What will happen during my induction of labour?

What will happen during my induction of labour?

• Your midwife will ask to take your observations (blood pressure, temperature, pulse, oxygen levels, breathing rate)
• The midwife will then ask to monitor your baby’s heartrate continuously for around 30 minutes on a CTG monitor
• Your midwife will then ask for your consent to carry out a vaginal examination to assess your cervix
• The midwife will then insert the prostaglandin (Propess) high in your vagina
• Your baby’s heart rate will then be monitored for another 30 minutes to check baby hasn’t immediately been affected
• To help encourage tightenings, it is important to keep mobile - go for a walk or sit on a birthing ball
• Try to eat regularly and keep hydrated as this will help fuel you when your tightenings start
• Depending on the reason your labour is being induced, someone will come and carry out your observations either every 4 or 12 hours
• Your midwife will ask to carry out a vaginal examination to see if your cervix has opened up enough to release your waters. If this is possible you will go to the delivery suite
• If it isn’t possible to release your waters then the midwife will take out the first propess and insert a new one
• Your midwife will ask to carry out a vaginal examination, if it is possible to break your waters you will go to the delivery suite. If not, the doctor will make a plan with you to either have a rest or try a different prostaglandin called Prostin
• A prostin tablet is inserted high in the vagina and dissolves over 6 hours.
• Your midwife will ask to do a vaginal examination to see if your waters can now be released. If so, please move to the delivery
• If it doesn’t seem possible to release your waters, your doctor will come & speak to you. It may be suggested you have a rest from your induction or you both may decide that induction hasn’t worked for you and the next option is a caesarian section
• If the midwife thinks your waters could be released you will be transferred to delivery suite, although this may not happen immediately if it is particularly busy.  An amnihook is used to make a small tear in the amniotic sac to help release the water around your baby. Gas and air will be offered for this
• The midwife will monitor baby’s heartbeat for 30 minutes after releasing your waters
• It is really good to keep active after releasing your waters to help encourage tightenings to establish
• The IOL guideline suggests waiting 2 hours for tightenings to start/ increase after releasing your waters. However, the length of time can be a decision you make with your doctor. If tightenings don’t start then the syntocinon drip will be suggested
• If the syntocinon drip is needed, you will need a cannula to be sited into your hand/wrist & baby’s heart beat will need to be monitored continuously
• The syntocinon drip is increased every 30 minutes until tightenings are happening 4 times in every 10 minutes and are regular. It will continue until baby is born, unless there are concerning changes to baby’s heart rate
• You will be offered a vaginal examination every 4 hours to check that the syntocinon drip is helping your cervix to open. An examination may also be offered if there are changes to baby’s heart rate
• The induction guideline suggests that your cervix will open around 0.5cm every hour. If progress goes well and there are no concerns about baby, then the drip will be left on until baby is born
• If the syntocinon drip doesn’t help to open your cervix or if baby doesn’t appear to be coping, then an instrumental birth (if you are fully dilated) or a caesarean section may be suggested