Worried about natural labour after induction..

[NaiceNickname]

How do they differ? DD was induced at 42 weeks because I had no fluid left around her, they didn't bother with pessaries just stuck me straight onto that drip and she was born within 7 hours. I remember it being very intense, and physically shaking with pain when I was close to pushing, but other than that I was pretty much coping even though I had to stay lying on the bed due to being all wired up. I didn't shout out until I was pushing apparently.

Due DS on Friday, and I'm hoping I will go naturally this time. Just interested to hear from anyone who has experienced both induced and natural labours, and how they feel it was different if at all? I keep hearing that induced labours are supposed to be more painful, but I have nothing to compare it to as it was my first...

I have had 2 natural labours and 2 inductions - inductions DC2 and DC4. I would say the biggest difference in how I handled the different labours was how tired I was going into them. With DC4, it had just been x-mas so busy, 4 babies in 6 years so 3 other little ones at home and I was tired when the induction labour started.

It was the only one where I didn't spend most of the labour on the fitball, even with the monitoring band and IV in with DC2 I sat on the ball apart from the final pushing stages. I asked the midwife for the ball each time and she was happy to get me one.

I had pethadine with DC4 as I felt the pain was worse as I was so tired. All the rest I had just had gas and air.

In terms of duration first natural delivery from established labour was 8 hours, DC2 and DC3 were around 4 hours and DC4 was 5 hours but the midwife felt the pethadine slowed it down by about an hour.

So if you can rest between now and Friday.

DD1 was induced and the pain came on very quickly - there was no build up of contractions and so I found gas & air hopeless - was in too much pain to do it properly. Got through it with remyfentanyl (an opiate) which I hated.

DD2 came naturally, but although v quick (she arrived 2 hours after I asked midwife for paracetamol as was getting twinges), I coped with just gas and air because I had a chance to practice. Second labour was also much easier because part of me knew I could do it (that didn't stop me insisting I couldn't at the vital part, though!)

DD1 was induced after my waters broke and I didn't settle into regular contractions. I was on the drip and managed 36hrs before having an epidural: I was utterly destroyed. She came out 6hrs after that after quite a few scary episodes of falling heartbeat etc., but she was (just) a vaginal birth.

DS1 was totally natural. I had a 39wk check where I was already 2cm, so my doctor (in the USA so doctor-led throughout) gave me a sweep. I labored at home (very bearable pains) and 14hrs later I was admitted. My doctor broke my water when I stalled a bit at 5cm (I wanted to try everything natural before resorting to drugs again) and then I got through lovely and smoothly to pushing. Out in three pushes (12 hrs after being admitted). No drugs whatsover. Very very painful, but a different pain to the induction - almost like I was in control of it rather than it being in control of me. A good analogy is like I was pushing myself on a treadmill: it hurt and was very tough, but I felt in control. The pushing was admittedly more painful simply because I could feel him squeezing out, but it was also better because I could feel the contractions (rather than having to be coached because of having had an epidural). So it was a really great birth, all things considered.

Transition was also harder with the natural birth - it was a really horrid time of feeling incredibly ill (shaky, nauseous, clammy). But the birth was still a lot better than the induction.

So a good natural birth after an induction is totally possible.