Freaked out about induction

[Boomerslady]

As some of you saw on an earlier post, due to high BP I'm going to be induced if LO isn't here by his due date.

The whole process scares me, as I'll have to be in hospital for the entire process. My plan was to stay at home for as long as possible, then head in.

I'm really scared that my OH won't be able to be with me overnight in hospital while I could be contracting. Hospitals in general scare me (esp mine as they are forgetful and kinda useless!) one woman near me last night, had to wait 5 hours for pain relief a day after an emergency c section! I've had to wait a good 2 hours for paracetemol too!!!

If i feel like I can't control the situation (or at least have OH there to help£ I'm going to freak out big time.

Can anyone put my mind at rest over the whole thing??

Oh and also sm I more likely to need an epi?? Initially I wanted one, but I'd since decided i'd try with G&A and water....now it looks like that choice has gone.

Has anyone got any positive induction stories??

Thanks for any info you can give me.

 

[DaisyBee]

Wow ... someone had to wait 5 hrs for pain relief?! That is crazy!

I had an induction because of high bp and my little girl measured small on her most recent scan. I am in the U.S. so don't know if things are different where you are - but my dh could stay with me the whole time. I was there all night with the cervadil or whatever its called that softens your cervix. 12 hours later (next morning) they did my iv & started the pitocin. They broke my water sometime after lunch - I was dilated to 4 at that time and held off for my epidural only til 4pm. Was checked again at 4:15 and was still dilated to 4 but was finally 100% effaced - noone bothered to check me again til almost 6:00 when I was told it was time to push. 3 contractions of pushing & my little girl was born.

With being induced my contractions were very strong and very close together - but I was thankful that my labor wasnt horribly long. I was loving the epidural btw! But they dont have any gas/air over here.
Also regards to bp - it was monitored very closely the whole time i was in there - but for some reason instead of going higher with the pain of labor - it went down! So that was good news. Also - my girl weighed almost a pound more than thought by the scan.

Good luck! If I got through it - so can you!

 

[hudz26]

iv'e not had an induction hunni but with dd i had my labour speed-ed up with a drip, i knew nothing lol and was talked into an epi that i really didn't need, i have friends who have been induced and had nothing but gas and air, as for your oh staying if you are in a delivery suit or a side room yes he will but if you are on a ward then no he wont

all the best hun and keep us informed, the best advice i can give you is its your body and your baby, you stick to your guns and let them know what you want xxx

 

[Boomerslady]

Thanks ladies it's good to know it can be quite quick.

The way it works at my hospital is your on the maternity ward while you have the gel, drip etc. Once you're in active labour (4cms) they move you to the delivery suite.

So until I reach 4cms, which could take a while, my OH will only be allowed in during visiting hours, which is 10-12, then 2-9.

It just scares me that for over 12 hours I'll be all alone....he's my rock and without him I fall apart (sad I know!) also I'm worried that as we don't have a car we might have to spend a lot of money on cabs, getting my OH there in the middle of the night.

I know it's best for me and the baby, but I really don't rate my hospital, some of the MWs are rude and dismissive. I guess if it has to be done then so be it (I just thought, if I went overdue I guess I'll have to go through the same process) and at least I'll know he'll be here by Christmas.

Maybe it's just the reality of labour that's freaking me out! I've known all along that it's going to happen but it never seemed real!

 

[DaisyBee]

Can dh stay in a waiting room? cant believe they wont let him in... not like hes an actual visitor. I did my whole thing in the birthing room.

I know what you mean about seeming real. I was told they would all of a sudden one day say today is the day - but dont think i really believed it til it happened. But all worth it!!!

 

[Boomerslady]

I wish! We don't have waiting rooms over here

I just have to hope that they start it off as early as possible and by 9pm I'll be 4cms (doubt it very much!) ahh well I'll just have to play it by ear.

I might just refuse to let him leave!! If they make him go I'll discharge myself (wishful thinking!)

I'm gonna do all I can to make him come out this week!

 

[hudz26]

i would say explain it to them that you dont have your own transport so is there any way dh can stay? might not work but worth a shot?
xxxx

 

[Boony]

i was induced when i had my son.

I went in on a wednesday at 6pm and they monitored me for a half an hour. I was then induced at 7pm. I started having mild pains at 9pm but nothing major then at 12am they were starting to get worse so they gave me cocodamol by 3am the pains hadnt got any worse but i couldnt sleep either so they gave me pethidine to help me sleep between contractions. At 7am they told me i was ready to start pushing at by 7.31am he was here.

I didnt need an epi nore did i want one!

My hubby was allowed to be there the whole time but i had a private room.

Is there a cafe or something in the hospital that your OH could sit in or something until you reach 4cms?? My hospital has cages/restaurants all over the place.

 

[priddy]

With daughter I was admitted night before and had first prostin at about 7.30am started having like period pains at half 9 ish so rang hubby to come in (spent time wi out him trying to rest) went to labour ward at half 10 had waters broken had gas and air and pethidine and daughter was born after a back 2 back biirth at 2.30pm. Overall very quick not to painful and I was happy. Being nduced again this time at approx 38 wks and it doesnt worry me in the slightest. Dont get to worked up about it hun, try and take it as it comes u will be fine xxx

 

[caz81]

im the same as you i have high bp and going to be induced on due date (which is 20th as well lol) im also worried about being induced as i too want to have as natural a birth as possible and really really do not want an epidural just hoping she decides to turn up naturally before the 20th but bet she wont!!

 

[hattiehippo]

I'm getting induced on 22nd if baby hasn't arrived due to my up and down bp. I know it all sounds scary and I'm not too happy about all the intervention but I hope if I'm positive about it, it will go ok. And it does mean baby will be here for Christmas rather than waiting for afterwards.

I was at my hospital this am being montiored and the midwifes were telling another lady about the process there. They do the inductions in the Day Assessment Unit and if you're not dilated enough by the time they shut at 8pm then you have to go onto a ward overnight and any visitors have to leave until the morning. But if you're far enough along then you go to the labour ward and OH/birth partner can stay. Also they said they montior for up to an hour at a time but in between you're free to walk around, go to the cafe etc so there is still the chance to be active. Obviously you can't leave the hospital!

I know its going to scary if OH has to go home and leave me on my own but it will be a chance to sleep (hopefully!).
I'm hoping baby might decide to come before then - yours might too. Lots of walking and bouncing up and down to try and persuade them.

 

[suzanne108]

Are you a good actress lol, try crying, screaming, really freaking out when they ask OH to leave!

Thats crap they'd leave you in labour on your own xx

 

[hondagirl]

I was totally against being induced with this baby as I was induced with my first, it was 12 years ago and things have moved on since. having spent the last few days in hospital due to rocketing bp Ive been facing the induction question contantly and so now know a fair bit more than i did. bascially your cervix has to be 'favourable' for them to induce you. If its not then it wont work and you'll need a c section. What they will do ( or at least what my hospital does) is you go into the labour /delivery unit the night before, get assessed and then have the gel put in next to your cervix. this ripens it and with a bit of luck you will start to labour within a few hours, usually by morning. if you dont start off they will give you another dose then decide what to do after that. Partners do get chucked out at about 11pm and told to come back next morning BUT if you are in pain and struggling they wont just leave you to it, they would rather have your partner in to calm you down than leave you. For what its worth i have had a very postive experience this time round and the midwives have been brilliant. Good luck and stay positive!
xxx

 

[katieeandbump]

hellooo i cant give u any advice but i wish u the best of luck! u never know he may arrive early and u wont have to worry about a thing fingers crossed for you!! xxxx

 

[mummyjax]

I was induced the day before my due date due to high BP. I had two days notice and I was in a right panic about it. I was in at 2pm, and given pessary at 3pm. The contractions started at 7pm ish and I was told you could be here for a long time yet. They werent very sympathetic and it felt like a production line as you could hear all the other ladies. Thankfully by 9pm I was 4cm and shifted to the labour ward. I too was told my hubby would have to go if there was no progression. At this time I had morphine and was managing well.

I had gas and air in the labour ward and dont remember much but was struggling as the contractions were on top of each other and didnt get any chance to recover. I asked for an epidural but had gone from 4cm-9cm in 30 minutes and was told no. I know i pulled out my drip (which was there in case I needed something for BP if it got too high) was monitored for this contstantly, and baby was monitered closely. I also banged the gas and air mouthpiece off my head, which was bruised after cos I was finding it hard to cope. Daughter was born at 3am after an episiotimy and ventouse (pushed for an hour and nothing happened). So it was about 8 hours in labour but only a few hours of hard pain.

Probably havent helped to put you at ease but after she was born I had a manual extraction performed with only gas and air due to them thinking some of the placenta had been left behind and I have to say that was alot more painful than the birth itself. You forget about the labour but that I have never forgotten!

My 2nd was born in the car at a petrol station after a 2 1/2 hour labour ( i was 45 min from hospital). That was probably more scary than the induction because no one was there to tell me if i could push or if the cord was round her neck I just had to go with what I felt was right. At least in hospital, the drugs are there if you need them and qualified people are there to make it safe!

Hope it goes well for you and try the fresh pineapple to see if you can go into labour on your own and maybe your OH could try and do a sweep for you!

 

[Jchihuahua]

I will probably be induced next Friday due to OC and I wanted to stay at home for as long as possible too so I am also scared.

 

[Boomerslady]

Thanks ladies I'm still a bit freaked out, but I'm trying to get round tge fact ongoing to have to go through labour no matter what, and what will be will be!

When I had an internal done yesterday, I was told I had an unfavourable cervix, but they'd still induce me today if my BP didn't go down. Luckily it did and I have another week to sort my head out (and hopefully get baby out naturally).

Good luck to you others who are having to be induced...hopefully it's easier and a better experience than I have in my head.

 

[babybaillie]

It will all depend on what sort of room u are in. If ur in a shared room they wouldnt let ur OH stay over. But if u manage to get a single room, or are in a labouring room he will be allowed to stay with u.

If u dont get painrelief when u ask, u just need to keep on at them. Unfortunately there arent many midwifes on the ward have the keys to the drugs trolley, so if u ask one, and she cant do it, she may forget to pass the message on if its busy. so just keep on at them. sad but as they are that understaffed its the way it is. i cant believe someone was left 5 hours as they do the drugs round every 4 hours, so try to get everyone at the same time as much as possible.

try not to worry about the whole situation as ull end up putting ur bp up.

 

[fruity]

Hi,
My waters broke on the Sunday but nothing happened so I was induced on the Wednesday. I went in and hubby stayed with me the whole time. I was given the thing in my hand and the drug started going in at 1.30pm. The contractions started within 5minutes and built in intensity, my baby was born at 5.42pm!

 

[KitKat]

hi i have had 3babys all born after i went in 2 labour myself this is my 4th which i thought would have been the same but oh noooo this is a stuborn little one and im been induced 2morro at 2pm 10days over due!! so im also freaking out have no idea wat 2 expect, i know im around 2-3cm dilated so im hoping this works in my favour and labour although had 2 be started will be like my other labours

if i get a chance when i get home if u havent had your lo i will let you know how it all went

goodluck