Getting induced on Sat - any advice

[nannyj]

I'm getting induced on Saturday and was wondering if anyone could give me advice on what to expect or anything i can do to make the experience easier. Is there anything i can take to the hospital to make things easier if it all takes a while.

Thanks

hi i got induced at 41wks +5days and had 2 pesseries /tryed to pop waters twice ,in the end it did not work and i had a cs ,i just found it a bit painful,bit long sloe so tookmags and a pal came to sit for a while

I found an ipod and a hot water bottle (in case you're having pains but not enough for pain relief) invaluable.

Keep mobile, even if you are on the drip and monitored. You can still use a birth ball by the bed, sit in a chair, stand, lean against the back fo the bed, etc.. Bring a birth ball if your hospital doesn't have them. Aromatherapy works for some women....lavendar, vanilla, jasmine, and grapefruit scents can work at different stages of labour. Music, that was mentioned, can be a big help...you can move to it, sing along, relax to it, etc..

I've been induced twice at 40+12 and both times it's been quite quick. Contractions started pretty quickly. I did read magazines etc but found walking and lying down reallu uncomfortable so I basically sat on a ball for hours.

Don't be afraid to ask for pain killers from early on if you are having contractions. It does REALLY help and take the edge of. They will try and give you paracetamol but that's sh** so they stepped it up to codiene and that really helped.

Take arnica tablets before and after.
Take loo roll in cos the stuff they have in hospital is like paper- ok before but not after.

Take nice food for afterwards too!

lots of BDing tommorrow

be prepared for a long drawn out wait(for pessaries etc to work) take a book/ds/ipod.
be prepared for intervention.

Flash wipes, I say this to EVERYONE who goes to hospital lol.

Mainly just go with the flow and don't expect it all to happen really quickly.

My friend was going to be induced, and went into labour just before arriving at hospital!

Hope everything goes well x

lol @flash wipes i took them in whith me

I also take them as a gift whenever i vist anyone in hospital

I second the painkiller comment. I was given paracetamol and was too polite, scared of being a wuss, to ask for something stronger.

Also, be prepared for a fast labour. More intense but over so quickly it wasn't traumatic at all. My labour came on really quickly. I didn't have time between contractions to ask for help and dh sat there watching telly while I was trying to breathe! By the time the nurse came to check on me and sat me up, dd1's head was nearly out! Took literally 5 mins to give birth once I'd sat up.

Try eating curry and having sex every night before then though, you might avoid induction altogether!

I wasn't induced but my advice is take your own pillow, with a pillowcase which is easily identifiable as yours (i.e. not plain white like the hospital ones).

I was so pleased to have had this advice when I went in to have DD, my pillow went round with me from the ward to the delivery suite back to the ward and then on to the midwife led unit too. The hospital pillows are skinny, you usually only get one, and they were wrapped in plastic! It was lovely to have my own pillow which smelled like my own home (well my washing powder anyway ).

If it's easily identifiable (mine had a pink stripe on it) then your DP or someone will probably remember to move it around with you!

Good luck! Just think by the end of the weekend your little one will be here!

Good luck!

too late now but for anyone else...
stuff to read or listen too
pillow
snacks and water
patience too!

mine took 2 lots of gel which by the time 2nd was done i had been there all day but it started bloomin quick!

Stay upright. If they want to monitor you once it gets going, it's up to them. You can be stood up, or they can use a hand-held to follow you around.

Stay upright. If they want to monitor you once it gets going, it's up to them. You can be stood up, or they can use a hand-held to follow you around.

Wow thanks for all the advice. Am packing plenty of mags to keep me going and some nice nibbles am just a bit concerned it will all lead to a C section but i guess what will be will be. It's all very strange getting ready knowing you're going to hospital and having the baby to a schedule if that makes sense. Fingers crossed it happens pretty quickly and all goes well. Should i hunt out some ear plugs in case it goes slowly

Get moving when you feel a niggle, I found rocking and swaying my hips was good. the midwife encouraged me to walk around and not just lay down and wait for it to happen.
Have a good one.

You never know - you might be like me. I had my pessary and went wandering off round the hospital thinking, "owch, I can't spend three days like this" then later that afternoon on learning I was 2cm "bugger, I can't spend 8 more hours like this"... just before I started to push!

Easy enough for me, baby did have to be ventoused out, but she's been fine ever since.

oooh yes i walked all the stairs loads!!

I was induced - make sure your dp is aware of your wishes and is able to articulate them reasonably forcefully. I would have been lying on my back strapped to monitors and not 'allowed' to move, had my DH not intervened and kept asking if I couldn't be turned over so I could lean over a beanbag on the bed. They grumbled a bit, but I did do it, and it was much better for me. This was at the 7/8 cm stage when I wasn't really able to formulate a coherent arguement! He also kept on checking if I was managing without pain relief, as that was what I had planned to do, but we both knew that induction could be more painful, so he kept on gently chatting to me about it.