Induction questions - can anybody answer these?

[waterlily7]

I have some questions about my upcoming induction that I was hoping someone could help with:

1. The hospital have said they will use a controlled-release pessary to begin with. Is there a faster acting pessary or are they all controlled release? Do they hurt?

2. If this doesn’t work, they will try another pessary - is this likely to be inserted 24 hours after the first one or sooner?

3. If that doesn’t work, they said the next step is the gel - how long do they allow that to take its course before moving onto the drip?

4. At what point in the process is it best to have an epidural?

5. How long is the whole process likely to take from start to finish? I’m going to be induced about a week before due date if that makes any difference.

6. How should I prepare for the induction - should I eat or drink much before the first pessary is inserted?

7. The hospital have asked me to come in at 9pm on the day to start the process. Is it likely I’ll get much sleep that night?

Sorry, and another one - can I move the date of my induction back a day if needed?

I was recently induced a week early. I had the pessary - it doesn't hurt, once it's in you may start to feel some effects from it (I had some mild contractions after a few hours) but broadly you'll probably feel pretty normal. I ate and drank normally - for me, the pessary went in first thing in the morning but had it been at night I imagine I'd have slept as well as one does in hospital.

In my case my waters broke spontaneously after about 13 hours, so beyond that I can't help all that much! Best of luck.

1. No it didn’t hurt

2. They will wait 24h

3. Don’t know

4. Whenever you feel you need it

5. It’ll take as long as it takes. For me it was start to end in 12 hours. For another lady she was three days in, and nothing was happening for her.

6. The hospital will advise and will feed you. You can snack / ask if you are allowed to eat and take it from there.

7. 9pm is an odd time, I’d say no don’t expect to sleep much. They’re are lots of checks to go through, so if that’s the time you are doing in for I’d say no, don’t expect a full night of sleep

Hi waterlily - I've had 2 inductions so answering based on my own experiences although it could vary between NHS Trusts!

1. No, just one type of pessary. It can be a bit uncomfortable when they insert it if the midwife isn't the gentlest - imagine someone else putting a tampon in for you!

1. They usually give it 24 hours but can replace after 12 if nothing is happening.

1. I was told gels are 6 hours each and they'll try 2, so 12 hours all in.

1. No idea I'm afraid - I only had gas and air for both.

1. Depends on how 'ripe' your cervix is - my first took 18 hours from pessary going in, my second was 27 hours from going in. I wasnt in labour the entire time, it took a while to get going.

1. Mine went in at 10am both times so I did as I usually would and ate breakfast beforehand. When I felt labour starting i made sure I had a decent meal as I knew it could be a while before I ate again.

1. I would say that depends - are they keeping you in? I went home after it was inserted both times - hospitals are noisy so if they are keeping you in I'd suggest ear plugs and an eye mask. They'll probably monitor you for a bit before inserting and again for a bit after so wouldnt imagine you'll be in bed much before midnight!

1. I guess that would depend on when you decided to move it, why and the hospitals availability. My hospital only book in 3 a morning so would have needed to flag up any date problems straight away.

Good luck!

I can't answer all your questions as I was induced on a drip straight away but I would advise asking for pain relief quite quickly if they decide to put you on the drip - my experience was a bit weird as nothing really happened for ages when they first hooked me up and then all of a sudden it went from 0-100 really quickly. I wanted an epidural but it would have taken around 40 minutes to sort so I asked for pethidine which I could have straight away and it really didn't suit me (some people are fine with it though!). In hindsight I wish I'd asked for the epidural when they started me off but I didn't realise how quickly and how painful it was going to get.

1&2. I'm afraid I don't know. My trust goes directly to the gel to start.

1. PP is correct. 2 gels 6 hours apart. Unless the first sends you into labour of course. If nothing happens I'm not sure if there's a time limit before starting the drip. They need space on the labour suite first before breaking waters and drip.

1. Entirely up to you. Only you know what your pain tolerance is. Some people advise you to have it before the drip goes on. Others would advise to see how you get on first. I followed the latter advice, and found I could cope on other pain relief without an epidural. It is intense once it gets going though. I needed it turned up quite high before I got to 3 in 10. So at least I got some semblance of contractions getting stronger and more frequent while it was gradually turned up.

1. I was induced 3 weeks early. The whole process took about 35 hours from the first pessary to holding a baby. Unfortunately it's a 'how long is a piece of string' answer in reality. The biggest factor is if the labour suite have capacity. If the pessarys send you into labour by themselves, wonderful, but if you need the drip, you could be in for a wait.

1. Eat and drink as normal. You're going to need the energy before long after all.

1. Unlikely. It's quite likely you'll still be in hospital that evening. You could be a bag of nerves still be waiting to go into labour (like I was), you could be in full labour, or you could be in the postnatal ward with a baby to keep you up. Rest as much as you can while you can now.

1. That entirely depends on the hospital's capacity. The day I was induced, there was only one other woman being induced. The next day there was 8. The day before there had been 5. All you can do is ask, but I would expect strong resistance at the idea.