2 cm dilated - will breaking my waters start labour?

[HotI]

It is great that your body has started getting ready!

Sometimes AROM will kick your body into gear, but not always (not trying to be a downer, just letting you know in case it doesn't work). Have you discussed that you want time after the AROM to see how you go before starting the drip?

Can you do some squats or go for a long walk this weekend? Best wishes for Monday, if bub doesn't come before then.

[2girls]

Hi Fiona, I have a positive story for you. I was induced at 39+4 with DD2 and was about 2cm dilated at my previous week's appointment. Ob broke my waters and left instructions for the dripnto be started but I started mild contractions immediately. He was happy to let me go for a few hours before getting the drip going but it wasn't needed, DD was born just over 2 hours later! Can you just request that they leave you for a little while after the ARM before they start the drip? I don't recall whether my ob had a time limit before he wanted the drip started, maybe he said lunch time?? (waters we're broken around 7am) As long as they can monitor you for any infection from the broken waters, I don't see the urgency to get the drip started.

Oh, and I agree that if you're already dilated, they don't use the gel, I certainly didn't get any.

[FabFiona]

We haven't decided on a plan yet so options are still open. The reason I ask about waters breaking was because of something she mentioned. However from what you are all saying it seems that just breaking waters might be the way to go, which I think is also my OB's thoughts.

Overall I had a good induction experience last time. The monitoring gave me the s/$ts and I think they went too hard on the drip but overall it was ok. I credit my hypnobirthing tracks which I will use again.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I'll talk to my OB tomorrow in more detail about this tomorrow when my blood test results are back.

[crumpet]

i was induced at 37+1 with DD (purely my choice) and was 3cm dialted with a incompetant cervix so its lazy in general.

my waters were broken( no gel req as my cervix was already soft so no need to soften it) and i walked for 2.5hrs and things got happening, was contacting every 3 mins...

i still had the drip BUT now i think back i should have refused it becasue i would have probably done ok keeping things up myself, but in a high stress preg i just wanted DD here and didnt care how she got here.

HTH

[JennaJayen]

I was 2cm dilated when my waters were broken with DD. Turns out that was all my body was waiting for to go into labour properly after 3wks of constant prelabour. I didn't have any gels or drips as I was having VBAC and had GD as well, so the decision was made at 40+2 to have my waters broken. If things are favourable and you are already having the odd prelabour/irregular contraction every now and then, then there is a good chance that breaking your waters could get things moving

Oh and my DD was born 4hrs and 43mins after my waters were broken