Induction after previous spontaneous birth, stories please!

[Anxiulyyy]

I'm due my 4th and they have said that this baby is small. I'm booked for an induction on my due date which is Thursday, they wanted me to have one last week but my 3 previous pregnancies were overdue and it felt too early.

I had an attempted sweep last week but the midwife could only get one finger in and wiggle it about.

She said today, that because I've had a vaginal birth before if my cervix is open a bit then they will rupture my membranes as the first step during my induction.

This has me nervous if I'm honest, I thought I would be having a pessary and things would happen gradually.

I'm also very, very anxious that I will need interventions such as forceps or a c-section.

There is also an 9 year gap between my last pregnancy and this one.

Can you please tell me your induction stories, good or bad, of you have previously given birth with no interventions. I want to be prepared.

X

I had an induction for my fourth. I was already four cms dilated, but the Doctor insisted on a pessary. It was uncomfortable, but I got away with gas and air.

They broke my waters at 6cm (around two hours later) and he told me it would probably be about another four hours. I laughed at him and said I'd be delivering in about an hour. I was right.

My labours were always fast though, so I think that might have helped.

My 4th ended in c section. I was induced a week early and knew it wouldn’t work (which didn’t help!)

I tried the pessary for 24 hours and it did nothing.

I had two spontaneous labours and my third was a quick induction at 42+2!

The c section was ok and I wish I’d just for that in the first place.

If they can break your waters then I’d definitely try that. They couldn’t with my 4th.

Good luck x

Both my two were induced with syntocin as my waters broke and I didn’t go in to labour spontaneously. They didn’t try pessary I think due to infection risk? First was 7 hours and second was 4. Second degree tears with both but my DH has a massive head so that was always going to be a risk. I would have preferred not to have been induced obviously but both times were fine and no massive drama. I had planned a home birth second time and was really disappointed but that was the worst thing about it.

All the best with the delivery. I hope it goes smoothly for you.

5 year gap between my 2. Spontaneous labour at 37 weeks with my first. Induced at 33 weeks with my second. They put a pessary first thing in the morning, cervix opened just enough for them break my waters. Put on the drip and had a lot of contractions and they had to turn it down. 8 hours later, nothing. Eventually had a section at midnight.

Thank you for your stories. I do also believe that it won't work and I will end up with a section.

I went over with all my previous ones so I know this one isn't ready to come out yet, but I feel like I'm being told that I am risking my child being stillborn and I can't take that risk.

All of my previous pregnancies have measured small and I've been told to prepare for a small baby but when they are delivered they are over 7lbs.

I think this is because they have a longer gestation period. 40+5, 41, 41+5.

This time around though they have given me more scans than before and insisted that the baby is smaller.

My heart is telling me that she isn't smaller she just needs an extra week, but I would never forgive myself if something happens and it was because of me being stubborn.

If you had a section, was it an emergency and they put you to sleep or was it seen as the next step due to not progressing?

I had a spontaneous Labour with dc1 which was horrific.
When I had dt I had a choice of planned induction or section. I opted for induction it was fine had drip and then membranes broken 7 hours later dt were both here. All just with gas and air (no interventions). So in my experience it was the better of the labour's.

Mine was emergency. He got taken up to NICU straight away and we weren’t allowed to see him until the next day and it took 3 days for us to be allowed to hold him. He was already really unwell though hence the induction at 33 weeks.

The midwife I had on the delivery ward was really nice and said (hours before my section) that the team already knew I’d end up needing a section but they were waiting until the last minute to see if I’d dilate by some miracle. I guess when the baby couldn’t take it anymore they had no choice but to get him out.

Maybe you could compromise with them? Wait until the beginning of next week for an induction if no progress before then?

I was induced at 38 weeks after my previous baby was spontaneous at 41. I wasn't quite dilated enough to have my waters broken to start so had a pessary. It worked within an hour and my baby was born just over 12 hours later. All my babies have been small too.

They sat me down with a Dr and basically said that there is no benefit to the baby being in the womb past 39 weeks and that they have to warn me that my placenta could stop working and that the baby could die and am I aware of that. That they have seen it happen and they cannot force me to have an induction but I would be taking a risk.

During my scans I haven't had any issues with placenta or blood flow, the baby is just measuring behind but still growing every week.

I feel like I have no control as if something bad did happen then it would be on me for not listening to them. There is just this niggle in the back of my head that the baby is not small and they need more time.

Thats why I agreed to an induction at 40 weeks instead of 39.

I may be massively generalising here but a lot of stories on MN about women being induced at term end up with easy enough deliveries. I think inducing when your body isn’t ready results in complications. They usually look at CTG and feel the cervix to see if you’re favourable for an induction. I don’t think they just offer them randomly.

Had an induction with my 2nd, was already at 2cm ish. They used the pessary, took several hours to work (about 4 I think) but once active labour started, he arrived in precisely 42 minutes!
They did actually break my waters too and after they did that he was born within about ten minutes. I had to have my waters broken with all three of mine.

Mine was a standard c section. I’d been in hospital for 2 nights already and if I’d carried on with another pessary it could have been way longer.

Everyone’s different. You might be fine with induction. I’d definitely ask you options and for waters broken if you can x

Horrific 36 hour back to back labour with my first, was 42+1, no induction and ended up with 4th degree tear. Baby 7lbs.

Refused to use that hospital again. Was induced for my twins almost 3 years later at 39+5, as they showed no sign of arriving on their own and I was so huge and uncomfortable. They inserted pessary at exactly 7:00pm, babies were both out by 8:30, no tears and an absolute doddle. Babies 6 and 7lbs.

I really was expecting the worst - especially being twins - just goes to show you never know.

Wow, what's it like giving birth to twins vaginally. I thought the NHS like to do sections for twins.

I was induced with my second. Two sweeps, gel, pessary x 3 over a five day stay in hospital. Nothing happened and I was waiting to talk to the consultant when I went into labour (I think) naturally. I had an epidural as I was fed up of being in hospital and couldn't get into the right headspace to do hypnobirthing. It was fine and the baby was healthy. I do regret the induction tho as the only reason for it was my age.

I had a previous spontaneous labour with no pain relief ( relevant later) My second was an induction at 39 weeks and they wouldn’t give me a pessary as my cervix was already slightly open and all favourable so they went straight to rupturing the membranes. This was fine but didn’t get me into labour quick enough apparently ( possibly because I was 39 weeks rather than 40 plus) so they gave me two hours from breaking my waters and then hooked me up to the drip. I was told I couldn’t have any longer than two hours. The drip was horrendous and sent be off like a rocket. I dilated to ten cm within 20 mins and just stayed like that contracting like crazy until I delivered her an hour later. They wouldn’t give me any pain relief and it was much worse than my first natural labour when I didn’t need anything. My advice to you would be if they want to put you on the drip get an epidural first. Contractions on a drip are nothing like natural labour contractions

From reading on here and speaking to friends etc it seems that the positive inductions tend to be the ones that haven’t involved the drip and/ or where at term or over due.

I was induced at 37 weeks with DD2 after my waters broke at 34 weeks. My cervix was completely closed, and they gave me the internal gel. Because my waters had already gone, they would have used the drip if nothing happened after a few hours. But the gel kicked off the contractions straight away and then it was fine. The contractions ramped up gradually, and it was 11 hours from gel to birth. They did break my waters after 9 hours (it was just the waters behind DD that they thought had leaked at 34 weeks, but there was still some in front of her head). That was fine though. It was not in any way more painful than when I gave birth to DD1, and with her I went into labour spontaneously at 39+6 and she as born 24 hours later, on her due date.

Both were without any pain relief for various reasons I won't bore you with, and I wouldn't say either was more painful than the other.

My second was an induction at 40 weeks, after spontaneously labouring with my first at 38 weeks.

I had a prostin gel at midday. Think I had a second prostin a few hours later. This started mild tightenings.

Membranes were artificially ruptured at 9pm which kicked off labour pretty soon after. DD was born at 2am.

It was a bit more intense than my first but still very manageable. My least favourite part was the continuous monitoring.

I think my body was almost ready to labour so it didn't take much to get it going. Hopefully yours will be too OP.

They only do it if medically necessary, or the mother requests. They were both healthy, good weights and head down, so no need for a section.

As to what it's like, obviously very different holding one baby in your arms, knowing another one is going to appear shortly! But a pretty magical experience, certainly much easier and less stressful than my first labour and birth!

I was hoping to go into labour by now but no.

I have my induction booked tomorrow I'm so nervous.

Good luck OP! I hope everything goes well tomorrow for you x

Was induced with DC3 after 2 SVD.

Was given a pessary and had niggles almost immediately but it was fine.

After 22h of niggles I very suddenly went to full blown labour and DP had to grab a MW from the hallway. I was examined (as I'd been moved from a birthing room to a side room) and I was 5cm dilated with bulging waters. Was transferred back to a room equipped for delivery, waters went before I was even on the bed and baby was born within the hour. No tears or grazes.

Not my easiest delivery but not my hardest.

I think inductions are "easier" if you've had a spontaneous vaginal delivery before.

Went into spontaneous labour with my older two. Both needed instrumental intervention, in very different circs. My third (8 years after my second) I was induced (gel) at term + 10 days as she was showing no signs at all of shifting. Went in at 8am, had her at 2pm - and most of the labour (2cm-birth) took place in the 20 minutes immediately prior to the birth, after a morning of alternately nothing and a few mild contractions. I pushed to try to break the waters and gave birth to her in the intact waters instead. My second was quite fast too (arrived at hospital at 9cm, half an hour before the birth, after around 5 hours of contractions if that), so perhaps I had a bit of a tendency to it, but I would certainly bear in mind that it can happen precipitously. The speed of it was pretty shocking, but I was absolutely fine (she was pretty small, naturally so rather than IUGR) and took her home (on foot) 4 hours later.

Good luck! Hope it all goes well.