Induction - experiences at 42 weeks compared to early induction

[kmumtobe]

Hi, with the 'threat' of induction looming ever closer I've been reading past posts and trying to learn as much as I can. I think I've noticed a pattern of people who are induced as their pregnancies have hit almost 42 weeks and can't be allowed to go on any longer taking less time to get started than those who are induced earlier on for medical reasons and just wondered if any of you had any evidence for this or could share your experiences, I guess it makes sense as surely my body by this point should be already gearing up for it? (or at least you'd like to hope!) Thanks x

 

[Eternal]

have you had a sweep, i went a week overdue with my son, think the sweep helped (within 48 hours i was in labour). also all the usual things people say to try, walking, spicy food, sex, did all of it and he eventually decided to make an appearance. Good luck hun!

 

[aliss]

Well, I'll be honest, at 41 weeks I was still not ready for induction but was induced anyways (group B strep waters leak). It's not so much what week you are, but how 'favourable' you are to labour. Some are favourable at 38 weeks, some aren't at 42. Of course, more people are 'favourable' towards 42 weeks than earlier on. If your body is not ready, it's not ready - and that's when the risks of complications rises.

Good luck And yes, attempt all other non-invasive methods first. Some also choose to do frequent fetal monitoring after 42 weeks.

 

[SmokyJoe78]

I was induced with DS at 42+3 - had a gel and my waters broke - no meconium. They didn't give me long to start labour naturally before they had me on the drip. Was on that for about 10 hours - extremely intense contractions - only dilated to 2/3cm.
Then they gave me the option to crank up the drip to the maximum level (I would have to have an epidural, had so far had no drugs) but that could go on for another 24 hours (I'd already been awake for 36+ hours) and I might end up with a c-section, or I could choose a c-section there and then. I went with the section - walked to theatre - at 42+4
DS was perfectly happy throughout all of this and showed no signs of being 'postdate' and the placenta was perfect too! I just conclude from all this that my body wasn't ready to give birth. DS was only ever 1/5th engaged. I'd done everything to induce labour but nothing worked.

This time I'm giving myself as long as it takes, as long as LO is healthy. Some people just take a bit longer to grow a baby - and even if you try to induce them, their body won't release the baby

 

[jk28]

I had an early induction 37+5 due to bleeding, (although I believe it was just a heavy show), but anyway, I live in Spain at the moment & so went with it. I'd also had fertility treatment after many years ttc, so listened to the Dr as all I wanted was a healthy baby. I had my waters broken, put on the drip & then had the epidural. Was on the bed the whole time, due to the epidural, but somehow dilated to fully in 6hrs, no pain, (very dense epidural). It did end in a failed ventouse, emergency section, but my baby arrived ok & that was the main thing & I was fine. This time though I'd like to try a VBAC if possible.

Good luck
Jayne x

 

[lozzy21]

A lady from here who was in my due date group who was over due had 4 failed inductions and then opted for a section as nothing was happining and she was exhausted. Her daughter was born 17 days past her due date.

 

[beccybobeccy]

I had a positive induction experience @ 40+12...

First pessay @ 11.30am, Contractions kicked in about 2.30pm but remained at 1cm until at least 9.30pm when I was given the 2nd pessary and a shot of Pethidine (because I was still "not" in labour! LOL)

Pethadine made me pass out between the hideous contractions until 3.30am when it wore off and I decided something wasn't right and I called the MW who discovered my waters had gone and I was 7cm...

Continued on G&A only which was bliss and delivered Miss Sofia @ 7.53am. It's only logged as 4hrs of active labour with 30 mins of pushing. God Bless Gas and Air...!!
I feel quite relaxed about needing to be induced in the future now. I was hoping for a water birth and a non-invasive labour... The water birth was out of the question but I managed to stick to as much of my birth plan as I could...

 

[Delamere19]

I was also induced at 40+12 and I was terrified. My cervix wasn't ready for a sweep so I never had one. When I got to hospital my cervix wasn't favourable but they inserted the pessary and I didn't really feel much until lunch time when I was getting hideous back ache. I spent a really uncomfortable night with my tens machine getting up and down from my bed to the loo. The baby was really low and sitting on the loo was exruciating!! My waters finally went at 6am and I was 5cm. I went down to delivery about 9am when my contractions came on stronger and after a few problems with Sam getting distressed he finally arrived at 1.48pm. I was pushing for a long time though,about 4 hours and nearly had to have a c section. x

 

[moonbeam_sea]

I was induced at 39 weeks with my son due to preeclampsia. It took quite a long time, but wasn’t too painful. They put two pills next to my cervix starting at 9PM, and at 6AM the next morning started me on Pitocin. My water broke at 11:30 AM. At 8:00 I was fully dilated, started pushing at about 8:30, and my son was delivered at 9:30.

With my daughter I was 41 weeks when they decided to induce. They started my induction with a gel they put on the cervix at around 1 PM. I was sent home and told to come in the next morning to start the Pitocin unless labor was started by the gel. By 6:30 that night I started having regular contractions 3.5 minutes apart lasting 45 seconds. Around 7:30 I called my OB to tell her what was going on. She told me to wait at home until they got to last 1 minute. That never happened. Around 9 PM I told the hubby we were going to hospital right then. We got to the hospital 20 minutes before our daughter was born, and she came out with only two pushes (one for her head, one for her body).

It’s hard to say if my second labor was quicker because it was at 41 weeks rather than the 39 weeks my son was at, or if it was quicker because it was my second labor, or if my daughter being smaller than my son was a factor. It’s hard to say. I do know that my cervix was much more favorable the second time around, so that probably helped.

Good luck, and I hope you have a smooth and wonderful birth.

 

[ellismum]

Not a positive story i am afraid

I was induced at 41+5. I'd had 3 failed sweeps and still wasn't at all favourable when the first pessary was inserted at 8.30am. I then had another that afternoon and still not favourable. I was checked again at 8.30am the next day, 41+6 and 1-2cm. Ellis heartrate however was high at 180bpm and he was not moving despite frequent movement and 130bpm the previous day. My waters were broken instead of another pessary and they were clear. I was taken straight to Labour Ward from the DAU and monitored but no sign of contractions or his heartrate coming down. Ellis was born via emergency C-Section 28 hours after the first attempt and 1 hours sleep. He was covered in meconium and had inhaled and ingested it and spent 2 days in SCBU as he had next to zero blood sugar and was unable to regulate his body temp dispute tests for GD coming back when I was pregnant.

 

[MissGx]

I was induced at 13 days overdue, From first contraction to birth was 9hours! So not bad at all, except about 10minutes before delivery I was only 3cm dilated! - hen they broke my waters, in about 3seconds my body was 'pushing' by itself, midwife checked and I was 10cm, and his heart rate dropped and wasn't picking back up so had to be out quickly with ventouse.. And I had absolutely no pain relief because gas and air made me faint twice, was about to get an epidural.. No time! Theres a link to my birth story in my sig =]

 

[codegirl]

With my oldest I was induced at 42 weeks. With my youngest I was induced at 39 weeks. Biggest difference was weight. DS1 was 9lbs 6oz and DS2 was 7lbs 14oz. Birthing DS1 was brutal, DS2 was a breeze (only took 3 contractions of pushing). But seconds can be easier for lots of reasons.

 

[Emmea12uk]

Thanks for asking this. I am being induced tomorrow after a terrifying ordeal with my first. He was induced at 40 weeks and tomorrow I will be 41. My cervix isn't ready though. I wonder if the extra week will make a difference.

 

[bump_wanted]

40+9 i was induced due to high blood pressure but was already 2 cms i was given 1 pessary at 0030 and delivered a perfectly heathly baby boy at 0850 i was told it worked text book style on me i had a sweep earlier in the day tho the MW gave me a better one while inserting the pessary my first sweep at 40 +1 did nothing even tho i was 2 cms dilated at that point xx

 

[Emma 21]

i was induced at 38 weeks due to a blood clotting disorder it was nt very nice as i remained unfavourable for over 12 hours despite being in a lot of pain and they wouldnt give me more than cocodamol as pain relief, at 1.30am i insisted she check me again it is my 3rd baby, she cheked me to shut me up with the plan of writing me up some pethidine, to discover i was 4cm fully effaced and ready for delivery all this had happened between 12:30 and 1:30, i went to delivery and my labour was 32 mins from 4cms to her being in my arms literally only 6 contractions, i did it on gas and air and TENS, lexi was born at 2:08am weighing 8lb 1oz on the 28th June

 

[claralouize]

I was induced at 41+5 and overall it was a positive experience.
When I went in they were so busy so we sat around most of the night, at about 5am they came in broke my waters and started me on the drip, the anesthetist came in at 9 to give me an epidural and literally as soon as it was done I could feel intense pressure so they checked and I was ready to start pushing - they didnt expect me to be so far along and if they had known the said I wouldnt have got my epidural. At this point they were calling my student midwife to get her in quick (she'd missed 2 other births before me so was desperate to be at mine), She needn't have rushed though as I spent just over 2 hours pushing and Maddison arrived at 11.33.

Then only thing I didnt like about my experience was the fact I had to be constantly monitored meaning I spent all of my labour on my back when I really wanted an active labour.

 

[patch2006uk]

I was due to be induced at 42+3, but they broke my waters and LO had passed his meconium. They put the drip in to get me started, but instead his heart nearly stopped and I was whisked away for a c-section. My cervix was 3/4cm dilated before they did anything, but something had gone a bit weird as it was so far past my due date.

 

[kate1984]

I was induced at 38+4 due to GDM, they broke my waters and gave me a sweep at the same time, i went from 1cm to 10 in 50 mins and had him 1 hour and 3 mins after having my waters broke!

im hopijng the baby im carrying will just fall out

 

[7th_heaven]

i was induced with my first three at 42 weeks.
1st baby- dr said "nothing good happens after 42 weeks" but i wish i had given it more time. labored for 9 hours.
2nd baby- low amniotic fluid- indux at 42 weeks. labored with an absurd dose of mizoprostal(impressed my uterus didn't explode) for four hours.
3rd baby- macrosomia- aka "giant baby" indux at 42 weeks. good dose mizoprostal overnight to ripen cervix only, then pit in am and labored for 4 hours.

my 6th babe was PROM with no following natural labor. at 37 weeks i went in 24 hours after PROM and they started pit. it was a slow increase bc i was a vbac- so they were being conservative. she was born 56 hours after PROM- it took my body FOREVER and i was up to 26 units of pit when i delivered. my body just. wasn't. ready.
i was exhausted and weak when she finally came out.

 

[kanga]

I was induced at 38+6 and dont think my body was ready at all to give birth, nothing went right! My wters did break though which is strange and i guess suggests my body was ready ..