Foley bulb induction

Overview

Foley bulb induction, also known as Foley balloon, is a safe and efficient method of inducing labor by dilating the cervix during pregnancy. It involves having a catheter inserted into your cervix and filled with saline to cause the cervix to dilate.

The Foley bulb is just one of the methods used by healthcare providers to induce labor during pregnancy. Medication and amniotomy, a surgical procedure to rupture the water, are two additional methods that can induce or advance labor. These methods help the cervix to dilate by applying pressure.

The most effective technique of labor induction for you and your baby is chosen by your healthcare provider. When labor induction is medically necessary, a Foley balloon is a safe and effective method to promote cervical dilation during pregnancy.

Reasons for undergoing the procedure

A Foley bulb is meant to facilitate cervical dilation. This pressure can shorten the time needed for an induction and help initiate labor. In situations where it is medically required to encourage dilation or induce labor, your obstetrician may suggest a Foley bulb.

The procedure can also improve the condition of an unfavorable cervix (hard, closed, and thick) to make it more favorable. A favorable cervix (soft and thin) is more likely to initiate labor and may respond better to interventions such as medication or amniotomy (breaking the water).

Risks

Labor induction carries a certain risk. The majority of healthcare providers favor spontaneous labor, in which your body goes into labor on its own. However, inducing labor can actually reduce the chance of problems for both you and your baby in difficult pregnancies.

Although utilizing a Foley bulb is thought to be a low-risk treatment, there are possible risks involved:

• Cause distress to the baby
• Infection or fever.
• Pain.
• The bulb falls off, or the procedure may not work.

Labor induction using foley bulb is not advised for everyone. If you meet any of the following criteria, it might not be suitable for you:

• The baby is in a breech position.
• Placenta previa.
• Active genital herpes.

Procedure

During a Foley bulb labor induction, your healthcare provider inserts a Foley bulb catheter and sometimes a speculum into your vagina. The speculum will help widens the vaginal wall.

A Foley bulb is a catheter-like device inserted through your cervix into the uterus by your healthcare provider. It includes a balloon-like end positioned under your baby’s head at the bottom of the uterus. Once filled with saline solution, this balloon applies pressure to the cervix, encouraging dilation.

As the cervix reaches 3 to 5 centimeters dilation, the catheter naturally falls out. Before you can start pushing to give birth, your dilation must be 10 centimeters. For most women, active labor normally starts 12 to 24 hours later, commonly with the assistance of medication. When your dilation reaches 6 centimeters, you are in active labor.

In order to assist the cervix to soften, healthcare providers occasionally combine a medication like misoprostol with a Foley bulb.

The steps for a Foley bulb induction are as follows:

• Lying with your feet in stirrups on the examination table.
• Your healthcare provider will check the heart rate of your baby and make sure your baby is head-down in your uterus.
• Your healthcare provider examines you for cervical dilatation. They might use a speculum.
• The Foley bulb will then be inserted.
• After the Foley bulb is positioned, the healthcare provider inflates it using approximately one ounce, or 1/8 cup, of saline.
• The catheter is attached to your thigh or tied off and tucked into your vagina.

The procedure typically lasts less than 10 minutes. Under the pressure of the balloon, cervical dilation can take up to 12 hours. Typically, the Foley bulb falls out on its own once the cervix dilates to 3 centimeters. If dilation does not occur and labor does not commence, your healthcare provider will remove the bulb and proceed with another induction method.

Sometimes the cervix dilates, but the contractions in labor don’t start. Your healthcare provider may choose to start you on oxytocin to stimulate contractions or to artificially rupture your membranes.

Outcome

Most people agree that a Foley bulb induction is an effective and secure way of inducing labor in past-term pregnant women. The following are some of the main benefits of employing this labor induction method:

• It is mostly medication-free.
• For most people, it dilates the cervix in 12 hours.
• Less complication compared to other induction techniques.
• Safe for individuals with a history of C-sections.
• In certain cases, it can be administered in addition to medication for quicker labor.

Your healthcare provider will monitor your baby’s heart rate and decide whether you can go home and wait for labor to start or if you need to stay in the hospital. While a Foley bulb induction can be outpatient, some may experience rapid onset of labor.

Everybody’s threshold for pain is different. It may cause a small amount of pressure and pain. A Foley bulb can cause discomfort and irritation for some people, particularly when it’s placed and inflated. It could feel like an exam of the pelvis.

If your healthcare provider inserts a Foley bulb, discuss with them if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Contractions.
• Nausea or feeling unwell.
• Bleeding.
• Reduced fetal movement.
• Water breaking.