Induction Booked for Thursday - Advice Please

[LinzAJ]

Hello All,

I am a week overdue today and saw my Consultant who has advised that I am induced on Thursday if no baby before then.

Does anyone have any advice on the induction process as I don't know much about it really. Also, is it as bad as people say? I have been told its really intense and more painful than being allowed to labour naturally.

Thanks in advance,

I was induced with DC4 on my due date.
On examination when I went in at 6 pm I was slightly dilated. The midwife said she might have been able to break my waters to start the induction but she'd try some prostin gel to soften the cervix first.
Within half an hour I was having contractions and from that point things progressed pretty much like my natural labours.
DD3 was born just after 4 am with no further intervention.
I wouldn't say it was any more painful, even my consultant had told me beforehand that a contraction is still "just" a contraction! The only difference is that the speed with which they come on if artificially induced can be quite intense. However I was ok just with paracetemol and codeine orally and a bit of gas and air at the end.
Had I not progressed after the prostin gel I was told next step would have been a pessary, followed by another pessary hours later. They would then if necessary have broken my waters to try to speed things up, if no joy next step would be syntocin drip.
Hope it all goes well for you.

Induced at 34+6 for medical reasons. 4pm waters broken (dc4 so cervix open enough to do), synto drip put up, epidural already in (but useless block so about as useful as a chocolate teapot) gas and air and ds3 born easily at 5.20pm- he'd have been out sooner but wasn't allowed to push because of his prematurity.

Don't panic, of all my births his was the nicest- although longer than my last labour it was more in control iykwim. I can't say it was more painful- however it happens it's not exactly a walk in the park, it certainly wasn't horrific good luck! Just keep thinking that very soon you will have your baby in your arms- as soon as you do you'll forget about the labour anyway!

I was induced at 37+2 after my waters went at 37+1 and I didn't progress.

I had a gel pessary first and had to wait a few hours to see if that worked but it did nothing.

Then I went on the Syntocin drip which they kept turning up and up to make things start. When I did eventually get contractions I managed fine - I didn't think they were particularly bad to be honest.

For me, it was just a long, boring, drawn out experience and I was knackered by the time I gave birth as I'd had no sleep for three days. But the pain was not horrific.

Good luck today! It's exciting that you get to see you baby!

The best advice I would give is to expect it to take three days before anything happens...sometimes it kicks things off more quickly, but it is usual for this not to be the case

I saw afterwards that my caseloading midwife wrote in my notes that they had planned to come in on the Sunday to be with me in active labour as that is when they thought it would be when I was induced on Thursday and they were absolutely right! I wish they had at least told me this was the norm so I was more prepared for days of endless waiting.

At my hospital they put in the pessary and then don't even check for 24 hours if they can break the waters as it is such a gentle one. Then if after 24 hours they can't, they give you the gel, and then try and break the waters 12 hours after this...if not the gel again and another 12 hour wait....

So we were due to go in on Thursday morning, no bed until 5pm, went in for 6pm, pessary in at 7pm...spent that night and all the next day reading books, wandering about bored and desperately hoping for things to happen. Checked at 7pm Friday and no chance of waters breaking, so they decided not to put the gel in until Sat morning, Sat 9am gel used, Sat 9pm more gel used...Sun 9am waters broken....and THEN labour actually started, three days after we arrived.

Also, my MW had warned me that once they break the waters, there is a time limit for things to progress naturally before they start to use Syntocin drip ( I think its 12 hours ish) as they don't want any risk of infection.

She also told me that the drip can make babies unhappy so they monitor you closely at this point and if it does, they go to section just to make sure the baby doesn't get distressed. I was really glad they warned me this is a side effect of the drip, as they wanted to put it in at 10pm on Sunday evening, when DH had gone home for a change of clothes and feed and walk the dog. I refused to let them put it in until DH returned in case the baby didn't like it and we had to have a section. As it turns out this is what did happen, and if I hadn't insisted on my DH being back first he would have missed it all as it happened really quickly in the end. I'm really glad I was forewarned about this.

I was induced with #3. It was an early start and took all day. The doses were 5/6 hours apart, there's a fair bit of waiting and sitting. Take food, drinks and stuff to do.

After my first dose, I had to sit for an hour being monitored and allowing the gel to work then I was allowed up and about. The second dose worked straight away and I can remember it being 0-100mph in the blink of an eye. It is intense. I was wheeled down to labour ward at 4cm and progressed so quickly that I had no time for pain relief. The whole thing lasted 3 hours and came as a shock. DD was born very quickly, my body just took over and she was only half out when she took a breath, I remember the midwife one minute screaming that I had to stop pushing then screaming that I had to push NOW. DD was born weeing and pooing all over the midwife's feet and I had a small tear.