Just caught up on all your messages - @CherLW good luck girl, you can go this! @crobo87 gutted for you, hope PCR comes back negative! @SP2Bx I totally share your feelings re: community midwifery. Well done you for doing your own research!
@leftitlate37 @Mamabearwhere @MrsTD88 thank you for your kind words.
So... here is what's happened today. Apologies in advance, for this is going to be an essay.
Went in at 8am, concerned about his movements. They put me on a monitor. MW can't find his heartbeat. At this point, I felt really unwell: heart rate went through the roof, pale in the face, cold sweat, nearly sick. When I finally managed to get my own nerves under control, she was able to tell between my heart rate and his. Monitored for good hour: 30 minutes of which he was asleep and the rest active with a variety of spikes and drops. Nothing I haven't seen before on a CTG. One of the MWs came in and asked if I had any concern re: his movements before. I said there was a moment last week but I was reassured on the phone and the movements came back instantly. So basically everything that happened next came on the back of that comment.
Next thing you know there is a doctor in the room telling me this is quite serious and she recommends induction, leaving me under impression that her recommendation is based on CTG and his heart rate. Offers two options: either they start induction today, or I come back tomorrow for a scan and more monitoring but chances are based on what she can see on CTG they will have to induce anyway, so why not do it now?
In that moment, I have no idea what happened to me. I just agreed with her. No questions asked. Nothing.
They put me on antenatal ward. DH allowed 16:00-22:00. It was 10am. So he went home. As I am settling in in my bay (shared room, 3 more ladies, all for induction), I realise what I have done. Agreed to a pessary and 24hr on the ward, then another pessary if necessary and another 24hr on the ward. If I don't need the second pessary, they will go straight to breaking my waters. That alone might not bring on labour. Another 24hr would pass and the only option left is the drip. My pain threshold is pretty high, but even I don't think I can do the drip without epidural.
So I am sat there thinking what the hell just happened?? How did I end up agreeing to this without anyone actually explaining the process of induction step-by-step to me? The other reason I know what's going to happen is because I have done my research and am prepared. But they don't know that...
12pm, 1pm, 2pm... Nothing is happening. At 3pm, MW comes in and puts me on a monitor. Everything is fine, no concerns raised. DH comes in at 4 and we are sort of trying to relax and laugh about it but I am increasingly starting to get anxious about my decision.
4pm-9pm nothing is happening. At 9pm, another MW comes is and tells me she is very busy and if I want to get the process started, I can go back to the Assessment Unit (where I was earlier) and they will do both CTG and pessary, as they are not as busy tonight. Okay, fine. We go back to the Unit.
And this is where it all changed. MW whom I've not met before comes in and is a little puzzled by the whole situation. Why did they decide to induce me in the first place but also keep me in hospital rather than let me go home after the pessary? I try to explain what I've been told but she says that my notes say I have been IN for reduced movements twice in the last 7 days which requires in-patient induction (which is obvs wrong). I could tell she was not in favour of the plan and instantly felt relieved. New plan was hatched. More monitoring (all fine), sweep (showed I am 1cm dilated and she managed to go what she called a "good sweep"), come back for a scan tomorrow afternoon, more monitoring and if all is well, I am back in low-risk group. No induction under 40w+12. Back to the home birth.
On the way home, I could not stop kicking myself. How on earth did I manage to get myself swayed so quickly?
PS the boy is happily kicking and I am actually recording all the moments (start and finish time) to be on a safe side