Why you might need to be induced ?
There are a number of typical reasons for inducing childbirth:
• Your water bag may have broken but your contractions might not have started.
• There may be complications with your pregnancy and your baby needs to be born sooner rather than later.
• You may simply be long past your due date.
What happens when you’re induced?
Doctors can induce childbirth in many ways. At worst you’ll feel uncomfortable or a little pain but your breathing exercises will help you through.
Remember once they’ve induced labour, things might progress pretty quickly so be prepared! On the other hand, it can sometimes take a couple of days to get moving
so don’t panic if nothing happens immediately!
The list below will tell you more about the ways
in which you can be induced:
Membrane sweep – This is much like an internal examination. Your doctor will sweep
your cervix with their finger to try and stretch it slightly and encourage labour
to start. If successful, labour will usually start within 24-48 hours (this doesn’t
always work, so don’t worry if it’s not successful).
Breaking your water bags – Your water bag is broken using a long thin instrument
resembling a crochet hook, this is to encourage contractions but again it’s not
100% guaranteed.
Prostaglandin – A hormone that stimulates labour. It can be used as a gel or pessary
placed at the neck of your womb.
Syntocinon – Can be taken as a drip. If you have a drip ask for a long tube so you
can move around during labour. Syntocinon can kick start some quite intense contractions
so you may want to consider an epidural. It’s often done in conjunction with breaking
your water bag.