Please tell me about your experiences of being induced EARLY

[faintpinkline]

DD was induced at 38 weeks and there is a good chance this baby will be. I'm 25 weeks now

DD took forever to come out- I was admitted on Monday morning for first pessary, given a couple more over next 48 hours then taken to labour ward and had my waters broken on the Wednesday morning. I was later put on a syntocin drip and she finally arrived about 10.30pm on the Wednesday night. They were wanting to do a C section as I was still only 3cm at 8pm but I got dp to make them wait and amazingly (fear perhaps) I went to 10cm by 8.45pm and it was a damned painful time

Did some of you have quicker experiences or do I need to resign myself to the fact that early induction means a long slow wait with lots of intervention?

Mine was a 4 day induction at 38 weeks, it took from Friday morning to Monday lunchtime to dilate me enough (with pessaries) to get the amnio hook up me

I then dilated to 3cm in a few hours but they decided I needed the epi/synto combo and I spent the next 8 hours on that. DD1 was born 12.05am Tuesday by ventouse. DD1 wasn't ready at all, though she only had jaundice as opposed to a trip to SCBU.

It was not fun and DD2 was born at home (planned).

May I be nosey and ask why you are getting induced? Sometimes the reason make all the difference (e.g. if it's for pre-eclampsia or because you might have a biggish baby) as to whether early induction is a good idea or might be postponed until you have a better Bishops' score.

BTW I had a Bishops score of 0 until Monday morning when it was 1. NICE guidelines at the time said 7 or more for an induction (they may well have changed I haven't looked)

I was induced at 36+0 with DS2.

Pessary and sweep at 09.00, sat reading magazines till my waters went (on their own!) and first contractions started at 13.00, DS born at 14.07!

So super speedy for me!

But then I had Obstetric Cholastasis which my consultant told me can result in a fast labour.

DD2: 35+2 - waters broken at 5pm, born 1am. Slight complication because the cervix had slipped behind her head (I seemed ready to push, but she was pushing against the wall instead of the opening). Pethidine (yuck!) to allow rest and waiting was all that was needed for it to right itself.

DD3: 38+6 - waters broken 09.30am, born 12.50pm.

No real problems with either. Cervix unfavourable in both cases.

Oh and no drugs - except for the 2 paracetamol that arrived when I was 10cm dilated!!

My first pregnancy resulted in a full term still birth. My second pregnancy I had obstetric cholestatis and I looked highly likely to get it again (already getting abnormal liver function tests). In short the consultant thinks it would be very high risk NOT to induce early and after what happened before I agree

Glad to hear some of you had faster results that makes me feel a bit better thank you

Sorry mine at 38weeks was a 4 day. It might have been quicker but I over reacted to the pessary and they had to wait for that to calm down. Admitted on the Monday, waters eventually broken Wednesday afternoon and drip started, DS arrived Thursday morning by forcep delivery as he got stuck. Still he arrived safely and I always think it sounds worse than it felt to me at the time. Sorry to hear about your first baby :( all inductions are different so fingers crossed you have a quick one this time x

When I was induced it all happened quite quick!

• First gel at 10:00am contractions started a few hours later but were 5 mins apart and not very painful.
• got more painful by about 4:00pm, I got taken to the labour ward i was given gas&air then had my waters broke at 5:00pm.
• my DD was then born at 7:04, only had gas&air even though I did want a epidural but there wasn't enough time, had a slight tear but didn't need any stitches.

Good luck this time around with your labour :)

They both sound like exceptional good (if terribly sad) reasons for a induction - I am so sorry about your first baby and hope you don't develop OC with this baby. All the very best for you and your family.

my 3rd baby was induced early - 37 weeks, reason was for diabetes. had been induced before for my 1st, but that one was overdue.

the induction for ds3, it was not particularly fast but it did go smoother than for ds1. i did not need the drip, just the gel was enough even though it took a while to get going. his 2nd stage was very quick! i think they wrote 0 minutes!
ds1 i was induced on friday and he was born on the sunday, but ds3 i was induced on the friday and born on the saturday early morning - so definitely quicker although there was still a fair amount of waiting around for the gel to start making an effect

i think your 1st one is always likely to be the slowest one normally, then they all quicken up even if the induction is early once its started off it shouldnt drag out toooo much

I'm glad you posted this question!! I'm booked in for induction at 38 weeks (echogenic bowel picked up at 16 week amnio scan - apparently 8% of these are stillborn, hence early getting him out).

I was induced with my first at 41 weeks, 4 days and from start to finish 6hrs - I have not even considered this one would take longer, but it's common sense to presume it might - if the body isn't ready yet! I have severe baby brain, and am not considering much at the mo, but will remember to ask MW about it next week. I am currently 35 +5.

Next week I am starting reflexology and aromotherapy (some concoction containing clary sage as well as others) to try and start getting things going before I get to the hosp - apparently the reflexology has a 50% chance of working - good enough odds to me, a few sessions over next couple of weeks will hopefully help - no harm trying.

AdiVic - Just be careful with the Clary Sage - it can be act as an abortifactant in early pg so if there is another woman about do make her aware what you are using (esp. if you use it in the hospital warn the MWs).

Hope all goes well with the induction and it's a speedy but easy one

First induced after waters breaking at 40 weeks but not dilated. Started on drip at 11 at night and took until 2.30 next afternoon
Second induced after waters breaking at 36 weeks. Had gel at midnight, didn't work, then drip at 7.30am and dd2 born at 2.30 PM. Although i had drips both times, second one much better as only pushed a couple of times b4 dd was born, while the first time needed forceps. So should be quicker, good luck

Truthsweet, thank you for that - didnt' realise, that's why i'm off to aromatherapist so she can tell me how to use it safely, no other women about but i'll be careful about mentioning it to others, sounds like it can be potent x

I got warned about it by a CMW when planning my HB to protect any attending MW (not that I intended on using it) - guess they thought HB = essential oil burning

In my case, DC1 was induced at 38 weeks (pre-eclampsia). No pessary or anything, straight to broken waters and drip. The labour was bang on 10 hours. I did need forceps because I was exhausted and unable to push effectively by the end, but that was almost certainly down to the PE (which was causing liver failure).

I'm afraid my experiences aren't encouraging!
dc1 - 41 weeks 36 hours from first pessary to delivery
dc2 - 42 + 3 - 11 hours
dc3 - 40 weeks - 32 hours
dc4 - 42 weeks - 12 hours

So my ones that were more on time rather than overdue definately took longer, with my last one 6 hours after the first pessary my bishops score was still 1

However the other mums I know that have been induced early due to previous stillbirth got faster and faster with each one so you never know!

I was induced at 33 weeks due to bleeding. Once the drip was in (at about 4cm) contractions came on hard and fast right after each other. It is kind of blurry, but I think from then it took about 5 hours, then push for 10 mins and baby was born. I was told that a regular birth is about 1 hour per cm then an hour for pushing so guess mine was pretty average to slightly faster...

So sorry to hear about your first birth, that sounds truly awful... big hugs! Did they ever find if it was because you had undiagnosed OC? Don't talk about it if you don't want to.

I was induced at 37+5 i think, because I had OC. Had a pessary on saturday 6pm, then again in the middle of the night but it did nothing. Got my waters broken at 11am on Sunday, nothing, so at 1pm they put me on the drip and DS was born without intervention before 7pm.

Hoping not to get OC this time round but I know the stats aren't looking good so I'm going to prepare myself from 30/32wks by walking A LOT (DS should be a pre-school by then so I'm planning at least 1h walking a day), drinking raspberry tea and generally being as active as possible. I'd like this baby to arrive on its own if possible and if not have my body ready for some action at least.

I was induced early at 37 weeks with suspected gestational diabetes (didn't actually have it tho) and dd was thought to be large - she wasn't, she was average size for that term.

I spent 70 hours in labour from start to finish. Had the pessaries, the drip, epidural (that didn't work) etc. Ended in ventouse delivery.

I am in the process of battling to get an elective c section with this pregnancy (currently 32 wks with a ds).

Hi Faint my second daughter was stillborn at term so I was induced at 38 weeks with DD3.

I didn't need a pessary as I was already starting to dilate (normal in subsequent pgs) so I had my waters broken around 8:30pm. The monitors showed I was laboring but I couldn't feel anything so I had the drip gradually ramped up throught the night with no effect. 5am I had my waters broken again which started everything off properly and DD3 was born in a single push at 6:20am.

Other than the anxiety that no amount of soft words could take away it was a pretty good delivery.

Hope it all goes well for you, no mum should have to go through what you've been through.

I was induced at 37 weeks with dd: she was born 12 hours later. With ds I was induced at lunchtime at 36 weeks, was in established labour 2 hours later (and then had him whisked out by emcs- but that was his fault, not mine

I was induced at 38 weeks, had the pessary at about 11am on the Saturday, Sunday morning at about 9am my waters broke, I was taken to the delivery suite at about 9pm and put on the syntocin drip. I started pushing 9am Monday morning, DS was born by ventouse at 11am.

I was induced at 38 weeks. My consultant said that he didn't do pessaries for 2nd or subsequent births so I was given an epidural at 8am, massive sweep and waters broken immediately, syntocin drip and baby delivered by 11.30 am, no stitches, just a tiny tear. It was my best birth by far.