Would you rather be induced or have a cesarean?

[macdat]

I've heard that many women who are induced don't progress fast enough so end up needing a cesarean anyway so you may as well skip the whole induction and go straight for the section.
I've also read that at other times the labour progresses too fast and you go from nothing to full on contractions too quickly and don't have time to build yourself up with the pain.
But obviously, cesarean is a major surgery...
Both seem to have pros and cons.

I always like hearing from people on here because you all tell it like it is. It makes it much better for first time mums like myself to make choices. So please give your opinions on this.
My situation right now is- 33 weeks, transverse baby and being told to consider being induced because they think the baby will be quite large if I go to 40 weeks. I've been scared of labour since day one anyway and have even been having nightmares because of it.
If baby doesn't turn I'll have cesarean anyway, but if she does turn, I'm considering asking for a cesarean instead of being induced.

Two inductions, two caesareans. First was awful, second was a breeze, even though it was much more of an emergency. I'd try again for a vag birth but I'd say no to induction and just wait.

TBH I can't understand why anyone would choose to have a caesarean! I realise lots of people do, and feel that they are getting a better deal, and maybe those who've delivered their babies both ways are in the best place to advise.
All mine were born by emergency caesarean (we did know after the first one that they had to be delivered that way, so they would have been elective, but none of them could wait. Thus I've also managed to be in labour each time - bit unfair really!)
I would never, ever choose to have major surgery. Just that really. Ladies who've had a hysterectomy take it easy for weeks - ladies who've had a caesarean don't get to take it easy at all because they have a new baby to look after as well as recovering from surgery.

I've had both. Induction was scary, very painful (no pain relief allowed) and ended with tearing and a broken coccyx. C-section was lovely AND I was more mobile afterwards. Bad experience was mainly down to rubbish mideife though.

I've had 2 inductions and surgery that I've been told has a similar recovery to a caesarean. I'd choose induction every time, because the recovery was much much quicker for my inductions.

From talking to many women there often seems to be a divide between those who've had artifical rupture of membranes/pessary and those who've had the syntocin drip.

I personally would opt for a section over a synto induction or just try prostaglandin pessary and ARM, proceeding straight to section if need be.

I do realise it's not the same for everyone but I found the synto really unbearable. To the extent that when, 2yrs later, I had DS my concept of "labour pains" was so skewed that I disregarded the onset of labour. There was the baffling experience of me insisting that no, I wasn't in labour only for the midwife to tell me to the contrary that I was fully dilated and must be in denial. With synto induction as my only yardstick I had no idea.

C section all the way in your position op :)

I had an induction at 41+3 with first baby for reduced movements and unprovoked decelerations. Propess in, hour later contracting, waters broke 16hours later with meconium (I was post dates so relatively normal), laboured for another 18hours then had a CS at 9cm for sepsis. We were both quite unwell afterwards but I would have an induction again over another CS.

Pros and cons to both but as someone who had an emergency section (not because of failed labour) and then an induced normal delivery, I'd say that the induction was a better experience. Had a very straightforward quick labour though so that skews my view. Main advantage is recovery time.

I wanted a fully natural water birth, but when I needed the syntocinon drip (thick meconium in waters at 1cm dilated on propess, no contractions) I surrendered myself to a medical induction and had the epidural before the drip went in. I had a very peaceful labour. The epidural made pushing tough but at least it meant the ventouse/episiotomy I ended up needing didn't hurt at all! Recovery was a breeze (although I had to stay in overnight due to a PPH, which might have been caused by all the intervention!)

In a different labour I would have fought against the epidural, but I felt it was the right thing at the time.