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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Robbed by induction?

25 replies

Tarlia · 22/02/2011 12:20

Does anyone else feel a bit robbed by induction? As we near my due date, I feel myself getting more and more sad that I didn't go into labour naturally and have that excitement.

I'm probably being silly, but I can't help it :(. I tried talking to OH, but he didn't understand at all.

Of course I know I'm lucky to have a healthy baby, which may not have been the case otherwise.

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fizzyliftinggas · 22/02/2011 12:22

It is silly.... but I feel the same sometimes, I was induced with DS (due to Cholestasis not overdue) and sometimes wish I had had the whole, waking with contractions... this is it, get the bags moment! But fingers crossed this time.
It's only once in a while I think that though and it's totally irrational but at least you know you're not alone!

Panzee · 22/02/2011 13:56

Completely with you. I had a CS scheduled for 38 weeks and felt completely robbed of those last 2+ weeks.

peeriebear · 22/02/2011 13:58

Yes, I was induced with both DDs and though it is such a small part of the whole thing it was unpleasant, clinical and tedious.

breatheslowly · 22/02/2011 16:12

Peeriebear has described it so well. I am not sorry to have missed the 40min drive to hospital while in labour, but otherwise the 4 days in hospital waiting for DD to arrive and giving up counting how many people had their hands up my foof as so many had was a crappy experience.

BrightSideOfLife · 23/02/2011 11:31

I agree! I was induced with DD and will be induced with DC2 (Due in July). I missed the suspense that all my friends talked about of the 'Is this it?'....'Do we go to the hospital'...DH in a panic, loading bags into the car etc etc.

Like some of the others - I also felt robbed of the last 2 weeks of pregnancy - I never got to the 'lie-on-the-sofa-eating-chocolate-just-waiting-for-labour-to-start ' stage.

I am finding it easier in the pregnancy, knowing that I will be induced and that it will be before my due date- so I am counting down to that date, rather than my due date...if that makes any sense?

EldritchCleavage · 23/02/2011 11:34

Nah. DH and I made the choice to agree to induction after DS stopped moving. It was the right choice. I don't think the waiting for labour to start experience would have added anything. It's not significant.

AKMD · 23/02/2011 12:11

I was induced at 37 weeks due to pre-eclampsia and wasn't sorry to not have to spend even more time being pregnant but I do feel a bit wistful about the things BrightSide mentioned. I have no idea what a natural labour feels like and DH never got to do his emergency train journey home form London :(

upahill · 23/02/2011 12:31

You are being silly and sentimental. Very few births go as planned. Move on and enjoy your baby. Ds1 was inducted. Once be was born I never gave it a second thought (once the stitches had healed anyway!)

FoxyRevenger · 23/02/2011 14:07

I was induced at 38+6 (had GD and apparently baby was 99th centile for size (in the end she weighed less than 8 pounds)

Before I had her, I would be on here reading a post from someone saying similar to the OP and I admit to thinking 'get a grip'! It really doesn't matter in the great scheme.

But, actually, I am quite sad about how she was born. She arrived by Keillands Forceps and they laid her on my for all of two seconds then whisked her off for about ten minutes (she was fine, I kept asking if she was ok and they said yes, it was just standard stuff - APGARs were 9 and 9)

When I watch OBEM and these babies come into the world and blink their eyes open to see their mum's face...I wish we had had that moment. I really do. I know, technically, it doesn't matter, but it did, and does, to me.

And I won't be letting them induce me again without a fight, that's for sure.

AKMD · 23/02/2011 21:43

Wow, thanks upahill

DiscoDaisy · 23/02/2011 21:47

I've had 2 inductions and 3 natural starts of labour. I don't feel any different about the starts of labour although that could be because I've had both. iyswim

upahill · 24/02/2011 08:02

Akmd. Ok my post sounded a bit harsh but no one can change what has happened. The miracle of life has happened. Childbirth is often brutal and like I said things don't often go 2 plan. I had my fantasy birth planned in my head but ds1 got a cord wrapped round his neck. You are not found yourself any favours by being wistful. Enjoy the moment you have now not think about one that didn't exist

BerryLellow · 24/02/2011 08:08

No I don't really feel robbed, and I had two inductions. For me, the epidural robbed me more with my first birth - I didn't feel any of it so when they handed me DS1 I felt like 'Wow' but also 'That could be anyone's baby you're handing me'. With DS2 I felt every last inch of pain and he was mine straightaway, iykwim.

Parenting is full of what ifs, I've realised, all that matters is that the dcs are happy and healthy.

catwhiskers10 · 24/02/2011 08:11

I feel a bit like that too, I would love to know how it would have been to do it all naturally. I even wish now I hadn't used gas and air.
I went in to be induced and I was already 3cm dilated and didn't even realise I was in labour, thought my slight cramps were nerves at going into hospital, got to 5cm before they broke my waters and put mr on a drip to speed things up and that's when the pain started. Sheer agony! I have always wondered if I had done it naturally if it would have been less painful. Ended up having a foreceps delivery as DD was in distress.
I grateful though as without the intervention, DD probably wouldn't be here.

OADCB · 24/02/2011 08:11

You have a healthy baby.

Consider that as your focal point.

There is no right or wrong way to give birth and fortunately yours had a happy outcome.

Lollypolly · 24/02/2011 08:21

Just pleased to have had a happy healthy baby. DD induced at 42 weeks and believe me, you'd walk naked over burning coals to have your baby by then.

Was induced at 5pm, walked round the hospital grounds for a couple of hours during contractions (after being monitored for a while), never had a drip or more than occasional fetal heart monitoring (not hooked up to anything) and was able to have DD1 at midday the next day as mobile as I wanted.

Not all induction is horrible you know - also I was very thankful not to have contractions at home / in a traffic jam etc

AKMD · 24/02/2011 10:44

Ok upahill, I know what you're saying and I am glad that DS is here safely but there are many events in a person's life that they may wish had gone differently and I don't think there's much wrong with that unless they're obsessing over it. I had a horrific, awful birth that I still have nightmares about and I wish that DS had had a smoother entrance into the world, partly to save myself from that experience but also so that it might not have taken me over a year to bond with him and enjoy being his mother.

upahill · 24/02/2011 11:07

AKMD Part of the problem was that I was posting on a phone and it is harder to get across what I meant.

(same with my second post where a word has been predicted and it was the wrong one!)

I was trying to say what has been done has been done and we often want things in a different way - I went to a lot of trouble writing out a birth plan with my first because that was what I was told to do. I had visions of nice music an DH mopping my brow!!! They didn't even mention it at the hospital and I found it in my bag when I got home! When they gave me a birth plan for my second I just put into recycling and again no one ever mentioned anything.

What I had wanted to say was to Tarlia was don't let it be a blight on a happy occasion. Just focus on the here and now. Nextime (maybe?) will be different expierence.

strawberrycake · 24/02/2011 11:54

I was also induced at 42 weeks, believe me you don;t really give a shit how baby gets out by that stage. I wish I'd done it earlier and escaped the massive post 41 weeks stretch marks!

breatheslowly · 24/02/2011 19:34

Actually even at 42 weeks I could have happily carried on. I did give a shit about how my baby came out even then. But that is probably unusual.

Original poster

Tarlia · 24/02/2011 21:42

There seems to be two camps, those of us who were induced early and feel a bit robbed and those who were induced over due, and were ready/past it.

I'm not dwelling on it 'too' much, but it's one of those things I guess. My induction started at 37+4 due to pre-eclampsia. I had a 3 hour traumatic labour, lots of complications with me, kept losing babys HB then born blue. 3 MWs stood at the bed end, two helping me labour, a dr and a professor in and out, lots of drama. I do wonder if my labour would have been different had I not been induced, though I may just have been lucky that I was in hospital when I went into labour, who knows.

OP posts:

sunndydays · 25/02/2011 07:37

Tarlia I was induced at 36+1 due to pre-eclampsia I also think my experience would have been a lot better had I laboured naturally. They were so worried about my BP the only let me push for half an hour then out came the forceps. I definitely agree with you that there are two camps and I am sure had I been 42 weeks pregnant I would have been happy to be induced (although at 36 weeks dd was 8lb so definitely wouldn't have wanted to wait that long!)

thumbwitch · 25/02/2011 07:43

Ah yes, sorry - I fall into the overdue camp and although I feel a little sad that I don't have any "my waters broke in Tesco" or "I nearly had the baby on the M25" stories, by 42w I was definitely ready for DS to come out by hook or by crook (not literally!)

Tarlia - in your case, I would think that many of your birth complications were rather due to your pre-eclampsia than the induction - and I think perhaps if it is still bothering you, you need to have a de-brief with your MW team or someone at the hospital to demystify the situation a little more for you.

AKMD · 25/02/2011 10:11

Ok upahill, all forgiven. DH has an iPad that automatically changes what I type and it is unbelievably irritating.

BerryLellow · 25/02/2011 12:19

I was induced early both times, and was fine with it. I honestly don't feel any sense of loss over not having the charge to hospital. I found it pretty exciting and terrifying just knowing I was going to have a baby soon.

Definitely have a debrief if you have remaining questions and need some peace about it. I had one when pregnant the second time (for other reasons) and it helped enormously.

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