Induction

M

m_c

Registered User
Hi,

Does anyone have experience of induction of labour at a public hospital? Just found out I am being induced 2 weeks before my due date due to high blood pressure.
 
I was induced with both of mine. My first, my waters broke and labour did not start so I needed the oxytocin drip. For my 2nd, she was overdue.

The first "step" is you'll check in and get given a suppository which is meant to help prepare your cervix (if your cervix is not yet soft/ready for labour). Sometimes that is enough to start labour by itself. If it is, that is definitely "easiest". If not, you may also require an oxytocin drip. For my 2nd, I had the suppository and things were getting started just with that, but then my water broke again before my contractions were regular or strong, so I went on the oxytocin drip in my 2nd delivery as well.

I would prefer to avoid the oxytocin if possible - at the public hospital, if you are on the drip, they won't let you get out of the bed so it is hard to move and get comfortable. If you want a drug-free delivery, that restriction would make it near impossible. Both times, I didn't really mind whether it was drug-free or not, but I got an epidural both times mostly because I couldn't get comfortable since I wasn't allowed to move. The epidural helped me to be able to sleep through much of the labour.

Anyways - if you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask or PM me if you prefer...

Nicole
 
Fingers crossed the suppository works then! Really don't want to be "chained" to the bed. Is there any medical reason why they don't let you move around? Even if it is just standing next to the bed? I was told that I was likely to get an epidural as it will help to lower my blood pressure. I am not bothered either way if I end up with a natural or medicated labour so long as baby comes out safe and sound! :)
 
I was induced with my second son. I had a pretty smooth induction. I didn't need any meds to prepare the cervix as it was already soft and dilated a little. The Dr broke my water and that was enough. No pitocin. My son arrived less than three hours later.
 
I don't know why they don't allow you to walk with the drip, and I also don't know what would happen if you really insisted. To be honest, I didn't really try that hard. They made it very clear that they didn't want me off that bed with the drip though...
 
I had a natural labor (not induced no IV or anything) at a Prince of Wales (public hospital) and was told I had to stay lying down too. It was because of the "need" for constant fetal monitoring with a belt. Horrible. I think if you have been induced, the need for constant monitoring becomes greater so this might be necessary to stay lying down.
 
For my 2nd baby, it was unbearable, my supervising nurse told me not to MOVE at ALL!! Every time I shifted position, the monitor lost where the heartbeat was and so she told me I couldn't even adjust my position. I understand where she was coming from, she'd just been handed my ridiculously huge file and they knew that my baby had a congenital condition so I think she freaked out a bit... but my labour was only going to go one of two ways: a) we end up having a huge fight with the nurses and basically refuse to do what they told us, including refusing the fetal monitoring completely. That was not going to happen without a BIG fight though... or b) I get an epidural so I can be comfortable and the nurse is happy since I wasn't trying to move all the time. The path of least resistance was definitely b) and since I didn't mind having an epidural, that's what we did. I had an "ok" labour. The epidural made it pain-free at least. In theory, I might like to at least try to use positioning etc to relieve the pain but I don't think that the environment for either of my births was really conducive to that.
 
I was also induced with Pitocin (which I think is the same as Oxytocin) for my first as my water broke in the morning and I wasn't having even contractions or dilated enough more than 12 hours later. I was never expressly told to lie down all the time but being hooked up to the fetal monitor I couldn't move much. Though when the pain was really bad I actually squatted and did different positions on the bed. They didn't help though. And I didn't get an epidural (that's another story).
 
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