Tomorrow is the induction

Tomorrow we are 38 weeks and I thought these mono-di boys would have come on their own time. I cancelled my c-section and decided to try naturally. I'm booked in tomorrow morning to start an induction. I was 2 cm dilated over a week ago and apparently that doesn't mean anything at all because they are still going strong. I have tried all the wives tales to get them to come but nothing, they are just so content in there?! Has anyone been induced? They said they would just hook up an IV with the medication in it. Does that mean I can't walk around while in labour? Ahh..it's all a little nerve racking... well if anything thanks for the support. I enjoyed reading so many threads that put me at ease throughout this pregnancy. Good luck to everyone else!

 

Is there a reason they're pushing you towards an induction? I know you feel as big as a house and are probably completely uncomfortable, but those boys could still hang on another week or two or three before they come on their own (which isn't a bad thing!). Just curious if you've been told or you feel that they need to be out already?

 

I agree with Stephanie about being very clear on why the induction is necessary as it does involve a fair bit of intervention. I would also talk to your care provider about what exactly you'll need/will be done during the induction as everyone has slightly different protocols.

Here are some of the most common though - The IV will likely have pitocin in it which is an artificial form of the hormone oxytocin (which is what causes contractions). They'll start it off very low & gradually up the dose over time until you are having regular contractions (at which point you may ask to have it turned down or off as your body may continue on its own by then). You will also be on continuous fetal monitoring as they like to keep a close eye on the babies (sometimes the contractions start coming too strongly or too frequently & so you'll start to see dips in babes heart rates at which point they'll either lower the dose or turn it off). They may offer an internal fetal electrode on baby A - this is a small electrode that they screw into the top of babe's head (it's very small). The benefit is a very accurate measure of babe's heart rate although if your membranes haven't broken spontaneously, they'll need to break them first before placing the electrode. You will also have your blood pressure monitored regularly - in my experience, they usually leave the cuff on & have the machine set to check your blood pressure every 15 minutes or so. Many, although not all, women find pitocin induced contractions much stronger & harder to cope with than spontaneously occurring contractions so you may want to think about how you'd like to handle them (pharm and/or non-pharm coping choices). All this means that most likely you won't be allowed to be up & moving around. Some care providers even prefer that you don't change position on the bed so that's definitely something to chat about if your plan was to be up & moving.

Best of luck tomorrow! Know that most inductions go quite smoothly, there's just a lot more monitoring involved.

 

I would also suggest waiting to see if you go into labor rather than being induced unless there's a medical reason to induce.

I was induced with both my pregnancies. With the twins, I was induced at 40 weeks because the placenta was starting to deteriorate, they discovered this at one of the ultrasounds (I was going twice a week by then). As Rachel described, I had an IV with Pitocin that had the dosage upped every half hour or so. Plus two monitors for the babies so I didn't go anywhere! I had an easy labor and delivery, though I've never had a spontaneous labor so I don't know how they compare. With the twins the contractions were pretty intense and right on top of each other, I barely got a break. With my second induction, the contractions were just as intense but were about 2 minutes apart so I got a break in between, which was a miracle because he was so much harder to push out than the twins! With both, I was started on the pit at about 8 am, was feeling the contractions by lunch, started pushing around 4:20. The twins were born after only 20 minutes, but Josh took a full hour of pushing. He had a huge head!

Good luck with whatever you choose to do!