Induction fears

[Milligan123]

So.... Have found out today Im being booked for an induction on my due date which is next week due to potential larger baby girl. Does anyone have any nice and positive induction stories? I obviously know there are always things that don't go to plan (being induced being the first change of plan) but it's thrown me a little and kind of need a hand hold. xx

[Montgomerystubercles]

I had a (reasonably) fine induction-pessary at 4pm ish, walked around the hospital for a few hours, napped until 5am ish when they took me to the delivery suite and got me on the drip. The first few hours were fine, lots of bouncing on a ball and breathing exercises but it got pretty intense pretty quickly and due to monitoring constraints I ended up in bed (which I hated, I really wanted to be squatting/on all fours) so asked for an epidural. Had the initial bit but by then it was too late and DD was born at noon ish. No forceps, no tear/episiotomy so I considered it a good induction overall! She was quite wee though (5lbs) as it was an early induction.
So it is possible, although I've just found out I'm pregnant again so maybe it's those rose tinted specs Mother Nature gives us to make sure we keep procreating....

[CountessVonBoobs]

My induction took a while to get going, but it was fine. I did 8 hours on the drip without pain relief but did have an epidural in the end as I was contracting a little slow. Baby born without intervention and no tearing, as soon as the epidural wore off I was up and feeling fine.

On balance I would have preferred to go into labour naturally but if you do need induction there's no reason it can't be a positive experience. It truly wasn't that different from my first (spontaneous labour, no meds).

[Milligan123]

Thanks for the replies ladies! We really weren't expecting to be going down this route and after reading all the info today im a little apprehensive! Now really hoping she will come under her own steam between now and next Thursday!!

[1sttimedd]

My experience was fairly positive.

24 hour pessary at 5pm Wednesday, mild, steady contractions for 24 hours (felt tightenings and showed up on fetal monitor). Hormone drip 6pm Thursday, DD born early hours of Friday morning. Gas & air throughout active labour, unassisted birth. 2nd degree tear that was stitched in surgery. Discharged from hospital midnight Friday night.

[MrsSiriusBlack1]

I had quite a good experience at first despite being really nervous! Got pessary at 1pm and had mild contractions and pain for about 10 hours, then it ramped up into labour at around 4am, spent the next few hours in the delivery ward until it was discovered at noon she was brow presentation so had to get an emcs. It was like my previous spontaneous labours, the pain level was around the same!
Good luck op!

[randomsabreuse]

Mine was pretty positive- 2nd baby, LGA induced at 38 weeks (same as previous smaller baby came spontaneously). Had gel x 2 about 6 hours apart, triggered labour eventually, labour followed almost identical pattern to first so had a rush up to delivery followed by longer pushing stage and a ventouse. Didn't need drip or waters broken.

Was encouraged to be active, ball, baths etc encouraged, wasn't on my back until likely need for ventouse became apparent. Most of labour was leaning/kneeling on the end of the bed! Including lots of monitoring...

Negatives - probably more internal exams than a spontaneous delivery- which hurt due to tight (ie hurt when making baby) stitches - but they were bearable, and the eventual epesiotomy has healed way better than the stitches from my tear.

• staffing levels were shit in antenatal - each midwife had too many women and my labour kicked off properly over shift change - went from 2-7 cm very quickly and they didn't really expect it so didn't get to delivery and the gas and air until later than I should. That said in my first labour I was sent home at 2cm and had baby about 5 hours later so it was substantially more comfortable than labouring in the car. Had my own midwife in delivery, plus HCA + ?2nd midwife? and obstetrician for the birth though

[Marlena1]

I was induced and it was fine. I only had a section to compare it with but no issues. Wishing you a lovely delivery x

[SequinsDress]

My induction, due to PROM, was pretty positive. 4.5hrs from starting drip to baby. TENS machine for pain relief and only intervention was an episiotomy (nothing to do with the induction itself, just baby needed a helping hand at the exit after 1.5hrs pushing). I was in early labour before induction started though, so I think this is a bit different from a cold start where the body isn't actually ready. I think that's when induction is more likely to fail.

Your post sound quite passive, you know you get a say in the matter, you don't have to agree to induction. You could opt to wait/delay or ask for a c section straight away. Do your research and make the decision for yourself, rather than being pushed into something by HCP.

[Newyearsameoldshit]

I had a pretty positive induction.
The only negative thing was the time it took (started first thing Sat, baby born Mon evening) but perhaps slow and steady was good as it all went smoothly.
I had an epidural at 6cm (not part of the original plan and felt I'd let myself down a bit), slept for a bit, then pushed baby out in under an hour with no tearing - epidural turned out to be the best decisions I made!

Hope all goes smoothly for you whether baby gets a wriggle on and comes soon or you have an induction x

[Imicola]

All good for me also. Pessary at 8pm,then again at 6am, plus sweep. Contractions began proper about 9am, ramped up quickly, and by 11ish i had involuntary pushing so they rushed me down to delivery suite. Gave birth at 12.15pm. I had an episiotomy to prepare for ventouse as I wasn't fully dilated, and baby was in a slightly awkward position, but in the end I didn't need the ventouse, she came out all in one push!
Our antenatal class made it sound awful so I was not really looking forward to it, but I had a condition which increases risk of still birth, so I knew it was the right thing to do and I have no regrets.

[Donnadon346]

I had an induction on Monday and was dreading it. The labour only took 5 hours on total with just gas and air for pain relief, it was my 4th child and was no more distressing/painful than any of the others that weren't induced.

[user1471426142]

Mine was due to PROM and was hard but I think my baby wasn’t really ready to come out. If the pessary works lots of people still have really normal births. The drip can be harder but again some people only need a few hours on the drip. By the time I got on the drip I had been in labour for around 30 hours and had only got to 3cm so I was already shattered. I then needed around 11-12 hours of the drip. The first 4-5 hours were quite manageable with gas and air but I got to a point where I was hypercontracting and needed an epidural. A lot of my issues were position related as they couldn’t get mobile monitoring to work well enough and I had to be lying down.