Induction on Saturday!

[gds05]

I'm going to be 39 weeks on Saturday, I had a growth scan yesterday and doctors have offered an induction if I would like one. The alternative is wait to see if I go into labour naturally but will require scans every week and CTG monitoring 2x a week.

I'm extremely conflicted on what to do. The doctor didn't strongly advise either option. My baby's growth has been inconsistent throughout my pregnancy, 2 weeks ago he dropped to 10th centile, yesterday he is around the 20th centile so there has been some growth. Previous scans show he was small then grown, then small again. I know these scans can also be incredibly inaccurate. I have been in 2x over 2 days last week due to reduced movements as well.

It doesn't help that all I seem to find is stories of how awful inductions are! I know only I can make this decision but as this is my first pregnancy its incredibly overwhelming with the added stress that my hospital is over an hour away due to my local hospital being closed by CQC.

I had two inductions. My second was much better because I didn’t feel frightened - I did the whole labour on gas and air. Try not to feel anxious, induction really doesn’t have to be a terrible process - it can be long though, so make sure you have a funny movie downloaded to watch while you are waiting, and earbuds to listen to music!🎶

I had no particular fear of going overdue, had gone 10 days over with my first, with my 3rd, I had this feeling I needed to have him sooner. I asked for a sweep at 38 + 3, went into labour and had him within 6 hours. For some reason, the midwives discovered after it came out that the placenta had started calcifying and it would have been a really bad idea to wait. I still don’t know why but my instinct was completely right.

Oh wow! To be honest I’ve been concerned throughout about measurements on scans and been worried about it.

im finding it so hard to know what’s best as the doctor hasn’t strongly advised either option. My normal midwife is off sick as well!

@gds05 and @DogsandDungareesgood luck to both pf you got Saturday. How lovely getting to meet your LOs at last! Dare we hope for live birth updates?

Thank you but I’ve decided to cancel my induction! I don’t want to be stuck in hospital for a long period of time and don’t want the increased c section risk either.

You may not be stuck in hospital for ages - I arrived at 4pm, did a load of faffing around with paperwork etc and was ready to leave with the baby at 2am. I stayed as then they could do the newborn checks in the morning rather than me come back again, but it doesn't always take ages or end in a c section.
And what you have described re movements is exactly what they want you to go in for - it's rare that a baby stops moving completely, and it's not good news if that happens. Normally it's less movements or not as powerful.
I really hope things go smoothly for you, and that the induction was being extra cautious and you get away with waiting. But if you have doubts, call them back and rebook it.

Thank you! I called to cancel but they still want me to go down for the planned time. They said they’ll do some checks (CTG, vaginal exam, BP) and I can talk to the doctor again to make a decision but if I don’t want to go ahead I can go home which makes me feel a bit better.

My BP has been higher than usual the last few times when I’ve gone in, the normal for me is quite low and I also feel my fingers are slightly swollen so maybe that is worth checking out tomorrow.

I was 5 days off my due date. With my son what hadn’t been picked up was I had a placental abruption. We are both very lucky we made it out alive. If they had known I would have had a planned c section. He was long and really thin when he came out even the midwife was shocked he was 7 1/2lb we guessed he would be 5 1/2 lb. So he wasn’t getting all the nutrients he needed. But after a few weeks of me breastfeeding he put on weight quickly. So he was better out than in.

I ended up having the induction, no sign of baby yet! Second dose of the gel made me hyperstimulate and ended up having some oral morphine to help. The sent my husband home as well which didn’t help matters!

Baby is back to back so I’m actually debating an epidural now but the thought of that terrifies me!

Started my induction with pessary at 7pm last night, I sent my husband home to rest. Waters broke by themselves at 4am now getting some pains…. Hoping my husband wakes back up again soon so he can help me and bring me some dry pjs in! I wasn’t expecting my waters to go

OP, my DD had her first without an epidural and second with, and said she doesn’t know why she was ever doubtful: that she’d recommend it to anyone. Good luck however your baby comes - at the end of the day, you just want you and the baby to be healthy, and better to have intervention and a happy outcome.

Can you talk this through with the MW?

Epidurals are the best, don’t be scared of them. I had one when my baby was back to back and it worked amazingly. Also, taking all the pain away helped me think more clearly and calmly when making decisions.

Hope your husband comes back soon. It’s so hard not having your support person there! I wish they didn’t send husbands away, it really doesn’t help! Hand hold from me

Have the contractions stopped hyper stimulating now? How is baby’s heart rate? Can they break your waters yet?

if you're still thinking about an epidural why not ask to speak to the anaesthetist now? It's much easier to have the conversation before you're in pain having frequent contractions. Also, it's worth looking at the labourpains.org website which has a really handy information sheet about epidurals that some places use as part of their consent process. (doi: anaesthetist...always happy to come to the antenatal ward to have the chat if we're not in theatre)

I would ask for the epidural now especially as given it’s a Sunday night you could be in for a bit of a wait otherwise! During my induction I asked for a csection and waited 9 hours for it on a Sunday evening as there wasn’t an anaesthetist free.

I was induced at 36+6 with dd2 (3rd
baby) as I was really unwell with pregnancy induced kidney problems. It was fairly straightforward - pessary at 6am, she was born at 6pm. They thought she’d be quite small but was 7lb15, which for me was actually small as my others had been 9lb and almost 10lb (both born before due date).

I understand the worry though! When you’re told they need to get out as it’s safer that way, it’s really worrying. I was on strong painkillers for kidney stones and there was a risk she’d be born addicted (luckily she wasn’t). But my kidney function was decreasing and for both of us we needed her on the outside in case I needed treatment.

Here’s hoping it all goes well, I’ll be thinking of you x

How are you doing now @gds05?

baby boy arrived safely yesterday at 5.59pm! Glad I went for the induction as I’m being treated for suspected sepsis!

Congratulations on your baby boy!! Marvellous news! So glad he arrived safely and induction was a success!! Poor you re the sepsis! Hope you feel better soon.

Congratulations!! Glad you're getting to have some baby cuddles!

Having also been treated for suspected sepsis after a bad mastitis infection, what I wish someone had told me is that it's totally normal to continue to feel really wiped and ill after the IV antibiotics are finished. Your body has been hit by a huge infection (and for you labour too!) and then pummelled by antibiotics which knock everything out of whack. Hugs.

Hey OP.

Just wanted to say I hope you are okay, making decisions like this is so tricky X

I don't have any advice as such but wanted to let you know I had an induction at 37.5 weeks for my little boy. Although it ended in a c section (he was just too comfy up there!), absolutely nothing about the process was terrible at any point. I went through most of the induction methods, pessary (broke my waters) gel which started contractions, hormone drip (with an epidural) which was fine I had no pain. He just didn't want to budge. I also had a very good recovery from my c section. I had been really terrified at the idea of maybe needing to have one but I had no issues with pain or healing and was back to a normal activity level.

I was glad I chose the induction which was recommended due to concerns about the placenta. I felt it was better to err on the side of caution.

Good luck xx

Huge congratulations @gds05. I hope you’re recovering from the infection and getting to know your new DS