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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Wondering if anyone has managed an induced labour without an epidural?

95 replies

LovelyBertha · 10/01/2009 17:43

I'm pregnant with dc2, and for medical reasons, I know I will have to be induced at 37-38 weeks. dc1 was induced at 37 weeks too. Went something like this: Very short stage 1/ Epidural/ very long stage 2/ ventouse delivery.
When I've discussed this with people (friends, hv, midwife) since, and I've been told this is fairly typical of an induced delivery. I've even heard that it's actually pretty rare to do it without an epidural. Is this really true? Should I just resign myself to the fact that it'll probably be the same this time round?

I'd love to hear from anyone who knows differently.

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amanda12 · 10/01/2009 20:12

Induced twice once at 37 wks and then at 38 wks. No pain relief with either, very quick but painful both times

Original poster

LovelyBertha · 10/01/2009 20:37

Excellent! Thanks ladies- these responses have made me feel a lot more positive. I was a bit disappointed to have needed the epidural last time (I had the idea in my head that things were going to be all serene and natural)- and perhaps the information I was given was partly intended to make me 'feel better'. DS1 was also posterior, so I'm now wondering if perhaps that had more impact on things than I had thought...

OP posts:

MustHaveaVeryShortMemory · 10/01/2009 20:42

I have 2 positive ones for you. My SIL was induced with her twins and told me "It was just starting to get bad when they arrived". Also a friend who just progressed very quickly and there was no time for anything apart from G&A. Good Luck.

lovelylullaby · 10/01/2009 20:43

I was induced, baby was back to back until just before delivery and they wouldn't give me an epidural. Afterwards I was glad I hadn't had one as i could feel where i needed to push. I was very glad I had a tens machine though.

RiaParkinson · 10/01/2009 20:45

i did - it was horrid but then my labours always are - but onl terrible for hour or so

i have since had induction with epidural - which wore off at the end

i was so sick that i am not sure i would not have preferred to have experienced more pain and less vomiting ( vomited for 4 hours after)

StarlightMcKenzie · 10/01/2009 20:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

RiaParkinson · 10/01/2009 20:50

i was induced with pessary for non epidural one!

drip was sick one

DevilsAdvocaat · 10/01/2009 20:56

i was induced 39+5.
it was v painful, i had g&a (which really helped) and pethidene (which did not help at all).

it was painful and my contractions were long and hard and close together even though i was only 2 cms dilated... however...

i had a very short labour of 8 hours.
first 4 hours were mild contractions, dh wasn't even there!

it can be done and i was glad i didn't have an epi afterwards for all the normal reasons. mind you if i was to be having another ind, i don't know what i'd do. sorry!

lovelylullaby · 10/01/2009 21:00

I was on pessaries too, then a drip to make contractions stronger. I was just so tired i wanted them as fast as they could come so I could give birth while i still had some energy.

WizzyWoo · 10/01/2009 21:02

My DD was induced at 42 weeks, as despite my waters breaking, I stopped dilating at 2cm. Baby back to back and had fist under chin with head facing up rather than on her chest, just to complicate matters. I managed on breathing techniques alone for first 7 hours, followed by gas and air then diamorphine for next 22 hours. Finally begged for epidural then as I hadn't slept for days and pain was too intense to sleep. DD finally delivered with forceps after 38 hours of active labour (think my DD takes after her dad - loves a lie in!)

If you have a quicker labour than I did, you will hopefully be ok without epidural. Good luck!

lovelylullaby · 10/01/2009 21:02

By the way, if i had to be induced again, i'd try to avoid an epidural knowing i've done it without once and could do it again. Epidurals increase the likelihood of you needing forceps

DevilsAdvocaat · 10/01/2009 21:05

lovelulullaby talking sense there.
i think i would probably try to do it without again.

what seems the easier option isn't always iykwim.

surreygirl · 10/01/2009 21:30

I was induced at 39+5 due to high blood pressure as I'd been admitted to hospital twice in a week. Just had pessary and G&A - 4 hours from start to finish. DH only there for the last 90 minutes as it was night time and past visiting hours and the hospital chucked him out of the antenatal ward as they thought I would take hours!

Hate to admit this but I didn't find my labour too painful - got through it with moving about as much as possible, my own visualisation technique (staring at the clock) and the G&A. Though I too had to have ventouse and episiotomy and afterwards found that far more painful than labour - saddlesore for about a month...needed to stick a shower hose up there every 5 minutes!! Best of luck

HappyPSYCHOnewYear · 10/01/2009 21:32

yep.

three induced labours with nothing more than gas and air.

the one unduced labour I had with an epidural was due to SPD reasons rather than pain reasons IYGWIM.

clouiseg · 11/01/2009 00:14

DD1 - Induced, Epidural, Episiotomy, Ventouse - 37 hour labour (ouch!)

DD2 - INDUCED! NO epidural, No tearing, natural birth - 6 HOUR labour!

Only difference with DD2 is I stayed on my feet til I was almost fully dilated, then hopped on the bed (well hardly but hazy memories lol) and delivered her on my left side (9lb....my god did I pat myself on the back lol).

I'm not going to lie and say it didn't hurt like hell...it DID lol. But I recovered VERY quickly and felt exhilerated after expecting an assisted birth again.
Please don't worry too much, your body will know what to do this time round as its given birth once already.

Best of luck!

KatB · 11/01/2009 00:21

Induced birth at 39 weeks with my first child, I needed an epi as I was in stop start labour for 3 days or something daft and was exhausted by the time I was in proper labour. Pushed him out myself though with no tears

Second labours, your body knows what it's doing more so I certainly don't think it's a given that you need an epidural. It's just that they can drag on a bit.

bubblebell1 · 12/01/2009 12:03

hi lovely

i was induced with ds1. it was very fast (4hrs)and intense but i did it with no pain relief.. (not by choice.. i asked for an epidural but by the time they got there i had given birth.)

i did tear but he was 9lb 4oz so was thinking it was because he was big and didnt have enough time to stretch properly.

i had a cs with ds2 and it was much less traumatic than the first time.

cory · 13/01/2009 09:50

I did an induced labour on TENS machine and gas and air. Not unmanageable.

cory · 13/01/2009 09:52

StarlightMcKenzie on Sat 10-Jan-09 20:48:41
"Now this something that truly baffles me.

Those of you that were induced without an epidural, - did you ever think 'I can stop this pain, - all I have to do is pull the drip out!'"

I don't think everyone experiences the same horrendous pain. I don't think I did.

ComeWhineWithMe · 13/01/2009 09:54

I had my waters broken with dd3 I was in labour for 6 hours and had G&A and a shot of diamorphine .

Good luck .

cmotdibbler · 13/01/2009 09:58

My colleague was induced with her twins at 37 weeks and just used GA

bookthief · 13/01/2009 10:03

I was induced and didn't have an epidural. My labour was pretty fast though.

I did ask for an epidural when the contractions were on top of each other after about 3 hours but was 9cm so too late. I assumed that labour would be very long though and I couldn't imagine enduring another 12 hours of the pain. Ds was born about 2 hours later.

Was only the pessaries though as I went into established labour and my waters broke before I needed the injection. I don't know if that makes things less intense.

bookthief · 13/01/2009 10:04

Oh, and the midwife who gave me the pessaries thought I was mad to not want an epidural and tried to talk me out of it.

Which was odd as I only said I was keeping my options open, not that I would point blank refuse one .

Kiwifruit · 14/01/2009 01:45

I was induced at 40+3 with DD1 because of pre-eclampsia. Had pessaries at 3pm, waters broken at 9:30pm, which started contractions pretty much immediately. DD1 born at 3:30am by ventouse using only gas and air (when there was actually some available - they ran out on the entire labour ward when I got to 7cm ). Didn't require syntocin, but was given 20 mins to push as meconium present and DD1 getting distressed. Ended up with surgical emphysema (sp?) from pushing too hard - looked like I'd done 10 rounds with Mike Tyson.

Thought I coped with it pretty well, and was quite pleased with myself for not having an epidural. Not sure why. Had DD2 just before Christmas - induced at 38+6 for pre-eclampsia again. Pessaries at 7:45am, which did nothing. Waters broken at 1:30pm, which did nothing. Syntocin drip started at 3:30pm, and I had an epidural sited before this was done, as per my birth plan. Ready to push at 7pm, DD2 delivered 7:30pm (not as per my birth plan, which had stated that I would be on the post natal ward with a glass of wine by 6pm !) The labour was much more relaxed, and I had much more energy and focus when it came to pushing. Only had one top up, so by the time it came to pushing, was able to move, and push lying on my side and on all fours. Could feel contractions and baby crowning. Ventouse again as DD2 was OP with forehead presentation, very short cord which was around her neck and had to be cut as soon as her head was out. Was able to stand and walk to the bathroom as soon as Dr had finished stitching me up (small tear this time as opposed to episiotomy the first time). Recovery was much better than with DD1, although I think that may in part be due to the superior stitching skills of the consultant over the registrar I had with DD1...

Honestly, couldn't believe that I had delivered DD1 without an epidural. If I could do it again, I would definitely have one!

thumbwitch · 14/01/2009 02:23

me - I was induced at 42 weeks and was actively discouraged from having an epidural, as the doc/anaesthetist/bloke in a green gown (I was in labour, fgs, I don't know who he was!) said I would be more likely to need further intervention (ventouse, forceps, CS) if I had the epidural and so they'd rather see if I could go without. I did go without, you can read the rest of my story on my blog if you're interested - I did get a shot of pethidine but it made sfa difference afaik.
HTH

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