Balloon induction

[Chocol4te]

Hi all, came for a growth scan and my baby has not grown at all in past 2 weeks, 39weeks tomorrow so they'll do an induction tomorrow with balloon method, has anyone experienced this kind of induction? How was it? I am actually shi**ing myself as I was not expecting this☹️ and I am aldo worried that she didn't grow ☹️

My wife had this 2 weeks ago due to babies growth had slowed and also high blood pressure at 37+4.

I cant comment on how it felt but the whole procedure went well. The midwives were brilliant.

The balloon and was inserted around 4pm and around 7am the next morning it came out. Waters broken at 8am then our baby girl was delivered at 12:50pm.

She wasnt allowed home and there was a lot of waiting around so just take an iPad with films etc and some things to do. I stopped in with her that night as she was on the ward alone. If your partner goes with you make sure you take additional pillows etc for both of you.

Try not to worry and dont google inductions as there are loads of horror stories about it taking ages etc. We were lucky and it was fairly quick but on average it will take around 30 hours from start to finish.

If you have any more questions just ask :)

Hopefully it all goes smoothly.

No personal experience, but the hospital I'll be going to has just started using this method this week, instead of chemical pessaries. It's supposed to be gentler and being on a more natural labour. Best of luck!

Thank you both for your replies! I will go in tomorrow morning, a doctor checked me meanwhile and she agreed I need an induction but it's not that urgent so she can refer me for a C section so the balloon method will be used. Will be my first baby so I am kind of expecting a long labour...and yeah my husband will stay with me in the hospital all this time bless him .. I hope that if I am induced in the morning, I will have the baby tomorrow night

It was our first baby as well.

Just be prepared for the waiting around it can be torture due to emergencies and labour ward being busy my wife wasnt induced until 4pm.

Best of luck to you. It's all worth it in the end!!

The principle behind it is that it emulates natural early labour rather than chemically inducing it so it is gentler and has a lower rate of complications

I had balloon induction a year ago, do you want to know honestly what it was like?

Stop reading now if not!....(sorry this is gonna be an essay!!)

I had it put in on a Thursday morning (to wear for 24hours or until it fell out), I had gas and air while she put it in (maybe wasn't needed not sure...I felt so drunk while she did it)
Couldn't feel it in there as such but the pipes hanging out the top of my underwear and leggings was annoying, it felt awkward sitting down etc cos of the tubes , and sometimes when I weed liquid would come out of them, sometimes it was pink (blood) stained and I'd had to change my bottoms a few times from them getting wet this way 😩
Over night that night I started getting pain hourly (early contractions) so I didn't get much sleep. It did not open my cervix enough though as it was still in place when I went to the hospital 10am the next morning to have it removed. I did not have any gas & air this time she said she'd do it real quick. And she did, and it caused my waters to burst.
This was Friday morning. Finally felt like it was going to happen (I was 2 weeks overdue by now)
She said to go home rest and they'd have a bed ready for me that evening when she expectd id be back.
I went home, had a bath, pain was still hourly and increasing til it was minutes between and strong contactions. Finally went to hospital it was 6pm when I got there. I think I was about 6/7cm dilated. I ended up having a drip as it wasn't moving on quick enough, it went on and on for hours. Finally my body started pushing by itself! I told the midwife I didn't mean to push my body just did it and she said go with what your body is telling you! This is when I started pushing with every contraction, an hour later and that baby wasn't coming. I had no pain relief but gas and air and was knackered by the early hours. Finally they said they would take me to theatre and use forceps and an episiotomy., i got an epidural in theatre and 2 pushes with help of forceps he was out! At 4.11am.

I didn't enjoy the balloon going in or while it was in tbh , but it wasn't the end of the world and it was only for 24 hours. Best of luck to you!!