Induction practicalities

[serialplanner]

If you have had an induction before...

My husband can be with me from the start but I'm a FTM and heard it could be ages before anything happens. Like it's 24 hours before they check you after the first pessary (I don't think they will let me go home like some of you)

Should I do this by myself and let my husband stay at work (working from home 15 mins away from the hospital) so as not to waste his paternity leave? Or is it ridiculous to think I won't want someone with me?

I had a very unusual induction experience (long story but it failed, I had a bad reaction to the pessary but then a short spontaneous labour) and I needed DH advocating for me. But he was able to be there without using paternity. I think my experience isn’t typical and if the induction had been normal I’d have been ok alone to start with.

As long as he can get there quickly I’d go it alone to start with. But he needs to be prepared if you need him.

Personally for me absolutely nothing happened in the first 24h. I was there for four hours before I even got the pessary.
I think if he works close by then there's no harm on him going into work provided your happy and won't be anxious without him.

I had an induction with DC1. I didn’t ‘need’ my partner but I was glad we had decided he would stay. Wasn’t allowed to go home but was encouraged to walk around the grounds to get things going. Pessary put in at 11am, contractions began at 2pm. Not painful but uncomfortable enough that I wouldn’t have left the ward without someone with me (and would’ve gone bats* crazy on the ward) and by 5pm when they got stronger I was glad of the company/distraction. When they checked after the 1st pessary (9am the next day) and popped the 2nd in, I did need him for support, was not expecting it to be that sore!

This was March 2020 though, a week or so before lockdown (it’s when the U.K. cases hit the news, we had nothing better to do than refresh the BBC!). Not sure what the rules are now about leaving the ward or walking on the outside grounds of the hospital etc. but I would factor that into the decision.

My partner started his paternity leave on the first day of my induction. It was an outpatient induction and nothing happened for the first 24hrs but I feel like it would have been difficult negotiating being dropped and picked up from the hospital whilst he was still working and definitely wanted him there for visiting hours when I was properly admitted. He did add two weeks of holiday onto the end of his paternity though so we had a bit more time to play with

@Keyboard91 thank you! And when you say the next day at 9am had your husband just been sleeping in a chair next to you?

He keeps telling me not to worry about him but I don't want DH sleep deprived and uncomfortable when baby and I will need him. But think I need to let it go!

I went into a very fast and intense labour 2 hours after the first pessary and there's no way I could have handled not being with my husband throughout.

As far as I'm aware, dads are entitled to time off work for any baby appointment and as the baby hasn't yet been born with an induction, surely you shouldn't be starting paternity leave at that point?

Thanks everyone!

Sounds like it is best he attends. Whether it's a shock fast labour or a bit of company.

@serialplanner yes he did, he wouldn’t leave me (even when I said to go home and shower and sleep in a bed and eat proper food!). I was actually grateful as it was a really difficult night of contracting every 5 minutes (but not active labour) which was painful and quite unnerving as a FTM but I think I could’ve managed that but with phone calls and messaged. This was before any covid restrictions were brought in. I doubt he will be able to stay all night in August when we have this one induced (and I want him to stay home with DC1 for as long as possible). Difference being I know what to expect to some extent this time!

When I was induced my husband stayed when I had the pessary put in and until the evening but as nothing was happening I told him to go home and get some sleep, same with the next day - he came in for the day to give me company and Incase anything happened but nothing did until I had the drip put in - then it was go time within 45 minutes! But I do think it's best he's there for the first day if possible incase your body reacts well to the pessary! Good luck!

Another viewpoint. I’m going to be induced in the next week or two and I won’t be allowed to go home. I’m telling my husband to go back to work while I have pessary/cook balloon. But I have been induced before so I’m pretty sure nothing will happen until they set the drip. FWIW last time they put the balloon in 9pm Tuesday night and didn’t set the drip till Friday morning... so DH had two days of hanging around. That was fine when he was with me but now he won’t be able to I see no point.

Hi @serialplanner

I’ve been induced twice and both times it happened very quickly! I know for many it takes days but I just want to offer the other side of the coin... for my first baby I had the pessary at 9am and was told they would check me in 8 hrs.. 2 hrs later I was having full on contractions - but it was clear the midwife on the induction ward didn’t believe me when I said how full on they were. Another 2hr later I felt like I needed to go to the loo - again the me wasn’t interested and insisted nothing could be happening this fast. 30 mins after that I started mooing like a cow and shouting I need to push!! At this point the mw leapt into action panicked and pushed the alarm and I ended up being wheeled round to the delivery suit on a hospital bed. Another 45mins later I delivered my baby boy. Delivery in just over 5hrs from the pessary being inserted.

Second induction I explained I laboured fast but again I could tell they didn’t believe me. This time I had the pessary at 2pm and delivered at 8.40pm. I didn’t even make it to delivery ward and had the baby in the induction suite as again they didn’t believe how far along I was.

I’m not trying to scare you at all, both times once they realised it was time to push I had all the support and help I needed and both babies were absolutely fine. I just think it’s important to realise induction can be a quick process and if you feel you are progressing quickly insist that they listen to you. You will know your body when the time comes! Xx

@Honey2 thank you! That's encouraging too it's not always 3 days lol

My induction took the full 72 hours then a further 24 hours til baby born.
It was our first and my partner started his paternity leave from the first day I went in. Looking back we were so naive to think it would be a quick trip 😂 it was just annoying as he wasted 3 days of leave just waiting. If we ended up having another induction I would definitely go alone and call him x

When I was being induced there were women in the ward who'd had the first pessary three days previously, and then it had been so busy they hadn't been able to go on to the next stage. My own experience was quicker (but not so much so that someone couldn't have easily come to the hospital in time), but yeah, could be lengthy.

My induction was before lockdown but just to say, I had the induction at 10pm and a couple hours later contractions started and I was in established labour by the morning and glad that hubby had been there to help me through it all especially with a back to back labour. All in all from having induction to giving birth it was 24 hours. Everyone is so different I guess there’s no way of telling.

I was told that I wouldn't be allowed home but in the event they did offer me the option and I took it. My contractions had started by the time I left the hospital and my waters broke that night (it was another 48 hours after that till baby actually arrived and when I went back when my waters broke they kept sending my home because they had no beds or staff so in retrospect I wish I'd just stayed put).

I'd have struggled to drive home from the hospital the first time with contractions so glad he was there, that and moral support obviously. The long stretch where I was contracting but not much else happening I didn't strictly need him but I was glad he was around

You're nicer than me, I did send him to sleep when he could but in the event he was nearly as knackered and sleep deprived as me by the time baby arrived and I just thought oh well suck it up He got to go home at night and sleep whilst I was in the postnatal ward for nearly a week with the baby so he did ok really.

I had my husband with me from the start of my induction. I'm not sure if he started paternity leave, or if he managed to get it as annual leave though.

As it was our first baby, I wanted him there as a handhold, as I was quite nervous. I'd already been in hospital for a week by this point as well, so I really wanted company. I think I also had foolish dreams that it would all happen quite quickly. 😅

In hindsight, it was a bit pointless him being there for the gel pessary stage. It was nice having him there to talk to, but ultimately he was really bored. There was nothing he could do for me, other than march around the hospital grounds (pre-Covid) with me, and chat while I was having monitoring/checks. I would have been perfectly content entertaining myself without him tbph.

Thanks everyone. Decided he will come but it helps his work has agreed to 2 weeks hols after pat leave. I do feel sorry for induced couples where it is just two weeks! As if you need extra things to think about xx