Some questions about being induced...

hey girls!

there is a chance i could be induced this week and i have a few questions for you all :)

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

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

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

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

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

im sure ill have some more questions for you lovley ladies later. mwah! xox

1- yes, though the drip is a nuisance
2 - yes
3 - yes
4 - not sure, but probably. Most OBs like to keep things moving along pretty swiftly.
5 - probably, though I don't know as I've not had a natural labour. I did delay the sintocinon for a few hours after I had my waters broken and the contractions got a lot more intense, very quickly once that started.

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

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

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

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

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

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From my experience with one induced and one spontaneous labour:
1) no, as I was kept on the monitor for most of the labour so they could make sure bubs was not in distress. Basically stayed on my back or side for most of my labour.
2) no as I was being monitored
3) able to pee naturally and encouraged to do so frequently. I think the catheta (sp?) is only inserted if you have an epidural but I could be wrong
4) I think they strongly suggest a c-sec if you get close to 24 hours as it is classed as failure to progress
5) it was a crapload more intense being induced as the contractions came on strong from the beginning and I was not able to get a handle on them at all

HTH

How are you being induced? A rupture of the membranes induction is a huge difference to a synto induced labour.

Yout cant get in the shower or bath as once they put a drug into you, they need to constantly monitor to you see how the baby is coping with it all. You wont need a catheter until you have an epidural due to loss of sensation.

Hi Hollye! In a bit of a hurry, but will try and be quick!

I had to be induced because i had PE. My OB and i discussed it at length as i didn't want to be induced. (Lucky i did as my placenta was shutting down and my DD was not getting many nutrients. ;) ) He was fine with me having ARM and walking the halls to see if anything would happen, but after 5 hours and no contractions i had syntocin.

If you have gels or ARM, you should be able to move around freely. If you have to have the syntocin drip then moving around is a little challenging, although you can still do it if they put the drip on a pole. (It has wheels)

Not sure about the bath, although i don't see why you wouldn't be able to if you only had ARM or gels..... i would guess not if you had an IV drip in. Could call and ask...


Pretty sure you only need a catheter if you have an epidural.

Not sure about a 'syntocin policy', but you could certainly phone the hossy and ask.

I can't really comment on whether or not it is more painful as i don't have anything to compare it to. But i have read other people's comments which go along the lines of it being more painful as it starts full on rather than working into it.

Best of luck love, you'll be holding your little girl before you know it! xxx

Hi Hollye,

Generally when you're induced, the midwives like to monitor you, so you will be confined to a bed or chair, I was anyway. If you insist, they might ,let you be monitored intermittently.

I don't know about the shower. I would think not though since you will be monitored.

I was in labour for almost 24 hrs with DD (though not on synto for that long I don't think) not sure how long I had it for but I had the maximum dose I could. I was pushing for 3hrs and I was headed for a c/s but managed to get DD out before the OB came back to take me away!

I think it did hurt more than when I had DS (a completely natural birth- ie no drugs at all). With DD I had 2 shots of pethadine and gas and would have had an epi if there had been an anaethsatist(sp??) there. With DS I managed to labour at home until 8cm dialated and gave birth a few hours after arriving at the hossy.Though it definately does have a place, I would honestly say if you can avoid induction.

Yep, you can pee normally.

Oh yeah, i forgot about the monitorying (somehow..). Actually I was monitored quite closely so had to stop every now and then for them to check, but didn't need to lie flat till towards the end (when I really needed to move) cause baby's heartbeat was dropping. They didn't mind me getting in teh shower and bath though...

yeah synto hurts a HELL of a lot.. havent had a natural labour so can't compare but from what i've heard it's a hell of a lot worse because your body doesnt have time to 'come to terms' with the pain cause it's coming so quickly and so hard. I was allowed a shower but i had the midwife standing outside the door hurrying me, and I wasn't allowed to get out of bed after that at all..

Have you confirmed that you'd be induced with the syntocin? I think there are a few other types of inducement out there but don't quote me on it. I think docs breaking your waters is also a form of inducement isn't it???

I was induced with a cervix gel first and went into labour 8 hours after it was applied. You can move around normally with the gel but not sure if you can get in the bath with it?

I however, had all the contractions come to a hault about 12 hours into labour with no real progression although I was having about 45 second contractions about 1 minute apart for a good chunk of that, but bub still hadn't engaged and cervix was barely 3cm - lucky me.

Anyway, I then had the Syntocin and it was pretty painful in comparison to what I'd felt the previous 12 hours. I needed the gas with it but about an hour or so later I had an epidural, not so much for the pain but because it was highly likely a c/s was going to be needed at that stage (and did).

So I would say yes you can move around & pee with the gel.

Once I had the epidural, I had a catheda, don't recall getting it when the syntocin went in but really I was pretty weary by that stage.

Best of luck.

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How are you being induced? A rupture of the membranes induction is a huge difference to a synto induced labour.

Yout cant get in the shower or bath as once they put a drug into you, they need to constantly monitor to you see how the baby is coping with it all. You wont need a catheter until you have an epidural due to loss of sensation.

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ive been told.. if i am 2cm or more dialited when they do an internal then they will break my waters if not ill start on the gel. Once they break my waters they said they will start the drip. So does that mean i would be having both??

thanks for all the advice girls.. it means alot. Btw they are wanting to induce me because of PE. i have my appointment with my doc in the morning as he is going to discuss it with me then. Also i have been in pre/early labour since saturday morning so they arnt too happy that my labour isnt progressing.. ive tried to get it to as i dont want to be induced but at the end of the day i have to do what is best for me and my lil girl..

thanks again xoxo

Holly, if you can I would delay the synto and give your body some time to go into labour with just breakign your waters. That's a 'gentler' method compared to the synto. Your doc may insist you do both at once (ours did), but ask for a good medical reason why you should (there might be one, I don't know your circumstances) In my case i was being induced purely cause I was overdue so we just refused synto till 3-4 hours after my waters were broken. That allows a gentler (relatively) start to labour and gives your body some time to adjust. I'm really glad i did this and think it was probably the one good decision i made :rolleyes:

Hi Hollye,

Thought I would let you, I have been induced with all 3 of mine.

Number 1. PRe e at 38 weeks

Had gel, arm then drip laboured for 17 1/2 hours. Was monitored on and off, allowed to walk around, shower, pee naturally. Even had epi and refused catheter as still could pee on own. Once had epi was then on bed for the rest of labour.

Number 2, Pre e at 39 weeks

Gel, ARM allowed time for contractions to start didn't work. Drip labour was 3 hr 45min, again allowed shower periodic monitoring. Used pethadine and gas.

Number 3, post dates 11 days.

ARM, then given 2 hours to see if labour would start, but no then drip, continouse monitoring but was allowed to walk around attached to monitor. Could of had a shower but didnt want one. Moved where ever i liked in the birht suite.


I was never given a time limit, as long as was progressing and bp was stable they said they would see how i would go with each one.

Pain wise can't say never had natural, my first was worse as didn't move around as much. All I can say is make sure you can stay upright as much as possible to speed it up.

Hope this helps you out.

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Yout cant get in the shower or bath as once they put a drug into you, they need to constantly monitor to you see how the baby is coping with it all. You wont need a catheter until you have an epidural due to loss of sensation.

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I was induced due to high BP and low fetal movement, I was encouraged to use the shower if I wanted to, had only intermittent monitoring which was wireless so I didn't spend anytime at all on my back until I had the epi, in which case I didn't have a catheter.

HTH.

SG
xo

With My 1st i had my water broken within 45 mins bubs was out. I the clip on bubs head to monitor and was confined to bed didnt need to pee but no catheda (spl)

With my second i had the gel. Its usually up to 3 doses 3-4 hours appart i was told but luckily for me i only needed one. I was sonfined to the bed for an hour for monitoring but the pain was getting to me and i told them i needed to pee so i was allowed to get up to go to the loo. I was allowed to have a shower also which was good but felt like bubs was going to come out so got out and then was rushed up to delivery (2 hour 16 mins after the gel went in i had my DD... Both times VERY QUICK... I had natural start to labour 1st time but once water was broken pain increased and intensified. With DD the gel i had pain almost straightaway... (the insertion of the gel hurt as they have to push it in quite far... but it was very quick and one thing i wanted was not to be stuck on the bed and they did allow me to walk around after the monitoring...

I think you just have to TELL them what you;d like to happen (i.e. moving round, shower etc... They'll tell you what they want but even if you need to demand things (unless its life threatening they';; accomodate your requirements... )

Good luck... I know how anxtious i was on the day. I hope you get the delivery YOU want

Holly, I am a success story, so many people made me fear induction. I was induced at 7.00am and I had my daughter by noon. 5 hours! The contractions come on hard and fast with the synto but I had gas and it seemed to make a bit of difference. I had no epidural but a peth shot late and it didn't kick in until after she was born. It was full on but look what you get at the end of it!!! Good luck with everything.

Hi Hollye

In my experiences, induction has been better than not being induced! My 1st, I was in labour for about 16 hours before having my waters broken and an internal monitor clipped to bubs head, plus a catheter, thus confining me to bed, and flat at that.

My other 3, I have been induced - ARM plus drip and every time, had bubs about 3hours later. Don't know about baths/ showers (I guess each hossie is different too), but I was encouraged to go pee normally as much as I wanted.

For me, the pain was equally intense with all 4, but was a heck of a lot shorter when I was induced! LOL! Being induced was also a lot less exhausting for me too. But everybody is different!

I think the most important thing is if you have to be induced, try to see it as a positive thing - what is best for you and bubs!

Good luck hun!

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 :)

In my experience, I wound up being induced but it didn't go as planned. I was due to have the gels inserted on the wednesday evening but DS decided to come early so I went into labour (not established though) on Tuesday morning. My labour didn't progress and I wound up having my waters broken and being induced with the synto drip. I found it really intense and not a pleasant experience. I won't go into too much detail because my body is mine and yours is yours, so the experience won't be the same and I don't want to scare you. It's a shame I missed out on the gel. I think that would have made the world of difference. Perhaps not though. At any rate DS was experiencing decelerations in his heart rate, and there was meconium in the water so, after 28.5 hours of labour, I wound up having an emergency c-section. At the end of the day DS was born safely so that's all that matters.

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!

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 :D

thanks for all you stories and great tips girls :D:D

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

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.

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?

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.

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 ;)

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.

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..

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. :hug:

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...:hug:

Another thing to remember too is that ANY drug you take for pain relief will pass through to the baby - even the gas, which is oft touted as a harmless form of pain relief is not without it's risks. Peth is particularly bad in that it can give you a very doey and sleepy baby - something which is NOT good for establishing a breasfeeding relationship, especially if given late in the labour.

It sounds like you don't have much a choice and some women are perfectly fine with the 'it doesn't matter how they get here' line, but if how you birth is important to you, then you can still reclaim it for yourself to a degree. I have had 1 syncto induction out of 4 births and it nearly killed me physically - it was so much more demanding of my body (imagine clenching your fist over and over and over for hours and see how tired your hand feels after that) and I also had a retained placenta and a post partum haemorrage which I eventually needed a large blood transfusion to try to correct. I had to go to theatre after my baby was born and have my placenta manually removed under a general anaesthetic because to do so with only a local was considered too traumatic because they have to insert their arm into your vagina and peel the placenta off the wall of your uterus - not a pretty picture I can tell you. Maybe I was just unlucky becuase you hear of so many "good" induction stories, but I'm just sharing my experience with you as have others.

Good luck for today Holly. Hope things go well. With any luck breaking your waters will be enough to get things going. It sounds like you trust your doctor, and that is good - with PE you have to be careful, but that doesn't mean you can't ask 'why?' when they suggest things.
Soon you'll be holding your baby!

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...