Forum 3rd trimester

Start with a balloon

8 replies

Lola
Hi everyone,
I'm now 38.5 weeks pregnant and they're going to induce me next Saturday by placing a balloon. Does anyone here have experience with this? The gynecologist also did a cervical sweep during my exam, so I now have 1 cm dilation. Could it be that it might no longer be necessary to place a balloon after a few days?
Sorry for all the questions, I hope there are people who have experience with this.

Replies

  1. Amy #2

    I was induced twice with a balloon catheter.
    What exactly do you want to know?

  2. Lola started this #3

    Hi, thank you for your reply,

    I’d really like to know how you experienced it. Did inserting the balloon hurt? And how long did it take? There was an explanation about the insertion and that it might not work to get more dilation. But I was so nervous I completely forgot to ask if it was painful. I have to come in tonight to have it inserted, and tomorrow morning they’ll check if they can break my waters.

    Thanks in advance for answering

  3. Justme1990 #4

    I was also induced with a balloon. Inserting it didn’t hurt me at all. It did take a really long time though. They inserted the balloon on Friday at 8 am, and the next day at 9 am they could break my waters. I was then 3 cm dilated. For me, it took a long time because there was no sign of an imminent birth yet. I was well explained to about the insertion and what they were doing. It’s also possible that the balloon does nothing; that was the case with a friend of mine. She was sent home again, after which the labor started the following night.

  4. Amy #5

    I didn’t feel any pain at all when the balloon was inserted. It felt a bit weird, but not painful.
    I got two balloons in the afternoon, and since both my kids hadn’t dropped yet, I had to be admitted to the hospital. If they had dropped, I could have gone home between the insertion of the balloon and the actual induction.
    The next morning, I was taken to the delivery room to check if there was enough dilation for induction. Both times, the balloon fell out on its own the next morning.

    You can also get natural contractions from the insertion of the balloon, so induction might not even be necessary. (This doesn’t happen very often, so don’t count on it.)
    I felt quite nauseous after the balloon was inserted, but that’s just how I react when I start dilating. So that’s not necessarily the case for everyone.
    My sister’s balloon did nothing the first time, and she got a new one after assessment.
    The first time, my waters broke at 9:30, and I actually gave birth at 18:38. The second time, it only took 4.5 hours between breaking my waters and giving birth.

  5. Suuske #6

    Had a balloon induction here too, at 41+6. I didn't really have any discomfort from having the balloon inserted; it didn't hurt. Unfortunately, the balloon didn't work well enough for me, so they took it out after 24 hours and applied some gel to my cervix to continue the induction that way. They had to repeat that once more after half a day, and then I finally had enough dilation to have my waters broken (a total of 48 hours after the balloon was placed).

    Good luck in advance!

  6. Lola started this #7

    Hi ladies,

    Thanks for the replies, it's nice that they're so positive. I'm curious, I have to report to the hospital on Saturday evening and they'll check if I've progressed further than that 1 cm dilation, otherwise they'll place the balloon. But thanks to your replies, I don't find it scary anymore.

  7. Amy #8

    The best advice I can give you is to just let it wash over you. If you're relaxed, everything will go more smoothly. So don't worry too much, but look forward to the fact that your baby is almost here!

    Good luck tomorrow!

  8. Amy #9

    How did it go?

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