Induced contractions

[Glitterboots]

Hey everyone :)

I am currently 40+8 and really rather terrified of having to go through being induced again. My DS, six years ago, was not moving after two sweeps at 42 weeks and the syntocinon drip was trebled after 14 hours, leading me to go in and out of consciousness and needing an epidural. Doesn't sound as bad as it felt at the time but I'm sure this affected my bonding with him as the natural oxytocin did not kick in and I felt very separate for a long time.

I was naively hoping this time round would be different and now I've had two unsuccessful sweeps and am booked in to be induced Saturday.

My question is!
Does the pessary they give you do the same as the drip i.e. make everything ten times harder and the contractions more intense? I've asked two midwives who have not given me a straight answer, both only started blathering about how they don't use the drip til the last resort. Which wasn't my question. Will my labour be gentler with a pessary as opposed to the drip? Is it just a stimulation and all the natural birthing hormones kick in? I'm really trying to stay optimistic but in truth I'm just a mess. I really wanted to experience childbirth this time round it took me five years to decide I might do it again and I really didn't want it to be synthetic again.
Am I in for another OBB (Out of Body Birth)?

Thanks x

[emjay74]

So sorry to hear about what you are going through.

I asked my MW about induction (expecting DTs and been told they will induce if don't arrive naturally by 38wks).

My MW told me that the pessary softens the cervix and makes it more 'favourable' to make breaking your waters easier. She also said that when you have already had a DC things do, on the whole, get going quicker and easier as your body has already given birth once and your cervix never completely closes tight after your first.

Have you been offered another sweep before your planned induction? Did your MW say how 'favourable' things were when she did your sweep? With my last DD i needed 4 (13 days overdue..induction booked for following day) to get thing going!

I really hope that things get going naturally for you before your induction on Saturday...must be so worrying for you after what you went through last time. xx

[Glitterboots]

Thanks for the reply!

She said everything was "loose and stretchy" so she thought the hormones were kicking in, but it's been over 24 hours now and nothing.
I think I will ask for one more sweep before anything else gets used. I'm also going to wait the max 14 days, as they've got me booked in at only 9 days.
Congratulations on your DTs and I also wish you a happy birth! x

[tootiredtomakeupagoodname]

I have been induced twice first at 39 weeks (lovely birth) second time at 40 + 10 (DS born 40 + 12). In both cases the pessary was used to trick my body into 'natural contractions'. It helped me get to three cms both times but unfortuantly not contracting well so after breaking my waters both times I ended up on drip and it is horrible, I spend whole of second labour on max strength and thought I might die from the pain - clearly I am being dramatic as am still here 11 months later. To answer your questions though if the pessary works on its on then you will go into natural, not synotocion labour which should be easier to manage! Good luck

[EvaPeron]

I think the pessary is used to start things off, if that's enough for you then things carry on as normal. The drip is used to augment labour that is already started which was the bit I was terrified of. Having said that: not all inductions are horror stories, mine was ok.

Waters broke spontaneously, few pains nothing much, gel administered after 24 hours to get things started. Was told I wasn't having contractions, just prostin pains, 2nd set of gel not needed a I'd made 3cm after a further 12 hours. 15 hours later taken to the delivery suite for the drip as apparently nothing much had started (could still hold conversation, eat meals, walk etc). Spent a about 2 hours with the drip in, it was turned up once as apparently having no effect. Midwife offered VE and suggested I might need some G+A as I was asking to go home (made sense to me, I'd booked a homebirth!) and discovered that I was in transition. I don't think induction was necessary in my case, I'm sure I'd have got there in the end but would have probably tied up a bed for days.

I suggest you google 'Bishop score', there's a good wikipedia page. It is used to predict how likely an induction is to be successful, and I suspect those with low scores are the women who end up with nightmare inductions as they are further from being ready.

40 weeks is an arbitrary, average gestation anyway, some women will naturally be shorter/longer. Not everyone has a regular 28 day cycle either.

[Glitterboots]

With my firstborn, my waters broke the morning I was to be induced, so they tried a sweep. Twelve hours later they got me on the drip and things just weren't progressing so they upped it...and upped it. I do feel as if I need a good slap because it could have ended a lot worse (DS's heartbeat never waned and epidural did not interfere with pushing) but my labour came as a real shock and, as I said, the aftermath while I was adjusting to parenthood was tough.
I believe, on that Bishop's Score, that my cervix is posterior, so this obv doesn't help.
Thanks for your words.....I hope the pessary works! :)

[AlpinePony]

Sorry, but for me the pessary did not bring on "light and gentle contractions". Had one pessary mid-morning, no reaction. A second pessary at 4pm, by 4:20pm the shtf and by 5:20pm emcs called.

[herethereandeverywhere]

I had the prostin gel (similar to pessary). It hyperstimulated me and I had the most horrific contractions which were 7 in 10 minutes (they gave me medication to try to bring this down to normal range as it can otherwise bring on distress in the baby) but that gave me and the baby tachiacardia(sp) which meant DD's heartrate was over 200bpm at one point. Before the epidural worked (3 hours after my husband begged for it for me - I was too busy trying to knock myself unconscious and wishing myself dead) I would describe the pain as like being simultaneously torn apart and set on fire.

On the other hand, some people have several pessaries and experience nothing.

I really hope you don't have my unfortunate experience but I would recommend asking the likely consequences and possible side effects of the pessary and other induction techniques.

[AlpinePony]

Herethereandeverywhere - sounds familiar. Did you threaten to jump from the window if it wasn't 'sorted'? ;) I'm 'glad' to read your story actually because once in a while I torture myself and think I must be a wimp, then I realise that it can be that bad (and frightening).

[Catslikehats]

Hi I had an emergency induction with DC1 at 36 wks - straight to drip and went from sitting on bed chatting to screaming in agony in space of five mins. Labour was horrific, epidural didn't touch the pain and like you I felt it caused problems with bonding.

DC4 was a planned induction at 37 wks. Had been told by midwife they'd probably be able to break waters immediately - cervix never really closes etc etc. So I was gutted when it was tight closed on examination. Round 1 pessary= nothing, round 2 pessary, nothing for 3 hours then some mild cramping and contracting very like the slow build up with my only natural labour.

After an hour contractions hurt was given gas and air and examined was 4 cm so midwife broke my waters. Then I had one looooong rolling contraction, no respite at all and DC 4 was delivered 40 minutes later. We went home when she was less than three hours old. Perfect

[RnB]

Hi there,

I really understand how you must be feeling

I went 16 days late with dc3 and after 5 sweeps I had to be induced (I was prepared to wait longer with regular checks but after a scan it was discovered that I had 3x too much amniotic fluid)

The pessary imo got thongs going a bit - some mild contractions after it had been in for a few hours. It also gave me the delightful sensation that I'd been kicked in the privates - but not everyone has this!

They then managed to break my waters but the contractions werent regular or strong enough so I had to 'progress' to the dreaded drip. I was really upset and asked for a csection because of the horror stories I'd heard. I was especially upset as my Bishops score was 2 out of 10 (very low) so the likelihood of the induction being successful was considered low. I was terrified of going through all that and ending up with an emergency CS. Would rather have it electively and be done with it.

As it happened the drip worked and Dc3 was born within 4 hrs. It was more painful than natural labour but quicker than my previous two deliveries. I was only asking for pain relief in the last 10 mins - I went from 7 to 10cms in this time so was pretty intense! But there was no time for anything.

Remember first births are often the hardest (whether induced or not). I hope it all goes ok and you have a wonderful birth x

[herethereandeverywhere]

Alpinepony with hindsight I should have threatened to do that. To be honest the pain was so horrific and unrelenting that it actually demented me. I was not understandable or lucid (bear in mind this was after an internal examination has confirmed I was still zero centimetres dilated) but I was smacking my head with the heel of my hand to try and render myself unconscious (at least it dazed me a bit). Should have also mentioned that DD was back to back and quite large (got stuck in transverse arrest trying to turn) - that can't have helped either.

I'm always amazed when i watch they likes of One Born Every Minute and there are noticeable gaps between contractions where the woman gets her breath back and speaks normally. I never experienced that.

[IWishIWasAFrog]

Hi Herethere,

Just htought I'd tell you about my experience. With DS1 I planned a homebirth, had SROM at home and contractions 2-3 in 10 mins for 2 days, had to go in for induction. Was 1 cm on admission. Had pessary, 7 hours of 3 in 10 mins contractions, still 1 cm after all that, I was utterly exausted. They wanted to start a sintocinon infusion, I refused the infusion until I had an epidural in place. Cue much huffing and puffing from the mw seeing as I was only in latent labour, being only 1 cm, but they gave in, epi 7 pm, sintocinon started, fully dilated 1 pm, I was exhausted, did not sleep for 2 days, and just couldn't face properly induced contractions, epi was a lifesaver. Best thing I ever did. Lovely birth, normal delivery, v small tear, 9 lb 8 oz baby! I thought that, seeing as I'm going to be tied to a bed anyway, as you are constantly monitored when getting sintocinon, and I couldn't walk around, hang over ball, do whatever to make things better for myself, I might as well have had the epi. Was right decision!

Good luck with your induction, hope all goes very well!