Help, being induced tomorrow and very scared.

[Flyingdaisies1978]

Hi, this is my second my child, my first labour was awful which started with an induction, it had a rubbish middle, and an emergency c-section to finish! I was all set to deliver this baby by vbac but in my own time with little intrusion as possible. But I've developed obstetric cholestasis and they want me in tomorrow to start me off.

I am bricking it, I laboured 9cm with my first but the pain still scares me, but I think more than this it's the worry that this is how it all started with my first and I'm scared of how it will all end.

I got myself in such a pickle on Saturday that I spent the day throwing up or crying or just taking it out on the husband!

I'm just looking for reassurance from you peeps who have had something similar and the outcome been a positive one. Or calming techniques that have worked for you. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You poor thing! I spent all day before my second induction dd3 crying and crying. I even fell out with my mum, which never happens. It was fine.

When you go in, make sure you explain to your midwife how you are feeling. Ask lots of questions before they do anything so you are at least armed with knowledge. My community midwife phoned the ward ahead of me to tell them how anxious I was, and they were kind.

How good will your DH be at being your advocate, he was much more useful this time around after I had told him what I wanted/ didn't want and it was good to hand over some of the responsibility to him.

And headphones! Lots of music with happy memories.

Good luck for tomorrow!

Both of mine were induced, and DS took his time ending with a forceps delivery. DD took all of a hour and twenty minutes after the pessary, with none of the drama of her brother.

Really hope it goes well for you.

calming techniques - I used hypnobirthing. I had the music on a loop and just focused on the breathing, non stop through out the whole thing.

What is your ideal labour/birth scenario?

It's such a relief to hear I'm not the only one who's cried before being induced! Honestly feel like such a scaredy-cat, I've literally hid under the duvet since being told on Friday and I'm 36 years old lol!

And to hear that ajandjjmum you had two very different labours is very reassuring, I'll try to remember that tomorrow so thank you.

Ideal birth? I would like a quick productive labour, where I remain calm and don't lose my mind and deliver the baby naturally and not by c-section... My main concern is controlling my mind and not losing it, I remember from the first that it hurts less if you remain calm and relaxed, but I don't know how to focus my mind like that.

How would you feel about an epidural? If it's the fear of the pain getting to you, knowing you have that as back up may help to relax you.

I did hypno birthing too, and the lightening bulb moment for me was a discussion about pain. Something about how pain is made up of physical sensation, but also memory of pain as well as anticipation of pain. So your brain is saying this will hurt, I know it hurts so you are almost talking yourself into it hurting more than it might actually hurt (if that makes any sense at all!!) Anyway, all of that contributes to fear, and being afraid and tense is not good for labour... So anything you can do to relax will help. Not easy, I know!

We also talked about how to manage through contractions, and this time vocalisation really helped through contractions. (hippy mooing) Better than screaming anyway!

I would plan what you want and be quite insistent about how you want it managed, that way you will still feel in control. It sounds like epidural would really help. watch programes or youtube of woman snoozing through their labour with an epidural - they are calm, in control and their births look amazing.
focus on the breathing, counting through the contractions rather than focusing on the contraction will help. Each one will pass, you just have to get through each one, one at a time.

My last two were both inductions really positive great births, I had an epidural with both I know there not for everyone but I had such good relaxed births I'm sure being so relaxed ( I had a sleep for an hour at 10 cms) helped me push out a 10lb 8 baby who was back to back with no stitches. I would say go into it with an open mind and it can be a really positive experience. Good luck and enjoy your new born cuddles :)

Thank you everyone for your support, you have all made me feel a little better. I definitely plan to have an epidural, had one with the first birth and I managed a cheeky nap too! I'm just anxious, I will definitely take your advice and speak to the midwife about my fears and the advice from Parliamo with regards to pain expectation and that's a really good point you made and makes sense to me, so thank you.

Hope it all goes well Flyingdaisies...this time tomorrow you could/should/will (?) have a gorgeous tiny baby in your arms.

I'm relieved it made any sense at all, and pleased it might have helped a bit!

Good luck, baby cuddles very soon, if nothing else works focus on that!

Feel for you OP. I was induced for same reason with DC2 almost one year ago (DS is 1 on Friday!) I had an initially straightforward labour with DD (pool and gas and air only) which ended up in assisted delivery, retained placenta and haemorrhage. I was sort of dreading the induction like you described. But I told the midwife from the outset that if I ended up on the drip I wanted an epi. It was fine, delivery was straightforward, no complications and healthy baby in 8 hours from start to finish. So don't worry about it OP. Tell the mw what you want, and what's worrying you and hopefully all will go beautifully. Good luck.

I was you! I had OC with both of mine, so was induced on both labours.

1st DC: long labour, very, very painful indeed, DD just wouldn't come out, 2 hours of pushing, ended up with forceps - just a whisker away from having C-section.

2nd DC: not as long labour, asked for an epidural, it was absolutely wonderful. Gave birth with no assistance, pain-free, watched DS come out by a mirror held by a nurse. It was a-maz-ing. Felt totally elated.

So for me, the second experience was in no way like the first, although they were both induced labours. I would thoroughly recommend an epidural!

Meant to say, good luck! I am sure you will be just fine. Just think of meeting that beautiful baby at the end of it all. I'd love to do it all again!