Rupturing membranes

[eidsvold]

Just a question - I am hopeing for a vbac and it looks like this baby is going to be quite big - doc quoting 85%percentile and things like that.

They are not going to induce me but say if my cervix is favourable they will rupture my membranes....

I thought that brought on labour hard and fast and I thought it would increase my risk of uterine rupture....

Am I right?!?!

[strawberry]

When I went to hospital and they found I was 3cm dilated they said they were going to rupture the membranes. I refused causing a bit of a row (!). My labour progressed well (1cm per hour) but they wanted to intervene constantly. It is my understanding that rupturing membranes will speed up labour and could result in more pain. Also the more interventions you have, the more you are likely to need. It is your baby and your choice how to give birth. You will need a strong birth partner to stand up to doctrs. Have you got a birth plan?

[midden]

ARM is a form of induction eidsvold, and you can refuse if you want to. Why will "they" not let nature take its course? I know you are in Oz, will they let you birth at home? Far better chance for vbac if noone is intervening and your body does its own wonderous thing.

[Uwila]

Are you guys sure that ruptured membranes can make labour go fast and hard. I though that rupturing the membrane can sometimes kick off labour, but that only the (oxitocin???) would give you strong contractions (hence the reason doctors don't like too induce after a Caesarean).

Are they doing a sweep as well? I had that and it was quite painful. They told me there might be a bit of discomfort... that was misleading. If I were going to go for a sweep again, I would at least take some paracetemol before showing up.

yuk! Brings back bad memories.

[midden]

Uwila once your waters have gone contractions can sometimes feel different, with babies head pressing down without the cushioning of the fluids. Lots of women talk about having stronger more painful contractions after ARM.

[fuzzywuzzy]

I had my memebranes ruptured and yes the contractions certainly intensified so much that for a fraction I considered begging for an epidural (I am a chicken, faint at the sight of needles).

[smellymelly]

I had my waters broken with dd to induce labour early. They tried the pessaries but they didn't work. They managed to break my waters at only 1cm, it hurt but I'm grateful to the registrar who saved me from having a c-section.

My contractions started very soon after that, and I had an epidural, as with my first (wouldn't do it without!!). But the rest of my labour was great, I s;ept through the last hour of labour, and only pushed for a little while, I didn't tear and I had no other intervention, and I still say dd's birth was one of the best experiences I ever had. (she was 8lbs 4oz, 2 weeks early!)

I would try not to listen to too many scare stories...

[Uwila]

Oh right. There now I learned something useful here on mumsnet.

[eidsvold]

midden - this baby is going to be a biggun so they are worried about the strain on my caesar scar if they let me go too far over - baby is already big iykwim.... very rare to have a home birth - have to be low risk and all sorts of other things.... even rare to get into a midwife led unit here.

Thanks for the info - no one has said anything about a sweep - might mention it next week and see what they say...

just keep hoping it will all just happen itself.

[midden]

How big was your first baby eidsvold? How do docs know this one is big? There is LOTS of evidence to show that after 13 weeks it is very difficult to estimate a babies weight by scan or otherwise. Lots of mums will vouch for that, being told they are having big babes then baby not being huge at all, or vice versa.

Is home birth unheard of where you are then? What a shame. Many would say you have to be low risk to have a home birth here too, but the truth is that women who have had a traumatic first experience often labour and birth better away from hospital, in the comfort of their own homes.

Talking of risk, many will harp on about the risks of a home birth, evidence is building that these are significantly less than risks of a hospital birth, few midwifes and doctors will talk about the risks involved in hospital birth though. There are quite a few!

Sorry to be negative, I know you need positive support at this time. I just think the best chance you can give yourself for going into labour is to steer away from intervention, hopefully they won't even get a chance to see whether your cervix is favourable - you will be in full swing labour by the time you are anywhere near the hospital!

How many weeks are you btw

[eidsvold]

am 40 weeks .. had a scan to check the growth - reason dd was born early by caesar - poor dopplers and poor growth... and was just 6lb

I know this one is bigger - as I am much bigger with this babe... all baby out the front!!

I do know that if I go into labour spontaneously I will stay at home as long as possible - which should decrease the risk of intervention....

thanks so much for your ideas and support midden

[midden]

best of luck eidsvold, hope all goes well - I will keep an eye out for announcement.

midden xxxx

[mears]

eidsvold - having your waters broken (ARM) IS induction of labour. Sometimes that alone is enough to induce labour. If not, a drip needs to be started. It would be much better if you went into labour on your own. A suspected big baby is not a good enough reason for induction IMO. Big babies do deliver vaginally and babies usually come better when labour is natural. Hope it goes well.

[eidsvold]

mears I thought you had to be dialated before they would break the membranes - I am sure the consultant said my cervix would have to be dialated a certain amount before they would consider rupturing the membranes (4 cm I think) - as this is all new to me - I thought that cervix dialation did not happen unless you were in labour?!?!?

[arwenevenstar]

Yes, ARM is a method of induction, but they ought to try other things first, such as a prostaglandin gel if they use that in Oz. The problem with rupturing the membranes before the cervix is properly dilating is, as someone on here previously said, it can bring labour on really hard and strong. The baby's head suddenly has no cushioning.
The gel actually encourages the cervix to dilate which is what you really want.
Any form of artificial intervention can mean that you will need stronger pain relief or even another Caesar.
Not trying to scare you, cos there are equally people out there who will have only positive things to say about induction, however, you could try the more "natural" approach to induction ie: sex, nipple tweaking. I also read that accupuncture can work.

Ask them about the gel first.
Sorry to sound all bossy. I have been doing a lot of research on induction (not least cos I am fearing having to go down that route too, but also I am doing a presentation on the pros and cons of it......YAWN!)

Take care, look forward to seeing you back on November with a result!!

[mears]

eidsvold - the membranes can be ruptured if the cervix is even 1cm dilated. You can even be 4cm dilated with a second baby and not actually be in labour. There is no need to artificialy rupture the membranes when labour has started unless there are concerns about the baby's heartbeat or bleeding. For normal labour, the waters should be left to rupture themselves. If nature is doing her job properly the membranes should not rupture until just immediately prior to the baby's birth. When your doctor said that they could rupture the membranes if your cervix is favourable, that actually means inducing you. It would be much better to let you go into labour yourself unless there is a good reason to induce.