To ask for your induction stories

[elm26]

Hello everyone

Some of you probably recognise me from lots of other posts, I'm 36 weeks after 13 miscarriages. Up until last week, I had a low lying placenta and consultant was convinced I'd have a planned C-section which I made peace with.

Last week, scan showed my placenta had moved up and baby head down so was cleared for a vaginal delivery.

We agreed that due to my history of miscarriages and also other gynae problems including 3 operations for endometriosis and a history of depression and anxiety that I would be induced on my due date (29th May).

I've been calm throughout the 3rd trimester about labour and delivery whether it be vaginally or C-section but now my anxiety is ramping up as I see quite a lot of negativity surrounding inductions.

I am open to pain relief and anything I've got to do to get her here safely. That's all I'm sure about right now but I'm getting nervous.

I'm praying I go into natural labour by then but if I don't, then this is what the plan is.

I'm also booked for a final scan and a sweep at 38 weeks.

Can anyone share their stories good or bad so I'm not going into it blind? Thank you 😊

I was told that it could take a long time, up to 3 days to work. It took 11 hours and 6 minutes from pessary to holding baby DS. I only had 2 paracetamol in the early stages, because Transition happened so suddenly and I was on a different ward, and I'm not in the UK so no gas and air. I think I had A drip because contractions stopped.

From the title I thought it was funny new job induction stories😁
Hope it goes well

Both my inductions took 3 days before my waters were manually broken.
Dc1 was unassisted, dc2 was a ventouse delivery. Epidural with both. Would advise to have Epidural before they start you on the drip as you go from zero contractions to practically non stop.

I haven't had a spontaneous birth so can't compare.

Induced for both of mine, epidural straight away.
Really lovely and calm births due to being pain free, both delivered smoothly, no assistance and zero damage to either me or the babies.

Pessary at 3pm, contractions started at 4am the next day. Taken to the birthing suite at 12pm.
Everything after that was down to DS being 10lb 4oz with a big head and a knot in his cord.

I've had two inductions both times had a reaction to the drugs and went into hyper contractions for hours (only 10 seconds in between each one) before anyone noticed as both times the monitoring was off and no one was checking on me. Dd arrived after doctors intervened with forceps and DS arrived after 12 hours of these contractions and then epidural. The wards they were born in have since been outed as scandalously awful.

My advice is keep on top of the monitoring, the bands slip and will distort the readings. Make sure you are checked regularly. Get an epidural with the drip, no question just do it. Get an epidural you can control so you can ease it off to feel more/less rather than a full block.

Pessary at 2pm, mild contractions started that evening but were manageable.
I was checked early the next morning and was 6cm so moved to labour ward. At this point tens machine and paracetamol were enough to manage the pain.
Had my waters broken at 9am ish which meant pain became more intense but just about managed with gas and air. Baby born midday with no intervention. Some grade 2 tearing but didn't feel it happening and all healed well.
Overall I had a really lovely experience.

Sorry to hear about your previous miscarriages, OP. All the best for your delivery x

I was induced at 37 weeks with DD2 because my waters broke at 34 weeks.

I had the gel at 6pm which started contractions immediately. I was moved to the labour ward at about 2am and at 3am they broke my waters which really ramped things up (when my waters broke at 34 weeks it was just a small amount, they said probably from behind DD, as there was still some in front of her). She was born at 5:30am.

She was my second so I don't know what difference that made in terms of how quickly it went. I was really nervous beforehand, and from what I'd read I'd decided that I would put my foot down and not have the drip unless I had an epidural first, but for me it was fine and thankfully I didn't need the drip. It was better than my spontaneous labour with DD1.

Pessary at 11am, drugs really didn't agree with me and caused D&V but contractions started within 2 hours, by 4pm, was 3cm so they removed the pessary to help with side effects and let everything carry on by itself, baby was born just after 9pm.

I was two weeks overdue and went through two rounds of inductions. I’m not going to lie it was uncomfortable and sore. I used gas and air which helped though took me a while to learn to use it properly. The balloon eventually broke my waters but I ended up having an emergency c-section. I had multiple people examine me through inductions and they all commented that the head hadn’t dropped and was high. I really should have spoke up as it just seemed a losing cause but I thought if it was they would say something. I thought they would tell me I should stop and go for c-section. I was far too passive.

Mine would be a “bad” story but everything turned out alright in the end. Next time I’ll definitely speak up more. Don’t be afraid to request a c-section if things aren’t going well.

2 inductions at 37 weeks

One with pessaries ARM, 2 hour active labour and 5lb 3oz baby girl.

Second ARM, drip and 1 hour active labour another 5lb 3oz baby girl.

I was so happy to be induced as I hated pregnancy. Good luck!

I've been induced 3 times. 1st was just breaking my waters all fine 7 hour labour. 2nd was pessary 1 hour labour all fine. 3rd was drip had an epidural before they started it so was 100% pain free all fine think 4 hour labour. For me it was similar to natural labour

I had an induction 2 weeks ago with my first child. My waters broke at 36 weeks so they induced me at 37 weeks. I had a pretty traumatic experience. They started me on oxytocin drip at 7pm. Contractions started at 9pm and my little boy arrived at 1am. i had no pain relief except for gas and air for the last 15 minutes.

I agree with a poster above - stay on top of the monitoring because the bands they use to monitor you can slip and fall off and therefore give inaccurate readings, and they rely on those readings to work out whether to increase the drip. My contractions were getting more painful and frequent but it wasn’t being picked up on the monitor and they didn’t really listen to what I told them I was feeling. This meant that they increased the drip more quickly than the should have so I went from manageable pain to unbearable pain in no time, about 5 minutes or so. Luckily my little boy was born within about 20 minutes of the unbearable pain starting!

I also agree with getting an epidural straight away. I was on the fence and wanted to try and avoid it if possible as I heard it increased the risk of assisted delivery which increased the risk of severe tears. I told myself I would try and do without it and ask for it if the pain started to get unmanageable. However the pain intensity increased so quickly because of the drip that I didn’t have time to get an epidural when I wanted one (I think it would have taken about 2 hours because the ward was busy). I ended up with a 3rd degree tear anyway even without an assisted delivery (I put this down to the birth being so quick but also my midwife being relatively inexperienced).

If I was going to do it again, I’d push harder for expectant management and try to avoid Induction. If I had to have an induction I’d make sure to advocate myself more.

I was induced with dc1 36 hours after my waters broke as labour still hadn’t started. Refused the epidural as still really wanted to be in control and avoid further interventions. Worried about ‘the cascade’. It was scary and agonising - so don’t do that! Never got beyond a few cm dilated and ended up with a section. Section was great. Calm, easy recovery. Had elective sections with my two subsequent births and they were great too.

I was induced at 41 weeks after my waters had gone and I didn’t go into Labour.
I had the drip fitted at 9am and contractions started about 1. I had epidural at 3.30 and was holding my daughter by 6.15.
I was really anxious about being induced after hearing lots of horror stories but mine was fine (epidural obviously helped)

#1 - 38+3 already dilated so no pessary required. Started on the drip and baby born 7 hours later with G&A. It was painful but a very positive induction.

#2 - 41+1 pessary at 7pm. Baby's heartrate was a little erratic, so I was taken to delivery suite to have my waters were broken and started on the drip. Unfortunately, despite a debrief and 24 hours of labour, I don't remember much of it besides horrific pain as I was hyperstimulated. I said I'd never get an epidural but I did and it failed. After a long pushing stage and an episiotomy, my nether regions took one look at the forceps coming their way and ejected my DS who was taken to NICU due to being born limp and grey in a sea of meconium.
My second birth was at a different hospital and I think a lot of the problems were down to incompetence. It was supposedly reviewed but we never had the report despite asking multiple times.

I was induced with both my pregnancies but my second one was planned, so I’ll write about that first. Pessary in the morning at hospital and then home. Contractions from about 10pm but mild so I slept, was due in at 9am by which time the contractions were much stronger and frequent. Monitored from 9 until 12ish when they broke my water (this was not painful for me) and I gave birth with gas and air pain relief. I asked for an epidural but it was too late.

It was really really fine. I’d googled it before and got myself worried.

My first labour ended in an induction as it wasn’t progressing. I had the whole shebang of wonderful pain relief available because I was in labour so long! That labour was also fine in the end but it needed a bit more intervention as it went on and on and on and on.

Good luck, and don’t google too much!

My induction became a cesarean, which isn't unusual. I don't think knowing a raft of stories will help, you'll just wind yourself into panic at what's already a hugely stressful time. I well remember the worry, at a certain point you're just desperate to hold a healthy baby in your arms and know you've got safely past that stage. The whole list of things that might go wrong and options you think you have feels overwhelming, but you don't really have many options once you've read the basics, what happens happens. Do have some gas and air though, it's lovely, and always bounce on a big ball to get comfy the last few weeks. It sounds like you are being well looked after by the medical team, and I hope your baby's birth is healthy and comfortable for you both.

Can only speak anecdotally about induction, but I don't know anyone who had a good experience.

I had a planned C-Section and it was great, very calm and peaceful and the recovery was totally fine.

Mine was great. It didn't take a week and end in Csection like many would have you believe - it was 11 hrs from start to finish. I did have an epidural due to the pain (the drip I was given made me have crazy triple peak contractions) but once I had that I was absoltuely fine and managed a good nap. I also ended up having a episiotomy and foreceps, but that wasn't linked to the induction itself (but DD's positioning) and again caused me no issue afterwards (and I didn't feel it due to the epidural).

I actually preferred it to DS' 100% textbook "natural" gas and air only birth 3 years later.

I know loads of people who ended up induced (seem very common with first babies) and most were absolutely fine. And non-induced labours end in intervention too. I think you just have to go with whatever is happening and let it play out. There's no point in stressing about having a particular birth. You could easily go full term and end in induction anyway. Or go into early labour before your planned induction.

All my contractions were in my back which made it more painful and I couldn’t move around as planning because of the monitoring bands.
overall induction was just mega boring. Take books and stuff to pass the time.
24 hours before my labour started then labour was 6 hours… too late for pain relief as they basically ignored me until they realised my labour had started.

I can't imagine how you must be feeling to have got so far after so many miscarriages. I had five miscarriages before I had my son and I was nervous enough.

My induction story isn't great, I'm afraid. I was booked in to be induced at 41 weeks but at 39+4 I woke up early and was convinced he was moving much less than usual. I still couldn't tell you whether that was actually the case or whether it was just my anxiety playing tricks on me. I went in for monitoring, but my doctor (who only works with patients who have had recurrent miscarriages or infertility) didn't want to take any risks and recommended inducing me that afternoon. I had a balloon catheter overnight, then the next morning my waters were broken and I was put on the syntocinon drip. After a few hours I had an epidural. None of it did much and by the evening my baby was getting tired so they made the call for an emergency C-section. His head was all squashed when he was born and my doctor said he had been brow presenting which might have explained why he couldn't move down.

A year later I got pregnant again. I didn't have any more miscarriages. I really wanted to try for a VBAC. I had a lot of scans for various reasons and knew she was in a good position. I had an appointment at exactly 40 weeks and was offered a sweep, which I accepted. I was booked in for induction at 41 weeks if nothing had happened by then. But I went into labour in the evening of 40+1 and gave birth on the morning of 40+2.

I'm not against induction but I think it is more likely to work if your body is close to going into labour naturally and if your baby is in a good position. My advice would be to do everything you can over the next few weeks to optimise your baby's position (not just head down but head tucked in and facing your spine). There are lots of exercises you can find online to help with this. Try the Spinning Babies website. Also, walk loads and loads, and always sit on a ball, not a chair. Anecdotally, my doctor told me that she saw a lot more failed inductions and emergency C-sections during Covid and she thought it was because pregnant women were spending more time lying on the sofa.

I would also see if you can get a sweep 2-3 days before you're due to be induced. 38 weeks might be too early for it to have any effect.

I started having a few irregular contractions almost immediately after my sweep but they died down overnight. The next day I had a big lunch, a nap, sex with my husband and then a long brisk walk and I'm pretty sure a combination of those things kicked it all off.

Good luck!

Oh and by the way, I highly recommend epidurals!

Pessary at 12.30, contractions started at 2. Very close together, very intense. Moved to delivery room at 5 at 3cm dilated. Waters were broken manually at 8, started pushing just before 10 and cuddling DD at 10.15.

My dilation was really slow until the last hour, but I think that's a me thing (DD2 was almost born at home as I went from 3cm to pushing in a massive rush 😂). They were planning to put me on the drip, but while we were waiting for an anaesthesiologist to do my epidural my speedy last minute dilation happened. I had paracetamol during initial contractions and gas and air during most of labour.

A massive positive of induction is that you v have a definite day for things starting, I didn't like the unplanned-ness of waiting for labour to start! (turns out DD2 didn't either as she came on her due date!) For my induction, I took lots of things to do into hospital (books, sewing, puzzles) and it all went home untouched.

Good luck ☺

I thought this thread was going to be about hobs.