induction after previous c-section?

[olivo]

am hoping someone might be able to help/explain. i was hoping for an el cs after a traumatic birth last time. have had lots of probs with this pg, so have been seeing consultant regularly. today , they talked about inducing me at 38 wks - i thought that it was risky to induce after previous cs? i was a bit thrown as i was hoping to be given the go ahead for an el cs, so i didnt ask.
can you be induced without a problem?

I had an emergency c-section with ds1 and they mentioned possibly inducing me at 38wks (due to gestational diabetes)with ds2. I also thought it wasn't safe but they said they would do it by doing a membrane sweep and breaking my waters not by using any gel. I asked for an elective section too and my consultant did book one in for me for 39wks but they would see if they could induce first. My cervix was closed so there was no way they could induce me and i had my section a week later.

it varies from trust to trust.. some induce with gel only, some with synto only etc etc, or ARM as phoenix has said

if you prefer an elective c.s then you can press for that instead

an induction at 38 weeks, especially if you are not ready to labour is likely to end in c.s anyway.

there are some increased risks to induction after c.s.. more risk of rupture if the uterus is hyperstimulated

i presume you are being offered induction due to complications? in which case, pressing for a c.s might be the way to go

thank you, that makes things a bit more clear. i forgot to say, i'm not in the UK so unsure if different.
i also have GD, and polyhydramnios as well.

they did say they would see if my cervix was favourable at 38 wks so would i assume if not, i hope i can push for the CS, which i know they would do nearer to 39 wks if possible. thank you for explaining, i didnt realise there was more than one way of inducing, i just knew about syntocin drips.
i guess the baby's head would have to be engaged too?

I had a similar conversation with my consultant, internal at 38 weeks to see if I would have a vbac or planned cs, although at the end of the day she said I could have a cs if I wanted one whatever. In the end I had a sweep at 38 weeks as everything looked good and was booked for induction at 39+3, also gd and large baby.

I had arm even though ds2s head wasn't engaged, it meant that a midwife had to apply a little pressure on his bottom while it was done so that they could avoid the risk of cord prolapse. They wouldn't use the gel but would have used the synto in a small dose if contractions hadn't started after 4 hours and if that didn't work it would be another cs.

I suppose I was coming from a different angle in that I wanted a vbac and was happy with what the consultant suggested.

thanks bigcar. i am 36 wks now, the head is not engaged which i think is normal on your 2nd? so i guess a couple of weeks to wait and see. this past few weeks has seemed the longest ever, especially as a few weeks ago they were concerned it could arrive at any time!

afaik it's perfectly normal for the head to not be engaged until labour starts on subsequent pregnancies! The last few weeks reeeaaalllly drag don't they?! Especially when you can't plan for what type of delivery you will have, makes it hard to pack your hospital bag

I was induced on my first when 7 days overdue and again at 9 days overdue because it didnt work the 1st time and found it to be the worst experience ever and after 18 hours of full on labour i had to have an emerg c-sec so Ds was born 10 days overdue so on my DD i asked to try for a natural BUT if i went over i wanted a c-sec as i never wanted to be induced again and they were fine with that

I did go overdue and had an elective c-sec at 40+5.

I was induced with DS2 due to GBS and waters broken for over 96 hours. I had a c/s with DS1. They wouldn't use the gel, but used synto (my waters had already broken, so no ARM at the start). After 28 hours on the drip, they had a good prod, and managed to break some more waters. DS2 arrived after 39 hours on the drip with a break overnight for a few hours.

Horrific labour, ended in episiotomy to get him out (last ditch before they got ventouse out), but ultimately better than a second c/s (IMO).

hmm, these stories are bending me towards that cs - induction sounds hideous!!

Just remember that if you only have 1 DC, then giving birth after a c/s, is like having a first baby. Nothing has been proven or stretched. However, all that aside, I'm glad I did it. Not sure how I'd have felt at 38w though, I was 40+ when I was induced.