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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Induction query - which days are good / bad for induction & labour

16 replies

ladyfoucault · 10/04/2012 06:56

I am overdue (40plus3) and if it doesn't happen naturally then the plan is for me to see the midwife at the end of the week for a sweep (is that what it is called?). I understand I don't have to agree to it but I'd rather have that than a hospital induction. (I hope I have understood this correctly, induction wasn't really covered in my NCT class, and I didn't get much informtion from the midwife).
My question is: What days are worse for labour in hospital, do people have experiences or know stats? Is the weekend worse than during the week, for example Sunday, because there is not enough staff on?
Thank you.

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RickGhastley · 10/04/2012 07:03

At the hospital I recently had DS2 in, planned inductions are only planned in on weekdays. I imagine this is because there may be fewer staff at work on weekends? Had DS1 on a Tuesday and it was fine, very quiet. However on the next Thurs the hospital had to ask women calling in to the labour ward to go to different hospitals as they were completely full.

So I think it really depends on how many women go into labour that day!

wishiwasonholiday · 10/04/2012 07:05

I went in to be induced on boxing day, they still have the same amount of staff on as they can't predict when babies are going to come. As it happens I was on a ward alone the first night then it was packed.

Emsgale · 10/04/2012 07:35

when I went for my anesthetic review due to my epidural not working at all last time I was told there is much better staff on in the week I had my dd on a sat.

im now 40+3 also and I believe ill be offered a sweep at my appt on friday and also given a date for induction but not sure when then iduce or at how many weeks + days I have to be?

emblosion · 10/04/2012 09:33

Hiya, it will depend on the hospital but likely to be the same no of midwives on shift throughout the week. There will be less doctors on at weekends and consultants/anaesthetists may be on call rather than on site.

Planned procedures (like an induction) are likely to be scheduled for during the week if its anything like a 'normal' ward disclaimer am a nurse not a midwife so am just guessing based on non-maternity experience!

littlemissnormal · 10/04/2012 11:08

A sweep will only work if you have a favourable cervix anyway, so likely to labour naturally soon.

I went in on a Saturday to start induction with DC1, took 4 days of pessaries to get e started and you will generally go back down the queue if they have lots of emergencies.

Flisspaps · 10/04/2012 11:15

Weekends are usually not ideal as for some reason most hospitals don't staff the maternity units with the same no of anaesthetists etc as during the week.

emsgale each hospital will vary with its policy for an induction offer - some offer from 40+7, some at 40+10, +12 or +14.

And as always, I will point out to all that induction is an offer not a requirement and no-one is obliged to accept that offer if it isn't a path you wish to take after looking at the stats and risks/benefits for yourself

Emsgale · 10/04/2012 11:53

will the midwife tell me if my cervix is favourable when she does it?

melliebobs · 10/04/2012 12:01

Emsgale yes ur midwife will tell u there and then. I had 2 attempted sweeps that they couldn't do because on the first one they couldn't reach my cervix and the second one they couldn't do cos it wasn't soft enough. The 3rd one the managed.....just. And it hurt like hell

As for staffing I had my dd1 on a Wednesday and had to stay in for a week on the ward afterwards they had less staff on the wknd. It was noticeable too. I was on antibiotics and 1 of them was missed so was up to me to buzz and ask for them! Then on 1 occasion when I did buzz u had to wait 2 hours for it!!!!

Original poster

ladyfoucault · 10/04/2012 12:21

Thank you all for your replies. So it sounds like there might not be as much staff on at weekends. Our local hospital is very busy and often understaffed anyway I think. If I have a midwife appointment on Friday, and she does a sweep, is it likely that I will go into labour at the weekend (if I was to go into labour at all)? When would a good day be to have a sweep, if I was to have one, would that be Monday? Because if things have not started 48 hours after the sweep (which would be Wednesday), I would be 41plus 4 days. By then, surely they offer hospital induction, and then I am in the same boat as it will be the end of the week again. Or have I got it all wrong? Getting into a state here!

OP posts:

Happenstance · 10/04/2012 13:06

I'm booked for an induction on sunday, but my midwife said before she booked it if there is more than 3 women booked already they will move me to monday,
Induction is 40+12. I had a sweep today, bit uncomfortable but not too bad, apparently i'm already 2cms so hopefully i will avoid induction :)

AlanMoore · 10/04/2012 13:20

There are so many other variables it isn't worth worrying about. When I had my DD "my" hospital was closed to admissions and the one I was in also ended up closing to admissions, that was a Tuesday. There were no beds on delivery suite for hours, then after the birth I had to stay on delivery suite for nearly 12 hours as no beds on postnatal, but by the time I went home the day after the bay was empty!

You need to make decisions about induction etc based on medical advice and evidence of risk. I didn't go overdue but my midwife said she would support me going past 42 weeks if I wanted providing I consented to all monitoring and baby/placenta were fine.

Flisspaps I think you'll find that "for some reason" = MONEY. I don't work on wards any more (nurse) but from about 2003 we weren't allowed to roster senior staff nurses/sisters/charge nurses for nights or weekends, so much for skill mix eh!

Murtette · 10/04/2012 13:35

Try not to overthink it as, unfortunately, you have no way of knowing how quickly you may (or may not) react to a sweep & its the same for induction.
When the MW does the sweep, you'll get a "score" which indicates how favourable the cervix is. My score was ridiculously low so I went back 4 days later for another sweep and then had a third sweep after another 3 days. I know my last sweep was on a Saturday. At my first sweep, the MW had booked me in for an induction at 40+12 as she said it was better to book these things and then cancel them if I went into labour naturally.

I did end up being induced and that was on a Wednesday. DD took her time about appearing and I didn't give birth until the Friday. It was noticeable on the Saturday that there were fewer doctors and those that there were were more junior.
Our hospital only schedules inductions for weekdays but I'd try & avoid being induced on a Friday as its more likely you'll be in over the weekend. IME, that makes no difference as far as your labour is concerned as the delivery suite will be fully staffed at all times but it does affect the ante-natal care.
Having said that, I was so fed up with being pregnant that I would have accepted any day or time if I meant I got it over with!

LittleWhiteWolf · 10/04/2012 13:37

I had a sweep last Friday at 40+1. I was told by the mw that my cervix was very favourable and in fact she said of the 3 sweeps she'd done that day she'd put money on me going into labour. Unfortunatly it didn't make a difference and I'm still pregnant at 41+5 now. I was booked for an induction for tomorrow, Wednesday when I'll be a day shy of 42 weeks. Because everything was favourable and the baby's so low I can request just for them to break my waters and things will start then, but we shall see. With my DD in my first pregnancy I had a sweep at 41+1 on Thursday at 4:30 then my waters broke at 8pm and my DD was born on Friday at lunchtime. I was in hospital over the weekend until Monday morning and it was staffed fine. I saw plenty of midwives when I was in labour and plenty again over the weekend. I don't know if thats just my hospital being pretty fantastic, but I don't think there are good or bad days to have a baby.

AlanMoore · 10/04/2012 13:46

Just thinking about this - can any midwives/obstetricians say if the "bank holiday effect" works on childbirth? Sunny bank holidays in A&E were always really quiet for some reason, it's like people wait til it's raining to have a medical emergency :)

VivaLeBeaver · 10/04/2012 19:59

Antenatal assessment wards can be busy on bank holidays, but it doesn't affect labour ward.

I really wouldn't worry about it. You could go in for induction and not actually go into labour for a couple of days. There should be same number of midwives at weekends as in the week.

Emsgale · 10/04/2012 22:49

thanks melliebobs

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