Induction essentials

[Stargazer87]

It's looking like I'm going to be induced on Monday which I'm not looking forward to...😐

I've had my bags packed for weeks but is there anything additional I should be packing for the induction? Any advice appreciated x

If your partner can stay - an air bed. My induction took three days and he was the envy of all the other partners with his air bed.
Also if you have to go on the drip 100% ask for the epidural.

Ear phones
Phone charger
Download Netflix and/or Prime and any series you can binge watch
Flip flops for the shower
Snacks (savoury & sweets)
Lucozade and any other drinks you like
A good book
Dressing gown
Nightie or super comfy pj's and slippers
Muslins- lots of them!
Wash bag with smellies for the shower
Your own towel
Hair bobbles
Face wipes toothbrush & toothpaste
And then of course the obvious stuff for baby and apologies if half of what I've put you've already packed!
Netflix downloads are a definite must though!! 🤪
Good luck! 🥰

I'd second asking for an epidural if you need the drip.

Definitely something to keep you occupied. I took my iPad with Netflix downloads ready, my book, colouring book and pens, notepad and definitely a long phone charger!
Good luck !

Snacks and Netflix. Do not scrimp on the snacks. You will want more, lol. I was stuck with the balloon for 24 hours before I went to the delivery suite and got my waters broken (and the drip).

Anything else I can think of isn't specific to induction, but labour in general.

Lucozade is also a good thing for actual labour, as you won't be eating anything. The additional sugar/electrolytes help you keep going.

I’ve heard the pain if you have the drip is unbearable so perhaps an epidural?

Massive high full briefs as often inductions lead to c sections and you need clothing to suit afterwards

I had an induction and the only extra things I brought was a bag of snacks! My induction was pretty quick.

Earplugs/earphones for music
I was in for a 4 days before I had my baby, and I had a LOT of annoying bed neighbours!

Yes to the epidural, put in before they start the drip. You’ll thank us later

My partner isn't allowed in at all unfortunately, so I'm going to have to go it alone until I'm in established labour so keen to have any many things to make the experience that little bit nicer...

Did anyone take their own pillow??

@Stargazer87 I wish I would have taken my own pillow so put it on your list! A blanket too with it being winter.
My DH wasn't allowed in with me either so I was alone for 24 hours until the next morning before I went to the delivery suit.
1 million % get the epidural if they put you on a drip.
They put me on a drip and it kick starts your contractions like nothing you have ever experienced so demand one the second you get chance! Don't let them put you on the drip until you've had it! As a previous pp said, you'll thank us later!

Epidural if you have the drip - 100% agree with this! I had a back to back baby and kept refusing it, after 6 hours of the drip I wanted to throw myself out the window without it! TAKE THE DRUGS

I took my own pillow, tablet with lots of series//TV downloaded onto it, snacks.

Wish I had taken better headphones and soft drinks, was dying for a Diet Coke at one point and no way of going to get one!

@lockdownpregnancy I didn't know if taking my own pillow was a bit OTT but I was at the hospital yesterday and the pillows were flat as pancakes!

I've heard lots of awful things about the drip. What are the reasons why you would/wouldn't need the drip??

I was induced with a pessary then just had to hang around for 24 hours in the hospital. So take snacks, entertainment and prepare for extreme heat, they kept the hospital heated to roughly the temperature of the sun.

I spent the whole night pacing the hospital going from air conditioning vent to air con vent trying to find a breeze 😂 before deciding to just go outside and wander round town for a bit, probably not the most sensible idea but I was bored and hot and no one stopped me so 🤷🏻‍♀️

I didn't find the induction particularly bad just dull waiting around, I had one pessary then the next afternoon they were able to break my waters, that started contractions immediately and 4 and a half hours later with just a bit of gas n air DD was born.

@Stargazer87 I was put on a drip because my waters had gone on the Sunday, induced on Monday and I was still only 2cm by 5am on the Tuesday morning, so they had to put me on a drip to get me started as no waters can cause infection or sepsis if left too long.
They will only put you in a drip if they have to. If not, they will let things happen naturally.
If they try and force breaking your waters or putting you on a drip without a good reason decline it if you can. Let your body do it's thing when it's ready.
Hi obviously if there is a risk then of course go for the drip, but don't forget the epidural! Life saver! 🙌🏻

Just to say I’ve had 2 inductions, didn’t take anything extra except for snacks. My first took 5 days and I did have an epidural as I was exhausted and wasn’t allowed to eat. The one I’ve just had was done on just gas and air and was really positive experience. Both using the drip. Go with an open mind.

@MsFrog and @Flippant
I am being induced this Thursday as well. Can you please expand on using epidural if getting a drip? Is the drip painful? What is the reason for the epidural for the drip? I am not against an epidural but thought that I would ask for it if I feel the need for it after trying other pain relief.

Well, for me it might be a bit different. My waters were leaking and I was contracting a little bit for 24 hours. That's why they induced me, because I didn't progress. But they couldn't give me the pessary first and, try as they might, they couldn't break my waters fully. So the drip was the first intervention I had, and it was like 0-60 in about 20 minutes. Strong, painful, frequent contractions. I had to wait 4 hours for an anesthesiologist to be available for the epidural and, for me, it was very very painful. I wish I'd had it before the drip. But it might be a different story for women who are induced more transitionally with the pessary etc, I'm sure someone else will add their experience.

Take cool clothes like vests and shorts as my induction ward was like an oven. I also had a large water bottle that was handy. My induction progressed very quickly though so don’t think inductions are always long and drawn out.

@MnM156 I have no experience of a labour without the drip, but I am given to understand that contractions with the drip are more painful than those without. However, there is no reason you can't take a wait and see approach to pain relief. That's exactly what I did, and while I needed a higher level of pain relief than I hoped I would (diamorphine), I have zero regrets. The danger is, that should you want an epidural later in your labour, you might have to wait a while, or even not be able to get one at all.

I had a slightly different experience to MsFrog, in that while I did have the regular induction process of pessaries and ARM, I was in no way in labour until the drip was put up. However, I didn't get 0-60 contractions immediately. I needed the drip dialled up to the penultimate max dose before I was contracting strongly and regularly enough to be called active labour. This meant I got an hour or two of build up of labour which really helped.

@Stargazer87 Absolutely bring your own pillow! Not OTT in the slightest. I work within the obstetric department, and every single colleague (including myself) who has had a baby bought their own.

As for reasons for the drip, once your waters are broken, you're at risk of developing an infection. If contractions don't start on their own, the drip will start them for you. If you're contracting on your own, with broken waters, but not dilating/progressing at a suitable rate, the drip can be used to augment your contractions.

@Dyra thank you so much for your detailed reply. It's very helpful. I know that I am being induced in next 5 days and know the foley balloon method they are using but nobody told me about the drip or the possible use of an epidural. I should have researched more...now I feel like I know nothing lol. I guess I am just a FTM going with the flow. Hope everything goes well for me and the little one.

@Stargazer87 @MnM156
Please don’t worry about the induction process and epidurals etc ❤️ Everyone is very different!
If it’s your first baby then statistically the induction process usually takes longer. I had induction last month with my first baby due to baby measuring above 97th centile. I had 3 pessaries then waters broken by doctor and was put on the drip. Milder contractions started an hour after the first pessary and I was 39 hours from first pessary to delivery.

Was it painful? Yes. And yes, the drip definitely made things more intense pretty quickly but I went with the “wait and see what I need” approach to pain relief and managed on gas and air. They did try and push me to have an epidural before they started the drip though so be prepared for that if you’d rather not have one straight away. Just be firm about your choice 🤷🏻‍♀️
Everything I looked at before my induction told me I’d probably end up needing forceps or ventous delivery or an emergency section so I was really nervous but none of that happened to me, even with a bigger baby! I did have a small internal tear that needed some stitches but no other issues 😊

In terms of anything extra to pack - if you have a small hand held fan then take that. Induction suite was roasting 😳 I also wasn’t allowed my partner in until active labour and I was put in a ward by myself being checked every 3 hours by a midwife. I also wasn’t allowed to leave the room due to covid restrictions so couldn’t even go out for a walk! I was SO bored so take lots of entertainment! Download some tv shows, take a book etc 😊

A long, loose skirt. There's a fair amount of checks during an induction if you have the gel, so a long loose skirt was a god send as it meant I didn't have to be completely naked from the waist down but didn't have to mess around taking knickers on and off.