What can I expect from an induction?

[Mossie]

It's looking more and more like I'm going to be induced on Tuesday night. I'll be 14 days over then.

I do have the chance to change my mind right up until the day, but in case I don't change my mind, I would like some advice on what to expect.

Especially, is it possible to have an induction and still emerge with a relatively positive experience of the birth?

Should I go for the epidural straight away as I have heard it really hurts (much more than a 'normal' labour iyswim)? If I do is that going to make intervention (forceps / c section / etc.) even more likely?

Is there anything I can do to prepare myself?

TIA!!

Hi Mossie, is this your first baby?

sweetie......don;t fret ! going to have my dinner, then will post !

It's good that they have explained your right to refuse. Although I didn't lilke my first birth, which was induced, I have a friend who had such a positive experience of induction that she was glad to be induced second time around. I'm sure you'll get good info here on what to expect - I'm sorry but I'm a bit hazy now on what happened in what order.

Hi Mossie

First of all every birth is different and every woman different.

But what they will try and do first is insert some pessarys which will hopefully kick things off. They may also offer you a sweep (this might break your waters in which case it's a bit like going from pulling one hair out to pulling your entire head out in a minute but ho hum, there are, as you know, drugs and things).

If you can, try and avoid the syntocin drip. If you can't, you probably won't be able to be mobile and yes get the epidural.

I had 15 hours of syntocin drip with no pain relief. The first six hours were fine. Then my waters broke and I contracted every minute for 45 seconds (with no progression).

I had a c section.

I'd go see an acupuncturist or reflexologist if I were you!

Babynovice this is my first baby yes.

Tinkerbell I have a sweep booked for mid day of the same day, to see if that kicks things off. I had a sweep earlier today but it didn't do anything.

Still haven't 100% made my mind up, and you never know, he could come before Tuesday and all will be well (well, have a better chance of being well, of course!!) but I just want to know what is involved in the induction in case I do go through with it.

Lulumama you must be getting bored with me by now!!

never bored, my texts to you before took my mind off a really boring kids film i was watching with DS at the pictures! LOL!

tis what i do , isn;t it?

Oh no I didn't know you were in the pictures! Poor you you are always on call!!!

Any chance of more sweeps before then? I had 4. As they say in Tesco, every little helps

Try to avoid artificial rupture of the membranes. I had that and it was VERY unpleasant. Actually I kicked the consultant in the face as a reflex and so he got soaked and kicked. But he was a bit of a git so I didn't feel too bad.

I asked them about that but apparently not, due to the bank holiday weekend, they can't do a sweep until Tuesday.

Ooh entenox is pretty good btw if the VEs are painful (mine were). I flew twice round the room giggling before landing back down on the gurney with a 'weeeeehhhhh'

Sorry x posted, was replying to Lio re: sweep.

I think they would want to put me straight onto the drip, that is what it looked like from the leaflets I was given anyway.

So should I ask for the pessary first then see if that works?

hi

i have had 3 wonderful induction experiences,especially the third.the last one was easy,it was just tainted by certain man trouble at the time

however,i would recomend having an epi if you end up on the drip cos the pain is too much to cope with when having your first baby IME.one of the main reasons my last 3 were easier was cos i knew what to expect so could deal with it.

but you know hes going to pop out before tuesday.

get some saveloy down you!!!

I was induced 12 days after my date with my first (and only) dd and I think you're right to want to know all the details because what I expected wasn't quite the way it worked out.....however not in a really bad way, just different.
My induction started at 10am when pessaries were given, then I think it was after 4 hrs they gave me more, and possibly again after another 4hrs - I can't quite remember but basically nothing was happening, and ultimately nothing did happen that day! Although I did have what I thought were contractions all throughout the first day so it wasn't exactly pleasant.
Sleepless night followed, then finally first signs that my waters were breaking around 6am, so I was put on a drip at around 10am - and yes things speeded up VERY quickly after that. I really wanted to avoid an epidural, so tried my best on gas and air but eventually went for (extremely effective) diamorphine injection which let me get some sleep......I actually had to be woken up to push - dd was born at 3.20pm. So I can't complain about a long labour
So, although it didn't start off too well, I reckon all in all I was quite lucky

I was induced with my 2nd DD as my waters broke but contractions kept stopping so I'll tell you my story but everyone has a different one to tell.

Had the pessary at 10-30am, contractions started thick and fast at 11-00am, tried to eat my salad at 12-30pm sitting on a ball but contractions v. strong, 12-45pm MW checked on me and I started to cry as no break in contractions so given pethedine and gas and air and was 5cm dilated, so got through the next hour easily with this, at 2pm the gas and air not working for me and stoopid student Dr who was going to watch his first birth was politely chatting to me gggrrrhhh, at 2-10pm called them to say if birth wasn't imminent I needed an epidural and I felt like I needed to poo, they ummed and ahhhed and finally agreed to sort an epidural but then at 2-15pm I said I needed to push, they jumped to it and DD2 was pushed out with 3 pushes at 2-27pm therefore, no time for one. So less than 4 hours from start to finish and the minute she came out the heartburn and pain stopped immediately and I could even wee. You see, with DD1 I had a natural 25 hour labour, had to have an epidural as she got stuck, took 1 hour to push as I couldn't feel to push.

I wouldn't hesitate to have an induction again so please don't worry hun. I would do my best to try and not have an epidural. Sending you lots of hugs for the big day. ((xx))

xxx

Diva I think the nearest I'm going to get to saveloy atm is... well, actual saveloy

... and they don't really sell that here so it'd just be plain ol' chips 'n' gravy.

But it is good to hear you had good experiences.

Babynovice, was your dd okay after the diamorphine, I had heard it makes babies really sleepy? Or perhaps that was pethadine.

Thanks Humphreycorner what was the pethadine like? I am nervous of an epidural because of not being able to feel to push.

Mossie, once they turn it off in about 30 minutes it wears off so you can feel to push. Or they can just turn it down. Pushing can be involuntary though, you don't necessarily have to do the big grunty tennis player bit....your body does that for you

Pethedine is marvellous-an instant feeling of calm. Bit like the effect of drinking a few glasses of wine Had 2.5 injections of this.

I had a drip to counteract the epidural but still couldn't feel anything. At the time I thought the epidural was marvellous but I couldn't wee for several days and with my 2nd the MW said to avoid it and I'm really glad I didn't have one. It was so nice to feel the contactions to push your baby out. 2 totally different births.

mossie - i was induced with my dd after 14 days over (was not told i could refuse) i was in pre natal room at 5pm given pessarie, nothing happened, given another at 11pm. nothing happened until about 3am when i started to feel uncomfortable and by 7am i felt the contractions but they were not bad, was transferred onto labour ward at 7am had epidural by 7.30 and then was basically pain free until i had to push, i was actually topped up for an emergency csection and when they decided everything was actually ok they left me for an hour so that it wore off enough for me to push, had no issue with induction and if i had another would DEFO be having epidural asap, but thats just me, good luck HTH

aw.you;ve had some great advice

would definitely second what loopymumy says about going 0 - 60 very fast......! be as prepared as you can !

i would recommend being as active and as upright as you can.,request intermittent rather than constant monitoring, to be able to stand, and move and rock with the contractions..

IMHO, being stuck on a bed for hours will not help much , especially for a first labour...

if you can try to manage without an epi, or at least wait until you are in established labour then so much the better

the gas and air is good, diamorphine and pethidine can really help you to relax and take the edge off

massage is good

try to keep a focus on what you get at the end ! a baby !

bishops score, what i was telling you about !

Mossy - I'm with diva in that having had 1 full induction and 2 births where i did end up with epidural and the drip - it really does not have to be the terrible experience you think it is going to be.

All I can say is that this time round - as you know - my waters went and bugger all happened so i agreed to induction and they went straight to the drip. Due to my past experiences i opted to have the epidural sited at the same time but they didn't put the anaesthetic in until about an hour later when i really began to feel the contractions...

To be honest, i found the siting of the line into my hand more uncomfortable than the siting of the epidural.

I would also imagine your hospital will be giving you a mobile epidural which prolly only lasts about 2 hours a go - so you can pretty easily guage when one is going to wear off - this is what happened to me as i neared full dilation so i didn't have a "top up" and could then feel to push during the next hour.

And anyway, lots of people manage the induction WITHOUT epidural! Just bear in mind i suppose that it's much sharper as this hormone REALLY works and gets your uterus contracting powerfully!

I did have 2 lots of pethidine with my first birth... it wasn't for me as i felt very drunk, couldn't relax and felt out of control - but it's a terribly personal thing and i have friends who say it is the most relaxing feeling ever!

That's the problem with giving birth... we're all different, different bodies, different expectations and different babies - that's why it's so hard to advise another woman on what she should do... at the end of the day it's your personal choice ... all you can do is what you're already doing ie - inform yourself as much as poss!

I was induced at 36 wks with ds1. It was agony compared to ds2. The midwife kept telling me off! I was in too much pain to ask for pain relief and she just stuck a full dose of pethidene in my bumcheek.
I really didnt like the pethidene because i still felt in agony but had no control over my body.
Had gas and air which was just fantastic.
Eventually they had to use forceps to get ds1 out cos i think by that time i had given up!

I think induction is more painful and i would definitely have had an epidural, and no pethidene. Plenty of gas and air though