pain difference between being induced and going in to labour naturally

[redbull]

sorry if this has been asked before
but me and dp want to try for another baby the only thing that scares me is the pain.
during labour with ds of wich i was induced 4 times i was convinced i was going to die due to the pain, some people have told me it was because i was induced has any one had both births and was their a difference with the 2 types of labour??
TIA

I've had both. Induced with dd but wasn't as difficult as your labour sounds. Ds arrived without any help in just a few hours and the pain was much more manageable. I don't know whether that's down to being induced versus not or whether it would just always have been an easier labour. I wonder if it's more to do with the length of your labour, and that the longer it goes the more tired you get and the more you feel the pain??

Have heard midwives say being induced is more painful.

Did you have pain relief last time?

Not done labour, but did have an induction (which failed to get me beyind 2cm). Pain was immense. I was on the floor of the labour ward, curled up crying in pain, being sick. Not good. Never felt anything like it. Not sure if because of the induction or not though.

i think induced labour is more like a subsequent (ie not first baby) its quicker and so gets scary much earlier. by later on they are the same!

I was induced with DS2 and the pain was excruciating until the nice man with the epidural came along (good thing he was there really - DS2 wasn't born for another 12 hours)
DS2, I went into labour naturally, used a TENS machine and he was born 2 hours later - didn't really have any time for any other pain relief. It was really painful but quicker and I managed it much better the second time round.

Ive only been induced so far and the words fast and furious come to mind.

Can't help but can sympathise . Was induced 3 times with ds, at third attempt straight contractions to 2 mins apart and turned out to be back labour..won't go any further !

had both, natural still hurt but different as there was a break between contractions. would you consider researching hypnotherapy, water birth or other methods of pain relief to help you decided if you can face pregnancy/birth again?

been thinking if we do maybe a water birth or an epidural(am scared of needles but will do it if i dont have to go through that pain again!!) or i might ask for a c section but the only thing with that is ds is ASD and will be thrown by me not being at home for a couple of days

Also considered going private for the birth dont know how much it would cost but my midwifes were awfull as well, figured they got to treat you nice as you are paying them

I've had both and the only real difference I think was that my naturally starting labour gradually got more painful, whereas the induced one was just WHAM, there's a contraction, and another and another.... There was no gradual increase in the pain which makes it a lot easier to deal with.

Bear in mind as other people have said that 2nd labours tend to be easier than first as your body has already done it before so it's more prepared. I had a 33 hour naturally starting 1st birth ending in a full spinal block/ventouse delivery in theatre and a 3 hour induced 2nd labour with only gas and air.

Also, you will be in more of a position to demand epidural/ extra pain relief this time as, for some reason, midwives seem more accepting of your idea of the pain second time round iyswim. There's less of the 'well, just wait and see how you get on' and more 'well, you know what your body's doing this time'.

Don't let it put you off having another though, remember every labour is different!!!

its such a nightmare thinking back though, i was induced at 2 on a wed afternoon then again round 8 then again round midnight as i had no pain still then again around 3ish thurday morning then i was in so much pain on a ward on the friday night at about 11 i was finally taken down to the delivery ward and had ds at 3:47 am on the sat, i was in so much pain i thought i was going to die

Redbull, hmmmm just musing here. Obviously labour is painful, why were you induced? What position was baby in? Did you go on to have a straightforward birth?

I personally think if baby is not ready to come out then being induced is not going to help.

As far as I know, maybe someone will verifu it, independent midwifes normally cost around £3000 - £4000 for the whole pregnancy and birth, doulas cost about £400. If you can afford it I would definitely go for it.

ds was normal position head down but 2 weeks late so was induced at 42 weeks apart from all the f@@@@@g pain the only other problem was ds heart beat dropped badly but the midwife wasnt to fussed she was dealing with another labour in the room next door due to staffing levels, had no tereing at all, just found the whole thing really terryfiying still have nightmares now, since then i have depression and panic attacks about death convinced my loved ones are going to die so hence why im panicking about it as i was convinced i was going to die

DD1: Normal labour - v prolonged and gradual build up to pain.

DD2: Induced labour - v v quick (2-10cm dilation in one hour!) and very very painful!

Still felt the second was less traumatic though as it was mercifully over with so damn quickly!

I've experienced both and would say that there wasn't much difference in the level of pain but with the induced labour the pain went from nothing to very painful in seconds whereas the natural labour was much more gradual.

Saying that though I managed with a TENS machine and G&A with both, and both were quick (between 2-4 hrs)

btw, I had a home birth 2nd time because was treated so rubbishly in hosp, bit like you I think, and that took away a lot of the fear for me. Do consider EFT - I just wrote about it on another thread:

if it's not too weird-sounding to you, you could try www.tap-tap.co.uk

the home page has a rolling banner about birth.

i realise emotional freedom technique isn't for everyone but it worked for me and was worth every penny. did it by phone with a box of tissues, no fun at the time but after nearly three years i can talk about first birth rationally and without crying and have since had asuccessful home birth hence typing one-handed

happy to talk to you about it if you are interested, CAT me if you like

Are you getting any help with your depression and panic attacks

You can talk to your doctor about speaking to somebody about your fear of giving birth.

Research as much as you can about different types of pain management.

How did you labour last time (position). Were the people around you supportive. Were you at home or hospital (it is a fact that labour is normally more painful away from your environment)

Personally I would go for a home water birth with an independent midwife or doula with gas and air. You had a horrendous experience last time but this time it could be ok.

Oh just wanted to add, maybe worth seeing an osteopath or chiropracter to check everything is in right place etc.

had ds at hospital my birthing position all i was told was right knees up to chin hands under thighs and push that was it wasnt allowed to do anything else, dp was in the room with me, but was basicly standing in the corner scared shit less!!!! the midwife kept telling me i wasnt pushing hard enough (i hadnt slept since the thursday night) i told her to ef of so manyyyyy times!!!
now when i lie down straight my back locks and i have a pain shooting up my spine its not that bad but i know its from the birth (2001)

My 1st was induced and was horrendous. So bad in fact that when I had my last baby and went in to be induced (14days late) I was shaking and ended up crying. I was terrified. However, as it turned out it was lovely and relaxed and progressed much the same as my non-induced labours. It was a short labour easily managed by me on a birthing ball. The last 20mins were intense and painful. But I think that was due to me going along with the staff putting me on my back to deliver (after me expressly saying I did NOT want to be on my back).
I can only give a view from having the gel though, and being unmonitored.

just realised I posted an empty message, sorry! I was induced for DS, now 10 months old, and he was also 14 days late and also had heart problems during labour. I had a long labour, induced at 4pm on Saturday, starting contractions at 6pm, and giving birth by c section at 6pm the following day after reaching 10 cm, pushing for half an hour, and failed ventouse extraction.

I have to say that the staff was generally good and midwives OK. But I am now 3 months pregnant and if baby 2 is late I will refuse an induction and ask for a C section. On the off chance that labour starts naturally, I will try to go with a natural birth, but with epidural.

The pain was just completely unbearable, overwhelming, no break between contractions (until I asked for an epidural - the best decision I ever made!). I've heard both - that with induction it's worst, and others have had better birth (quicker). but for me, I think it would have been easier to manage if natural labour, and if baby hadn't been so big!!

Good luck!

I've only had an induction, so can't compare it with spontaneous labour, but it was incredibly painful and the contractions were 2 minutes apart right from the beginning, then 1 minute apart, for 23 hours. Logically, this must be harder to cope with than having contractions starting, say, 10 minutes apart, surely?

Also, there was a thread recently on how to cope with early stage labour, and quite a few people actually posted about baking cakes "to take their mind off things". I was gobsmacked. From the very first contraction I was hanging off the doorframe trying not to scream - baking cakes wouldn't really have been an option!!!

had two naturals - woke with contractions, went straight into 3 mins apart had babies about 1 hr later.
No pain relief would not even inhindsight describe it as severe pain - intense but not that bad.
I think the key with induction is how ripe the cervix is
No matter how much induction drugs they give you an unripe cervix is going to take much longer

1st time i was induced, ds 15 days overdue,

had the pessery at 6pm, nothing till 2am when contractions came thick & fast - son born at 8.31 am - managed in the pool - no pain relief

2nd time, got pains at 9pm, baby born 2.31am - was at home and managed in pool with no pain relief,

i didnt find either worse - pretty much the same really

kitty

Redbull - sounds to me like you suffer from post traumatic stress disorder from the birth. 11.000 women are diagnosed with it eevry year (and let's not even guess how many are NOT diagnosed becasue they are not telling anyone or are dismissed!)
For PTSD you can contact Birth Crisis or Birth Trauma association (google them they come up first) and they are both equally good....

As from induction versus naturally starting

1. I agree with those who say that naturally starting usually means a build up so you can cope far better with the pain... you get in the rythm and your body makes endorphins (natural pain killers).
2. Many women would go naturally in labour past 42 weeks (and before 43 weeks) if they were offered/allowed to do so. Sadly most women do not get the correct info to make an informed choice.

3 Second labours are very very often much easier, most women are in established labour (3 to 10cm) for less than 3 hours. Compare that to 24hours for 1st time mums!

If you are too frighten by the pain I would suggest two things... either a doula or hypnobirthing (though that is not my prefered choice becasue if it doesn't work for you then you are left with more fear). A good doula can take most (all?) the fear away. I know some will think I am tree hugging hippie but I did my own stats last week, I have supported 40 women to give birth none had any pain relief in labour - inclduing no gas and air (1 did have an epidural before a section) and it's not at all that their 1st wish is to do it without pain relief... it just turns out that way!
Many specialists will tell you that women request pain relief because they are scared, they can't cope... if you have a good birth partner who can keep you from being scared... you don't request pain relief, you find it managable.