It's just bizarre (or maybe not)...

[Matryoshka]

First time mums? It's really rare though - of all my clients since 2005, not many have short labours, induced or not. The shortest two were natural births, one babe born before I got to hospital and one babe being pushed out when I got to hospital!

Yep! shocked me too, considering i'd been talking down inductions previously. I half wondered why i struggled through my own long yet spontaneous labour when i could possibly have had that experience... but as i said already it may be the right choice for some but not for me, the day/time, is not something i feel i should or want to control.

[paradise lost]

I know one woman who's had 2 sections, the first being because of failure to progress with an induction. She's pregnant again and has serious (level 3?) placenta accretia. They have told her she will "probably" need a hysterectomy at birth and if not then cannot breastfeed as she'll have to have chemo. I've been present at an induction too Kel and it was the most horrific thing i've ever seen. Not for ALL the tea in China, thanks.

Bx

[Beach Mama]

Yep - bizzare is right and Mel, I'm with you - makes me cross too because I was induced and the risks were NEVER mentioned yet here I am now braced and ready to fight for my VBAC. I have a Dr's appointment at the hospital in the morning and am prepared for battle - let me tell ya! Must be easier for them to know when they have mothers coming in rather than not knowing so they can schedule dr's etc. Plus they must know that a certain % who are induced end up with epi's and then c/s too.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

*sobs* what good is it anyway? A woman can be as educated as she wants, can want to have support, but the second her ****ing husband decides the doctors know her body better than she does then BAM, the woman is ignored because there's someone else there who will sign the forms.

Seriously, is there any point me hiring a doula next time? My DH will just tell the docs to go ahead despite what I say and he'll be listened to and not a doula. (I know, next time I'm freebirthing, no medical people, no DH... bliss! Just what I wanted for DS!) No risks are ever mentioned about inductions and if a woman mentions them she's dismissed as being silly and so midwives and obs "must" be right.

I just don't see the point of trying to have a decent birth. I really don't. No matter what the woman wants it can just go out the window like that.

[ll80]

I didn't know until I joined these forums that there were any risks with being induced.

I was induced with my DD after my waters had broken naturally at home and labour had not progressed, I had no contractions from my waters breaking at 10pm til 8am next morning other than light period pains, which I know probably were contractions but nothing as good as they would have liked I guess.

I had one dose of the synct. drip I think they start it at 40 I am not sure and went from nothing to OH MY GOD I am gonna die. The midwives did try to get me moving around as much as you can with the drip she was guiding it for me but all I wanted to do was curl up on the bed and die. Boy oh boy did I suck on that gas, I also had a pethadine shot.

My labour was from 830am when the put the drip in til 11:50am, no other interventions, after reading everyone elses experiences I think I was very lucky. I'm really glad that this time I am more educated about induction and will definately be asking if they can wait longer should the same thing happen again.

Just out of curiosity, once your waters have broken how long is it safe to not go into labour or have contractions.
How big is the risk of infection compared to the risks of being induced?

..Laura

[paradise lost]

Ryn i know you want to Freebirth, and i'm sure that will go great, but if you DID want a medically attended birth you could:

Book a homebirth - my midwives only spoke with me, in between contractions. They didn't talk to DP or even ask him any questions about how i'd been - UK middies ASSUME DH/P will be clueless! LOL. I know DH isn't keen on homebirth - tell him to shove it. If he won't allow it in "his" house you can come here (deadly serious) and transfer care. Glasgow Middies are great.

You can book a doula who has a STRONG personality and will fight, even with DH, to get you the birth you want. You can tell her to do so.

You can tell DH that he has proven himself an unreliable presence at a birth and thus he will not be gifted with watching his next child come into the world. I know that probably reads a really harsh to a lot of people, but i don't believe the pain you went through at the time or since is worth his ego or his fear. If he can't take the heat he needn't come in the kitchen next time.

You can put in your medical notes that NO medical decisions are to be made by him and that in the absence of your ability to converse they should refer to your birth plan and follow it to the letter. You then make them read and sign, copy and file said command and if he is asked anything you sue their arses off.

to you hun. You were disempowered in the delivery room, but you needn't stay that way.

Lots of love

Bx

[paradise lost]

Just out of curiosity, once your waters have broken how long is it safe to not go into labour or have contractions.
How big is the risk of infection compared to the risks of being induced?

The risks of infection are high IF YOU GET ONE. If you don't get one the risk of induction are massively higher (because the baby would have been perfectly fine to stay put). If your waters broke at 23 weeks they would monitor you for infection (temperature rise is the first and biggest sign) and give you antibiotics if needed, treatment to stop labour, and bedrest for MONTHS to keep the baby inside. There is no "maximum" safe time. 90% of women whose waters have broken will go into labour naturally within 72 hours. I don't know why they induce after 12. It's beyond logic.

[SamiH]

I just checked this policy at my appt last week too - 18 hours from waters breaking they give anti's and then induce if no progression. So I was lucky I got to 26 hours first time around

[BellyBelly]

In the Monash here in Melbourne, one of our biggest teaching hospitals, where your waters have broken normally, they will allow 3 days. But you can negotiate so many things...

What Happens When Your Waters Break

There is no regulation of doulas and its very scary. Their personalities vary, their teachings vary, as do their passion, enthusiasm and all the rest. Some are happy to just be there, get you facewashers etc. Some are happy to fight for you. I love complex and challenging births. I love the look on women's faces when they accomplish what they were told was impossible. I love a challenge, I am not going to just sit there and watch a woman be swallowed up by the system and spat out with PND, PTSD or worse. I am there to make it the best possible birth for her. Not talking myself up here, this is my passion and I am currently taking some time off so I can be fired up for my clients in a few months time It's very draining and stressful work but so worth it, you need to recharge often when you operate in this sort of way.

[Daydream Believer]

*sobs* what good is it anyway? A woman can be as educated as she wants, can want to have support, but the second her ****ing husband decides the doctors know her body better than she does then BAM, the woman is ignored because there's someone else there who will sign the forms.

Thats the good thing about the hossy Im going to, only you can sign the forms and only you can give permission for anything to be done unless its a life or death situation. The husband/partner can say whatever he likes & they wont listen to him, they will ask you if thats what you want to do

[Kazbah]

Sal - where's that?

[LisaBear]

oh my gosh! i have tp say i am livid after reading this! i was induced for being 2 weels late and told nothjing about the risks of the drug! i asked and was told it was perfectly safe!
i ended up with a traumatic emergency csection with a major hemorage (sp) to go with it! i had adverse reaction tp the drugs and had about 6 different stabilising drugs pumped into me due to blood loss!

i just wish i had been told of the risks!

[SamiH]

Eeeeek - I am about to draft my birth plan for my next chat with my doula.

I have been induced twice, once for no progression after 3 days of hard work contractions etc and had epi and forceps - first time labour didn't know any different; and 2nd time waters broke and big fat nothing so induced after 26 hours (again didn't know any different to try and negotiate a bit more time).

So, if I start out natural labour but no progression etc or whatever, if induction or caesar is spoken - what do people feel the SAFER option is given both have risks (granted, I didn't know there were risks with synto inductions beforehand .....), yet caesar recovery so much longer and harder especially with two other kiddie pops. Spose a personal decision of course, but interested in anyones thoughts.

Thanks

[Beach Mama]

Sami - it is a tough one, but given the risks of induction VS a c/s which is major surgery, I would definately choose induction if I HAD to choose one over the other. You can ask for the drip to be started slowly to allow the contractions to ease in. I've also been reading alot recently about feeling safe and being in an environment that allows you to progress.... In hindsight, do you think any of these factors affected your ability to birth? (Hope that doesn't sound harsh but I hope you know what I mean- Im cross eye tired today ) Do you think there was anything that could have been done in your birthing environment to help you along?
I haven't been there - being induced with a body that wasn't ready to be induced so i don't know YET what it is like to go into labour naturally.....

[paradise lost]

SamiH,

If i were in a situation where waters had broken and i was overdue and not progressing i would...

Wait a minimum 72 hours before going for induction (90% of women will go into labour naturally within that time period).

Stay at home as long as possible and if necessary go into hospital only once every 4-6 hours or if i was feeling worried to have us both checked out.

Take my temp hourly to make sure i wasn't getting any infection.

Have a doula with me.

Avoid the epidural like it was the plague! It can lead to SO MANY complications (failure to progress, weakened contractions, absence of pushing urge, inability to coordinate pushing, deep transverse arrest of foetal head, serious tearing of the perineum, depressed breathing in the newborn) and increases SO MANY risks (of being unable to move from the stranded beetle flat-on-back position, of needing a section, of needing forceps or ventouse, of tearing badly) that it unless it's going in to allow you to be awake during a section, IMHO, it isn't worth it for you and it REALLY isn't worth it for the baby.

The problem with the medicalised model of birth is that it has destroyed our norms. We know from other cultures that some women can labour in 60 minutes and others take 6 or more days to get their baby born, but because of our hospital system no-one is ALLOWED to have a labour longer than about 48 hours. Thus if it happens to a woman they are made to feel like their body isn't working properly, that there is a problem. But in fact, just as some women orgasm swiftly and others not for a long time, some women labour fast and others slow and it's not an indication of ANYTHING.

Bx

[SamiH]

Thanks ladies

Tan - definitely first time with DS I am sure it was fear of the unknown, no one said roughly how long and I was just pretty frightened the whole time - sounds silly in hindsight, but true. 2nd time I was heaps more relaxed and ready and confident I could do it - synto in around 8.30 and DD born12.46pm - and not too bad (yes intense without natural rest) - but second stage was only 11 minutes so that was the best

Hoobley - yes, I am avoiding epidural and now I know so much more about waters breaking and what to look for really, I sure will wait to ring the hospital to tell them instead of just being excited thinking woohoo here we go!

Just wondered (and timely in doing birth plan) if confronted with a choice for whatever reason, and for legit reasons it can and could happen - what would I do???

Like you Tan, I have done heaps of reading, just finished 2 books - and my doula this time around which i wasn't even aware of previously -

We can compare stories in another 12 or so week hey!!

[paradise lost]

SamiH are you VBACing this time? I can't think of a legit reason they'd offer a section rather than an induction unless you were VBACing and they felt the induction carried too big a risk of rupture...?

Bx

[Beach Mama]

Sure can Sami and we will both have brilliant empowered births!

Bx - brilliant post yet again hun - thanks for the reassurance and info!

ETA - missed the second page! Sami - I'm the same hun and will be RTL and EPO'ing nad acupuncturing and DTD'ing and everything else possible to make this happen!