Being Induced

[bigvig]

Hi all,

I am booked in to be induced on Sunday. After reading the material I am concerned. It appears that if there are not enough midwives on the unit the hospital can give me drugs to stop labour until they are ready to deliver the baby. This idea fills me with horror. Can I refuse to have labour stopped once it is started? Also policy is to begin with a pessary which often doesn't work. Can I refuse this and move straight onto a drip? I have been in the early stages of Labour now for over three weeks and my cervix is opening and soft. I had to be induced with my first child as I didn't go into Labour despite waters breaking. Any advice/stories would be useful. The hospital I am to give birth in has an awful reputation and staff shortages may be a real possibility!

You can refuse you consent for any medical procedure that you are not happy with.

I recently had an induced birth. I would advise you to give the pessary a go first. It didn't work for me but my cervix was far from opening and soft. I ended up on the synto drip for god knows how many hours and I would have preferred not to be. You have to stay on the bed and you have to have continuous monitoring. The pessary is more likely to work if your cervix is already starting to cooperate, and if it does work, you can have a more normal labour.