is being induced more painful than "normal" labour????

[blondie14]

am being induced sat morning and have been worried by all the horror stories of it being more painful than non induced labour. this is my second baby and been told that cervix favourable so may only need small dose of prostiglandin gel. is it as painful as the stories suggest????

[TheProvincialLady]

It can be, but it doesn't have to be. Especially if your cervix is favourable, you may not need much to get get you started as they have said. It is when the syntocin gets plugged in that people often have problems, but even then there are plenty of people who have a perfectly ordinary time. Try not to worry Also, you may go into labour naturally before Saturday if your cervix is already favourable.

[blondie14]

im hoping so, have been getting small "shows" today but not sure if its just from having an internal yesterday.

[QuintessentialShadows]

I was induced with my first. When my second made a natural appearance, labour hit me in the face, or rather abdomen and bottom, and I realized that I really had no clue what labour felt like at all. In my experience, induced labour took forever (36 hours) with exhausting mild pains, whereas natural labour was full on excruciating pain. I did not have any painrelief though.

[JRocks]

I was induced but have no 'normal' labour to compare it to. I think it can be more painful, the prostin pains were excruciating for me..and if your syntocin is turned up too much you can end up with back to back contractions

If you are already favourable it may not take much to set you off. Also a friend of mine went into labour naturally on both of her babies the day she was to be induced! Fingers crossed for you.

[MKG]

They were the same for me, but then both were labors of about 3 hours. It really will depend on how your cervix is, and how well they managed it. The midwife that did my induction increased the pitocin in very small increments, so I had a small build up much like a normal labor.

[nooka]

I think there is a huge difference between the "getting things started" sort of induction where you get a more of less normal labour compared with being stuck on a drip, where the syntocin drives the labour. I had the later and it was probably the worst experience of my life. However my experience was a full blown excruciating scary out of control labour (I had a c-section after 6 hours, so couldn't say how long it might have been), so looking at QS's post maybe they vary.

[warthog]

big diff between a pessary / sweep and a syntocin drip. i think the pessary will kick of labour as normal, so no difference in pain levels. a drip will force each contraction (and in my case, constant levels of contraction inbetween) so that was more painful.

i can tell you for definite as soon as i've had no. 2, assuming it's not induced! (i'm 40+4)

[OxyMoron]

I had one natural labour and then a syntocinon induced one. They were pretty much identical (and wonderful experiences), tbh. I know it's not everyone's experience, but just to let you know that it's possible.

[Weegiemum]

I was induced with dc3.

Less painful than dc1 (full on back to back labour with augmentation that lasted 37 hours and ended up in a ventouse)

More painful than dc2 (10 hours easy labour, SVD, no stitches, all very calm)

So I think it depends on what kind of 'normal' labout you are talking about. My induction was also at 37 weeks for health reasons (mine) and cervix was unfavourable, but I still gave birth in 12 hours.

All the best!

[wasabipeanut]

I had a synocinon induction but no pessary because my waters had started leaking.

My experience wasn't great but I have no natural labour to compare it to. Perhaps if its your second baby things will move more quickly for you - thing seems to be more flexible second time round!

Best of luck.

[blondie14]

thanks for all ur posts, feel a lttle more relaxed about it now. fingers crossed the pessary works. when induced with either the drip or pessary, do you need to stay on the monitor? last labour i couldnt sit down and had to walk about so dont really want to be confined to the bed or chair.

[whinegums]

Good luck Blondie. I had synto drip after my waters went at 40+15, but I didn't go into active labour within 24 hours. No pessary, straight onto synto. It wasn't too bad at first - mw increased the drip gradually, and then turned it down once contractions were well established. I was managing on paracetamol and gas and air. However bitch of a doctor then turned the drip back up, and things fell apart a bit. I had morphine, was examined and only at 4cm so I asked for an epidural; by the time they were ready to give it, I had fully dilated really quickly and wanted to push! Didn't push for too long, but went for it big style - luckily didn't have any tears, just a few grazes, and DS was 8lb 12. 7 hours 10 mins from being first hooked up to the drip.

I was continuously monitored, and v v cross at bitch doctor who insisted on putting a clip on DS's head in the later stages. TBH, I had thought I would want to be active, but when it came down to it, I stayed on the bed sitting up, and then onto my side.

The whole thing was the exact opposite of what I hoped my birth would be, but do you know what, with the help of two fab midwives, it was fine, and we both came out of it pretty unscathed. This is my only birth, so nothing to compare it to.

Hope it goes well for you.

[EyeballsintheSky]

I was induced with the pessaries and was on a monitor for 1 hour before and after each one (had 3) but not during labour which was bloody painful but only 4 hours. I have no 'natural' labour to compare with so don't know if it was better or worse.

[izzybiz]

1st labour was 47 hours from first pains to delivery, built up slowly, was manageable, no pain relief used.

2nd was induced by breaking my waters, I was 3cm already.
As soon as they ruptured my waters the pain hit me, was very intence staright away, no time to get used to it, she was born 2 hours and 19 minutes later!

[blondie14]

my first labour was like your second izzybiz, labour stalled at 4cm dilated so they broke my waters and an hour later i was fully dilated and ready to push. only had gas and air for about 20 mins. if being induced is as intense as that then im prepared.
have heard loads of stories about people being in severe pain and only given paracetamol and told its just prostaglandin pains only to start pushing minutes later. think thats the bit that worries me.

[nooka]

I was permanently hooked up once the drip was in, and I think that's one of the things I hated most. I felt really strapped down. But I do think I had a particularly useless midwife (for example she didn't turn the drip off even when they decided I needed a c-section. Given that this was for failure to progress/risk of rupture and I was very panicked by the contractions I feel this was not very patient centred).

[littlelamb]

Ime yes but only because of hte interventions it led to. I was induced with dsd as she was 12 days late but she was also posterior. It was painful as I was hooked up to so many monitors, leaving me no option to move around. Being on the bed was agony which led to an epidural.I was not really told what to expect with an induction, as the pain was very bad very quickly, and the labour lasted 13 hours, with 2 hours of pushing. I just had ds 10 weeks ago and it was a completely wonderful experience because I was active and upright the whole time. I don't think inductions have to be painful, especially if you go in knowing your 'rights' if you like. You do not have to be hooked up to a monitor- you are perfectly entitled to ask for intermittent monitoring which will allow you to move about more freely. The funny thing is that with ds my waters broke and the contractions were immediately painful and close together, so much like my induction, but they were somehow more copeable with, I suppose because my body was doing what it was ready to do rather than beong given a shocking jumpstart. Good luck x

[mrspnut]

I had a natural birth first time round at just under 36 weeks and she was 4lb 7oz then for my second birth some 9 years later I had to be induced at 42 weeks by pessary (I had 2 of them) being monitored for an hour before and after each one but actively encouraged to move around (go and dance the fandango was my midwife's advice) between gels.

I went into labour almost as soon as I had the second one and spent my time hanging off the sink in the delivery room swearing at my OH. I refused to lie on the bed and I refused to be monitored although the midwife didn't like it, I told her that it was my way or else.

I may have been slightly deranged by this point but I did manage to have DD2 naturally and in the position most comfortable for me. She was 10lb 1oz and had a 37cm head so it was quite important that I did it my way.

[Pheebe]

Its such a personal thing but my experience was no.

With ds1 I went into labour naturally, was unable to cope with the pain had an epi and ventouse delivery all of which took 23 hours - not great

With ds2 midwife broke my waters at 8.30, he was born at 11.50. Spent the whole labour laying on the bed concentrating on the contractions with a tens and didnt make a sound. Shifted to let a student nurse 'have a look' and felt him move down. My body took over and pretty much pushed him out for me Those final contractions, crowing and birth were absolutely painless. The sensations were overwhelming but not at all painful. The worst bit was the mw breaking my waters tbh, that was quite painful but worth it as I went into labour straight away with no prostin etc.

So no it doesn't have to be and I want to do it again but DH won't let me

[MotherElk]

Anyone else wondering how blondie14 is getting on??

I'm thinking of you!!! I would think...probably....second baby etc... drip might be in by now..??? who can tel...
Anyway fingers crossed for you and hope it is going well and you meet your LO soon
xx

[Pheebe]

Gosh yes, just noticed she was going in this morning ... doh... fingers crossed she's sitting there having a cuddle already