to ask you about your experiences with induction?

[BombayMarina]

Looks like I'm going to be induced this week. I'm nervous, haven't been to any birth classes, don't know much about induction, and read one post on here about it which totally scared me as everyone was talking about how awful it was...

Anyone got any honest (but not traumatic) stories of induction?

Keeping my fingers crossed that at 37+2 I miraculously go in to labour before the induction!

I’ve had one induction and one spontaneous and one thing I’d say about induction is that you have pain relief from the start. My first induced labour was less painful in some ways because I had gas and air quite early on, while I arrived at hospital at crunch time with DD2 and had to fanny about in the waiting room for an hour with contractions and a failing tens machine. Not fun!
Other than, induced labour was surreal more than anything else. Did end with EMC but at 42 +2 I was relieved.

Thanks everyone for the responses! I'm not going to lie and say I'm still holding out hope that everything happens 'naturally' (I hate that term, I'd still like to think the birth was natural even if induced!). I'm getting more and more nervous as I know it could happen as soon as tomorrow!

I got induced at 2pm and baby was here by 5pm! That was second baby and I was 2 weeks over so I think I was ready anyway but it was nowhere near as bad as I was anticipating. I was absolutely dreading it! Also I was in a private room until I was moved to a delivery suite. One negative is I did have very intense contractions and they had to give me an injection to lessen them a little but I would take that over my first non induced labour any time. You'll be fine!!! Xx

I had an induction because my waters broke but then I didn't go into labour. Had pessary, nothing happened, they went to take it out 24 hrs later and it wasn't there! Put on drip, had epidural put in at the same time because I wasn't going to be able to cope with the pain of lying on my back due to PGP. Got to fully dilated after about 22 hours. Pushed for an hour but no progress. Had attempt at ventouse then EMCS. So DS was born 48 hours after the pessary was allegedly put in. Not the birth of my dreams but we got there in the end.

Induced with my 3rd (so I will caveat by saying having had 2 vaginal deliveries before would have helped)

Examined, cervix closed. Pessary in, started cramping almost immediately but was bearable. Had 22 hours of this.

Then had one proper contraction and that was it. Labour "proper" commenced and baby was there within 90 minutes. Took an hour to get someone to confirm I was in labour (lots of emergencies and I'd been moved from a delivery suite to a side room as I wasn't in labour). When someone did examine me I was 5cm with bulging waters, waters went everywhere, baby arrived 20 minutes after that. Head and body in one push!!

At 37 weeks there is a higher chance that you will end up with a c section so prepare for this as a possibility.
I was induced at 37 weeks, 4 days and two pessaries later I was only 1cm dilated and I had a c section as they were unable to break my waters!
On the plus side, this was absolutely fine and I recovered very quickly.
As far as an epidural goes, I was advised by midwives that the drip can produce very strong contractions so might be an idea to have one as soon as it went in (never got that far!) I probably would had one tbh!
I was in a room with three other women, one was waiting induction, one an emcs for a poorly baby and one being monitored for reduced movements. We all ended up chatting and were doing our moaning together! I met one of the babies after and saw pics of another (doing well in nicu).
Good luck.

• I was pushing for 10 minutes but when baby came her head and body came in one push (usually you push out head first and then body!!)

Nobody can tell you. Just like natural labour.. it might be painful. It might be not too bad. You might want all the drugs. You might not. It might be slow. It might be long!
I had the pessary and was in active labour 2 hours later. (Horrific labour and birth but that wasnt due to the induction, it was due to a big headed and stubborn baby and crap staff and negligence) Honestly if I was doing ir again I wouldn’t have a worry about the induction at all. Everyone I know has had no problems with them. You’ll be fine, good luck!