Would you ask for an induction if you were me, 4th baby, will I get one, do I want one? Very stressed need advice, any MWs around?

[sweetkitty]

Here's the story, I am so stressed out by it all you would think come no4 it would be plain sailing a la childbirth but here goes.

DD1 4h 20m
DD2 2h 30m
DD3 1h 35m

this is from first twinge or waters going to baby out, all natural VBs with just G&A last 2 were HBs, no stitches, no problems really.

So here I am 30 weeks with DB4 (a DS!) am in agony from SPD, am on cocodamol and pretty immobile.

The thing is births get faster and I am at home with 3 DDs and a DP who works an hour away, have no family support so no Mum who could come and help out although I do have good friends who have all said they will come and look after the DDs if we need them to.

My MW is less than keen to book me in for another HB and has been scaring me with PPHs as it's my fourth, I have said I am scared I will not make it to the hospital if in labour, it's 20mins away, when my contractions start there is no let up and I won't be able to walk nevermind get in a car and get to hospital, last time it took everything I had to get up the stairs onto my bed. Another MW was saying that as the community MWs who cover me, well most live quite a way away they might not make it either

I'm scared of giving birth on the living room floor with my DDs around me (they are 5, 4 and 1 btw) and no DP around.

So do you think a planned induction would be better at 40 weeks, then I won't go overdue with the SPD and I can arrange childcare and DP to be off work and go in and be induced in a controlled manner.

I know induction isn't a walk in the park either but having had 3 natural births and being 40 weeks my thinking is it won't take much to kick me off so to speak! I don't know if they will even allow me to be induced?

All this is stressing me out now end so any advice would be great.

I'm sorry you're so worried about this, and if I was having another child I'd feel the same way. I have v quick labours and with my 4th baby I didn't make it to hospital. I was v lucky in that:

my in-laws were nearby (they live thousands of miles away but had come to stay so they could help) and got to the house to collect the other children within 5 mins of the phone call.

I was in the house when I went into labour and DH was there so he could open the front door.

I had my mobile phone with me in the bathroom, when I realised that I couldn't get out of the bath. I managed to speak to my community midwife and she and a colleague got to the house within 10 minutes. 10 minutes later my waters broke and we realised I wasn't going to get to the hospital,
A couple of minutes later the mws realised the baby was breach, and she was delivered safely a few minutes later.

All this happened less than 40 minutes from me realising I was definitely in labour.

I'm not planning on having any more children, and one of the reasons is that I would be so scared of another v fast labour. My labour with DC4 was lovely and we both came out of it v well, but it so easily couldn't have been. I think that if I was having another child I would think seriously about asking to be induced a few weeks early. My 3rd child was induced at 38 weeks, for medical reasons, and my body responded pretty easily to the induction. I'd have a doula so I could avoid all the prodding and unnecessary VEs that hospitals go in for, but the pessaries were fine.

Thanks DD2 and 3's births were very straightforward at home, with DD3 the MWs were very hands off which is what we agreed, they gave me the G&A and let me get on with it on the bed, it wasn't until I turned around said I need to push that they said have a push then, I didn't even push DD3 out she came out herself in 2 contractions.

I hate all the monitoring and interventions in hospitals, I just want to be left alone to get on with it but have the MWs there if needed, I REALLY do not want to stay in hospital any longer than I need to, ideally deliver placenta and go!

Oh DD1 was 15 days early 6lbs 3ozs, DD2 12 days late 9lbs 3ozs, DD3 5 days late 8lbs 5ozs.

I would, but my labours have all been easy and induced for medical reasons at 39+6 (4 hours active labour), 35+4 (8 hours from waters broken to birth), and 38+5 (3.5 hours from waters broken to birth). Gas & air with DD1, G&A + pethidine for DD2 & G&A for DD3.

When I was induced with DC3, there was the initial insertion of the pessary and the monitoring, then they left me alone. They wanted to do regular VEs and I let them, but if I was in that situation again I'd discuss in advance my reluctance to have VEs to assess progress.

With DC3, the MW did a VE and said I was fine (about 4cm, I think), but that because it was 24 hours since the 1st pessary they needed to speed things up, so she asked if she could break my waters. I agreed and the rest of the labour was horrible, far too fast and violent. The mw had made a mistake in reading my notes and it was much less than 24 hours since the 1st pessary. If I had had the doula I had for DC4, she would have picked up on that, and also on the unspoken signal the mw was trying to give me to decline the intervention, which I didn't pick up on at the time.

With DC4 I got very anxious wondering when I'd go into labour, and whether I'd be able to get the children looked after or not. With DC3 it was lovely not to have all that to worry about.

I have really fast labours too, DS1 2 hours, DS2 2.5 hors and DS3 25 minutes. If i remember correctly i don't think they allow induction because you have fast labours.

Saying that i went a week over with my last DS and they were very keen to get me induced. I was induced at 40+11 and went like a rocket after the 2nd pesary, hence the 25 minutes including a 10 minute 3rd stage.

They might be willing to induce you if your SPD is really bad. Have you asked the midwife about induction for the reasons you have said?

It really depends on your consultant but I've certainly know them agree to induction for previous fast labours. But if you bring it up they may suggest inducing you a bit earlier than 40 weeks, say 39 weeks. I know someone who the stayed in hospital from 38 weeks and then they induced at 39 weeks as she was so scared of giving birth at home by herself. Ask your m/w to refer you to the consultant, good luck.

This is where i had seen it in the NICE clinical guideline - induction of labour 1.2.8.1
'Induction of labour to avoid a birth unattended by healthcare professionals should not be routinely offered to women with a history of precipitate labour'

saying that i think GothDetective is right and your consultant might well agree to induce you.

Goodluck with it, i know how scary it is worrying you might go into labour alone or in the middle of Tescos

I am reading this thread with interest as my 2nd and 3rd labours were really fast (DC2 was born in an admissions room rather than labour ward and DC3 was caught by my unsuspecting DH when mw insisted I had plenty of time and left us alone for 5 minutes).

I'm sorry I cant really offer any advice but just wanted to let you know that I know how you are feeling - if ever I have a 4th it would certainly be something I would have to consider asking about.

FWIW my BF was induced at 40+1 (because 40wks dead on was a Sunday ) because it was her fourth, she had SPD and she couldn't cope with being pregnant longer than that (other factors involved, but not physical ones)

Midwives all said no, not a chance. She pushed until she got a meeting with the consultant at 38 weeks (I went with her) and he didn't even hesitate before booking her in, so you should be able to get the induction based on the SPD.

I really don't know what to do one the one hand I am thinking let my baby and body get on with it, the last 3 have all been born at 4ish in the morning with DP here, other DC slept through it, everything fine. I am against medical intervention unless necessary, book the HB, have the MWs oncall, all the equipment here and ready.

I asked the MW "what if I cannot get to the hospital?" she replied "call 999" so according to her being delivered in the back of an ambulance or by paramedics is better than a planned HB!

The other side of the coin is the planned induction, it's the control thing that's appealing plus every day you go over overdue, in fact every day at the moment with SPD is hell, I have been up since 5am in pain this morning.

In your case loopymumsy would definitely consider it.

My assigned MW is next to useless but have appt in 2 weeks will discuss it then.

DP would rather I was in hospital bgut is happy to support me whatever.

I'm being induced at 38+2 due to a previous fast labours and GBS. It's slightly earlier than it would have been due to Easter but once the decision was made I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I have 2 children at home and a DH who is more than an hour away and the last thing I want is to a) deliver alone in front of the children and b)to miss any GBS antibiotics regardless of how low the risk of passing on the GBS in a short labour.

I have been induced with my first and it was horrible but have had a very long talk with my Obstetrician and midwife and we've come up with a birth plan that I am very happy with.

My mw told me that if I was going to go to hospital in labour, I should plan on calling 999, especially in the rush hour. I think that if you plan on not being induced you ned to make sure you have that firmly in your mind. I know that I'd have felt hesitant about calling 999.

I'd also make sure I had a charged- up mobile phone on me all the time, with the midwife's phone number and any other relevant numbers on it. If I hadn't had my mobile with me in the bathroom, with the mw's number on it, I would probably have had the baby unassisted.

I bet you'd be able to get your consultant to agree to an induction in your circumstances.