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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Induction - without an epidural and instrumental delivery questions

18 replies

rubyslippers · 30/09/2009 12:15

well, am 39 weeks ++++ and no sign of baby

am starting to get anxious about induction etc

i cannot have an epidural and am worried about induction which can sometimes crank things up very quickly and how i will cope

if i am induced my lovely water birth will go out of the window and was kind of relying on that for additional pain relief

am also terrified of forceps or ventouse without an epidural

if i do have to have a section, then it will be under general which i am also worried about

any experiecnes/advice woudl be most welcome

TIA

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fishie · 30/09/2009 12:19

what sort of induction? pessaries ok with g&a. i had a drip induction with no epidural (no anaesthetist allegedly) and i am still alive but did have a cs in the end (they bloody well gave me epi then!)

Original poster

rubyslippers · 30/09/2009 12:22

they start with the pessaries

i just feel woefully under prepared

labour with DS started spontaneously and had vaginal delivery (at 38.5 weeks)

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tvaerialmagpiebin · 30/09/2009 12:31

I can tell you my very positive experience.

First and only baby!

I was 39+12 and no sign whatsoever of any natural labour beginning. I went into hosp and had 1 pessary at 11.30 am. Absolutely nothing happened for ages, went for a long walk round neighboring park, started to feel a sort of dull backache but had that anyway at that stage of pg. XP went off to get a kebab (!) at about 5.30pm and fairly soon after he'd gone I had (sorry TMI alert) urge to empty bowels about 3 times, plus increase in pressure in back, this developed into period type pain and quickly got severe. When XP came back about 6.30pm midwife examined me I was 8cm dilated, so off to deliverysuite they tried to put monitor on me and wanted me on my back, was too painful so they gave up. Had TENS machine at the ready but it was a total joke.. Had a bit of Gas and Air but it made me feel sick. By this stage was desperate to push and asked if I could, was told "go ahead you are 10cm". Had local anaesthetic gel applied as baby crowned, cx very fast with practically no break between, ds was born at 9.22pm. No tear, no stitches, no intervention at all.

It CAN be ok. I was dreading it, like you, having read figures about increased chance of intervention. I don't think there is anything you can do to avoid intervention but be aware of possible intensisty of cx with is quite usual with induction IIRR.

I think they tend to use local anaesthetic unless something wrong with you, for emcs.
Good luck.

StayFrosty · 30/09/2009 12:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

rubyslippers · 30/09/2009 14:40

thank you so much for taking the time to post your experiences

am seeing my MW on Friday so will discuss more then and hopefully get some more information which can also ease my anxiety

Stayfrosty - thanks for the tip re waters being broken 1st

OP posts:

Ladyem · 30/09/2009 15:43

I had an induction 5 weeks ago with my second DC. When they first examined me I was 2cm, so they did a sweep and inserted a pessary and that was enough to start labour and I had DS less than 6 hours later! Only had G&A, but was fine. Altogether a good experience!

When I had DD 2 years ago I ended up with a ventouse delivery without epidural and again it was fine. It was all a bit quick, really as DD ws well and truly stuck (turned out she had a shoulder dystocia, hence the need for early induction with DS, but that's another story!).

When I met with my consultant for DS's induction I asked what would happen if I needed forceps, but didn't have an epidural in place and she said that in certain cases they can do a partial block, which just numbs the lower pelvic region and is much quicker to set up than an epidural, so there are options available. I'd make sure you have a really long chat about your fears with your consultant to help you feel more in control, but in my experience induction is no bad thing and I'd certainly do it again!

Good luck! xx

ps I also wanted a water birth and was told this was fine with induction (although, I'm assuming not if you need the drip, but I'm not 100%) but it was all too fast, they didn't have time to fill the pool. But I suppose this can happen with any labour, not just induction.

GirlsAreLOud · 30/09/2009 16:47

I had forceps quite a few hours after epidural wore off (thanks for that) and although it was painful it wasn't as bad as the contractions.

devilsadvocaat · 30/09/2009 16:52

ruby i was induced with ds1 and had no epi, just peth and G&A.

with ds2 was not induced and had an epi!

hope your mw can reassure you x

devilsadvocaat · 30/09/2009 16:53

also, i had planned waterbirth with ds2 and couldn't have due to monitoring.

keeping my fingers crossed for you

crokky · 30/09/2009 16:55

rubyslippers - I was induced for both mine at 37+0.

No.1 - induction worked, had epi and forceps
No. 2 - induction worked more quickly, no epi, no instruments

The fact that your body has given birth before is in your favour - labour is likely to be quicker (a good thing IMO as the pain is over with more quickly) and also the actual birth part required far less pushing the second time around - my 2nd was born easily and there was never any suggestion of instruments that time. Anyway, the only thing I would say is that an induction without an epi can be extremely painful - my 2nd was - I would have had epi if there had been enough staff (another story...) but I would just make sure that there is plenty of alternative pain relief available if you are induced with no epi.

Original poster

rubyslippers · 30/09/2009 16:56

brill - thanks for the posts

i don't know if i can have a partial block

i am not allowed any local anaeasthesia

your stories are reassuring - it is easy to get over worried about stuff which may never happen

am not even booked in to see my consultant again (even tho' am high risk and no plan in place)

maybe i should call him if nothing is happening next week when i am 40 +++++

OP posts:

mosschops30 · 30/09/2009 17:03

I was induced with ds at 40+15, just needed gas and air and pethidine.
Better than my spontaneous labour.

I could still have had a water birth after induction, I never saw a doctor and was still looked after solely by midwives.

Why are you worrying about this at 39 week, you have 3 weeks to go yet in theory. Or are there other reasons you have to be induced?
Please remember induction does not equal terrible intervention full labour, my induction was deffo better than my spont labour

Original poster

rubyslippers · 30/09/2009 17:08

am worried i guess because i feel ill prepared for it

and am panicing about the lack of pain relief options which i may be able ot have

i know i theoretically have lots of time to go into labour spontenously again but it is playing on my mind

OP posts:

mosschops30 · 30/09/2009 17:14

but your lack of pain relieft options are the same whether its spontaneous or induced right?
IME the induced birth was less painful than the spont one

You will be fine (says mosscops who is obsessing about size of this baby and whether she'll be dragging her labia around like a handbag after the birth ) we all worry about something

thirtysomething · 30/09/2009 17:21

My first baby was induced and was altogether a shorter and easier labour than the second one without any instruments being used...with the second I wasn't induced but ended up having forceps as DD got stuck. So i guess induction doesn't always mean instrumental delivery and to be honest it was fine - very gentle and I still felt in control. It was the drip thingy after a sweep and the MW breaking my waters...

serenity · 30/09/2009 17:21

DS2 was induced. I had ARM, then a syncotonin (sp? sorry) drip, and coped with G&A. Well, strictly speaking I had pethadin too, because they thought I'd be in labour another 4 or 5 hours, but he came out asleep 20 minutes later...

I didn't think it was more painful, but it was definitely more intense - the 12 hours of contractions with DS1 were squeezed into 4 for DS2.

I'd try not to worry though, you've got at least another 2 weeks before you'd seriously have to consider it. I'd imagine they'd try a couple of sweeps before then.

Original poster

rubyslippers · 01/10/2009 09:34

more food for thought - thanks all

OP posts:

FourArms · 01/10/2009 09:56

When I was in labour with DS1, I had to be augmented with a drip, and they insisted on an epidural as it was so painful and they said I wouldn't be able to cope. DS1 didn't get on well with the epidural drugs, and I ended up having a c/s.

When I had to be induced with DS2 (waters had broken, and I had GBS), I didn't have an epidural. I had just the drip due to the previous c/s. I only had G&A, and although it was painful towards the end (it was 40 hours or so between start and birth), it was fine.

I did have a local anaesthetic injection for the episiotomy though.

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