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Your midwife and/or obstetrician will explain to you the reason(s) why induction of labour is being offered to you. Once you have discussed and understood why induction of labour is being offered you will then be invited to make a choice as to what is the right option for you.
Your choices are:
What happens if I choose to continue with the pregnancy?
After considering all the options around induction of labour, it is your choice whether you wish to continue with your pregnancy or whether you wish to accept the offer of induction.
For those who wish to continue with their pregnancy and wait for labour to start naturally it is a good idea to discuss this plan with your midwife and /or obstetrician. You will be offered the option of some additional monitoring for you and your baby. This might be in the form of appointments for an ultrasound scan to check the placenta and/or monitoring of your baby’s using a Cardiotocograph (CTG) machine which measures you baby’s heart rate.
How often we recommend you come for these checks will depend on the reasons why induction was offered. It is your choice what you wish/ do not wish to accept.
What happens if I choose to accept the offer of induction of labour?
You will be given a date for induction by either your community midwife or obstetrician. On the date given to you, you will get a phone call from the Induction suite in Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, giving you a time to come in. Please note that this call could be at any time of the day as we offer a 24 hour service.
If your cervix is already ‘favourable’ i.e. open enough that we could break your waters around the baby, or if your waters have already broken (pre-labour rupture of membranes) your induction will be carried out on labour ward in Aberdeen Maternity Hospital. Again, you will get a phone call from staff when it is time to attend Labour Ward.
If you have any concerns regarding yourself or your baby whilst awaiting the induction process please do not hesitate to contact the triage line on 01224 558855.
What happens if I choose to undergo a planned caesarean section?
If you think you may prefer to give birth by caesarean section you will be able to discuss this further with an obstetrician. A caesarean section is usually performed after 39 weeks gestation. You will be given a provisional date and this will be confirmed the week before the caesarean is due to happen. You will come in to hospital on the day of your planned caesarean section.
What are the potential risks and benefits of induction of labour?
- It may improve a medical condition which may otherwise get worse (such as pregnancy induced hypertension).
- It can reduce the risk of stillbirth (Research has also shown that the risk of stillbirth is between 1 and 2 in every 1000 births (0.16%) at 41 weeks, 2 in 1000 (0.19%) at 42 weeks and 6 in 1000 (0.63%) at 43 weeks).
- It reduces you and your baby’s chance of an infection if your waters have broken and labour has not started (Risk of infection increases from 1 in 200 to 1 in 100).
- It is not clear from the evidence we have whether induction will increase your risk of having a caesarean section.
- Some research has also shown you have a slightly higher chance of needing an instrument birth (Forceps or Ventouse) when you are induced.
- Sometimes induction may not work (around 6%). If this was the case the midwife and doctor would discuss the options with you.
- Over-contracting of the uterus may occur with either prostaglandins (around 10%) or Syntocinon. Drugs can be given to reverse over-contracting in extreme cases, and if related to the Propess®, this will be removed.
- It may take several days of induction of labour until you have your baby and may involve more frequent vaginal examinations.
- Some women report higher levels of pain when their labour is induced.
- There is a small chance that the induction process will make your baby distressed, so continuous monitoring of your baby’s heart rate would be advised when labour commences and it would be recommended that you are cared for on Labour Ward in Aberdeen Maternity Hospital during your labour.