Hi everyone,

I'm new here, but am really hoping I can get some good advice or suggestions from you all, as I'm kinda freaking out!

I am currently 7 days overdue with my second baby. I am booked in at the Mercy Family Birthing Centre (in melbourne, for any one who is interstate). My terror is this: I was overdue with my first child (a daughter, too), and a scan at 5 days OD showed that she has dangerously low fluid levels around her (AFI level of 1, which is extremely low- non of the med staff could believe it). Thus, I had to be induced on the spot, which meant be removed from the FBC and into the wards, where I was given a synthetic oxytocin drip to bring on labour (turns out I was already 3 cm dialated before they began, but anyway). As is standard with the oxytocin drip, it was truly bloody awful- intense, excrutiating pain almost immediately. This was coupled with the fact that they insisted on continuous fetal monitoring, meaning I couldn't get off the bed at all. So much for my active birth dreams! I couldn't walk, sit or have a shower for the pain. The staff also kept saying. "your baby is in distress! you're going to need a ceaser!!". I ended up having an epidural (which I really didn't want to have had), but just as the nurse was heading out to get the obgyn to do the ceaser, she thought to check my progress and realised she could see the baby's head, told me to push, and my beautiful daughter was out very shortly later. I was extrmely relieved to have avoided a ceaser, but still look back sadly on my birth experience. I felt utterly powerless, out of control and frightened most of the time.

And now my second baby is overdue, too! I had a ultrasound today which, thankfully showed that his fluid levels are fine, but I am literally sick with worry about being induced in the same way again (prob not helped by the fact that the FBC midwife booked me in for an induction in 7 days, out of the brith centre becasue "they have to", apparently, if I haven't gone into labour by then, which will be done first with the gel and then the oxytocin drip).

I am really frightened, and feel like I'm losing faith in my body to know what to do (ie, start labour naturally) and terrified about going through induction again, esp outside the FBC, which is where I want to be.

The midwife tried to do a sweep today, but, after an internal, said my cervix was too far back to do it, which doesn't allay my fears about going into labour naturally anytime soon. However, the baby's head is so far engaged that when she went to check his position, she initally was palpating his shoulders, thinking it was his head! For the last three weeks I've been doing all the standard 'home induction' things- lots of walking, hot baths, sex, positive visualisation, even tried some amateur acupressure!

Please, can anyone tell me my options- is the gel-then-drip induction the only way to go? isn't there anything that can be done for me at the FBC? If the same thing happens again and I'm transferred to the normal wards and have a similar induction experience, what are my rights? do i get any more say than I did last time? i re-read kelly's induction piece and it just makes me want to cry! I know I should have asked these questions of the midwife today, but I was so worried about the whole thing that I just kinda sat their mutely.

I apologise for the long post; I'm just getting desperate and really worried about all of this. I know I have 7 days to go into labour naturally, but I'm so frightened that I won't and it will all happen again. I suppose it's too late to get a doula now!

Any advice greatly appreciated!!!