small for dates and now low amnionic fluid worry mybe induced monday

[1pj]

Ive just seen there has been another post with a similar question but i had a few more questions to add,i posted last week about measuring small and today they were going to do a follow up scan to see if baby had grown and if it had they would not worry but if it hadnt then they would intervene,the scan showed the baby has put on weight,at least a pound so that was good but now there saying my anmiotic fluid is too low so i have to go back monday for another scan to reassess and if still low i have to be induced,has anyone else had this?Im so worried now as i thought all was ok since bub had grown,does anyone know whats classed as a normal number?Mine was 9 then last week went up to 10 then now this week back down to 8.Ive googled a little and 8 doesnt seem low especially low enough to be induced,i really would like to not be induced but feel i should trust the doctor.Anyone know anything about it?Thanks so much!

[BellyBelly]

Can you ring and ask what the level of fluid is? See if you can find out.

[1pj]

All they said was the AFI was 8,but its only gone down from 10 last week,does that make any sense?

[Salad]

Hi 1pj i had to be induced (my bubs born 9th january this year) because the fluid level was low and also bubs was 8 days overdue, I think the levels are supposed to be between 5cm and 25cms my level was 6cms so they said I should be induced. I dont want to worry you because everyone is different but I hope I never have to be induced again it was a horrible experience the contractions were close together with almost no break in between which apparently is very common with inductions. I ended up having an epidural (made a huge difference) which I had never intended on having but I also wasnt against having. I didnt have a birth plan because after two miscarriages I just wanted bubs delivered safe no matter how they had to do it. When they went to break my waters they actually pulled out a piece of bubs hair and there was no fluid left so it was lucky I was induced.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask me hopefully I can help you. How far along are you?

[1pj]

Hi salad,first of all congratulations on your arrival!!!thanks for that,i dont mind if its a good or bad experience,id rather know what i could be up against!I will be 38 weeks on sunday.I have heard that being induced isnt nice,even at our birth class they said so,i wasnt worried too much about the birth but now i am!Is it true you have to be on a monitor like heart trace thing the whole labour too?I was worried if they were doing the right thing but when i read your post i think they are,incase theres no fluid left for me also,being as mines at 8 so not much more than yours.Also,how did they induce you?They told me it could be a number of ways,was it when they broke your waters?

[Salad]

I was induced with the gel I forget what they call it, but they put the gel near your cervix. First of all they monitor bubs for about half an hour, then they do an internal and check if you are dilated at all then they put the gel near the cervix and just wait and see what happens this whole time you are on the monitor. In my case I said to my husband go down stairs and get yourself something to eat as I really didnt think anything was going to happen but just after he left the room bubs heartbeat dropped to 80 then shot up to 200 and was all over the place, this can be a problem when you are induced sometimes the baby just doesnt like it.
The midwife rushed in and checked my pulse and put me on the oxygen I think I got a little anxious because of heartbeat fluctuating, she was going to hit the emergency button she told me later but she knew where the dr was so went and got her. They watched bub on the monitor really closely and monitored me closely for about 20 mins to half an hour, my husband was a bit upset when he found out and said he wasnt leaving again. Everything calmed down after about 45 mins and then it was just a waiting game. At 11pm they came back and hooked the monitor up again for half an hour and then did another internal and said there was no change so they put some more gel near the cervix and the same thing happened with bubs heartbeat again, they monitored us both for another hour or so and everything calmed down again so I told my husband to go get some rest and I tried to get some sleep. Just to let you know I was so nervous about getting induced the unknown was scary for me.
The lady in the bed next to me snored really bad so I couldnt sleep then at about 1am I started getting period type pain so I thought something must have been happening, the pain got really bad and there was no relief in between so I asked for some pain killers and they gave me panadeine forte, which helped a little and I managed to get a little bit of sleep. Ay 4am the painkillers wore off and the pain was heaps worse and just kept escalating, I asked for more painkillers about 5am but they said they couldnt give me anything because they were taking me to the birthing suite at about 6:30am I tell you that was the worst wait of my life.
Closer to 6:30am I couldnt even stay laying down the pain was so bad but I couldnt stand up either so I paced I think I had about 30 sec breaks in between the contractions. They finally came and took me to the birthing suite and I had a shower, the midwives didnt realise I was having contractions.
The pain was horrible, then my husband came and helped me breathe through them, not an easy thing to do if you ask me. At 7am they did an internal and found that I was 2cm dilated this is when they tried to break my waters and pulled out the hair instead. The contractions kept coming and then they put me on the monitor to watch bubs, she was not doing very well at all, I am not sure if it was because I was induced but from what the midwives were saying I assume it was. At about 9am I could not take it anymore and they asked me if I wanted an epidural, I couldnt even say yes but my husband knew it was time to have one. It is very hard getting an epidural when contractions are so close together but the anaethisist was great, I even said to him after that I could marry him (something he has heard from many pregnant women before) I seriously went from an exhausted trance like state to pretty much a normal person again. I would definantly get an epidural again if I had to be induced, I am not sure if a normal labour is less painful I cant answer that questions but if it isnt then I think any woman that gives birth without drugs is superwoman.
They continued to monitor me after that and yes I was confined to the bed but I was so tired from all the contractions beforehand that I was glad to be in bed. Bubs didnt seem to be getting any better so the midwife said she was going to speak to the dr. The dr came in about 5mins to 11am and said we needed to make a plan for me as bubs was distressed at this stage I knew they meant c section which apparently is common when you are induced also. She said she would do an internal first, when she checked me she yelled push push the head is right there ( I had gone from 2cm dilated at 7am to fully dilated at 11am) next minute the room was full of nurses and specialist and they wheeled in this mini resusatation cart for the baby just in case. I could feel the pressure of the contractions but I didnt know when to push because I was so full of emotions that it was actually going to happen. The midwife put her hand on my stomach and told me when to push At 11:09am our baby girl was born she had the cord around her neck and they cut it and put her on my chest for a few seconds, she wasnt breathing which they knew and then they took her back and put her on the resuss cart and started working on her, she didnt take her first breath for 4 minutes, when she took it the whole room clapped and cheered (there were about 20 people in there). It wasthe most amazing and scariest time of my life but I had a great team of drs and midwifes I cant thank them enough they were amazing.
If you trust your dr or whoever is suggesting that you should be induced then it is probably for the best, but also you can say know. You have to do whats best for you and your baby.
I really hope everything works out for you. Again if you have any more questions you can ask me.
I am sorry the story was so long but that was my induction story. Not everyone has a bad story though everyone is different.
Hugs to you let me know how you go and I will be thinking of you

[1pj]

Thankyou so much for sharing your story with me!here i am in tears!!lol!I know you said about being scared so im glad im norrmal to be feeling that too,its good to know what things to expect so i really appreciate it!I know you said about woman without drugs are superwoman but even the midwife at the birthclass said that being induced can be more painful and worse labours,and what you went through and having your little girl natural in the end is great!You are superwoman!!Thanks again heaps,i feel alot better now,just knowing about it if you know what i mean,I will let you know how it all goes.

[Salad]

aww now you got me feeling all warm and fuzzy and teary. Just remember at the end of the day it does not matter how your baby makes it into the world as long as they make it safe and you are safe and well. Good Luck just go in with an open mind

[Nelle]

Wishing you well for your scan 1pj. I hope you can avoid an induction.

[cindyb]

I know nothing about the levels but iwas induced with my second (using only the gel) as my placenta had pretty much stopped and her growth had slowed down HUGELY!
SO i was induced at 37 weeks and I had a very fast but great labour with no drugs and no tearing etc, only needed one lot of the gel and I had had her abour 4 hours later!
Just remember that everyone is different, no 2 labours/births/pain tollerance/ babies ar the same!

Good luck and please try not to stress to much about this, go with your gut, and investigate everything! Thats the beauty of the internet!!!

[Toomanytoomany]

I hope your scan goes well!

If worst comes to worst, inductions aren't necessarily horrible. I know that some women experience them as more painful, but they aren't necessarily. And if you can make sure that they allow you to move around (even if it means your birth partner holding the monitors in the right spot for you!!) then that can help, too. If they can do the induction gently and introduce the pit slowly (if you need it) then it's a lot easier than if they just go in with a bang. There are other things you can use to help get your cervix favourable, too, such as evening primrose oil, sex, nipple stimulation, etc.

[1pj]

Thanks so much ladies for all your replies!!Phew im less nervous now,still nervous,but less if that makes sense!I will soon know tomorrow if they will do it or not,so i guess not long to go now.I will let you know what they say and if all goes well after!!!

[cindyb]

Good luck for tomorrow!

[Salad]

its probably too late but good luck hope all goes well soon you will be holding your beautiful bundle.

[cindyb]

I just popped in for an update and there is nothing.... does that mean you are having a bub as we think of you????

[LimeSlice]

Hope all is going well for you and bubba!!

Good luck with everything, and let us know how it all went

Take care hun!!

[1pj]

Thanks so much ladies im touched by everyones kindness!!Well,im still here but i am being induced friday!!sorry i didnt reply earlier,i was at the hospital for ages and didnt get home till after 5pm!!The scan showed my fluid is now down to 7 so the doctor said lets just get it out now as i will be 39 weeks just about on friday and save anymore worrying.The doctor did an internal too yesterday and said 80%effacement and 2cm dilated,not really sure what that means but he said that it means my cervix is favourable so they will just give me a very small drip and break my waters,he said the head is at minus one and he could feel it and was "right there"so he said i should be happy with all that but he wouldnt be suprised if i went into labour before friday anyway.So thats that,im still nervous,more excited now but still nervous but its at 7am in the morning so thats good too,not late at night or anything.So im just resting up and feeling quite strange that i will meet this bub probably sometime friday!!

[Salad]

Sounds like you could just go into labour by yourself anyway but if not at least you know when to expect your bubs.
Thinking of you still and will keep and eye out for the birth announcement.