Come help me decide my induction???? Please?????????Midwifes/doulas/anyone?

[lilymolly]

Hi currently 41 plus 3 with second baby

First dd was induced at 12 days over:closed cervicx, so was given Prostaglandin gel, waters broke few minutes later naturally, 4cm dilated within an hour, had epidural, at fully dilated stopped contracting, had oxytocing drip which made me ill and vomit everywhere, ended up with ventouse delivery, episiotomy and baby taken off me for 6 hours as I was so ill. Of course everything worked out and I succesfully breastfed and took dd hom within 24 hours and she is now my adorable 3 year old.

This time I am already 3 cm dilated following an examination on Tuesday, had loads of show/discharge, lots and lots of cramping and braxton hicks but still nothing.

I am booked in on Monday for induction of labour (this is non negotiable as I am DESPERATE to have this baby)

BUT

Shall i opt for artificial rupture of membranes, or for the drip?

Drip = severe vomiting
ARM = severe pain

And shall i go for the epidural again before they do either of the above or wait until I see how I cope with pain.

I know a lot of this is personal preference, but what I want to know is, which of the options are going to give me the most "natural" labour if that is possible.

Thanks very much if you have read so far x

Sorry for hijack, but can I ask a question of doulas/midwives on this thread - what's the acupressure point on the thumb? How do I find it?

And i have some caullophilum in my birth kit, can I use it to try and bring on labour? How much should I take?

StripyKnickers - do you know I asked and asked why I had to have ARM before the drip in my last induction, and noone would give me a straight answer, they just kept talking to me like I was a five year old. What's an amniotic embolism?

Amniotic embolism is where amniotic fluid gets into the mum's bloodstream during labour. I was taught its always fatal, though I'm sure I once read somewhere about someone surviving one. I asked one of our consultants about this and he said its always fatal and if anyone's ever told they've survived one then they've been misdiagnosed.

You see if someone had explained that to me at the time, it would have saved a lot of bother. Instead I got some junior house officer just telling me that they had to break the waters because 'it was the next step in induction' in patronising tones.

Thank you for explaining!!!

The JHO had probably never heard of it, we get new SHOs every 6 months (we don't have JHOs). I often have to explain to them about all sorts of things, raised dopplers, how to so a speculum, what a cervix looks like, etc.

When women come to our assessment centre they're seen by a m/w, then have to wait to see a Dr before they can be discharged. We're often waiting hours for the SHO to come and when they come they ask me what they need to do and tell the woman, etc. We just get them sorted by 6 months and then they're off and it starts again.

Kind of makes you wonder what doctors are for, really! Leave it to the midwives

I have been induced with both mine and never had the drip. Just ARM. I had a reflexologist with me and though I was sure after dd I would have an epidural with ds I didn't as she worked wonders. Not sure this helps you at this stage but it was a far more natural birth than if I had had the drip....
Good luck whichever!

Don't worry about cord prolapse, really really rare and much more likely on a baby that is not head first. Slight change if the head is very high and your waters are broken artificially but even then not a high chance. If you have your waters broken it might be fairly gentle. Having an ARM for induction is not the same as having one in labour which often does make it much more intense. You have probably had it by now anyway

Or even a slight chance

Still not had it

Now 4 cm dilated, but still nothing, so getting induced on Monday morning, starting with ARM with mw pushing down on babies head to get it further down into pelvis

Then if nothing, going to have the drip, but only as a last resort.

Fingers crossed x

good luck lilymolly - am sure it will start over the weekend