Induction fears- help!

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!!!

Sjc
It is your body and you have the right to refuse to have any medical interventions that you do not want to have.
Are you taking and inserting EOP.
Are you trying nipple stimulation?

Hi, I was induced with my first on the spot too and it was very scary. I tried asking then all the questions your suppose to ask about avoiding the drip and letting it slowly increase but as it was urgent they turned it up so those contrax were coming every 2 min straight away so I know how you feel. I had to hae continuous monitoring too but I was allowed to stand beside the bed. (Also if you say you have to go to the toilet they have to take it off - I spent most of my firt labour on the toilet :-)

This time around I was 4cm dilated for over a week with pre-labour that wouldn't est so I asked my dr to break my waters, it was a much gentler induction as my body took over as soon as those waters were broken.

I would think that if you are being induced for post dates rather than in an emergency that you would have a lot more of a say about how it goes ie you can choose to just have your waters broken if you are dilated a little and you can ask for the drip to start off on a low dose and be turned up gradually. Have you written a birth plan? You might want to include induction stuff on it and take it in with you when you are induced and go through it with them then if you don't have a chance before hand

I am facing a possible induction too due to the onset of pre-eclampsia, but it needn't be a scary thing. My midwife was saying that they CAN start the oxytocin off slowly to mimic natural labour, over several hours instead of in a huge hurry. Also you can insist that you are not constantly monitored, instead ask to be monitored for fifteen minutes of every hour so you can still get in the shower and move around. Remember that YOU have a say in how your birthing experience will go and you have every right to question what the tell you. You can still have a positive and empowering birth. Goodluck :D

sjc, seeing as you are in Melbourne, would you be interested in trying an induction massage type-thing? Kelly (the creator of this site) has someone that she recommends, a few girls on here have used her (I plan on it too if I need to!).

I don't know any more about it, but I'll try and find any threads that talk about it and come back and post the links.

hey, thanks so much everyone for your encouragement, ideas and experiences. i really appreciate it all! and sezjm, i'm open to pretty much anything, so if you can recommend someone, i'd be happy to give them a go, so please forward on any details you have.

thanks again, everyone, and if anyone else has ideas or recommendations, i'm still very eager for it all.

sjc, I haven't been able to find any of the threads that discussed it, so I emailed Kelly to get the details. I have since emailed the wonderful massuese, as it seems that she's not taking on new clients ATM. I will let you know if she's doing the odd massage though!

I'm glad you started this thread as I discovered this week that I may need to be induced. It's a long way off yet, but some of my questions have already been answered in here! So thanks, and good luck!