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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Induction phobia...

12 replies

lucyfluff · 04/04/2012 19:34

Hi ladies,

Just some advice on what to expect please?!

Booked for Sat 8am to be induced (40+11). This is my third baby and no sign of him after 3 sweeps!!!! Typical lazy boy!!

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KatAndKit · 04/04/2012 20:22

Lurking for info, my induction is next thursday and am getting quite anxious too.

CruciFlisspaps · 04/04/2012 20:33

It varies from hospital to hospital. Remember that you're not technically overdue until 40+14 as normal pregnancy covers 37-42 weeks. You also are not obliged to accept induction and can request expectant management instead.

This is the NICE information for women on Induction of Labour so most of the technical/medical info should be in here.

Basically baby's heartbeat will be checked, you'll have an internal and then given either prostaglandin or have your waters broken. Once you've had your waters broken, if nothing happens you'll move to the syntocinon drip.

Induction in the evening isn't recommended and has been shown to make mums unhappier (probably due to the lack of sleep before birth) and increases intervention (again, if you've had no sleep due to the induction process you're more likely to be knackered at the end) - this is from the NICE Clinical guidance, rather than the stuff they give to women.

If they admit you but do nothing and suggest starting you off the following morning, my advice is go home and return to hospital in the morning. If you've undergone no medical procedures (eg no prostaglandin, no ARM) then you have no need to stay in, and getting a decent night's sleep on the antenatal ward is going to be near impossible.

Most antenatal wards don't allow partners to stay out of visiting hours or overnight, so until you're in a delivery room then your birth partner won't be able to stay with you - even if you're in the early stages of labour on the antenatal ward :(

Murtette · 04/04/2012 20:48

It can involve a lot of waiting! If you look on your hospital/PCT's website, they may have their policy there which will give you some info... although bear in mind that your experience may not follow the theory.
Generally, the experience was fine but here are the things which frustrated me:

  • I was told to turn up at 11, which I did. The other 5 women being induced were already there and we were given the gel in the order that we'd turned up so I was the last. This was very frustrating as it wasn't a matter of minutes between the first person & me but hours (well, 90 mins certainly) as whilst the MW come in to give you the gel, they get called off to deal with other things or realise they've forgotten something & when they go to get that, they get distracted. This is particularly annoying if you're strapped to the monitor & can't go anywhere
  • you may be the person for whom one lot of gel has no effect at all. This means the process can obviously take longer so don't just pack clothes/PJs/snacks on the basis you will go into labour shortly after being given the gel. You may not. I hadn't really realised that I might spend a night in hospital before being in labour & got really stressed that I'd be wearing my post-labour nightie before DD was born and, if I put on clean knickers the next morning, wouldn't have any clean ones for after she was born
  • your DH/DP will be sent home when visiting hours finish. Again, as it hadn't occurred to me that I may be in overnight being induced, I hadn't thought that I might be there without him. Now, the knickers/nightie issue had got me quite stressed but I knew I was being irrational but DP is a really deep sleeper and I was seriously concerned - and therefore stressed - that I'd go into labour, would call him & he wouldn't hear the phone and would turn up at the hospital next day to find me & a newborn baby
  • woman who naturally go into labour take priority over you. Therefore, if the labour ward is full with woman coming off the street (IYKWIM) in labour, they won't do anything to progress your labour. So, I had my first lot of gel at 2pm, should have had the next lot at 8pm but the labour ward was too busy so they left me alone all night. And then the next morning I had started to dilate & have some contractions & my waters were ripe for breaking but there still wasn't room in the labour ward & wasn't until 4pm when they finally took me down, broke my waters & things got going. My contractions during all of this were pretty mild so I wasn't really uncomfortable but I would have been a lot more comfortable had I been at home, able to have a cuppa or a bath or just curl up on the sofa. So, take lots of magazines, snacks, drinks, clothes etc & just be prepared for what could be a long wait. I went in at 11am and DD was born 41 hours later. However, for all but the last 11 hours of that, I was just sat on the ante-natal ward wondering if/when things would kick off.
ScarlettAlexandra · 04/04/2012 20:50

i have been induced twice and someone could stay with me although i didnt see the point overnight and sent dh and my mom home both times.

the first induction i had the pessaries and gel, they staryed me in the morning and by about 11pm my waters had gone. i wasnt progressing well and they put me on a drip, the contractions where much stronger then and i must admit i lost it a little, had an epidural that didnt work. ds got stuck in the end and ended up with an emergency c section.

the second time i was vbac and induced and this was slightly diffetent with much more monitoring from the midwives, put in the drip again and had an epidural at the same time. the labour was only 6 hours from then. dd's heart rate kept dropping really low so i had foreseps. i was gutted after a nasty first birth but it was so much better the second time around.

just be prepared it will take an age. three days with my first so stock up on mags snacks and things to keep you occupied. its hard to be patient when you see moms come in give birth and your still there.

littlemissnormal · 04/04/2012 20:53

I second what Scarlett says about being well prepared - both of my previous inductions took 4 days of gel and waiting before they could even break my waters.

Mags, snacks and a fully loaded phone battery!

Madasaspoon · 04/04/2012 23:25

If you are about ready to go, it won't necessarily take that long, but it could be very intense - more so than labour that has started on its own. If you are not ready to go it is more likely to take a long time, or even fail completely. It works best when least needed and fails when needed most.... If you are worried about being induced, you don't have to go ahead with it... there are other options....

What support do you have?

workshy · 04/04/2012 23:33

I was started off with a gel at 6pm on a saturday

sunday am no gel as ad been having mild contractions, was sent for a walk instead

sunday tea time gel

monday am no gel due to mild contractions

monday tea time more gel

10pm monday hospital sent DP home
11pm rang him to come back

5.23am holding baby, normal delivery

it's boring but not actually as bad as I was expecting it to be

worst bit was the 17 year old in the next bed who had about a million visitors and struck up a friendship with the 16 year old in the bed opposite and they kept shouting to each other all the time while I was attempting to get some sleep, like at 2am!!!

Staverton · 04/04/2012 23:46

Induced 2nd preg

Told to arrive at 8am. Did after no sleep whatsoever night before with racing mind (had shitty long back to back first labour)

Got sent away again as no beds. Slept for few hours at home.
Went back at 3 pm.

Gel at 6pm. Contractions started almost immediately and were very intense, without much break. Midwife kept saying not in labour but clearly was. Therefore no pain relief.
Less than 2 hours later needed to push. Midwife said are you sure you don't need to do a poo dear ... Oh no theres a baby and whoosh out she came

So less than 2 hours from the gel. V intense but much better than horrifico previous 56 hour non induced scenario with no 1!

Good luck

Staverton · 04/04/2012 23:48

And personally at almost 42 weeks I would much rathe be induced than not as the balance of risk means the baby is better off out than in. ( looking at the stats)

Paediatric doctor friends of mine won't go beyond 41 weeks...

CruciFlisspaps · 05/04/2012 06:13

Staverton and equally, having had a bad induction experience in the past I personally would be happy to to to 42+w with expectant management as laid out by NICE Guidelines - it's such a personal
decision and one we make based on stats and our own specific circumstances Smile

Staverton · 05/04/2012 09:10

Yes it is totally a personal decision

My decision not to go beyond 41 weeks is not based on previous bad experience ( in fact that was at 40 weeks) but of a careful review of the literature of the risk to baby and mother at post 41 weeks. (which albeit only a small increase in risk is definite) I am well aware of NICE guidelines.

Anyway I feel this probably isn't the place for the discussion on the OPs thread so apologies and good luck

lucyfluff · 05/04/2012 10:32

Thankyou to everyone who has commented (good/bad experiences!!). I guess it's individual to what your body decides, but I just wanted to get my head around what could happen as the MW was slightly vague.

It's the unknown after having two very quick natural labours, and not even contemplating induction procedures or rules.

Anyway...I have been having a few tightenings since 3am every 10-15 mins so hoping this actually progresses before saturday's induction

Oh and good luck KitandKat :) x

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