Can I go home after failed induction until they have capacity to deal with me?

[Belleende]

Induced Tuesday am at 40 weeks due to being the wrong side of 40. After 2 pessaries labour not started but 2cm dilated at 8am this am. They said they were going to break my waters but unit incredibly busy and no capacity. I can see me heading for third sleepless night on antenatal ward which I think might break me. How can I get them to agree to me going home until they have capacity to do something with me? Can I just insist?

I'm sure you can insist but the reason they keep you in once they start induction is because babies can react badly to it and stillbirth is a risk. Would you want to go home and not have the monitoring you get in hospital?

Have you asked? Best to get it in quickly then they can do the paper work.

You are not a prisoner! I would go home. They don't like it incase of adverse reactions to the pessary but if it's been several hours I would think it's fine. Ask them to explain the risks but they'll probably be glad to free up a bed!

I had the last pessary over 24 hours ago. Baby has been fine. Wasnt monitored all last night for example. The reason I was induced was risk of still birth being over 40 and going over 40 weeks. But now 40 plus 3 and no one seems to be in a hurry to do anything to get baby out. My reasoning is that me going into what will likely be a difficult labour on 3 nights with no sleep will not be good.

This happens a lot in my hospital. I waited 12 hours for a bed on labour ward so I could have the drip with DS3 and 24 hours for a cat 3 emcs with DS4. When I had DS5 I was being monitored on the antenatal ward for a while and there were women who had been waiting 3 days and more for the next stage of their induction.

Priority is given to the most urgent of cases so if you're having a "need to get the baby out soonish but no immediate hurry" type of induction then the wait will be long.

Thanks for that ellie. Pretty much what I thought. It just seems that they are at full capacity and more with women coming in in active labour and women being induced for medical reasons and have been since I got here. Seems like a v expensive way to form an orderly q!

Yes, of course you can, but only if you're happy to go against medical advice, as the doctors will probably advise you in strongest possible terms to stay.

Things will be far more likely to get going if you're relaxed at home, rather than stressing out on a busy ward. Even just going out for a walk or rest somewhere, and then going back might help your mental state.

I left my induction, but before any pessary had been administered. That was after five hours of sitting round like a lemon waiting to see anybody at all (having been called in for a supposedly urgent induction, which clearly wasn't that urgent).

It's a tough call I know, and you have sympathies here if you want to vent. If you kick up enough fuss they might give you a private room for tonight?? (Wishful thinking...)

I doubt they will give you a private room just for 'kicking up a fuss' and why the hell should they as I think they're reserved for people who actually need them. Or who pay for them. they will probably still insist you stay, or leave against medical advice, because once you've had that pessary you're mid treatment. Have you tried the hospital gift shop for some earplugs? When I was induced with my son, it took 5 days of various treatments and eventually a cs but there was never any suggestion that I could go home.

If you're there at 3am and the labour ward has space at that moment there is a good chance they will wake you up and move you there. If you've gone home the next person on the list will go instead of you.

I am more than happy to pay for a side room but as they are so busy it is v unlikely they will have one. I have ear plugs. Not really effective when you are sharing with two women in vocal labour. I get the mid treatment thing. But if they haven't actually treated me for more than 24 hours and can't give me even a ball park of when they will waiting at home just seems like a much better idea.

Unfortunately planning on a labour ward is impossible. You can have no women ringing up in labour on a shift or you can have 15! Priority obviously has to be given to women in established labour and they won't take a non labouring induction until it's safe to do so.

Nothing happening tonight with breaking my waters but they have moved me to a v quiet side ward. I should at least get some kip before day 4. Hurrah! I do seem to have scored the numpty agency midwife this evening. She took bloods. Took her about 15 mins and quite a bit ended up on the floor along with a sharp she just left thete. Sister was just having a very loud word with her.

Good night all.

Good night - hope you get some sleep and have a more 'productive' day tomorrow.

Hope you get some sleep and that this time tomorrow you will be holding your baby. Good luck x x

Hi Bellende, just checking in to see how things went. Hopefully you have your new baby with you?

We have produced. Beautiful little girl at 8am this morning, all 8 lbs of her. I did threaten to go home and actually they did give me the option of doing that versus continuing with breaking my waters. We chose to stay. Birth was v interventional, probably in part due to me being knackered. But we have a perfect little daughter and the ordeal of the last week is already slipping away.

Hurrah!

Congratulations

Great news, congratulations, delighted for you. Enjoy your daughter.