I've had one baby, I was admitted for induction at 40+5 due to concerns about reduced fetal movement. The doctor said my bishop's score was very favourable and that I'd probably only need a "nudge". First gel at 8 a.m., absolutely nothing happening, second gel at 2 p.m., still nothing at all. At 11 p.m. I was told I still had no changes, to get some sleep on the induction ward and that they would give more gel, rupture membranes and oxytocin drip in the morning.
Then at 11.45 p.m. my waters suddenly broke and bam, I finally learned what a contraction was! We were off and rollong, contractions very quickly became 90 seconds apart, but onlyabout 45 seconds long. They were growing in strength each time. Gas and air, and tens machine helped a lot. After some time, the induction ward midwife told me I'd be moved to the delivery suite as soon as one was available. At about 2 a.m., I told the induction ward midwife I was really struggling with tiredness and asked if pethidine would help me sleep (I hadn't slept a wink the previous night with nrrves about the induction). She said my contractions were not long enough to be having effect, that I was likely still just 2 to 3 cms and that I would likely be put on the drip once in the delivery suite. The pain was bad enough without the drip and with "ineffective" too-short contractions so I said I wanted the epidural. I was soon moved to the delivery room where the anaesthetist was waiting and I got the epidural right away (bliss!) Right after the epidural was placed, the delivery midwife examined me and told me I was actually 8 cm.
Anyway, I snoozed for about an hour, the monitor showed non reassuring fetal heart rate, so the doctor was called to place a scalp clip to monitor baby's oxegen. When she artempted to do this, she discovered I was fully dilated and so I could try pushing. She left and I spent some time pushing under the midwife's guidance. She was concerned about the baby's heart rate not recovering well after pushes so asked me to stop pushing until the doctor was available. The consultant arrived about 40 minutes later and I pushed again for quite a while. The baby wasn't descending quickly enough and heart rate was still worrying so it ended with ventouse and episiotomy to have lovely baby boy born at 4.45, with cord wrapped multiple times round his neck, exactly five hours from when my water broke and the first contraction hit.
So my questions for those who know - I had heard that induced labour contractions are more painful. I think this is due to the drip though, rather than just the gel so am I right in thinking my contractions were "only" normally painful, i.e., I would be foolish to think a subsequent non-induced labour would have less painful contractions? Secondly, the whole process from first contraction to birth was five hours, including a long pause doing nothing while fully dilated waiting on the doctor. This seems short for a first labour -can I expect a subsequent labour to be even quicker?