Please talk to me about this.....

[LuckySalem]

I'm officially at term today, went to see consultant as I'm deemed high risk due to having an emergency csection with DD (who's now 2)

Had sweep and was told that I was (please can someone decipher this cos I never asked) 3/5 engaged, -3 station and 2 centremeters dialated - is this good?

She then wanted to book "induction" which was fine with me till she explained that I would need to arrive at 9pm on the 28th, DP would be sent home, they'd break my waters and then if labour started I could ring DP to come back in. I don't like the idea of having my waters broken or starting labour alone, it actually scares me a little.

I came home and a few hours after the sweep I started getting contractions which got stronger and more frequent. I ate dinner and now they're gone again Will they come back?

 

[~KACI~]

No idea what it means but how crap is starting you off at that time! You got a bouncy ball?? If so get bouncing!

Guess i'll see you in the morning then

 

[LuckySalem]

Yeh I've been bouncing on it for days now

 

[Tanzo]

I'm officially at term today, went to see consultant as I'm deemed high risk due to having an emergency csection with DD (who's now 2)

Had sweep and was told that I was (please can someone decipher this cos I never asked) 3/5 engaged, -3 station and 2 centremeters dialated - is this good?

She then wanted to book "induction" which was fine with me till she explained that I would need to arrive at 9pm on the 28th, DP would be sent home, they'd break my waters and then if labour started I could ring DP to come back in. I don't like the idea of having my waters broken or starting labour alone, it actually scares me a little.

I came home and a few hours after the sweep I started getting contractions which got stronger and more frequent. I ate dinner and now they're gone again Will they come back?

3/5 engaged relates to the baby's head. We split the head into five parts so depending on each practitioner 3/5 could mean that 2 parts of the head are engaged in the pelvis and you can feel 3 parts or that 3 oarts are engaged and you can feel two parts.

2cms dilated is good means your cervix is on its way to gettting ready for labour!!

You will contract after a sweep as its stimulates the prostaglandins which help to inititate labour thus causing contractions. They may start again but if they dont simply keep your appt for induction. You are ready to have your waters broken without needing any vaginal pessaries to help this. Its a routine procedure not without risks but generally all goes well. Involves another vaginal examination during which they will insert an amnihook, which is a small plastic TINY hook that they push against the membranes to pop them and then your waters "go"!!

If you arent happy to have this done without hubby there tell them that and hopefully they will oblige him staying for that then going. Dont expect labout to start immediately, chances are it will take a bit of time and so you will get him back in for sure!!!

They do it very different to my trust so this sounds weird to me and I have to say Id want Mr there if not just for the support but so the bugger can see what women have togo through!!! LOL!!

 

[Tanzo]

Ooooh sorry I copied and pasted your response to remind me what you said and then I didnt delete it!!!

 

[LolaAnn]

Hey hun you really don't have to have the induction or your waters broken if you don't want. I would be very nervous about having my waters broken because then they give you X amount of hours to have the baby and if LO is not quite ready to come out yet then you can end up having c-sec...

 

[insomnimama]

I'm not sure why your doc would be recommending an artificial induction after an emergency C-section. Women who have had previous sections for whatever reason SHOULD NOT be induced or have their labour otherwise "augmented" artificially, as it places them at increased risk for uterine rupture. If you haven't gone into labour naturally by the date your doc is looking at, you should have a section.

 

[MUMMYBEAR6]

if thats the midwife you see since the start of your pregnancy then there only commuinity midwifes & the hospital delivering midwifes have different policies

so a would go in with your DP what can they say? he is your birth partner cant exactly put him out bodily can they?

 

[Tanzo]

Actually women who have had previous sections get induced all the time. Yes granted, that they do monitor them and it is known as "trial of labour" so in other words they wont sit on you for days and keep giving you more and more time as they might in a low risk woman.

There is a risk of uterine rupture whether you laboured spontaneously or whether you were induced.
As you are already favourable to have your waters broken you do not require any vaginal pessaries of prostaglandins to attempt to get you to labour. And seeing as your cervix has already become ripened it may be that all you need is an ARM (Artificial Rupture of Membranes) to get you going!!

But your consultant should have explained all the risks to you when it was decided you would have a VBAC?? Did they?? Are you happy to go ahead with the induction?? Or would you prefer an electivr section. Although its not as easy as just saying that you want an elective. Unfortunately if you are using an NHS type service we cant just request these things.

They do it to try and give you the best chance at a vaginal delivery as the recovery is much better and the risks if the delivery goes well are less than with a section.

You should have also been told to keep an eye on any scar pain or tenderness. Thats an indication that the scar is under pressure.

Hope everything turns out as you want hun and all goes well!!! DO let us know yeah??!! XXXXX

 

[Tanzo]

if thats the midwife you see since the start of your pregnancy then there only commuinity midwifes & the hospital delivering midwifes have different policies

so a would go in with your DP what can they say? he is your birth partner cant exactly put him out bodily can they?

I absolutely agree with you hun!! Seems a bit silly to me. Our hosp has Inductions in, in the morning and THEN we send OHs home because there are a lot of ward goings on during the day and there are other women in the bays having examinations etc, but as soon as they are having their waters broke or anything like that we get them back in right away!!! It doesnt make sense to send him home before waters are broken!!

 

[MUMMYBEAR6]

They only thing they can do is to ask him to stand outside the room while they do so or go for a cuppa tea or coffee & come back to the labour suite in like 15 mins time or so,

 

[LuckySalem]

This is the consultant I spoke to at the hospital.

I'm quite happy to have them rupture waters just not without DP being there. I asked about induction when I first decided a VBAC and they did say then the only thing they'd do is the ARM as it's unsafe to put the scar at extra risk by doing pessaries etc.

Now I've had a sweep should I be having sex and walking etc etc etc or is that still the old wives tales and doesn't change by having a sweep? If you know what I mean.

I've done all I can to get this baby out and I think it's going to end up with the induction which I'm not happy about at all now. I've got my MW appointment on Tuesday so I spose I can talk to her about it and see whether he can stay for that. It's just annoying that breaking my waters may put me straight into labour but he's going to still be sent home till I'm in labour. He's on paternity leave now from work for a month so that we never had to do any of it alone but it's gonna get messed up again.

 

[BabyJayne]

I wouldn't want my DH to be sent home while they did all that. Surely they won't make you stay on your own if you don't want to. I would be insisting that DH was with me. I can understand them sending him home after breaking your waters, if nothing happens. Is this definitely not what they meant?
Also, I noticed you are in Wrexham...I am too x

 

[Tanzo]

The having sex thing is certainly not an old wives tale and if you are feeling up to it will not do anything to stop the situation!!
But actually in your case with your cervix already having got to the stage it is at, you have almost already done what sex would. There are prostaglandins in "that" that help to ripen the cervix. What the prostaglandins might do now is help kick off the labour a little bit.

Walking is defo something, again if you feel up to it, you should do. Along with a light diet, little and often and bounce on that ball!!! LOL!!

Defo explain that you are not happy about DH being sent home before your membranes are ruptured. You will prob need to really push it though coz generally hospitals are not keen to bend their policies.

It seems so wrong to me for them to even suggest that coz as I say in my trust when a woman is going for ARM we always get the hubby in before we even take her to labour ward!!

Hopefully the info they have given you isnt quite right and when you next see someone they will correct it!!

Good Luck!!! XX

 

[LuckySalem]

Thanks very much

 

[Sunflowers]

The 3/5ths engaged and -3 station makes absolutely no sense at all - the station bit refers to where the head is in relation to the midline of the pelvis, -3 is practically not in the pelvis where as if it's at +1 or +2 then enough of the head is through the pelvis that your mw would be starting to think about putting gloves on and opening a delivery pack! -3 is about as far out of the pelvis as you'd get so how are you 3/5ths engaged therefore??!!

Any road, no, they don't do much in terms of induction with a previous section due to the increased risk, the fact you're 2cms dilated - did they say that was what is referred to as a multips os? (ie the fact you've had a baby already means you're sometimes a little more dliated without doing anything exciting!) - it's the effacement of the cervix (how long it is) that's the exciting thing really to what you're up to, and descent of the head.. They'll check how favourable you are before doing anything - if you've got a good score they might break your waters and see what happens, you wouldn't have anything to lose I guess from that if you were going to end up with an elective section by doing nothing!

Just walk and walk and walk and bounce and bounce and bounce to get those contractions going! Post sweep contractions are very common and most do die out - but that's not to say that something might well happen overnight! Good luck!

 

[saturn73]

I could have sworn you were booked for an induction?