How long after induction until they talk c-section?

tkidston · December 2010

I am being induced wednesday morning and was just wondering-

if I do not progress after they give me the pitocin, how long before they start talking about doing a c-section?

TIA!

Mama_SAS · December 2010

This would be an excellent question for your OB.

I don't think there is a timeframe. I think it all depends on what is happening.

*sallymad* · December 2010

I think it depends on the doctor and if you're progressing and how quickly....

honkytonk_kid · December 2010

It depends on a couple things. First, whether or not your water has broken. If your water breaks or is ruptured artificially, in most hospitals you have 24 hours to deliver. Baby's heart rate is another biggie- they want to know the baby is handling contractions well. Your cervical progression factors in. Your OB's personal preference makes a difference too, as far as how long they are willing to let you go.

Good luck! Hope it goes smoothly for you

qme09 · December 2010

I was in active, mind-numbingly painful, real, live labor for 48 hours after they broke my water. They decided I could get an epidural, and keep trying for 12 hours, or get a c-section right then and there. I grudgingly got the epidural, and delivered about 3 more hours later. So, I went 51 hours after my water was broken, and still delivered vaginally. Some hospitals give you a time frame though.

SarahTx5701 · December 2010

They were very close to taking me for a section after I remained stalled around 6 or 7cm for a while.

I was in labor for 36 hours and my water had been broken for right at 24 hrs.

The breaking water thing sort of puts you on the clock so to speak.

I had a high risk delivery, and was hooked up to everything, my BP was through the roof, I had on oxygen for the baby plus internal monitors to keep an eye on him, It was a mess. I would have preferred a csection, ds was in distress for too long and the magnesium I was on for so long really screwed him up.

iris427 · December 2010

honkytonk_kid:
It depends on a couple things. First, whether or not your water has broken. If your water breaks or is ruptured artificially, in most hospitals you have 24 hours to deliver. Baby's heart rate is another biggie- they want to know the baby is handling contractions well. Your cervical progression factors in. Your OB's personal preference makes a difference too, as far as how long they are willing to let you go.
Good luck! Hope it goes smoothly for you

Yep this.

It takes a lot longer to progress at the early stages of labor than the later ones. So if you are at 2 cm for a long time, it's not the same as if you are at 8 cm for a long time. When I worked in L&D, there would be women there for days just to get those first few centimeters in an induction and then once they got into active labor, things really pick up.

I had a c/s at 10 cm after my induction because my daughter was malpositioned and wasn't descending. I had been pushing for an hour or two when my OB decided to do a c/s. Other doctors might have had me keep pushing or tried vacuum/forceps first, so that's an example where a doctor's individual practices came into play.

bootsnbananas · December 2010

If nothing is happening and your water is not broken they could send you home. Otherwise once your water is broken that kind of puts you on a time frame but it is still at the drs. discretion. My water broke at 36 weeks with my 1st son and they were big on the 24 hours thing, I had 90 minutes left when he was born.

MichelleL1118 · December 2010

At my hospital, it's within 24 hours of the water breaking. If they start pitocin & you do not progress, and your water has not broken, they will discharge you & try again in a few days (unless the induction is for medical reasons). If there's no progression, with or without water breaking, in a medically-necessary induction, the c-section usually happens 6-12 hours after progress seems to stall. But, this info will vary based on hospital and/or OB policy.

iris427 · December 2010

qme09:
I was in active, mind-numbingly painful, real, live labor for 48 hours after they broke my water. They decided I could get an epidural, and keep trying for 12 hours, or get a c-section right then and there. I grudgingly got the epidural, and delivered about 3 more hours later. So, I went 51 hours after my water was broken, and still delivered vaginally. Some hospitals give you a time frame though.

One of the reasons my doctor gave me that we needed to do a c/s was that my water had been broken for 12 hours. I thought that was weird. If it had been 24 hours or longer, OK. But 12 seemed unnecessarily restrictive to me.

RHitch · December 2010

I delivered 30 hours after the cervadil was placed. One thing I was adament on was not letting them break my water until I started to progress. They asked to break it 2 times before I reached 3 centimeters and I said absolutely not each time. They were not happy with my decision, but they got over it. The 3rd time they asked I said OK because I had started seeing progress. The lady in the room next to me let them break her water the first time they asked and she ended up wtih a c-section. As long as your pregnancy is fine and baby is doing good, stick to your guns and do not let them talk you into anything that does not make sense. Good luck!!

amp2312 · December 2010

With DS I was 3 cm's and my water broke. Still nothing. Was in labor for 22 hours and after that pushed for 4. Probably depends on the doctor which I'm assuming would not be as mean and cruel as mine was!