Artificial rupture of membranes
This is where a doctor or nurse will break your waters, either with their gloved finger or with a thin probe that is often compared to a crochet hook by those who’ve had the procedure. The loss of amniotic fluid can stimulate your womb to start contracting. Having this done can be uncomfortable, so you may be offered gas and air.
Hormone drip
If none of the other methods have had any effect, or if your labour has started but is progressing too slowly, you may be put on a hormone drip of Syntocinon, a synthetic version of the hormone oxytocin that causes contractions.
Syntocinon will be administered by intravenous drip and will start at a low dose to allow your contractions to start gradually. Once they’ve been established, the rate of the drip can be adjusted to ensure that your cervix is dilating without becoming too painful and the contractions aren't coming too fast or strong for you to cope with.
What induced labour feels like
If you’re heavily pregnant and very uncomfortable, it can be a relief to know that your baby is finally going to come out. Inductions are usually scheduled, so it can be helpful to know exactly when you’re going to be visiting the maternity ward. You can prepare your birth plan and have your hospital bag packed and ready to go in plenty of time.
If you have a firm idea of how you want your labour to go, for example wanting a water birth or a home birth, it can be scary to have control taken away by a timetable or a drip. Just focus on the end result and you’ll be holding your beautiful baby in your arms in no time.
Remember all labours, including induced ones, are different – so what works for some women might not work for you. Whatever you decide, you'll be able to make an informed decision because all of the induction options will be explained to you.
Is induced labour more painful?
There’s no getting around it – induced labour can be more painful than labour that starts naturally. This may be because the contractions you experience are stronger or faster due to the methods used to induce it, or because there’s no gradual build up to get you in the zone or used to the pain.
If you’re being induced, your pain relief options are exactly the same as for any other labour, so feel free to ask for whatever you need to get you through it. Women who get induced are more likely to ask for an epidural and are also more likely to have an assisted delivery, where forceps or ventouse suction are used.
Side effects and risks of induced labour
Being induced is very safe, and one in five women who give birth will have been induced.
Like most medicines, those used to kickstart contractions can have side effects. Prostaglandins can make you feel feverish and nauseous, give you diarrhea or make your vagina feel sore – hardly a walk in the park, then. Both prostaglandins and hormone drips can cause your womb to become hyperstimulated, meaning you experience contractions that are very intense, frequent or long-lasting. If this happens you’ll be giving medication to calm your womb down, as it were.
What if induction doesn’t work?
Induction is a gradual slope that ramps up. If a membrane sweep doesn’t work you’ll be offered prostaglandins, if those don’t work you could be offered a drip, and so on. This ensures that the method with the least intervention is tried first before moving on to the next option, so there’s little of chance of induction not working at all. However, if all induction methods don’t seem to be convincing your baby of making an appearance any time soon, you might be offered a c-section.
What Mumsnetters say about labour being induced
“My advice is not to expect it to happen straight away: I thought that full labour would start immediately but this is often not the case. Bring plenty to keep you occupied – music, food etc. Someone I know went round a museum in between pessaries.”
“I was induced and the downside was going straight into full-on labour pains rather than experiencing a gradual build-up. On the plus side, it was fairly quick and therefore not completely exhausting, plus it all took place during the day and so I had a good night's sleep the night before.”
“When I went 14 days past what doctors believed was my due date, they insisted I was induced. They tried twice with prostaglandin pessaries but nothing happened. After that I was scanned and monitored and told to come back to the Foetal Assessment Unit every two days. Eight days later I went into labour naturally and my son was fine.”
“I remember complaining to my consultant that I was sure I was never going to give birth and he kindly assured me that there was no medical record of anyone ever getting to 10 months pregnant. Somehow my pregnancy-addled brain found this comforting.”