Why is induction a 'horrible process'?

[Casi]

Hi,

Please forgive my ignorance but having read so many threads that claim induction is awful, then some others where people claim it's fine, I am confused! Is it awful because contractions are stronger or quicker? Are there other reasons? Am trying to decide whether to hold out, or go with the earliest induction date given to me (I am 40+4). Thank you!

Imo, and I'm not a medical professional at all, I wish i had not been induced. Ds's birth was violently rapid (sometimes assoc with induction) and dd's birth was v painful as well but more manageably so.

I would argue the best thing in the world I ever did was to do a hypnobirthing cd so I was ready to relax and deal with most of the contractions for dd's birth, I wish I had done the same with ds.

Induction for me wasn't so bad.

I was contracting by myself (relatively gently, with hindsight!) overnight, then at 8am was given a syntocinon drip and it took until about 1pm before they became very painful. At that point I'd reached 3cm and I had an epidural (bliss) after which I was an awful lot more comfortable. DS was born at 8.30pm.

I agree with those who felt ill-at-ease with the lack of control. It is strange watching the doseage from the drip increase automatically every 30 minutes, and knowing that your body will then be forced to step up a gear. So yes, I'd rather do it naturally, but I came away from DS's birth feeling pretty positive.

I think your circumstances make a huge difference - a lot of the complaints above relate to the care given and not necessarily the process of being induced (although it is almost inevitable that you will need more care if you are induced).

I was lucky enough to have an ensuite room and midwife to myself throughout the process, which was supervised by consultants (because there had been meconium in my waters when they went). The staff were very nice, very keen to explain and generous with their time. .

I didn't have a positive experience with induction. I was induced early so I felt like my body wasn't ready for labour anyway. As other people have said, contractions went from nothing to full-on straightaway (they gave me a pessary, broke my waters and put me on sytocinon) so I was in agony and out of control from the very beginning. I just didn't have a chance to get a handle on the pain as the contractions were so intense and fast and I found the whole experience very frightening. It took 23 hours for DS to be born. I had an epidural just 6 hours before he was born, despite begging for one almost from the start, so I also ended up having morphine, which I really didn't want before. I pushed for 2 hours before DS was delivered by ventouse.

OP I would definitely talk to your midwife/the consultant about going longer - you can keep going as long as you like, you know, although they will understandably want to monitor you more regularly when you are over +14 to ensure your placenta is still functioning well.
Our due dates are fairly arbitrary and while you might be (eg)+10 on paper, you might only actually be +6.
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I would suggest you speak to the consultant about your options. I didn't see a consultant until one broke my waters and it didn't really occur to me to have a discussion about what we were doing (I mindlessly joined the conveyor belt despite all of the training the NCT gave about not doing that). When my DD was born at 40+15 (went in on 40+12 and induction took 4 days) she was visibly overdue - peeling skin and skinny because she wasn't getting as much nutrition as she should have done, so I do think she needed to come out then and bear in mind that induction can take ages if the pessaries and propess don't do anything for you (I was unlucky and didn't respond at all to them).

Is this your first baby? I imagine that induction with subsequent ones isn't as likely to be as challenging.

Also if I was doing it again I would have an epidural before I had the drip. I know this means you can't move about, but I was in too much pain and having too many contractions to move about.

HappyCamel Really? Is that true about expressing 'preparing' the body for labour? I was able to express colostrum from 13 weeks with DD, I was induced at 40+14.

Induction was fucking awful, ended up with an epidural, CFM, synto drip, episiotomy, forceps, 3a tear, PPH and retained placenta. Never in a million years did I imagine my vagina would have so vast an audience.

The manual removal of the placenta in theatre was the single most horrendous experience of my life.

I won't agree to induction under any circumstances this time. If this baby needs to come out before it comes by itself, I will only agree to CS.

Hmm... all these stories are making me a bit nervous. I'm 41 weeks now and am due to be induced on Tuesday (11th). I actually want to be induced as I'm really anxious now. I am 100% sure of my dates so I know that's not the problem and the baby is in the right position for the birth with his head half-engaged but nothing is happening with me. My cervix is not dilating and have had nothing but Braxton-Hicks, no false labour or even intermittent contractions. I think if I could have the gel / pessary and give that a go, it might help because I don't seem to be going on my own and am just really anxious and stressed now, which doesn't help.

Everyone talks about asking for a CS instead of the syntocinon drip - is this an option? I asked the obstetrician today about that and got the distinct impression that they just don't do CS. I would really prefer that, if my cervix is still unfavourable by Tuesday next week, but it doesn't seem to be an option.

I would give the gel/pessary a go, but otherwise if that doesn't work you might want to quote the new NICE (I think) guidelines which are intending to allow women to choose a CS (if that is your preference). Talk about it as if it is an option to find out why it isn't offered as an option. As what he would advise his wife/daughter to do. Also bear in mind that people who had a lovely, straight-forward induction are probably not lurking around here posting about it.

DS1 came at 41+10 after a sweep gave birth with an ventouse after 8 hours and a massive placental abruption, DS1 apgar was 4 and I lost lots of blood. Not nice.
DS2 and DD induced at 40+6 (i went privately) waters only broken with DS2 and pessary with DD. both labours 7 hours, DS2 had tens then epidural after 6 hours and DD tens and epidural right at the end. Okay labours.

My induction was horrid as i got it alongside monitoring so I couldnt eat and had to lie down. Also my contractions were really irregular as some werent so bad but some made me so disorientated I wanted to stand up... all the pain was in my back too so it was awful lying down.

I was induced with DS and had an epidural, it was wonderful.

I wasn't induced and had a natural birth for DD, it was hell.

Flisspaps, have you decided how to approach that? I am similar, I had rotational forceps with ds (22 months) and have ongoing problems. I am willing to try for a vaginal birth if no induction is needed, but not hopeful as no one in my family has ever given birth vaginally apart from me and it wasn't exactly a riproaring success! My mother never even contracted once on my sister and my ds's birth sounds very like my grandmother's with all five of hers (all ending in c-section). How do you go about getting this sorted before you are in labour???

Viking, was your birth hell as in painful or as in intervention? I also have fear about not being able to access pain relief if I do end up labouring because of staff shortages etc/not being as "managed" as in induction.. but avoiding instrumental delivery is my number one concern..

I was induced and 40+10 at 40+13 after no contractions and a cervix like an unripened mango they decided the only way I was getting a baby was a CS and TBH by that point I would have let them pull him out my nostril! I think I would go for a VBAC next time but only if I don;t go late! :o

One of my four was induced. And yes, it was the hardest labour - in fairness he was also my biggest baby, but the contractions were quicker and way more painful than my natural births. But no intervention, and it was short and sharp once it actually got going (which did take an age - be prepared for a lot of hanging about). I do wish I'd asked for an epidural.

Unfortunately I had v similar experience to Flisspaps too. For DC2 I will only agree to induction if baby is in ideal position,if someone sensible is monitoring the syntocinon drip rate & actually appears to be interested in how I am doing, & last but not least, that an epidural is unfailingly guaranteed should I want it. I believe the substance syntocinon is derived from was orignially used as an abortifacient, which makes sense given what it does & just confirms to me that it can be nasty stuff.

I was luck I had both babies within 12 hours, I was in labour 3 hours with ds1 and 20 mins with ds2, both were fine but I've never had a normal labour so don't know about contraction strength, would choose to be induced if I could if we have any more.

Working9, my natural birth was hell because it was so painful I had nightmares for weeks afterwards.

My waters broke during the night, I went into hospital, nothing happened until 4pm, when I suddenly got massively painful contractions, less than two hours later DD was born. There wasn't time to have an epidural and in the hospital I was in, gas and air wasn't available, so it was 100% natural. I have patchy memories of screaming the place down and rolling on the bathroom floor in agony. It left me so shattered I don't even remember the first contact with my baby.

7 years earlier I went into hospital as planned to be induced at 10 in the morning. I spent the day in my room, chatting with my mum and reading. When the contractions began in the afternoon I had an epidural, a few hours later DS was born with virtually no pain and I still remember every second as if it were yesterday. Because it was planned, the Dr. who had followed me throughout my pregnancy was there, as was the midwife who I had seen regularly. I was able to plan everything. It was great.

I was induced last week. I had no choice in any of it as had escalating pre-eclampsia and the baby was 9 days late. Had been in and out of hospital for 2 weeks monitoring and waiting to see if the baby would be born naturally. The hospital staff were keen for me to wait as long as possible as they said natural labour would be easier for me to cope with.

First baby so nothing to compare it to but this was my experience. Had prostin gel at 11am, which after a couple of hours felt quite uncomfortable, sort of burny, then had ARM at about 1.30pm, this broke the waters (painful but over in 5 mins).

I had 'pre labour' pains from about 2pm but these were more like period pains. At about 3.30pm I had pethidine as it was getting quite intense and i was having to 'breathe through' the pains, which were coming at 3-5 min intervals.

The entire time I was being monitored and baby's heart rate was all over the place. I was in a bit of a daze so it was much more stressful for my other half, who was watching the monitor. The staff at the hospital were on continuous watch to see whether I would need an emergency section.

At 5pm I was at 1cm, and brought to the delivery room. Contractions were v strong at this point and I was insistent on an epidural, given gas and air in the meantime and a clip on the baby's head to check oxygen levels in case emcs needed.

Just as the anaesthetist arrived (6pm) I started feeling the urge to push and intense contractions, no time to have the epidural because the baby was being born quickly and needed to be out quickly as wouldnt cope with a long second stage. Because of the emergency/ heart rate issue I ended up with a ventouse and episiotomy (v small, no pain). Baby was born at 6.21pm safe and sound.

The crazy thing about all of this is that I was so relieved that the labour was so fast, I could not have endured that pain for longer - I am fairly happy with the birth. The only bit that I felt was stressful was the ARM, principally because the doctor doing it was horrible, she barely introduced herself. All the other staff were fantastic and I felt I was in safe hands and getting everything I asked for and explanations at every stage.

Reading some of the other posts on here I wonder whether the induction process caused the stress to the baby unnecessarily but he's born, safe, and I have had no issues with recovery or pain afterwards.

That said, I would absolutely love to know more about the difference between a natural or more straightforward birth and an induced birth from people who have experienced both.

I guess we don't have many choices in some ways Viking, your experience sounds awful and it would terrify me.. it is so hard to know what to do. I had epi etc so none of that so it is naturally scary but I had trouble walking for 9 months and have ongoing pain which is hard to explain but basically how he was stuck inside me, I recognise it when it happens... I am 5wks pg today and I have had that pain all week on and off... oh I wish it were more straightforward!

I was induced with all 3 dc - dc1's birth wasnt the best really - failure to dilate, syntocin, epidural & forceps delivery in the end. But she was born safe & sound so I dont complain too much about it.
But with dc2 & 3, the labours only lasted about 6 hours, used G&A and tens and despite dc2 being 10lbs 13oz, the births were really straightforward.

Think I'm trying to say that being induced isnt always the horrible experience it is always made out to be. Good luck

I should also point out that I was induced three weeks before term because I'd had enough of being pregnant, no real medical reason other than DS was viable and if I'd had gone full term there was a strong chance that I'd have had trouble getting him out because he was pretty big.

Did they let you do that Viking? I'm amazed! I get the impression that generally you have to beg for anything that's psychologically motivated even if you have, say, post-traumatic stress!

France. Nuff said.

Ah! I should have twigged that! I often wish I could give birth in Ireland (where I come from) because I am pretty sure that I could swing a c-section because of the aftermath of my last birth.. though I know that c-sections are hardcore and really it's because I'm chicken! Like you, the epidural made my birth really easy in many ways and the thought of not having that is terrifying! Where is my crystal ball??? It's the not knowing what will happen that I find terrible, but I suppose that is true of everything in life.. no guarantees.