Worried about induction

[mia8]

This is my first mumsnet post! I am 40 + 3 weeks pregnant and so far just been reading and gleaning loads of useful info from the forum and now daring to jump in and say something!

I've had a really easy, good first pregnancy. Nausea during first three months but didn't throw up once. Didn't miss a day of work. Kept exercising throughout 2nd and 3rd trimester, haven't gained loads of excess weight, no swelling, no headaches, only a handful of nights with bad round ligament pain, etc.

So basically had no worries and now think the fiddler wants to be paid...

Was booked in for birth centre which I was LOVING the idea of. Woke on Wednesday at 9am, day after due date, with water leaking. Thought it was my waters that had broken. Midwife said to go on in to get checked and was trying not to get excited but thinking this could be it! I have had ABSOLUTELY NO signs of labour: no Braxton Hicks, no show, no contractions, etc. The most I have had is period like pains (constant, not like contractions or waves) in my lower back over the last few weeks and nothing for the last two days. Midwife ran loads of checks and test and no more waters were leaking so she doesn't think it was my waters going. Cervix is really far back, baby's head is still a bit high, cervix only open a crack. Basically the signs aren't showing I'm in labour or anywhere close at all.

However my blood tests came back as anemic - my iron is 9.2 down from 11.8. Shocking. And I can't use the birth centre which has really upset me. We visited the labour ward and triage and I could have just cried. The atmosphere was so clinical and uninspiring and assembly line delivery. The hospital staff were ok but a complete contrast to the lovely midwives we'd met on the birth centre floor. The thought of getting induced in the triage area and having to wait there until in established labour with other women in this open plan room with curtains is so upsetting, besides being induced to start with.

Done loads of walking, pineapple eating, curries, etc, etc, and nothing. After the "false" waters breaking I almost feel disconnected from the baby like he is never going to come. Two attempts at a sweep didn't work as my cervix is too far back.

I guess my question is (forgive the rant, I'm quite hormonal and emotional about this) could my baby still come naturally over the next few days? Has anyone else been in this situation?

Help :(

Been there (overdue, trying everything to get the party started, very freaked about induction having planned a nice hippy birth) and ended up with the induction at 40+12 and birth at 40+14.

And do you know what it was ok! Different to how I imagined it would be in that I had epidural and was on my back the whole time. I found that I went to another zone really, compleatly ignored the midwife and DH and hospital room. I don't think I opened my eyes until it was time to push. And at transition I felt my body wake up and start to labour itself for pushing which makes me feel like it was a bit natural. I had a small tear but no other intervention unlike my three friends who all went into spontaneous labour recently. I felt like a failure (in my body) for being induced but I really couldn't have done more to get the baby out!

BUT the best thing is that you do have to be induced. You can ask to be monitored every day. Induction are less likely to work the more favourable your body is, maybe you have a longer natural gestation? How do you feel in yourself? I had spd and was fed up of being pregnant at the end. I was totally unfavourable so has pessary x2, artificial rupture of membranes and the drip and took about 80 hours in total.

The care on the antenatal ward was x100 better than postnatal, it only hurt for the last 12 hours and the main difficulty was tirdness. Honestly, get someone to talk you through the process, search for threads on here for others stories and weigh up how you feel. Also, if you plan to breast feed keep taking your iron tablets as I didn't know low iron can affect your milk supply.

Epic post from me but I remember how I felt and I got tons of reassurance and support on here. And nature still has so much time to make the decision for you. Really hope this has helped you in some way x

Argh - you DO NOT have to be induced!!!

80% of labours start naturally so the odds are on your side (and even if you are part of the 20% it can still be a very positive experience )

I was the same did not want to be induced at all tried everything to get myself going.. Had the same constant period pains and my first sweep was very painful as my cervix was too far back, closed & not looking like i was going to go naturally i was booked in to be induced at 42 weeks exactly but the little man made his appearance at 41+3.. :-) try not to worry you still have time & you can refuse to be induced & just wait it out baby will come eventually.. Good luck x

Mia it's normal to feel nervous about induction - but as bringbring says it isn't necessarily as bad as you may have been led to believe. I'm 36 weeks today and won't be allowed to go over so I've had many conversations about induction - and like you I'm a bit scared too. Is there an option for a mobile epidural so that you can still be active and not on your back?

I've also been doing natal hypnotherapy and understand that the adrenalin hormone produced if you're stressed may prevent labour from starting. So try and relax (i know easier said than done!).

In terms of natural was to start labour....

Relax!!!

Can your partner give you a back rub or massage - this will produce oxytocin hormone which you need for labour to start. It's synthetic oxytocin that's given for an induction.

Also there's something in semen that can also bring on labour - hence people recommend sex to kick things off...

And I believe that the baby's head making contact with the cervix also stimulates oxytocin to brig on labour. So keep walking. And try walking sideways up and down stairs - to open up the pelvis. Sit on the sofa with your legs apart and lean a bit forward an try and away your hips - to help the head make contact.

Lastly, know that the actual gestation period is 37-42 weeks (42 weeks is standard in France) so technically you're not overdue yet! Your baby might not be ready yet, so see if you can wait and go for daily monitoring bringbring suggests.

Really hope it all goes well and you get to meet your LO when he or she is ready

As others have said - you don't have to agree to induction.

I agreed to be induced at 40+10 (was feeling fed up and impatient) even though my bishop's score was only 3, which indicated that induction was likely to work. The induction itself was fine, although it was very medicalised and I ended up with all the things I didn't want to happen - epidural, labouring on back etc. Dd was eventually born at 40+12 by emcs as she wasn't in a favourable position at all and got stuck when I was pushing.

If I knew then what I know now I'd have waited until I was 42 weeks before agreeing to any interventions in order to give her the chance to get into position herself.

When you're 40+ weeks it can be very frustrating, scary etc, but you're only technically overdue after 42 weeks. You have plenty of time for the baby to decide it's ready to make an appearance, so you don't have to be pressured into doing anything you're not happy with.

Good luck and I hope your baby decides to come of its own accord before you have to worry about these things too much!

Thank you all! Very reassuring and sweet to hear your experiences!

I have to say, I was surprised my midwife and doctor said I would be induced after 10 days as I thought it was at least two weeks.

I suppose what I'm most worried about is because I am anemic (and trust me, I know in the bigger scheme of things this isn't that big a deal - compared to what some women go through and experience, it's not that dangerous) they will use all kind of "risk" factors on me to push me to do things I don't want. My partner is great but he keeps saying "as long as you and the baby are ok" and if thinks there is any risk he will go with what the medical people say.

I personally think if my baby isn't coming, it's not that big a deal, he will come when he's ready and he's moving fine, I feel fine (if a bit tired and fed up) and there is nothing dangerous happening. But I now feel under pressure and nervous for the first time in my pregnancy because "they" have put me on a deadline.

I'm still wondering if my iron will not go up and I can use the birth centre? I've tried searching for a thread and online as to how this works and how long it can take but I can't seem to find anything about time frames. I've been taking iron supplements now and trying to eat iron rich foods. Obviously if I'm induced I couldn't use the birth centre anyway, but can I find any info on my iron count going up over the matter of a few days so I can use the birth centre??

Thanks again all! x

Hi mia as others have said - it is up to you!
you might be interested in some of the information in the thread I recently started about resisting induction due to my age.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/childbirth/1770717-Handling-pressure-to-be-induced-on-due-date

Appreciate your circumstances are different - but it is your choice and realistically you are very likely to labour naturally if left alone!
For my first D C I felt that the threat of impending induction marred the end of my pregnancy needlessly! ( had natural labour in the end)

Good luck

Yes he could.

Couple of tips; do not go in on a Friday the service is shocking on a weekend.
Take ear plugs and eye mask to block everyone else out
Take phone/iPod
Do not let dh leave regardless of the rules.

Good luck

Really good tips about not going in over the weekend. For once as it's Saturday I'm telling the little boy not to come!!

Thank you so much everyone. Feeling much calmer and more optimistic, he's only 4 days late and I have a week yet and even then I feel more confident to ask about waiting a full two weeks instead of ten days.

Just got back from dr's appointment - induction is booked for Sunday morning so pressure is off a bit. But the good news is he was able to do a sweep pretty easily and I am 1cm dilated, so some progress at least! Also they will happily do an iron blood test if I go into labour naturally so I could still potentially use birth centre AND if I am induced with just the pessary, and iron is ok, they will ask birth centre if I can go there so still a chance!