Come and talk to me about your Induction

[McPhee]

I'm booked in for an induction this friday, first baby, and no idea really what to expect. In an ideal world, going in with an open mind is preferable. But in practice I'm probably going to be prone to losing it

I'm currently 37 weeks, but measuring 41 weeks with Polyhydramnios, large baby with enlarged abdomen, plus being back to back

So, what should I expect? What was your experience?

Be honest, I can take it

A nice positive induction story....

I was induced recently at 36+0 with DS2. I had obstetric cholastasis and my bile acid levels were high enough to worry the Drs into inducing me early.

Was crapping myself as it was so early, my body was not ready to give birth and I expected the induction to last for days. DS1 had been a 12 hour labour with epidural, ventouse and quite bad tearing.

08.00 Arrived, monitor on to check baby
09.00 Pessary and sweep. Read trashy mags lying on bed
12.00 DP arrived, went to cafe for lunch
13.30 Felt a bit restless and could not sit still, knew something was afoot!
14.00 Waters broke and first pains started
14.15 Midwife goes off to get Paracetamol and gas and air.
14.45 I called Dr cos I was in so much pain with no gap between contractions. Student Dr tells me he can't see my contractions on the monitor. I say "are you fucking blind. I need to push" (not my finest moment). Examined and 10cm dilated .
14.46 Student Dr panics and runs round trying to find items needed to deliver baby as we are still on antenatal ward. Midwife arrives with my paracetamol and says "oh this won't touch the sides now will it?". Does fab impression of Michael Schumacher in trying to get me in lift and up to delivery ward.
14.56 DS born 10 seconds after arriving in the delivery room having crowned in the lift - apologies to members of the public in the lift at the time, that cannot have been a nice sight.
14.57 Paedeatrician who was supposed to deliver DS2 (as was prem) arrives to find small baby ready and waiting for her!

They don't seem to send the partners home before the baby is out in my experience (of my local hospital anyway). The DC's father has spent approximately 3 days in a hospital rooms with me waiting for things to happen, this time is spread over the births of DC1 and 3 who had to be induced. Each time he has stayed until I was nicely settled on the post natal ward (with DC3 he crept out at 2am, he wasn't allowed to stay long on the ward, but it was fine).

1 of the nights was spent on an ante-natal ward, it was fine he slept in the chair. With DC1 I am not anticipated how long things might take, I wish that we'd taken more to keep us occupied.

Lovely labour MrClaypole !(wasn't he in rent-a-ghost?)...

I was induced at 39 weeks due to pre-eclampsia.

I went into hospital on the Wednesday morning, had four pessaries over the course of 72 hours, but in the end, on the Saturday morning, the consultant broke my waters. By that time I had seen so many people come in to the pre-labour ward, get transferred to a labour room, and then come back out with a little bundle that I was ready to cry! (in fact I may have done...)

DH stayed with me on the weds/thurs/fri nights until about 11.30pm iirc, he certainly wasn't kicked out but when nothing was really happening and it was getting late I sent him home, fully expecting to have to summon him back in the middle of the night. For three nights running. I was having contractions on and off, but nothing regular, but it did mean that I got no sleep (spent one of the nights bounching on a birthing ball), so by the time they broke my waters and hooked up the drip I was totally knackered!

I was surprised that it took so long, I had also assumed that it would all be over within 24 hours.

On phone so can't c&p, my experience is on the 'Did you have to be induced?' thread though.

Rrrray (are there enough r's there?) I had no Prostin and had ARM to start off.

Ok here's mine. Second baby, induced at 41 weeks.

Went in at 10am. Pessary in at 12pm (needed to been seen by the doctors first because I had a cyst over my cervix, not a big deal but they just wanted to check)

Had to be on the monitor for about an hour after the pessary was placed. Then I got up and DH and I went to the hospital cafe for lunch.

Nothing really happened, so was examined 6 hours later at 6pm and another pessary was inserted. Monitored again for an hour.

DH was told to go home at 8pm. Had a little cry at 8:05

Cheered up when I found a surprise chocolate gift from DH in my bag.

Went to the toilet at 10pm and had a 'show' (hadn't had one at all first time around) looked like a great big, bloody snot

Around the same time started getting mild period cramps. Was not convinced I was in labour, but started timing the pains. Sure enough they were coming and going regularly.

Summoned up the courage to ask the midwife to help me put my TENS on at 11:30pm (didn't want to risk being the stupid woman who put her TENS on when she wasn't actually in labour )

Got examined at midnight, was finally starting to dilate. Was 4cm so they broke my waters (didn't hurt)

Rang DH to come back in.

2:30am had epidural placed (please don't be put off by this, I have a strong reaction to G&A and really didn't want Diamorphine so was really my only choice for pain relief)

Nothing much happened for a few hours, got some sleep, had a chat with the M/Ws. Then at 8am I was examined and was 10cm. They made me wait an hour (they did this last time aswell, I'm not sure the reason but it seems fairly common)

Started pushing at 9am. Didn't do a wonderful job Doctors came in at 10am (they let you push a little longer if it's your first child though)

Decided a forceps delivery was the way to go. I'm not saying this to make you feel better but honestly it was fine. Didn't hurt, baby safe and barely a mark on her. The registrar was very nice and very confident at what she was doing. No going to theatre like on OBEM, they just did it in the delivery room.

Obviously I had to have an episiotomy because of this but again, for me it wasn't a big deal, it healed fast. It didn't hurt to be stitched up because they just left my epidural in place. I was too busy crying with joy and having skin to skin with DD to notice them doing it.

Overall it was quicker and less painful than my 'natural' labour (although to be fair, first time around wasn't bad either)

I wish you the best of luck for Friday!

Hi, not read through all the posts but Iam sure its been mentioned that it can take days rather than hours for induction to work.

DS1 - got induced on the Thurs morning, went into labour Fri tea time, had DS Sat tea time.

DS2- Got induced on Tues tea time, went into labour around Weds tea time, and had DS2 by emergency c section at 11pm. (C Section needed because his heart rate crashed. Docs think his heart rate was affected by diamorphine, so nothing to do with being induced)

Also be prepared for the hospital to actually delay giving you the pessary in the first place because they are busy, I went in around 11am and wasnt given the pessary until 5pm because they were busy. Very frustrating!

My advice would be take some magazines and an I pod for the waiting about before labour kicks in.

Labour can be much more painful if the drip is used as the contractions come thick and fast. Don't be afraid to ask for gas and air, it really does help.

Also I am in favour of epidurals. Never used to be but had one with DS1 and it enabled me to rest through most of a very long labour so that when it came to pushing I had the strength to push him out.

Really wish I had had the time for one with DS2 as I ended up having a general anaesthetic for the section, if I had an epidural in place already I would have been able to stay awake. I think its worth considering as you know baby is likely to be large and is back to back.

Above all though try to go in and take things as they come. Labour is so unpredictable and however horrible it seems at the time, the moment your baby is in your arms, it is all worth it.

Good luck x

My advice would be to expect the worst. Then if it is not you will be pleasantly surprised.

Ray, I was induced with DS in April and as I was already favourable (well, my cervix was!) and keen to be as natural as possible I just had my waters broken for me. In fact they were broken at 10:05 and DS was born at 14:19. It was very fast and very intense. Pain was manageable; I used gas and air.

DC1, DD, was back to back. Didn't discover this fact until her head popped out and the midwives said "oh!", which was mildly alarming. Took two hours to push her out which was hard. Plus I agree with the others re: constant backache with little relief in between contractions.

Hello,
I was worried about being separated from my husband for the induction over night and they were quite happy to change my appt time to 8 am, my little boy was born by midnight. Worth a try, especially if you get someone sympathetic.
Good luckXX

Haven't read the whole thread but OP I just wanted to let you know that inductions don't always work speaks the voice of experience . I had no idea until a few days before my induction (found out via mn - no one at the hospital told me) that sometimes they just can't get you dilated enough to break your waters - I was in hospital for 5 days before they gave me a csec (not my choice as it were). Be prepared for things to take a long time and bring lots to do (like music/magazines/food if your hospital food was as bad as mine). Oh, and ALOT of monitoring went on too - so expect to be hooked up to machines at regular intervals even if nothing is going on.

FWIW I had a complete panic at the hospital too - when the nurses gave me the first pessary thing I was physically shaking with fear . They allowed DH to stay with me throughout, so I guess I was lucky, although we sort of wangled it and were a bit sneaky to get that. I had a rubbish pg throughout too and had a complete anxiety meltdown pretty much the whole time I was pg. Can you chat to your mw about these things? Things do work differently at different hospitals and it may be work asking her specifics about your hospital and telling her how nervous you are.

I was induced at 10 days overdue due to high BP. DD was also back to back. I had laboured 3 days before naturally and got to 3 cm but my contractions stopped completely after that for some reason.

I was induced via drip and went for the epidural due to back pain once I was 4-5cm. I was coping with the contractions/abdominal pain well but I did feel like someone had put an axe in my back. Once the epidural is in you are laughing and then I slept from about 12am to 4am. I had a few epidural top ups when my back felt achey again. It felt like I had been sitting too long. I had an hours rest then pushed her out without any intervention. Then viola baby is born .

I wouldn't hesitate to be induced again but I also see no point personally in not having the epidural as the back pain was very intense.

I know from others that back-to-back births can be longer & more difficult. Not sure if it is too late, but avoid sitting leaning back, best thing is to sit on a birth/exercise ball or sit on a back to front chair using the back for support. there are also exercises you can do to try & get baby into better position.

I was induced twice, both times went well, no complications and fairly quick births.

First time I was distraught at the thought of being induced and spent hours on the internet finding evidence for why I didnt need to be induced lol. I still wish that they would wait a bit longer in certain situations but understand they have to play safe.

DS1, waters broken then left for 2hrs (standard protocol) before drip given (no idea why I didnt have pessary) was on labour ward so had epidural as soon as drip was started. DS1 born 12 hours after waters broken.

DS1, Pessary at lunchtime, left for 6hrs, when examined was in early labour so no more pessary needed. Was teatime. Had the choice of waiting till the morning to go into Labour Ward as protocol is not to start inductions overnight on Labour ward OR go straight to midwife unit (adjoining wards at the hospital!) So I chose to go to midwife unit where they broke my waters and DS2 was born exactly 1hr 30mins after! Born in two pushes in 2nd stage of labour just 14mins! No epidural as on midwife led ward but also there was no time for anything other than gas & air.

It is crazy that at the same hospital, the labour ward and Midwife led ward have completely different protocol/rules!

And the most important thing to remember is that there is a baby at the end of it!

If you need a drip then it is pretty certain that you will need an epidural or other strong pain relief.

When you labour natrually, the endomorphins have time to build up in your body - a midwife said to me a bit like changing up through the gears whilst driving. When you are put on the drip, labour goes from 0 to 100 miles an hour without any time for your body to adjust so can be more intense.

On PC rather than phone now:

I was induced at 40+15 with DD.

Was 2cm on arrival at 40+14. No pessary given, had to wait 24 hours for a room to become free to start induction. Sat about doing nothing all day, crap night's sleep on AN ward.

Waters broken 9am following day. Nothing happened. Syntocinon drip started at 1pm. G&A at 3pm. MW suggested epidural at 6.30pm as I'd made no progress and was likely to be another 12 hours with the syntocinon drip on full strength. I took it.

10pm, if I'd made no progress would have had EMCS but was now 6cm.

2am was 10cm, waited an hour before pushing. Epidural wearing off but pain wasn't coming in waves, was constant, and no urge to push.

Pushed for 2 hours, DD not budging. Had forceps, episiotomy extended into a 3a tear, had PPH and retained placenta which was removed in theatre. The chance of any of these things happening are known to be increased by induction. I really struggled mentally to deal with DDs birth.

I was very clear that I was declining induction for DS. Got to 40+1 by my dates (40+10 by theirs) and went into labour spontaneously - infinitely better for me!

You just don't know if you'll get a smooth induction or one with lots of intervention, you have to weigh up the risks of each option for yourself.

I dont think its necessariluy true about drip = epidural.

i had the drip twice and didnt need an epi.

Thanks for your responses Flisspaps & Littlewhitewolf about having induction without the drip. This is my hope/intention as already 3cm, Cervix Soft, anterior, and 1 1/2Cm long so fingers crossed.

Am being induced first thing in the morning (7.30am) so with any luck will be in Established labour by the time visiting hours are over. OP have you thought about asking to be done in the morning rather than the evening? Much less chance of OH being send home i would imagine.

Induced both times.

1st at 38+2 with pre-eclampsia - stretch and sweep day before, pessary at 8pm although was already 2cm, dh sent home at 9pm, cramping pains started at 10pm, by 2am was 5cm and they called dh back. Ds1 born at 6.30am. On monitor and was told not to move, so I literally did not move. Stayed on my back the whole time and had so much pain and a very nasty tear. Did not feel at all in control and hated the whole thing.

2nd at 37+3 with obstetric cholestasis (my body sucks at being pregnant!) - stretch and sweep day before, 2 cm when I went in, artificial rupture of membranes at 3pm, contractions started almost immediately, ds2 born at 5.30 pm. I moved about as much as I wanted, spent most of the labour standing and leaning against the bed, delivered on all fours over the back of the bed and loved the whole thing because I was in control. I was continuously monitored again but told myself it wouldn't stop me doing what I wanted during labour. I used a TENS machine and have no idea if it made a difference but again, it was about me being in control. I had decided that the monitoring was their job, and it wasn't up to me to keep the monitor in place, so I moved as I wanted and let them fuss about my abdomen getting the thing to stay in place .

As all have said though, whatever happens it is worth it in the end and the 2nd time round, telling myself that and visualising it really helped.

All the best, hope it goes as well as my second did. I have to say I actually enjoyed it

Apparently I have to call at 9am Friday morning to check they still have a bed for me? Now if they're expecting me and I'm booked in, surely they should have a bed

Mass meltdown this morning....ok now though. I feel ready, or as ready as I think I ever will.

I had the drip but was fine with the tens and then gas & air from about 6cm I think.

NICE guidelines advise against evening inductions - lower 'maternal satisfaction' and higher intervention rates (noted in the full clinical guidance) probably because of the lack of decent sleep beforehand meaning you start off knackered so have even less energy by the end.

Very interesting fliss . I had an evening induction at 10:30 pm having arrived at the hospital over 12 hours previously and waited for nurses to have time to induce me

mcphee that same thing happened to me - I assumed it was normal practice but maybe someone here can update on that. In my case if the antenatal was too busy (with other inductions/pg people with other issues eg pre ec) they would have asked me to ring up the next day and go the next day for induction assuming there was then more room. In my case I was asked to go in the morning to the hospital in any case to have baby checked etc and they would make the decision there and then whether to keep me in or not . I had a big baby too and they didn't want me to go home as they felt they needed to get the baby out sooner rather than later before it got even bigger (!!) and wait longer so they found room for me on the labour ward to be induced, which in actual fact was better as I got my own room not a ward and DH could stay with me on the labour ward. I found the whole uncertainty really really hard to deal with though as I like to know what I'm doing when, everything being up in the air I found very very hard.

That's my problem reastie. I get very anxious if I don't know what's going on or if plans change and I've not had time to get used to the idea. I'm the same in my personal life too, and people think it's about being on control, but it's really not. I have to plan and know things or I find it really hard to cope . Which another reason I need DP to be able to speak for me if I become unable to.

I was induced with DC2 having planned a home water birth after a fabulous first birth. I was 38 weeks and my waters broke, contractions started but because of position of baby (not fully back to back but kind of sideways) no dilation occurred at all ( particularly unusual as an second one apparently) after 36 hrs I was admitted for induction due to PROM (waters having gone too long ago) - I was fine with no home birth but really anxious about being induced. Anyway, was no cms dilated despite pretty full on contractions every ten mins for 36hrs (and it was number two so I wasnt being wimpy!), they inserted a pessary and told me I had to go to Labour ward to allow it to work and had to stop the gas I was on...I couldnt argue myself but was so upset about losing my friend G and A that I got weepy and defeatist so my husband fought my corner, they listened and said I could have one hr staying in delivery to see if anything happened and then had to move....56 mins later (literally from start to finish) my baby was born, very quick, bit shocking but no tears, no help etc as I had feared with an induction. Admittedly he was little but then I havent yet reached 5 ft!!! Anyway my points are a) dont fear it as fear/panic once labouring I think is a cycle you cant get out of and you are in safe, experienced hands and induction isnt the horror story some will have you believe always (well mine wasnt) and b) your husband/partner is your advocate - they will listen so ensure he knows what you want in advance and more generally can make decisions for you as you go along. Also though, if, for example, you dont want an epidural you think, then maybe allow him to push you a little and gentle to carry on without as you will be saying you cant do it and need one - I was both times - Before I get slated I am certainly not against epidurals this is just an example of how labour can affect your thinking! I guess what I am saying is communicate lots in advance! Good luck and like everyone else has said - nothing beats the feeling of your baby in your arms in the seconds after birth - it is incredible - even more than you think it might be!