Some questions about being induced...

[Tobily]

Much will depend on how you're going to be induced.

If you are going to have your waters broken, and that sends you straight into labour, you will be treated the same as a woman who goes into spontaneous labour once your labour is established.

If you are having syntocinon (drip) then there are very marked differences to a spontaneous labour.

1) are you able to move around as you would if you werent being induced in labour??

You will need to be on monitors to make sure that the baby is coping well with the dose of synto that you're being given. You're also hooked up to an IV line. This will usually keep you out of the shower and confined to the area around your bed. You shouldn't have to be ON the bed though, you can sit on a birth ball, stand, lean over the bed etc you just can't "wander".

2) are you still allowed to get in a bath???

Some hospitals will not allow you to use baths after your waters have broken but you can shower. If you're on the drip you probably won't be able to use either as you will have a fair bit of equipment attached (IV lines and monitors) which makes showering a bit hard.

3) are u allowed to pee naturally or do they insert a catheda (sp)?

Catheter won't be done unless you have an epidural - worth noting that full synto inductions (not augmentation, inductions where you're on higher dose synto from the beginning) can have epidural uptakes around 80% or more.

4) is there a limit of how long your on the syntocin for? like no more than 24 hours or something?

Most hospitals would not continue with synto past 24 hours before wanting to do a c/section, unless you were very close to birthing. The longest I have seen someone on synto was 19 hours.

5) does it hurt more than if your body was to do everything without the drugs??

Usually, yes. This is why we see higher epidural uptake in induced labours. Synto is particularly brutal.

If you are going ahead with the induction, ask to have your waters broken first and negotiate some time to see what happens - as many hours as you can get. In that time walk, walk, walk, move around, stimulate acupressure points - do whatever you can to get labour going. Anything you can do to avoid synto is probably going to make for an easier time for both you and your bub.

And finally, you can always ask for monitoring to reassure you and your caregiver that your baby is doing well if you want to hold off a bit longer. Induction should be completely your decision and if your baby is going along fine, waiting even just a few more days may be all you need to get going on your own.

Good luck

[hj1981]

Hollye - im in the same boat as u and glad u asked the questions i was thinking!
the thought of being induced is pretty scary isnt it?
I go into hospital on the 28th at 8pm for the gel - get monitored for a bit than get sent home which im totally freaking about and come back the next morning at 0630am to have my waters broken and too be put on some hormone drip!
Im totally packing it at the thought! lets hope we both have these bubs soon and naturally!

[BellyBelly]

See all these decellerations and heartrate drops - all symptoms of artificial induction. Your uterus is being pushed harder and faster, so while you may not feel it with an epidural, the baby is getting a thrashing still in the womb, some aren't fussed by it, but alot suffer with the stress. You didn't need that c/s. The induction made it necessary. A midwife at the women's said that so many women come in for inductions with fuzzy reasons, and of the first time mums, she says anywhere between 50-75% end up with c/s. Then they have the implications of fighting for a VBAC next time.

Inform and educate yourself is all I can say. If you find you really may not need an induction, it will save you one or all of the following: more intense pain, no natural release of oxytocin (and syntocinon doesnt cross the blood brain barrier so it doesnt act like normal oxytocin (the hormone of love and labour), c/s, epidurals (which in its own leads to more vacuum, forceps, reduced blood pressure then less oxygen to the baby possible c/s, seen it happen), emotional struggles, separation at birth, then all the vbac stuff on top of it. Its not as simple as a bit of drugs to start labour like it would normally. Its a very unnatural thing and can result in a very unnatural labour and birth. Of course in cases like pre-eclampsia it's worth it... but if it's not an emergency then why make it one?

[kirsty_lee]

Yeah I agree with kell, Hollye. Educate yourself and read up on the synto. I never had the synto explained to me and was unaware of the dangers until I saw a post by kelly (thankyou darl) and lets just say I would of much rathered to go into labour on my own, or at least been given the opportunity to try OR been told what they were pumping into me. I agree with Kell on the induction and Csection with the long term effects also, they DEFINATELY don't explain all that to you either.

[Junglemum]

Hey Hollye,

Another thing i wanted to mention, just because i wasn't aware, and it was a real shock to me. My BP was so high that OB was concerned that when i was in labour it would go up more and i would have a stroke. When your body feels pain, your BP naturally goes up. For this reason he strongly recommended i have an epidural. (An epidural also lowers your BP)I was devastated, i was in tears for an hour while he sat with me and we talked about it. In the end i realised that in order to have a well baby and still be around to see it i needed to have the epi. So we negotiated, and i was induced without the epi and my BP was monitored. The deal was if it started rising i would have the epi. So i at least got feel what labour was like for a few hours hours. I managed to get to 5cm before my BP started rising and i had the epi.
This may not happen to you, but it is a possibility, and i would have prefered to know.

I was really glad i was induced in the end, although it was far from the birth i was working towards! My DD was 2.6 kg, she had stopped growing at 37 weeks becasue of the PE. My placenta was shutting down and she was starving. I hate to think what the outcome may have been if i wasn't induced.

One last point. If my cervix was still high and closed tight i was more than likely going to have to have a c/s. Apparently inductions arn't possible in this situation...... i am a little hazy on this, someone will correct me i am sure! lol
Fortunately, one good thing about PE is that your body seems to know it needs to get the baby out. So i went from a high closed cervix, to a forward, ripe, ready to go one, 1cm dilated, overnight.

I can;t wait to hear the birth announcement of your little girl! xx

[[M]umma[M]ia]

thanks girls. Its at the point now where i dont feel like i really have a choice with this induction. Being in early labour since saturday and it keeps stalling and every appoitnment my PE is getting worse. The way i would like it to go is just for them to break my water and let it all happen on its own coz i think thats all i need to get things going. I will be talking to my doc today about delaying the drip but at the end of the day he is a great doc and he wouldnt put me through anything that he didnt HAVE to. The labour itself isnt really scaring me its just the syntocin. The fact that its sort of an artificial labour and i have always thought that babies come out when they are ready and i dont want her to come out before shes ready. Having said that, im so over being in pain and had 3 hours sleep last night because of the contractions. The induction was not my idea at all.. i never mentioned it, and it wasnt even in my head. They are just thinking it could be the best thing as my PE has been going haywire.

[[M]umma[M]ia]

thanks falguni - yeah im worried about what can happen if she stays in there too long with the PE. They are monitering it very closley and im thankful for that. As long as she comes out healthy, im not overly fussed on how she comes out. It must have been scary when u heard your placenta was shutting down etc. They are a little worried about that with me and keep asking me all sorts of questions about "how i feel"... along with having so many CTG's.

My appointment to discuss things is at 10:30am today.. so i will let you all know what happens..

[Junglemum]

Sounds like maybe breaking your waters will be enough...... fingers crossed.
PE is not something to take lightly. You are doing all the right things.

[sangie]

Good luck today Holly, hopefully breaking your waters will get things moving. Will be thinking of you and your little girl and can't wait to hear of her arrival...

[[M]umma[M]ia]

before i forget them i have a couple more questions

What affect can the syntocin (sp) have on bub?

When is the drip stopped? After you deliver bub or the placenta?

Are you able to breastfeed straight away or do you have to wait for the drugs to be out of your system????

now ill go and read what everyone has wrote

[[M]umma[M]ia]

thanks for all you stories and great tips girls

its making me less freaked about the idea that for sure! Now i know some good questions to ask my doc!

[mrsmac]

I have been induced with 2 out of 3 of mine due to high BP and one took 12 hours after the onset of really full on contractions with the drip and the other took 3 1/2 hours! With DD1 I wasn't dilated at all nor was she engaged so I think thats why she took so long and ended up being forceps too. DS I was 2cm dilated and he was very fast, I only had gas but I couldn't move around at all cause I had a broken foot and was on crutches so was confined to bed.
Having had both types of labour obviously I prefer non induced as it is a more gradual build up of pain but since my BP warranted induction I am glad I had it too.

[jgal]

Just wanted to comment on the catheta - it isn't just used if you have an epi. I was induced and was refusing pain relief, but because my cervix was swelling and the position of DS, I felt like I had a full bladder and needed to wee. I tried and couldn't and was mighty uncomfortable and was getting upset about it. They inserted the catheta and everything was much more comfortable.

In terms of mobility - I was able to move a little and shower but dragged along a drip with me. Due to bubs low heart rate I was confined to the bed a fair bit for monitoring though.

Pain.... yes very painful! The contractions were hard and fast for the whole time, however I haven't experienced a natural labour so can't really compare. I am hoping this little one behaves and gets out on time though as my induction date is booked for next Friday...