If your waters break before 34 weeks, you'll only be offered induction if there are other factors that suggest it's the best thing for you and your baby. You may be offered an induction if you have a condition that means it'll be safer to have your baby sooner, such as diabetes , high blood pressure or intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. If this is the case, your doctor and midwife will explain your options to you so you can decide whether or not to have your labour induced. Before inducing labour, you'll be offered a membrane sweep, also known as a cervical sweep, to bring on labour.
To carry out a membrane sweep, your midwife or doctor sweeps their finger around your cervix during an internal examination. This action should separate the membranes of the amniotic sac surrounding your baby from your cervix.
This separation releases hormones prostaglandins , which may start your labour. Having a membrane sweep does not hurt, but expect some discomfort or slight bleeding afterwards.
If labour does not start after a membrane sweep, you'll be offered induction of labour. Induction is always carried out in a hospital maternity unit. You'll be looked after by midwives and doctors will be available if you need their help. If you're being induced, you'll go into the hospital maternity unit. Contractions can be started by inserting a tablet pessary or gel into your vagina. Induction of labour may take a while, particularly if the cervix the neck of the uterus needs to be softened with pessaries or gels.
If you have a vaginal tablet or gel, you may be allowed to go home while you wait for it to work. If you've had no contractions after 6 hours, you may be offered another tablet or gel. If you have a controlled-release pessary inserted into your vagina, it can take 24 hours to work.
If you are not having contractions after 24 hours, you may be offered another dose. Sometimes a hormone drip is needed to speed up the labour. Once labour starts, it should proceed normally, but it can sometimes take 24 to 48 hours to get you into labour. The cervix softens and starts to open, you will get contractions , and your waters break.
In an induced labour, or induction, these labour processes are started artificially. It might involve mechanically opening your cervix, breaking your waters, or using medicine to start off your contractions — or a combination of these methods.
An induced labour can be more painful than a natural labour. In natural labour, the contractions build up slowly, but in induced labour they can start more quickly and be stronger. Because the labour can be more painful, you are more likely to want some type of pain relief. If your labour is induced, you are also more likely to need other interventions, such as the use of forceps or ventouse vacuum to assist with the birth of your baby. You will not be able to move around as much because the baby will be monitored more closely than during a natural labour.
You will only be offered induced labour if there is a risk to you or your baby's health. Your doctor might recommend induced labour if:. Not everyone can have an induced labour. It is not usually an option if you have had a a caesarean section or major abdominal surgery before, if you have placenta praevia , or if your baby is breech or lying sideways. During the late stages of your pregnancy, your healthcare team will carry out regular checks on your health and your baby's heath.
These checks help them decide whether it is better to induce labour or to keep the baby inside. Always tell your doctor or midwife if you notice your baby is moving less than normal. If they decide it is medically necessary to induce labour, first your doctor or midwife will do an internal examination by feeling inside your vagina.
They will feel your cervix to see if it is ready for labour. This examination will also help them decide on the best method for you. There are different options for inducing labour and you may need a combination of treatments. It can take from a few hours to as long as 2 to 3 days to induce labour.
It depends how your body responds to the treatment. It is likely to take longer if this is your first pregnancy or you are less than 37 weeks pregnant. Induced labour is usually more painful than natural labour. Depending on the type of induction you are having, this could range from discomfort with the procedure or more intense and longer lasting contractions as a result of the medication you have been given. Women who have induced labour are more likely to ask for an epidural for relief.
Because inductions are almost always done in hospital, the full range of pain relief should be available to you. There is usually no restriction on the type of pain relief you can have if your labour is induced. Not all induction methods will work for everyone. In some cases, this is enough to start active labor. If not, your doctor might resort to a different method of induction. That dramatic movie scene where a pregnant woman's water breaks with a huge gush?
In reality, not many women actually experience that. But if your doctor breaks your water during your induction, you definitely will! An amniotomy is a method of induction that's typically used once you're in active labor to move things along. Stone asserts. Pitocin is a synthetic form of a drug that is normally produced by the maternal brain called Oxytocin. It's often used to cause uterine contractions, and can be very effective in moving things along during the induction process.
After you've been induced, Dr. So the induction process will vary depending on the condition of the cervix at the time the induction begins.
So before anyone can answer the biggest question of all AKA how long will it take for your baby to arrive, your doctor will need to answer these questions first:. Those weekly internal exams at the end of your pregnancy may not be pleasant, but they give your doctor an idea of how ready your body is for labor. If your cervix has already started to dilate before your induction begins, there's a good chance things will go faster than if you weren't dilated at all. The same is true for how thin your cervix is.
Your doctor may give you a percentage to indicate how much your cervix is "effaced" on a scale of 0— percent. A thin cervix is considered "ripe," which is ideal when it comes to induction. Ever heard of this strange term? Your doctor uses a Bishop score to determine how ready your cervix is for labor.
It takes into account each of the factors listed above, as well as a few others.
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