Ok what would you do if you were me?

[Funbags]

Do bear with me....DD1 9lb 9 oz, 18 days overdue, rushed (IMO) induction on delivery suite, whole chain of intervention, prostin, ARM, Epidural, Drip, 3 hours pushing, (not fully dilated, OP and chin not down), spinal block, ventouse and severe shoulder dystocia (3 mins + and about to call on 'desperate measures' when posterior arm pulled out to release shoulder). 900ml loss, Big epi scar, post partum haemorrage and 5 days IV antibiotoics for hideous infection.

39 weeks today (by their dates 38+2 by mine) and a bit nervey after that lot. Thought of another induction makes me shudder. I feel like had I been able to stay mobile i would have done better last time but who knows? Sweep planned for tomorrow. At 37 weeks scan said belly measurement was "term plus" and head 39+1, though fundal height spot on. Scared the baby will get stuck again and this time be injured. I crave a natural birth experience, but worried if I insist on this and it all goes wrong I'll only have myself to blame for hurting baby.

Choices seem to be:

Do nothing and wait on premis second labour likley to be better than first.

Have regular sweeps to try and bring it on and get out of induction (have some reflexology booked too)

Get inducded again before it gets too big

Planned section

getting regular BH and cervix soft so far

What do you think? I need to get my head round this fast. I have put off facing up to it with some lunatic standard nesting but now exhausted. thanks for any advice.

Poor, poor you.

I would go for the first option.

I'd also go for the first option alongside maybe sex, nipple stimulation (and aconite 200c to help with fear).

Outside of an obstetric environment, women tend to find the right position for their birth in the course of nature. If you need to birth in hospital, keeping active and utelising any position that feels right may well lower any need (used dubiously!) for intervention.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to be with a friend in labour, very young, first time, undiagnosed direct OP. Using movement and positive support, she birthed her baby at home without intervention or chemical pain relief. Have faith! Natural birth isn't out of your reach and is no more risky than inviting intervention. (I would say less so but am well aware that opinions differ ).

I would also opt for 1. First time round your body has not experienced child birth and doesn't always stretch in the right places! I think fear/panic also makes your body tense up. You may find ( if you can get your nerves under control ) that the labour and delivery will be much easier. Try not to think that this delivery is destined to be the same as the last one, think positively, plan to be active, if you are in hospital then you have the back up and reassurance of intervention if needed. Why don't you look through some of the threads re birth trauma counselling and hypnobirthing. HTH.

My birth plan for DD2 was that I would try yo get her out, but that if things weren't working that I did not want all the faffing that I had with DD1 - instead we would have a "go straight to C section, do not pass go" clause. There is nothing to say that you cannot try an induction, but go to a C section if the induction isn't working well.

Both my DDs were OP at 38 weeks, DD1 stayed that way and was born stargazing, but DD2 moved - probably because there was a bit more room second time around! So there is hope that it will be easier. For what it's worth, DD2 seems to have stretched out and softened my big epi scar from DD1 too...

I was in a very similar position to you with ds2. I was told under no circs would they induce, they don't like to do it following a cs as the strain on the scar would be too much. I would have chosen elcs over induction anyway.

DS2 was born by vbac with gas and air and constant monitoring in about 3 hours start to finish. He was smaller than ds2 and this time I was lucky.

If I was doing it all again I wouldn't change a thing. Go for a natural birth, be ready not to beat yourself up if it ends in a cs. Take advice from the midwives and follow your instincts.

From the very little I know the elcs would be preferable to induction, and the natural birth would be a wonderful achievement.

Good luck.

All the evidence suggests that mums who go into natural labour have the best chances of having a smooth and uncomplicated labour. Interventions such as induction do not improve your chances for a vaginal delivery when the baby is felt to be above average size (ie. the benefits of an early induction to avoid the baby getting too big(!) do not stack up against the risks associated with an induction). Waiting for labour to start by itself is the recommended option if you and baby are otherwise well. The only downside s that if you do not labour spontaeously by 41-42 weeks you will be encouraged to consider an induction at that stage. Your Dr's and MW's should not be advising an induction in your circumstances just for a "big baby". If the baby is estimated to be above 4.5kg there is an increasd risk of an obstructed labour or shoulder dystocia (where the shoulders get stcuk after the head delivers) and many Dr's will consider the option of an elective CS in such cases (bearing in mind that scan estimates of birth weight have a 25-30% margin of error too!).

The number of times they get the babies weight wrong though is ridiculous, I have been told everytime I have a whopper and each time they have been 7lb's and this is not uncommon at all.
I'd have the reflexology and sex, nipple etc and see how it goes. 2nd time around was a hundred times faster and easier for me.
Good luck
x

no sweep today as head not down enough (keeps bobbing to and fro). Still going to go for reflexology tomorrow, I can relax if nothing else.

You comments have helped galvanise my nerve, have concluded that we're doing it my way this time, did it theirs last time and it was one cock up after another.

I really dont think this baby is quite as big - 70 lb gain last time, 23 lb gain this for one thing, fundal height ok and I am a darn site fitter as swimming 1.5km 2-3 times per week until xmas, and still doing it once a week now. Could do more but have been v busy clearing up after builder in house. (With DD 1 I sat on setee watching soaps and eating chocs for the duration).

Still cant stop the lunatic nesting though, as you can see by this late hour...

MW wants to talk "what happends when over due" next monday....

Thanks for comments. really unsure about the CS, have DD aged 2 to contend with.

have commented on other thread but please let me know how you ge on funbags and good luck x

I would honestly go for a planned section. I had a terrible first birth too, it was a very slow labour that lasted three days and ended with an induction, epidural and emergency c-section.

I won't have another, not because of that but because of other circumstances but made a decision at that time that if I did ever get pregnant again I would go for a planned c-section.

Not of course referring to you but I felt I wasn't cut out to give birth and although I felt saddened by missing the experience I felt that it wasn't worth the three day labour and I should have just had the section much earlier. I had been adamant at the time I didn't want one, I wanted a natural birth, no drugs etc.

At the end you get a lovely baby and child and the rest of your lives together and after your birth experience I would go for the simplest (although a section is not easy) option.

I would honestly go for a planned section. I had a terrible first birth too, it was a very slow labour that lasted three days and ended with an induction, epidural and emergency c-section.

I won't have another, not because of that but because of other circumstances but made a decision at that time that if I did ever get pregnant again I would go for a planned c-section.

Not of course referring to you but I felt I wasn't cut out to give birth and although I felt saddened by missing the experience I felt that it wasn't worth the three day labour and I should have just had the section much earlier. I had been adamant at the time I didn't want one, I wanted a natural birth, no drugs etc.

At the end you get a lovely baby and child and the rest of your lives together and after your birth experience I would go for the simplest (although a section is not easy) option.

Your first labour was virtually same as mine. I was offerd cs for second birth but turned it down as dd only 17 months old. Was induced for second birth, 4 hours later had ds. Can only say as it was really good for me. You must definitely do what you think is best for you. It is a difficult decision at the time, but you will know what is right for you. Make sure your dh knows what is going on and shouts if he thinks things aren't going well.

Funbags, although I didn't have the ordeal that you had with my first, my second baby was overdue by a week and even when I was 5cm dilated, his head still wasn't engaged! So don't worry about the head still bobbing around.

If it was me, I would attempt the natural birth, but thats just the way I am. They thought my 2nd was breech at 37weeks, until I had a scan to confirm that he wasn't, and even then I had decided that I was going to deliver a breech baby naturally, or at least give it a try.

each pregnancy and delivery is different, and it generally is much easier the second time around. remember that you have already had one baby through there, even with the intervention that you had, you will have stretched things and made things looser.

try to relax, and good luck, hope all goes smoothly this time round. let us know how it goes!

will do, have been crampy since weds so hopefully something going on down there. Did andyone else get period type pains before labour? if so how long did they last before things got going (..here's hoping wont be 18 days late again...)

I had crampy pains quite a lot towards the end, but really bad crampy pains the day before both my labours started. Hope things start moving for you soon.

Hmmmm.

If I was you I would avoid an epidural like the plague.

Have lots of sweeps, plus more reflexology.

I had sd with my second (who was 10lbs 12oz) . There was a 6 minute delay between birth of head and his body and he was a bit slow to breath. Midwives sorted him out with bag and mask and within a couple of minutes he was fine. It's scary isn't it? But I'm sure you'll both be OK this time around. After all, last time you got a healthy mahoosive first baby out vaginally, despite having had an epidural (which doesn't exactly help . You must have a good, roomy pelvis.

hello.

Second labour rather different to first! Odd contractions on/off thru sun. 6pm they get regular, 6.30pm they start to hurt a bit. Phone hospital, agree to go in for a look in a while, have bath, get rid of everyone, set off for hosptial at 7.40, arrive 8.00 pm - only 3 cms dilated, but contactions quite fierce...by 8.45

me: waaaaahhh make it stop, I want drugs now!
mw: you're having a baby that will make it stop
me: when!
mw: soon!
me: uurrrggg how soon! how dilated am I?
mw: all thay way!
me: what??? I thought you were going to say 3 and a bit!!
mw: no, push!

8.59pm, and hour after getting there DS born, 9lb 4 oz, no stiches and nothing got stuck. Can't beleive the difference! Actually enjoyed my stay in hospital this time around, it was like a little holiday, all nice and quiet with no work to do.

Just goes to show, that a great labour really can follow a shit one!

How wonderful - congratulations!

Lovely news, congratulations!

Congratulations - thrilled for you!

lovely lovely lovely

Had a similar 1st experience to you followed by a mch better second delivery

Oh what a lovely end to the thread!!!!

enjoy your new addition