Induction at 37 weeks due to small baby - positive stories/handhold please

[BirdsDoIt]

Hello, I am lying awake fretting (i.e. quietly freaking out) because at my 36 week scan yesterday I was told the baby is measuring small and they have strongly recommended that I’m induced at 37 weeks. As I was actually 36 weeks 5 days for my scan, that means induction on Wednesday - tomorrow. I am so not ready for this. It’s baby no 3 (DCs are aged 4 and 6) and I was lucky enough to have both of them at home after uncomplicated labours. We still haven’t 100% decided in favour of induction but will reluctantly take that route if needed. I feel angry and sad that it will be a very different birth from the home birth I wanted and it all feels so sudden - but on the other hand am really anxious that if we leave baby in there too long then he/she will suffer and there is a risk of still birth. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should be asking the doctor when I go back to be monitored again today? Wondering about pushing for a second scan to get another opinion but I don’t know if this is a (potentially dangerous) waste of time.
The thought of a medicalised continuously monitored induction terrifies me to be honest. I am trying to reframe it and feel more positive but so far failing miserably! Does anyone have any positive induction stories to share?

I’m sorry, how stressful. It’s good though they are acting quickly and your baby will be hear soon, safe and sound. I had a lovely induction with my DS. I was offered an epidural prior to starting the drip which I took. The whole labour was 6 hours and pain free. I could still feel the contractions as tightenings so knew when to push at the end. It was lovely, relaxed and didn’t feel that clinical despite having a lovely midwife with me the whole time. Good luck and congratulations :)

My best friend had full inductions (drip after pessary didn't work) for both her sons. Both births were very straightforward, and she was home within 24 hrs.

I went into labour naturally, followed hypnobirthing to the letter, lots of candles, oils etc on the midwife led unit. Ended up with an emergency section and a week in hospital!

I hope you have a lovely, calm induction experience. Wishing you & baby all the best.

I had an epidural (after 2 days non progression) and then induction.
They popped a monitor on babies head and positioned that and the contraction thing next to me so I could see both.
Then they whacked the drip up and said go for it.
It was simple lovely and stress free. I could see baby was ok and I knew when to push.
It was very controlled and very calm.
I hope for the same again this time. (Preferably without the previous 2 days.)
Good luck - having a medicalised birth doesn't mean you can't have a good birth.
Xx

On the small baby front, I had the exact same with DD1 — 36 week scan showed her small so advised to be induced at 37 weeks to check her over.

Same as the PPs, my induction was straightforward and aside from being in hospital throughout (which I appreciate will be more fraught this time due to visiting restrictions) it felt fairly natural. I had one pessary, waters broke 24 hours later with force of contractions and she was born a few hours after that. Only had gas and air as no time for an epidural but was fine honestly. Only a 2/3 stitches for a small tear. AND, most importantly, DD was absolutely fine and perfectly healthy — just a 5lb dinky dot! We were discharged the following afternoon and haven’t had any problems since. She’s now a very sassy 3yo!

Best of luck OP! Ultimately it’s your choice but an induction doesn’t have to be a traumatic event 😊

Hiya,
I was induced at 36+6 as my waters broke at 36+5.

I think from having the drip put in until he was born was around 7 hours. I found the induction fine! I didn't have the pessary, only the drip so not sure if that is a different experience. I didn't have an epidural either as I really didn't want one.
We were kept overnight just to observe but went home the next day.
He weighed 6.5 and is perfect! He is 7 weeks now.

Good luck and I hope all goes well for you!

Thank you all so much for the kind and supportive replies. They’ve really helped. Really encouraging to hear that induction doesn’t have to inevitably lead to c section which i think is my primary anxiety. I am starting to breathe a bit more slowly and get my head round it all! Back to hospital this morning for more monitoring and to make a plan with the doctor.

Also reassuring to hear about small babies / 37 weekers being fine!
milknapplayrepeat - did you just have the one scan to tell you that your DD was measuring small, before deciding to go ahead with induction?

I had inductions with my two, both at 38 weeks due to reduced movements and reduced growth. Both ended up being vaginal deliveries, and whilst not what I had hoped for in an ideal world, I knew that medically they were needed. For what it is worth I found the second induction much swifter and easier than the first. This may not be as ‘nice’ an experience as your first two births, but honestly when the baby is safely in your arms you will have few regrets I am sure. The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.

Good luck and congratulations. And if they talk about syntocinon drips I would really consider an epidural as I found the intensity of the contractions and need to be bedbound for continuous monitoring made the pain hard to manage.

@BirdsDoIt

Also reassuring to hear about small babies / 37 weekers being fine! milknapplayrepeat - did you just have the one scan to tell you that your DD was measuring small, before deciding to go ahead with induction?

Tbh it was all a bit of a rush as we moved areas. I’d had one growth scan where I used to live — ironically because the midwife thought my fundal height measurement was large — and they flagged her as showing small. She was just below the 3rd centile line. Then we moved house and I made sure I had my first midwife appointment a couple of days after, she referred me over to the hospital for a follow up growth scan and literally after that they had a dr come see me and suggest induction. They wanted to do it there and then tbh but my husband and I asked for a few days to sort our lives out first — we were still living out of moving boxes! It was all very mad but the happy ending made it worth it.

I was induced at 36 weeks due to suspected placental failure. I had a drip in both hands (syntocin & sliding scale as I am type 1 diabetic) so was quite limited in terms of movement, had to spend active labour on the bed. Anyway long story short it was fine, I had a forceps delivery but as she was my first baby and you're having number 3, I expect yours will be straightforward.

Remember birth is just 1 day, it is a means to an end and what matters is that bubs and you are healthy.

My tip would be to ask for an epidural to be put in at the same time as the drip, I was a bit of a martyr and didnt ask for one until about 7cm. It didnt work and then it was too late for anything else!

I would always opt for the choice that ensures my baby survives.

I completely understand the upset when you don’t get the birth you desired. I’ve lived that twice but I’ve also lost four babies due to miscarriage and chromosome issues, so when they suggested we induce with DC2 I didn’t hesitate. Even when I knew I’d have to birth alone in hospital.

So my advice is err on the side of caution. They’re obviously concerned your placenta is struggling and the baby isn’t getting enough sustenance. Don’t take any risks.

How small are they saying they think your baby is?

I’m only asking as mine has been measuring 3rd centile last three scans. I’ve another booked for 37 weeks and my section isn’t until 39 - they are saying they wouldn’t do the section any earlier!

Were your previous babies small at birth? I have a friend who has four children and all of them have shown up as small, and it turns out that is just how she makes them. Although she has followed the advise of the doctors every time. However another friend had a baby who was measuring small /not gaining any weight and it turns out there was a problem causing this. In their situation acting quickly and inducing turned out to be incredibly important. Try not to worry, inductions are painful, so definitely go for an epidural, but they definitely don't always end up with a csection. You have been very lucky with your previous births so I'm sure your body will remember what to do.

The baby is on the 9th centile - they told me that anything under 10th centile, they recommend inducing at 37 weeks. But I don’t know if that might be because he/she was measuring on a higher centile at earlier scans.
Itshappened my previous babies were a good size - 8lb 11oz, and 7lb 3oz. Actually both of them were measuring small and I had to have growth scans with both, but in the end the measurements were quite a way off!

Yes as I understand it it is not so much the actual centile so much as it is the growth curve itself and whether they have dropped down the centiles or plateaued in their growth.

Hi, I had this with my DD and I know it can be really scary, she was picked up as being small at 32 weeks so there was a bit of time for serial growth scans to track her growth and make a plan. She stayed small - around 2nd centile I think - so it was agreed I would be induced at 37 weeks as soon as she was term. Up til that point I was in nearly every day for monitoring and decided that although induction and potentially lots of intervention was not what I wanted at all, I would go with whatever the consultant recommended - I did do a lot of reading up on induction in advance.

I can imagine it’s tough for you having had 2 home births and also at almost 37 weeks you don’t have time to have repeat growth scans - if you really wanted to you could see if a repeat scan was possible in the next few days to get a second opinion but as you say you wouldn’t want to waste too much time. As a third time mum hopefully you would respond well to induction and not need too much intervention- mine took 5 days and I needed every step available through to ARM and the drip to get things going, but I was a first time mum and very much not ready! Generally I’ve heard it can be a bit easier if your body has done it before. Even so, I got through it all without pain relief (towards the end I did wish I’d gone for the epidural but I managed ok) and used calming hypnobirthing techniques even though the continuous monitoring and the fact she was a bit distressed meant I wasn’t allowed to move at all. All was fine in the end and she was tiny at 5lb but healthy and now a lovely and energetic almost 2 year old. I really would recommend looking into some of the hypno techniques to try and feel more positive about the experience if you do have the induction. Wishing you lots of luck, sounds like you’re in good hands!

Well I’ve said that I’ll go ahead with induction tomorrow. Yikes! Have never had a baby before 41 weeks before! Feels very weird knowing that he or she will be here in a day or two, all being well. Thanks again for all your advice everyone.

I was induced at 37+5 due to preeclampsia and would happily opt for induction again. Baby was born after 8 hours (first baby) and he was perfectly healthy.

Best of luck tomorrow OP!

Best of luck OP. Please update xx

We have a baby! A little boy. He is gorgeous. (And not so tiny after all - about a pound heavier than they expected at 6lb 3oz...) The wheels of the hospital turned extremely slowly when it came to induction - I went in at 9.30am on Wednesday and didn’t get the first pessary until 6.30pm that evening. By 8.30pm on Thursday evening I was having contractions and they confirmed that they could break my waters. We then waited three hours for a midwife and a room. No midwife was available. By midnight we got a delivery room. Contractions stopped. By Friday afternoon STILL no midwife to break my waters and I was climbing the walls. Waters broken at 3pm - no sign of any contractions returning Decided to go for the syntocin drip at 8.00pm- this was a real low point, I was freaked out by the cannula and almost passed out when they put it in! Also paranoid I was going to end up unable to move properly in labour, and have to go for a C section at the end of it all. But once we were over that hurdle, things went pretty smoothly - a lot of faffing around with the heart rate monitors during my contractions which was NOT fun. And it was more intense than my previous labours - just under 4 hours start to finish! But we have our lovely baby. Thank you all for being so supportive when I was freaking out earlier this week. That scan on Monday seems like a lifetime ago!

PS Name still to be decided: lead contenders...
Isaac Arthur Wxxx
Jacob Arthur Wxxx (or are the JAW initials weird?)
Jacob Henry Wxxx
We’re going to see which sticks over the next couple of days. Oddly I was much keener on Jacob but now he’s here I think he looks more like an Isaac! Arthur is a family name on DH’s side so has more significance than Henry really.

Ahh lovely!! Congratulations xxx

I was just coming on to tell you my friend’s reassuring story of her 37 week 5lb baby, but now there’s no need!
Congratulations @BirdsDoIt, sounds like a bit of a faff along the way but what a fabulous result! Have they said when you can take him home?

Isaac Arthur sounds like a great name

Yes hopefully we can go home in a couple of hours once newborn check has been done. True to form they aren’t sure who will be able to do it for us this morning though!!