Natural labour pain vs induction labour pain

[AFergie]

Hello !

Im 36 weeks pregnant with my second and starting to worry about labour pains. Im planing on having a water birth but as time is going by I am having more and more flashbacks of the pain I went through during my first labour!

I was induced and lasted about 9 hours with Gas and Air until I got an epidural. The pain was unbearable. From what I seem to read, the pain you experience when you are induced is stronger than the one you experience when you have a natural labour, has anyone out there had both? Is this true?

How would you ( if you can) compare a natural labour and an pitocin drip one?

With the pitocin drip there was no breaks in between my contractions. Do women who had a natural labour experience that too for hours on end?

I know you cant know what to expect in labour, but I just want to prepare myself mentally...

Thanks a lot !!

I was also induced with my first as was 15 days over it was the worst pain ever omg that drip i can still remember the pain even after 9 yrs. just thinking about it scares me! With my second it was natural just gas and air and pethidine and he weighed 9lb 2oz it was easy compared to the first birth. Obviously the pushing bit will be hard cuz u had the epi with the first one but its nothing like being induced.

So the pain was more manageable? And did you get breaks in between contractions?

Am I right in believing some women have no breaks at all, for example in a back to back labour?

Thanks a lot for your answer !!

Watching this with interest, I'm due to have an induction in a few weeks and am petrified that it'll take longer and be more painful than natural labour, also does anyone have any idea whether you can still have a water birth if you've been induced? Sorry if obvious question but new to all this!

I had an induction with a back to back baby. The contractions had no breaks in between, and also started out of nowhere, rather than building up gradually. I'm told that natural labour is very different.

However, pain relief is there for a reason and there are no prizes for being brave, so all I would say is that you shouldn't feel afraid to ask for something if you need it. Having a mobile epidural made a world of difference to me.

Good luck!

LooeyLou dont worry you can always have an epidural and that will completely numb the pain so if you cant take anymore you always have that option. I know you cant have a waterbirth if you are induced with a drip. Not sure about pessary?

Rally my contractions came out of nowhere too with the drip and there was no chance I was going to play brave, I had to have the epidural ! it worked wonders I watched a movie, had a nap and then it was time to push! Im just so curious of what its like when its not brought on chemically..

Anyone out there had both an induction and a natural labour and can compare?

In my experience (only had one) I think it doesn't make a jot of difference.

The reason I say this is because my labour was both natural and induced. I started naturally at 5am Friday morning by 9am Sunday morning I was on a ward with a pessary in as I was still only 1cm. I laboured the whole day on the ward and at roughly 6-7pm I was deemed to be 3cm and sent down to the delivery suite.

By 9pm I was having back to back contractions, measuring over 100 on the monitor and I was still only 3cm.

Even though I had started naturally and didn't have the drip, my contractions were back to back and horrifically painful.

IMO, some women have good and relatively easy labours and some have really tough ones. It doesn't matter if you're induced or not.

But that's just my opinion

Induced drip labour; worst day of my life, 14 hrs of being strapped up unable to move, screamed in agony when my waters were artificially broken. 'fight or flight' took over & DH had to 'hold me' down as I tried to walk out (after epidural). Awful.Took about 4 weeks to get over how tired I felt, didn't get out the hosue alone with DS1 for 6 weeks.

Natural labour; awesome. Hour and a half, fucking breeze. Didn't actually realise I was having contractions, had a few hits of G&A but mostly used TENS machine. If I hadn't had the awful labour with Ds1 I'd be one of those irritating 'labour isn't that painful' women.
DH went back to work 2 days after I gave birth (saved paternity for later on) and I went out with a toddler and newborn to the park the same day.

I had homebirths planned for both but couldn't have it for either as both needed monitoring for different things. Pg with DS2 I was apprehensive about how I would cope at home without an epidural but if we had another one I would feel confident doing it without G&A if it was anything like DS2's labour.

Boba thats exactly how mine was !! I tried to jump out of the window it was so horrendous!! I thought I was such a wimp!!

Happy go lucky I see what you mean though as I was in labour for 24 hours before the drip. But even though that was getting painful, it just didn't compare to the drip. The minute it was in it went to a whole new level of madness, I couldnt even feel the tens machine on my back ! Someone could have been cutting my leg off I would have been unaware of it.

Boba your story reassures me so much. I might be in for a big surprise and have a back to back very long labour but your description of being induced sounds like mine. I really hope having a waterbirth is a good idea!

Thank you all for your advice!! If anyone out there has had both I would love more comparison of natural labour vx induce with the drip labour!!

My induction was horrendously painful but I hit 3cm dialated by the first check (2 hours in ) so I got my epidural then. Refused to wait any longer!

I have not experienced an induced labour before but I have noticed that labour time reduces the more children you have. Does this then mean it'll be difficult to differentiate the pain as labour (2nd time or subsequently) happens faster and more intense anyway?

God I have no idea... Mine was so long but partly because I overdid it so my waters would break at 40 weeks but my body wasn't ready. I think you are right most women find 2nd labours faster.

So curious to see what will happen this time !!!

I will be watching this thread . I had two inductions, one with just a pessary and my 2nd was the drip. I managed on just gas and air but holy shit was it painful!! I wouldn't say either one was more painful than the other though and when they said they were putting me on the drip I panicked because I had heard horror stories.I didn't get a break in contractions either and the midwife turned the drip up higher without telling me but I caught her doing it and wanted to rip her head off .
I am refusing to be induced this time though purely because I WANT a natural labour and to see if my body can go into labour naturally!!

Best of luck with your labour AFergie, and everyone else hoping for something better than a painful induction. x

Forgot to add my induction started Sunday evening, DS1 wasn't born until the Weds morning so add in 4 days of no sleep, which I think also is a massive factor in how rubbish your pain threshold is during labour?
so hopefully if you're well rested and don't have a stop/start before hand all will be better.

Thanks Boba ! Will try and get some rest :)

Anyone else experienced both ?

I was induced i. Dont remember being in what i would describe as PAIN the whole way through ( not rose tinted specs am sure my dh would back that up) sounds like i was very lucky

Ah, 'the drip' !!!

I had the drip to speed my labour up first time. It was so grim. I was trying to ask for epidural (couldn't actually talk) when my back to back baby turned and I started pushing, so did manage to avoid epidural. I remember at one point thinking if there was a knife to hand i would have attempted to do a c section on myself. ( saying that I was also having a very traumatic reaction to G&a, which caused flashbacks and a bit of an emotional breakdown)

My second baby also started of a little bit back to back so again had long latent phase. However it was quick once it got going, and can honestly say it was a breeze compared to the first. Didn't even have G&a, was fine ( not to hypnobirthng didn't hurt extent) but can totally understand how people can have hypnobirths. Was totally, totally different.

I apriciate so much more now how some people can hypno birth their baby's and some people need epidurals really early on. Labours, are totally different.

That said if you are being induced, hope I haven't scared you. it maybe totally fine, everyone and every labour is totally different!

I was induced. Hideous, hideous, hideous. I remember nothing apart from wanting to die and searing pain like I was being ripped apart.

BUT having beer had a natural delivery that may just be childbirth for you...

Due soon and unless medically necessary will hold of induction for as long as possible!

I had an induction. Contractions after pessary were manageable but drip was unbearable. I never experience anything like that, I can't describe it really. I am hoping for a natural labour this time and really curious to see if it feels any different.

I too was induced first time round after going 2 weeks overdue and went for an epidural about 2 hours after the drop started. DD1 arrived about 7 hours later.

Was really worried about going overdue with DD2 and going down the same route. Really wanted a more natural birth. 4 days past my due date I went into labour and DD2 arrived later that day. No pain relief whatsoever and used the pool.

pain was so much more manageable, even tho contractions were about 2 mins apart for about 4 hours. Just felt so much more in control and like my body had time to adjust to what was happening and prepare itself for what was coming!

Good luck, hope things go well for you.

I've had both... I wouldn't say the induction hurts more though. The pain levels are about the same but you do notice a difference, It's been too long for me to remember what now though. Much shorter labour with induction. I practically enjoyed that birth.

Both here too, and both back to back.

My first was induced, waters broke first then 24 hours of contractions going nowhere, so on the drip which lead to epidural, ventouse & episiotomy.

Second was a dream in comparison. Waters broke first again, stayed mobile the entire time, 8 hours later all done with just a bit of g&a.

Very different experiences, I think first time was more painful in that I was exhausted as it went on for so long (however i did have breaks inbetween contractions, but only a min or two) and being strapped down certainly didn't help especially as she was back to back. Second time round I was so determined not to go down the same path I encouraged contractions in a way I could handle them (ie moving around upright) and stayed mobile the entire time. I was much more in control which also helped hugely. Was quite comforting to know the epidural wasn't far away if I needed it though!

Ooh- and one more thing which really helped second time around-- I took one of DC1 Muslin cloths with me. It smelt of her and was a constant reminder of how it was all worth it!!

My first was natural and awful, I had been having contractions for days, they called it hesitant labour, I was exhausted and and in agony.
Second time I was induced and it was great! ! Much faster over in hours instead of days.
in terms of pain both were pretty ouch, but being so tired the first time im sure made it so unbearable. Gas and air with both and lots of screaming.
Would be induced again without a second thought.

From
Personal experience you can't even compare they are worlds apart. My inductions have been agony needed diamorphine and wanted but didn't have an epidural. For my natural birth I was fine with gas and air for the last twenty minutes and just paracetamol before that.

Also I had breaks in the pain, my inductions were all hours of agony with no breaks at all.

DC#1 - -induced with pessary. Know it is probably nowhere near as bad as The Drip (never had it so can't say from personal experience but almost every account I've read is similar to yours) but I did find the first stage tough. I think this was partly because of my body not having had chance to prepare itself naturally iyswim and partly due to practical factors around being induced (was completely alone as DH was booted off the ward at 8.00pm and mws kept telling me they weren't contractions but 'prostin' pains' - funnily they managed to get me to 6cm )

DC2 - lovely, perfect home waterbirth (a year ago today infact). Didn't feel I needed any pain relief and second stage consisted of three pushes.

The fact I'd been previously induced didn't have any bearing on mws fully supporting my plans for a home waterbirth - DC1 was induced due to being almost a fortnight late with no other risk factors. I was told at the time of DC1s birth that iy wasn't possible to have a waterbirth during induction even if there's no drip or cfm as "you are now high risk" but have since been told that this isn't actually correct and if a pessary results in a straightforward labour (as it did in my case) then you should still be given the option of a waterbirth, so not actually sure about that one. Hopefully someone else will know.

Good luck