induction at 38 weeks! HELP

[fabulousmama]

hey guys
i went for my 38 week growth scan today which i’ve been having every two weeks, however this time they said the baby hasn’t put much weight on since the last one and my placenta has stopped working within the last two weeks so nutrients and oxygen isn’t getting to my baby as it should.

so they said they need to induce me for safety of the baby as baby can be distressed in stomach. they’ve booked me in for two days time and i am very nervous! has this happened to anyone else?

my original birth plan was to give birth in a birth centre and naturally. but now it’s gonna have to be in hospital on a labour ward. i’m very nervous and anxious about induction because ive heard it’s more painful than normal as they do things internally as in insert things and also break your waters too. does anyone have any experience or stories which they have gone through?

also for those who have been induced before, how quick did you go into labour after that? X

This happened to me with ds2. Hadn’t grown since my growth scan at 36 weeks and my placenta was falling. I was admitted for induction at 37 weeks but it was so busy delivery was shit so I ended up being38 weeks when he was born. It was a very positive and straight forward delivery and induction for me. No need for any interventions etc,

Ds was obviously smaller than expected (he defo looked to me less than his 38 weeks compared to my other babies) but otherwise he was fine and no need for any extra care. We were in a few days because I was StrepB positive

same issue with my placenta happened with DD 15 months later. So she was also induced at 38 weeks but she looked much more like a 38 weeker and had had normal
growth since my last growth scan. Again induction was fine and no need for interventions

my first baby was also an induction at 42 weeks so it’s all I know and all have mine have been very positive with amazing midwives

oh wow! how soon after induction did you give birth? because my doctor said it should be within 2-3 days x

My induction took 24 hours. 6 hour labour but too late for any pain relief( they were about to put the second pessary in and realised I was 4cm). All my contractions were in my back.

induction on itself was quite boring- just waiting around for things to get moving.
born at 38 weeks and apart from a little jaundice nice and healthy

I was induced with DD2 at 38 weeks due to reduced movements and restricted growth (placenta failing). From first pessary to birth it was around 10 hours, but from first contraction to birth it was around 45 minutes or so, would have been less but I needed an episiotomy.
DD2 was obviously small but once out she absolutely thrived and you'd never know she was the smaller baby.
I had a very quick and straight forward birth with DD1 too so aside from being induced it pretty much mirrored that experience.

Should add, aside from episiotomy I had no intervention at all, my waters went naturally while I was pushing. The labour was no more painful that my first, I actually found it calmer as even though it was fast I knew what to expect

I was induced at 38 weeks for the opposite reason that baby was big. I went in on a Monday at 2pm and had 3 pessaries over the course of more than 24 hours and nothing. Finally in the early hours of the Wednesday morning, they broke my waters manually and put me on the drip. I was in agony and asked for an epidural right away. DS was eventually born by emergency c section at 6,30pm that night.

Try and think of the end goal, your beautiful baby.

So nice to read some positive experiences.
I'm 41 weeks and have so far held off all offers of a sweep to get things moving. My first DC was spontaneous labour on my due date and was a positive experience. I think I was so sure that it would be a similar experience second time around that I have also worked myself up (and read too many bad experiences) about having to be induced.
Sweep being done tomorrow but under no illusions that induction is now looking highly likely. At this stage the anxiety about induction is comparable to the anxiety of being overdue and waiting for a natural labour.
Wishing you all the best OP.

Oooh wow! was the induction painful? omg 6 hour labour sounds good! hope mine goes as well as yours x

I went in on a Tuesday baby was born on a Friday. My induction felt long. I panic when I’m in pain so had an epidural on my birth plan and I’d had my waters broken then they gave me one a few hours after. It was all fine except how long it took I really wanted to get home on Saturday!! There were a few painful bits but I got through it.

I was induced at 37 weeks with DD2. Was a quicker labour, and less painful, than DD1 when I wasn't induced. I know it's maybe a bit different because it was my second birth, but I was absolutely terrified beforehand but it was actually totally fine and much more pleasant than the first time.

I've had two inductions. Both I didn't go into labour until the drip went up. IME the expectation it'll take a few days is due to one (or both) of two reasons. First reason is because it takes a few attempts with pessaries/balloons to get the cervix to the needed dilation to break waters. Second reason is because there's not enough beds/staff.

With my first, pessary to baby was around 32 hours. My second was 110 hours, but that was entirely due to reason 2. While I was sat at 2cm ready to go within 6 hours of the first gel, there was also a baby boom at the time. So lots of women coming in in spontaneous labour. As a result there wasn't enough spare staff and beds to continue any inductions unless their waters had spontaneously broken, or things had changed for the worse with mum and/or baby. The wait sucked, but it was what it was.

Wishing you both the best @fabulousmama and @MumJourney .

I was induced at 38 weeks. 3 lots of pessaries didn't work so had to wait 24hrs to start again.

2 pessaries in second time my labour stated. I had pethidine and gas and air. I didn't find labour that painful in all honesty and had an overall good experience of induction. They're not all bad. Good luck x

Sorry forgot to mention DS was born 38+3.

Started not stated!

Hi,

I got induced at 39+3 due to my BP, everyone's experience is different with induction, but I had a gel pessary inserted at 1.30pm and then progressed naturally without any further intervention and was 4cm by 8am next morning. I managed the contractions overnight on just paracetamol but you can ask for codeine if you need.

You can request gas and air for internal examinations but I didn't find it necessary, it is similar to a smear test - uncomfortable but not painful.

Use the gym ball and keep moving about which will help.

Some women need multiple pessaries and eventually to go on the drip (which I didn't experience so can't comment) but it really is a case by case basis.

I think hardest bit about induction is the unpredictability of it all and length of time it might take to get you into established labour. It can be a long drawn out process for some which can get boring/frustrating.

Personally for me, I was tracking my contractions on my phone and they were increasing in frequency and intensity. So I knew things were progressing nicely.

I was transferred to labour ward when I was 4/5cm and managed on gas & air until eventually I had an epidural (best thing ever in my view) and they broke my waters.

I would say go with the flow, take plenty of things to keep you occupied magazines/music/iPad with films on, plenty of snacks, phone chargers, comfy pjs and slippers etc. You might be in it for the long haul or you might end up progressing quickly, everyone is different but please try not to fear it and trust your midwife.

I actually found induction and giving birth a really positive experience.

I'm being induced at 38 weeks on Monday so I'm here for solidarity rather than to give advice! Best of luck x

I was induced at 39+4 due to concerns about reduced movement. My son was only 6lbs when he was born, so my doctor thinks it was undiagnosed IUGR. As a result I will be monitored very closely at the end of this pregnancy and if the baby stops growing I'll have to deliver early.

I had an epidural once the contractions started to intensify, which I really recommend. Unfortunately my body just wasn't ready to give birth and I ended up having to have a C-section because my baby was getting tired.

It wasn't at all how I had hoped to give birth, and I felt quite sad about it for a few weeks afterwards, but I'm OK with it now.

Ultimately, I think that most women who don't want an ELCS have this idea that they are going to give birth in the birthing centre, or at home, maybe in a pool, with dim lights and relaxing music, and they will just breathe their baby out. In reality, it doesn't work like that very often. Whilst it's a good idea to have a plan about how you'd like to give birth in an ideal world, I think it's also a good idea not to be too wedded to it. The most important thing is that both you and the baby are safe and healthy.

Last time I was really hoping to go into labour spontaneously, stay at home for as long as possible, then have an uncomplicated vaginal birth without an epidural. I ended up with a balloon catheter, having my waters broken, a syntocinon drip and a full day in labour before having a C-section at nearly midnight when I was exhausted and dispirited. Thankfully, after a couple of weeks, and once my post birth hormones had calmed down and my scar was healing well, I was able to appreciate the fact that I had a beautiful healthy baby and was recovering well.

This time, I would also like to go into labour spontaneously, stay at home for as long as possible, then have an uncomplicated vaginal birth and an epidural only if I feel I want one. But I am also more realistic than I was before. And I also know I don't want to spend a day in induced labour if it looks like it's not going to work. And I also very much do not want to put my baby at risk. So I'm going to go with the flow a bit more. I'll go for regular appointments and growth scans to check the baby is OK in there. I'll bounce on my ball and do lots of walking and everything I can think of to try and get the baby to move down into the right position. And I'll accept that it is to a certain extent out of my hands. If my doctor decides that we need to get the baby out and my body is showing absolutely no signs of going into labour spontaneously, I might just go for an elective C-section because I already know what to expect. If my body looks like it's not far off going into labour spontaneously, I might give the induction a try, but with a view to moving to a C-section much earlier if it looks like it isn't working.

The main thing for me is that I was treated really well by the doctors and midwives and I felt supported. I hope the same is true for you, because it makes all the difference.

Good luck!

@fabulousmama induction itself wasn't painful, just a bit uncomfortable when they put the pessary in. couldn't leave hospital grounds once it was in but could go for a walk, to the cafe etc.