon the idea of homebirth, contact AIMS as soon as you can

aim for a compromise, it is what, 24 hours since your waters went, NICE guidelines used to say, until recently, up to 96 hours before iinduction advised. if any fluid you are leaking is clear and you have no temperature and you feel well, and baby is moving well, then see if you can hang fire... has it been confirmed that your waters have gone, taht it was not just a bit of a leak>

why not ask if you can go in for some monitoring, to make sure you and baby are well, but wait for a spontaneous start to labour at home for prefernece, or MLU once you are underway, rather than induction?

Thanks lulumama. Will go in tomorrow morning and see what they say. Just want to avoid induction and possible chain of interventions. Have walked, eaten a pineapple, had really hot chilli for tea, used breast pump and about to go and stick myself back on it.

Thank you to those who are reminding me that I get a baby at the end of this, can't look past birth at moment!

The pump beckons...

Good luck. I really hope you get a lovely birth, however it happens. And no one can make you do anything you don't want.

Thanks bohemianbint, went back and did a search for your question, glad things went well for you. Trying to stay positive and fight the waves of despair. My husband's really excited about an imminent baby but I'm just really scared of how things might turn out. Will go and do some pumping and keep fingers crossed.

OK, nothing's worked so off to hospital to see what they say.

keep us all updated when you can, and happy birthing !! x

any news caramelbunny? Hope all's well. x

hey bint !! did you post a birth story in the end?

I guess babies are like wine. There will be no wine (babies) before they're ready. Any news? Sending lovely birthing thoughts....thoughts of pink, screaming babies!!

Thank you all for support and advice. Ended up with prostin to induce labour on Mon afternoon.

After some monitoring on antenatal ward, baby's heart dipped dangerously low. Was rushed to theatre for section under general anaesthetic.

Baby needed resuscitation (APGAR of 0) and then had to spend 2 days in NICU for monitoring.

All well thank god and got home yesterday afternoon.

Now feel pretty selfish and stupid for fussing about my homebirth when all that matters is safe arrival of baby.

You were neither selfish nor stupid, nor fussing. You wanted the gentlest birth experience possible for you and your baby; your interestes coincide. Just because in the end it wasn't possible doesn't mean you were silly for wanting it and for doing what you could to make it happen.

Really glad all's well.

interests

Jeez. I used to be able to type.

am so sorry your baby had such a traumatic start
any indication of why his heart rate dropped and things were suddenly very serious?

make sure you talk things through with a MW urgently, so you understand exactly what happened

you are not selfish for having wanted a homebirth, you must not beat yourself up for that, you obviously made an informed decision to go for it, it did not work out and you have your baby. nothing at all to feel badly about iMO, be kind to yourself

Similar thing happened to me and I was all for a homebirth.

I did all I can and my lovely little ds is full of life after quite a shocking start, now 2.5

Congratulations!
Hope you can get a chance to talk to MW. I spoke to a consultant. I think they were concerned as had a birth plan that wished for homebirth. I was also offered counselling althouhg I didn't take it. I just wanted to be left alone with my lovely one.