Early induction-what to expect?

[banana]

After seeing the m/w yesterday about my SPD she gave me the feeling that they would be willing to induce early, although she wanted me to see the physio first. Obviously I have about 8 weeks to think about this and about 6 weeks before I start pushing the issue. Have just been on google about early induction and am now scared that I will end up with either serious interventions or an emergency CS, both of which I want to avoid.

So, those who were induced early, what was your experience like and would you do it again?

[Candlelight]

mmmm i was wondering whether to reply to this or not, but I am

Sorry you're having such a hard time

I was induced at 37 weeks with Oliver cause of my diabetes and my body was just not ready, after 4 days of gels, drips and everything else I was 1cm dilated and ended up having an emergency caesarian

That said, if you are more ready than my body was, it might well be successful. I know lots of people who were induced successfully at the same stage so it's impossible to know until you are induced to see how your body reacts. I think if you dilate enough so your waters break etc then you're usually well on the way, but they could never do that to me as Oliver was still so high up

After that they wouldn't induce me again so with my 2nd baby I had an elective caesarian

[Peridot]

There are plenty of people on here with very positive stories I think it is fair to say though that you do have higher chances of an instrumental birth or a csection if you are induced, statisically it is quite a bit higher (I think as high as 60%) and I don't think there is much you can do to avoid that other than to try and make sure your cervix is at least favourable before you are induced.

I was induced at 37 weeks with Thomas (36 weeks by my dates, 37 by theres) & my body did NOT want to go into labour at all. (I had pre-eclampsia which is why I was induced)
I was given 3 doses of the gel and didn't dilate at all, they tried to break my waters several times over 36 hours but nothing. they would have left me 24 hours and started it all again but Thomas became very distressed so I had an emergency section.

My story isn't the best and I don't think its worth worrying that it would be the same but I wish that I had've been examined 1st and told there was little to no chance that my body would go into labour, with that in mind I could've asked them to have just kept me in hospital for a little longer or to have had a scheduled csection.

As I said though there are plenty of people on here who have had very successful labours and births after being induced

[katkinn]

I've literally just done a reply on Emgem's thread about early induction!!

And I asked a very similar question a number of weeks ago and had some fantastic advice so it's probably worth doing a search and having a read through.

Essentially you want to google the Bishop's Score which will give you an indication of whether or not an induction is likely to be successful or not.

Best of luck!

[Blonde Girl]

I wish that I had've been examined 1st and told there was little to no chance that my body would go into labour, with that in mind I could've asked them to have just kept me in hospital for a little longer or to have had a scheduled csection.

I am likely to have an early delivery following losing Charlie last year, and my consultant has said that unless I am looking likely for induction (i.e. a good Bishops Score) that there is no way he would even attempt it and I will be booked in for a section instead.

He is very anti trying an induction if my body just isn't 'ready' for labour as the likelihood of a section is very high.

Sorry that isn't a v positive response but I am just repeating what my cons says.

[Princess Fiona]

I was induced at 36wks exactly because my baby had IUGR (inter uterine growth restriction/retardation) and it was an ok experience.

It did unfortunately end in a very dramatic emergency c-section but that was because baby's hand came down in front of his head so if i'd have tried to deliver him naturally he'd have been born with a broken arm, neck and possibly back

I was given a pessary the 1st afternoon of induction and then monitored for i think 6 hours, i started getting mild pains straight away almost and then i was given another pessary. Nothing much happened and i slept through the majority of the night until the MW's came in at about 3am and decided to try and break my waters. It was just not happening so i was left somemore and given a sweep. I was then given my final dose of gel this time and nothing more really happened. I then had my waters broken which for me was truly horrendous i swear i thought i'd died on that table, it was particulary bad because Max wasn't enagaged into my pelvis when they started the induction and hadn't started to move downwards, so whilst i had a Dr with the amni-hook inside me i had 2 MW's pushing down on my bump forcing Max's head down into my pelvis, which in hindsight was probably the worst move they made as it also forced his hand down into my vagina I was put straight on a hormone drip when my waters broke and things started moving v quickly after a couple of hours i asked for pain relief and the MW examined me to find that Max's arm was out and before i knew it i was gowned up and in theatre.

My consultant said before i was induced that i was ok to be induced and that she didn't envisage any problems, i suppose its just hit and miss really. I think though the fact that Max wasn't engaged was the main problem if his head had been enagaged into my pelvis there would have been less chance of him moving iyswim.

[Sarasue]

I had a similar experience to Peridot. Induced at 34 weeks due to pre eclampsia.

I don't really think that my experiences are relevant as my body was in no way ready to go into labour and I think inducing someone who is "nearly there" and someone who is "not even close" are two different situations and likely to have wildly different outcomes.

My body was totally not ready to give birth and the induction was awful to be frank. My sister was induced at 39 weeks and it was absolutely fine, she had an epidural in place and it was all very civilized .

Good luck!

[Shoppie]

Last time I went naturally and ended up with a crash c-section, this time the consultant has said they will assess em for induction at 38 weeks but if its nowhere near it will be a c-section as per BG's post

[Lynz39]

I was induced at 38 weeks due to bad SPD and the fact that they thought Rory was a 9lb baby. I had a show on the morning I was due to go in and had had really strong BH`s the whole evening before. When I went in a student gave me an internal exam then gave me my pessary. The contrations started within an hour and I had a relatively straight forward labour (although SPD made the pain very bad). Apparently though my cervix was slightly open when the student gave me the pessary. Had anyone else examined me they wouldnt have given the pessary as your not supposed to if the cervix is dilated. Anyway it suited me fine and he came along in a reasonably straight forward labour. He was only 7lb 1 oz in the end!!

[Mrs Flowers]

I was induced at 36+6 due to pre eclampsia. I was not 'ripe' for induction, however it did go well and progress and I had a normal delivery. My consultant reckoned, though it doesn't tie in with the other experiences here, that people with pre eclampsia often have fairly quick births and respond well (I guess when term 37+ weeks) to induction as if the body 'knows' the only way to get better is to get baby out.

I was given 3 prostin pessaries. After tne 2nd I suddenly got quite a bit of pain and urge to go on hands and knees as it was only comfortable position. I was told this was baby moving down into my pelvis. I'm glad that happened as I think that's why my induction went quite well - baby was in place to 'come down'.

A few hours after 3rd pessary I was in quite a lot of pain. My pre eclampsia also suddenly got worse so I was hooked up to pre eclampsia medicine on a drip, plus normal drip, plus syntocin and they broke my waters. In my case it didn't hurt at all. I was 3cm so asked for epidural due to having constant painful long contractions (I think that's quite normal in induction).

After epidural was in, all was fine. I was in 'active' labour ie 3cm - pushing for 10hrs. I think I could've starting pushing a little earlier but there was a shift change (I had lots of pushing urges but was told not to - but I did a little hehehe )! I was told baby was quite low down the birth canal already. This was handy as it only took 20 mins to push her out.

So although my pre eclampsia was not nice and the medication for that not nice, the induction and birth was quite positive!!