How long was your induction?

[BiscuitLover3678]

Once you arrived at hospital how long were you there for and I guess what was each stage, then how long were you in recovery afterwards?
bonus points if it was a vbac!

trying to work out how long it might all take and if a C-section would actually be quicker if overdue. Don’t want to leave my firstborn for days.

How come you had elective second time ofif you don’t mind me asking?

My idea of hell tbh!

Thank you I definitely want to get these things in order.

Went to hospital at 10am pessary at 12. Baby born by 10am next day! I remember googling how long does induction take and can I have a fast induction and mine was fast! First baby x

Took 4 days, pessaries, sweeps, drip and having my waters broken. Was horrendous and if I had my time again would have the caesarean.

I went in at 8am as my waters had broken 24 hours earlier but no signs of labour. Had the gel at 10am, didn’t progress so went on the drip at 4:30pm. Was 3cm by 9pm, and 9cm at 4am through to 7:30am when they decided to take me first a c section. Except the doctor did a final check before taking me down at 8am and I was fully dilated so started pushing. Baby safely arrived by 9am.

I'm being induced Friday and I don't see many positive experiences 🙈

Hiya, after getting an abnormal result on a growth scan (foetus had apparently jumped from 40th to 88th percentile) we were offered induction and decided to take it to avoid possible complications in delivery/c section etc. Induced at 39+3 I found the whole process quite straightforward and positive. Was checked in Thursday morning to a shared ward and after a quick scan and exam showed I was 1cm dilated was given a pessary. Was slightly uncomfortable but nothing too bad, had some very light cramping. After 24 hours the pessary was removed and I was given a gel. Only needed the lesser strength. I was dilated enough for them to break my waters by Friday evening but there were no beds available on the labour ward so I had to wait until early Sat morning.

After I was transferred to the labour ward and a private room my waters were broken at 6am Sat by the midwives and I immediately started having strong, painful contractions. They initially said I may feel some period like cramping and slowly things would ramp up...nope! I decided on having an epidural after a few hours of being in absolute agony as the pain for me was unbearable. Had tried gas and air and pethidine which did nothing. I was initially so scared to have one (needlephobic) but the midwives and anesthetist were amazing and I didnt feel a thing apart from 2 or 3 scratches on my lower back.

Labour after that was a breeze I was ready to push by Saturday evening but was only having 1 or 2 contractions in 10 despite being fully dilated. I was given oxytocin to speed up contractions but again my body reacted to an extreme and started having back to back contractions which stopped the baby's heart. That was the scary part had about 6 or 7 people rush in the room I was told that I needed to deliver immediately and was offered an assisted delivery with forceps and episiotomy or emergency c section. I was told that a c section at full dilation came with more risk so opted for forceps. Baby came out after two pushes and I didn't feel a thing thanks to the epidural and gas and air. All over by 1am Sunday morning although we were kept in the post natal ward for observation and went home Sunday night.

So the whole induction process for me took about 4 days. Takeaway, it was a positive experience despite the complications but if you're inducing for a big baby like us just be aware ours came out 7b9oz at the 55th percentile rolls eyes so didn't actually need it. But better safe than sorry I guess :)

10 day induction and it was hell. I had propess and 2 pessaries but after propess and one pessary, the consultant wanted me to have a 24 hour rest. Then when I was 2cm there was no space on the labour ward for days so it was waiting until a bed was ready and in that time I didn’t progress myself. This was first baby so might be different than a subsequent baby.

when I finally got a day where the labour ward wasn’t busy with emergencies and women coming in in labour, it was 12 hrs 46 mins from waters breaking to baby born with the help of the drip and an episiotomy 😩

My hospital didn’t allow you home with pessaries and propess as just seen other comments say they were. I was allowed to go off the ward for walks but had to stay on the hospital site, you could only go home at mine if you had the balloon.

I had to go to theatre afterwards for manual removal of placenta so they wanted me to stay in for 24 hours but I asked to be discharged the morning after as I was totally fed up after 10 days in there and felt like staying in would have made me worse. Obviously had to sign forms that I was discharging against medical advice

I was in hospital for the grand total of about 36 hours.

Planned C-section at midday and went home the next day.

Even though I was 42 it was totally fuss free.

Six days!! Didn't work and I went into labour naturally. I seriously regret agreeing to it

Ds3 - arrived at hospital 8am. Ctg for an hour then examination showed I was already 3cm dilated despite only having little niggly pains that I thought we're Braxton hicks. Told I could go straight to drip. Waited for bed on Labour ward. Walked around, read my book, ate some toast. 12pm started getting stronger pains. 6pm started on the tens machine and the birthing ball thing. 8pm I've got a bed on Labour ward. Examination shows I'm now 5cm dilated. I say probably no need for drip now so midwife agreed to reassess in 2 hours. 2 hours later I'm pushing and ds3 is born without induction in the end at 10:46on

Ds5 - bleeding at 9am. Previous miscarriage so really scared despite being nearly 37 weeks. Midwife says I can come in to be checked if I want. Arrive at hospital at 10am with dh, ds3 and ds4 in tow. Midwife said bleeding is just a show but I have signs of an infection. Tests show positive for infection so not allowed lunch "just in case". Hang around for ages. Dh leaves at 2:30ish to pick up older 2 from school and drop off all 4 dc with inlaws. At 5pm the Dr comes and says I need an induction asap. Straight to the drip as ds4 was a c-section. I call dh who is just about to eat his dinner. Dh rushes back to the hospital and I have a canula. Wait for bed on Labour ward and I get one at 7:30pm. by which point I am starving and knackered. Examination shows cervix like concrete and they can't get the clip on baby's head so I have a bath to try and get things moving a bit. Sit in bath for an hour of bliss until midwife says I have to come out. Out of bath and I am now 2cm dilated but midwife still can't get clip on baby's head so the gorgeous looking registrar gets called in. My legs are unceremoniously put in stirrups and the registrar gets the clip on baby's head. Drip is started at 9pm. At 11pm I start on the gas and air. At 1am I am 4cm dilated and crying that it's taking so long. I won't go into detail as you are pregnant but baby went into distress, the gorgeous looking registrar was called back in and ds5 was born by c-section at 1:53am. Ds5 is now a healthy 9 year old.

i was the opposite to most of the posters here
dc1 was born 2 hours after the pessary was put in.
dc2 was born 45 minutes after the pessary was put in.
dc3 was born 2 hours after pessary but after only 5 minutes of active labor.

i was home the next day with dc1 and 2. Dc3 was slightly prem so we had to stay in for 3 days.

I got to the hospital for my induction at 6am but they didn’t actually do it then because I was already having contractions and they wanted to see if I would progress naturally. The contractions didn’t go anywhere so they put the pessary in at 3pm, I went into active labour at 5pm and my son was born at 2am the following morning. I stayed in hospital for two nights. It could have been just one but I needed support establishing breastfeeding.

My waters broke at 8pm Saturday night but I didn't have any contractions, as I was group B strep positive I went in for IV antibiotics and was put straight into a delivery room and kept being encouraged to start the drip. I declined and waited until the following morning hoping things would start naturally but nothing. Drip was started around 12pm Sunday, around 2pm contractions were 3-4 every 10 mins, baby born at 1.11am Monday morning after 20 mins pushing stage. Dischargdd Tuesday around 5pm

Went in on Monday and given first gel, nothing happened. Told the doctors l wanted things over and done with so another gel on Tuesday at 11am and baby was born at 2.20pm. l was out Wednesday afternoon

Induction pessary started on friday afternoon after a bleed at 39 weeks. Took 48 hours for cervix To open up enough to break waters, then drip /epidural, baby born emergency c section finally 0730am monday. If id have known id spend 3 days faffing around exhausted monitored on
labour ward with no sleep id have had the c section on the first day but it was never offered. Next birth I opted for ELCS. Went home Wednesday after 2 nights on
postnatal couldnt wait to leave

Mine was relatively quick! I went in 10am Sunday morning, just sat on a birthing ball on a ward as they didn’t have a bed for me on the labour ward. I watched Netflix all day on the birthing ball, got in my pyjamas ready to sleep and at 10pm they had a bed free on the labour ward. I was dilated enough from the sweeps to go straight to ARM. They broke my waters at 11.15pm and baby arrived 7.25am the next day.

I had already had 3 sweeps earlier in the week (suspected big baby). They would have let me home the afternoon I gave birth but I chose to stay in for breastfeeding support

Went in on the Tuesday lunchtime, pessary just after midnight, 12 hours of contractions, mild at first then ramped up, all tailed off and stopped by the wednesday afternoon as they took out the pessary due to contractions being back to back. I then played the waiting game for a bed on the labour ward until Sunday morning when there were issues with her heart rate and I got taken round, waters broken, drip and five hours later she was born. I do wish I'd chosen a c section, her heart rate had been an issue on and off whilst in there and I spent the whole time worried.

Pessary in at 10:30pm
Waters went at 11:30pm
Baby here at 2:30am

Home that day

Induction started via the rods at 4pm, contractions started almost immediately and I had no break from these, this went on until 4am the following day until my waters went, DS had poo'd in me so my water was brown but they didn't think this was a problem. Due to 12 hours of labour with no break in contractions they gave me an epidural almost straight away. For the next few hours I was dilating but then going back down in cm, found DS heartbeat was slowing down and doctors became concerned by 10am (why it took so long I don't know) they then recommended a section but if I wanted to see if we could go natural we could but they'd only recommend to carry on for 2 hours as they needed to get him out. Opted for the section and he came out not breathing due to inhaling his poo.

Moral of the story is I will be having a planned c section if I have a second child.

I had the pessary inserted at 9pm, began contracting almost immediately & got moved to the delivery suite at 11pm. My son was born at 2:23am after 15 minutes of pushing. First baby too, so nervous for the second 😆 we were discharged home that afternoon as everything went smoothly

12 hours from pessary being inserted to baby.

Labour from first twinge to baby was 3 hours. First baby so not vbac.

Baby 1: Induction. First pessary inserted midday Sunday. Baby born 6pm Wednesday. In hospital for 3 nights post birth due to issues with me (pph and transfusions etc). I was a broken woman from the 3 nights pre birth in an induction bay on the labour ward. During covid so couldn't leave and partner could only visit 4 hours a day.

Baby 2: ELCS. Went in at 7.30 am, baby born at 5pm. Home by 4pm the next day. Way quicker. Much more pleasant. Recovery much easier.