Just wondered if anybody has had GD but managed to stay diet controlled and been able to walk around during their induction?

I'm a FTM with diet controlled GD. Meeting with the obstetrician at the end of the week to get my date for induction and talk about delivery but I'm anxious they'll tell me I can't have a water birth or even get off the bed while I'm labouring. I really don't want to be stuck on a hospital bed so I'm interested to hear other people's experiences of labour with diet controlled GD so I can at least 'argue' (for want of a better word) my point if necessary!

Even if you're hooked to monitors you should still be able to stand near the bed. I was induced, but they didn't have me hooked up to monitors as she was already gone.

I don't know how having GD would affect it, but I think it might generally depend on how you are induced (drip vs. pessary) and frankly just what you want to do. I know it's totally possible to be mobile, have a water birth, and birth in an upright position with the pessary, as I know a few people who've done it. They might be a bit more grumpy about it if you do have GD and they think there might be other complications, unrelated to the induction. But you get the final say, no matter what, so if you want to be mobile, just tell them you aren't going to have continuous fetal monitoring. Actually, a lot of the research on fetal monitoring shows that periodic monitoring via doppler is as effective or more so than the one where they pretty much strap you to the bed. So I would discuss that option with them. Just let them check you every 15-20 minutes with the doppler, but stay up and walking around or in the pool. They can easily check you then wherever you are.

I was induced with diet controlled GD- it depends on your own labour and the hospital in question as to how things proceed. I don't think you'll be allowed a water birth- I was told from diagnosis of GD that I would be on the hospital ward because of the risk of complications (but I never wanted a water birth, so that was fine by me). My induction involved the gel at around 10pm on the night I arrived at the hospital (I was already 2cm when I arrived and had been having contractions-albeit slow ones- for about 24hrs). By 6am I was moved to labour and delivery, my waters were broken at 8am. To be honest I never wanted to leave the bed- my contractions until 10am were fine, every few minutes and breathable, a bit like heavy period pain. But then at ten thirty they started me on a drip to get my contractions going and they really hurt- they came one on top of another so that standing would have been near impossible. Even though I was still only 2cm they gave me an epidural so I could cope with the pain- that left me bed bound, but again, I didn't mind. Walking was the least of my concerns. And once I had the epidural I half-slept- my sister and fiancee said that I seemed really peaceful. By 2pm I was fully dilated- I topped up my epidural and was ecstatic when Benjamin was born just after 5pm. Don't worry too much about labour beforehand- just follow what your midwife tells you (mine was fantastic) and consider your pain relief options. I was bed bound my entire labour and wouldn't have changed a thing. All the best.x

Thanks ladies! Roll on Friday when I will know more about when they want me!

Mindel, how many weeks were you when you were induced?

Xx

They wanted to induce me at 38 weeks, but the Monday I was supposed to go to the clinic and get my induction booked in was a public holiday and so it was put back by a week. I ended up being induced on the night I was bang on 39 weeks, and Ben was born at 39+1 at 7lbs 7oz and perfectly healthy.x

That's great to hear! Thank you. Glad it was all ok and 7lbs 7 is a nice weight! Even though my baby has been measuring ok, I'm still a bit anxious about the big baby thing!

Thanks for replying x

I was told my baby was big so got induced, he came out at 39+2 weighing 7lb 2oz!! So not big at all. I was induced the Saturday am by Tuesday evening after lots of gel they finally broke my waters and put me on the drip. They had the monitors on me constantly and i had to stay on the bed. I hated all of my labour, mainly because i was immobile through out. They said i could have a water birth if i went into labour naturally. But lets face it who goes into labour a week early with their 1st!!
This time around i am going to refuse an induction unless they can prove my baby is in danger.
Do what you think is right for your baby and you. xxx

They didn't give me my date as they previously advised they would and have another scan next week. I'm going to give them a bit of quizzi g and go from there! This whole estimating the babys weight thing seems a massive waste of time. They never seem to get it right! Thanks for your reply xx