Induced labour

[Bmarie]

Hi everyone,

Currently 10 days overdue, had midwife appointment last week and midwife couldn't perform sweep due to my cervix still being closed and babies head not engaged, brought me back again today and still the same so I have been booked in for induction on Wednesday

I have been desperate for a water birth and have been trying home induction things like bouncing on yoga ball etc but nothing has worked since it's still the same... does anyone have any ideas of what worked for you??

Also does anyone have any tips/experiences of having labour induced so I know what to expect?!

Thanks everyone

i had an induced labor at 38weeks due to health issues with me.
i was told 4days prior that i would be induced..an i went off and read every horror story Google had to offer! i'd say don't do that...but we all know it's too tempting!

i went in expecting to have the worst experience of my life. i expected pain from the start, i'd read all about the 'devil drip' and induced labor not being 'natural' and more painful than 'natural' labor.

my experience was this;
i was induced with a pessary at 12noon on Saturday, i had period pain type aches until about 12midnight and then i felt like i needed to pee all the time, and at 4:30am on Sunday i stood up to go to the loo and my waters broke! from then i developed contractions quickly, had some diamorphine (which i would HIGHLY recommend) and by 10am i was ready to push, i had gas and air for this, and my daughter was born at 10:59 that same day.

my experience was nothing like what i'd read about online.
it's hard, emotionally and physically, but no matter what you go through or how you give birth, once your baby is there non of it matters anymore. it's so magical.

i wish you a safe delivery!

I was induced at 39 weeks for medical reasons for my first -
Pessary at 4pm, period pain in the early hours, ramping up throughout the day, delivery suite 7pm baby arrived 3am. Didn't need the drip to get contractions going but once I felt I needed to push, there were some complications (hence taking so long!) and my contractions stopped! Baby was delivered in theatre via forceps in the end after a lot of faffing about. I'd had gas and air and pethidene by then. I think I was a bit unlucky as when I went into delivery things were moving really quickly, but then slowed down as he got a bit stuck.

My second - 2 days over, they went straight in to break my waters (didn't need pessary) at 3.30pm and by 7.20pm baby had arrived.

The first one of course could've been quicker(!) and less eventful but it certainly could have been a lot worse. Don't read horror stories!!

Good luck x

I was induced at 40+12. DS was engaged and it turned out I was 2 cm dilated so had to have the pessary that you stay in hospital for (rest of antenatal group that had been induced had gone home for early labour). Was induced at 10am, bit of period type pain in afternoon, had my waters broken at 5.30 which kicked off my contractions, they were every 2 mins from then on. By 9.30pm I was 6cm dilated and in the birthing pool, was pushing by 3am, and eventually DS was delivered by CS at 5.30am next morning cause he was 10.7 and stuck after an hour of pushing. I was really worried about being induced but it was fine, didn't like the early bit of labour being in hospital, wanted to be at home as that's what I had expected to happen, but other than that it was ok, just had gas and air and pool for pain relief, and if DS hadn't been so big and had his head to one side it would have been a normal birth. Remember it's up to you if you want to be induced, they can't make you, so if you don't want to be yet then you can wait, but it wasn't as bad as I feared it would be. Good luck!

I was induced at 38+3 due to not being able to feel baby move 3 times during pregnancy.

I had 1 pessary at 11am. After about an hour and a half started to get horrendous back pain and there was no break in betwen contractions it felt literally like 1 huge one. Midwife checked me at 3pm and i was 2-3cm dialted so had a warm bath (best thing ever!) i was in the bath for about 50 mins and took me about 20 mins to get dry and walk back to my room. Suddenly needed to push and my gorgeous dd was born at 16.32pm! Happened so quick i had no time for any pain relief at all.

I was induced and had a water birth. If the pessary thing gets things going you can still try that.

Pressed post by accident!

Couldn't believe how quick it all happened especially as dd is my first but now im thankful how quick it was!
Good luck! X

Thank you for the advice everyone!!

I'm sure it will be fine whatever birth just so I'm prepared

@boopdoop thank you how was everyone else induced? I wasn't sure if I would be induced and then stay in throughout the whole process or go home for the early start because I read that you are monitored a lot more frequently... also why did they allow you to have the water birth? Just so I know if I have any chance of still having one, I asked the community midwife today and she said no I can't go in the birth centre for a water birth if they induce me which I wasn't sure of

Thanks again! X

I had put in my birth plan that I'd like to try the pool. They were about to take me to the normal delivery suite where there is no pool as being induced is apparently considered higher risk and therefore not usually allowed a water birth (in my hospital anyway). The midwife saw at the last minute what I'd written and asked if I'd still like to try. I guess because labour was progressing having just had the pessary. I did try it and it was great, my son was born in the water. If you need the drip then the water wouldn't be an option I suppose.

re the others, there are two types of pessarys, one for if things haven't started at all, and the one I had. For the others they could go home, and came back either a) if they were in labour and needed to come back anyway, or b) after 24 hours to be given it again (I think) and then after another 12 or 24 hours it was drip or break waters. But because things were already starting for me (not that I knew it!) then I had the one where you stay in because it's not licensed for use at home. I wasn't really monitored much, maybe once in the day, then when they broke my waters, then once while having contractions, that was it between 10am and 9.30pm when I went to labour ward.

re the pool, I guess it's because yours is a midwife unit with the pool and they won't let you go there if induced as more likely to need intervention etc. we don't have a local midwife led unit, our standard hospital labour ward has two pools, and you can be monitored whilst in the pool in ours, so it was fine for me to be in the pool.

Hope that helps!

Fab thank you so much everyone!

I wanted to avoid induction. I had acupuncture and sex. Went into labour naturally at 40+11 (DS was born the same day).

At my antenatal classes they told us there is no evidence for any of the tricks you hear about for inducing labour, apart from sex because it releases hormones that can help things along.

If you do get to the point when you want/need to try medical induction, I suggest you request the pessary and give it chance to work before going on the syntocin drip.

Good luck!