Difference: induction and 'natural' birth (pain!)?- any experiences?..

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just a query really. Was reading another thread where someone mentioned inductions being more painful than going into labour 'naturally'.

I was induced at 40 weeks + 3 days with DS (14 months ago) due to high BP, and am pregnant again (due September).
He was eventually delivered with ventouse, as I couldn't push him out, and he was getting distressed.

Obviously, I have no other experience of giving birth.

Am wondering how different it will be if I'm lucky enough that it all goes well this time, and I don't need any form of intervention. Has anyone been induced with DC1 then had 'natural' birth after?

Is it less painful? Was it slower? (have heard inductions can bring things on really quickly and suddenly).

With DS1, it was all very quick. 6 hours from the first contractions that really made me cry out, the last 4 hours of which were in the delivery suite. However, they DID give me pethadine about 7 hours before he was born (a whole other thread- cos really didn't want to have it, but I was on an ante-natal ward, and they didn't realise I'd go into labour so quickly, apparently....), which made me feel quite out of it.

Anyway... not sure what I'm asking really!! Just: WAS induction more painful? how different was the experience, I guess. No real reasons... just wondering!!

thanks

I had induction first time round, then went into labour naturally second time (12 days late.. everyone was on at me to be induced but I was determined). It was a long labour, and built up slowly, but was much calmer and less painful especially at the beginning. It was easier to get in the swing of it for this reason so no, it didn't feel as painful. Though it still bloody hurt!!!

i was induced with PET same as you. I also went into labour v quickly. the stress of the gave me PTSD. the second time round, I had a (planned) home birth, start to finish was under 2 hrs. no pain relief, no midwife, just me and dh. If we had tried to get into the car I would have given birth on the side of the road. would do the second experience all over again, except I don't think I ever want to be pg again.

like pp I was also late and refused a sweep. I had in my birth plan that i would refuse any induction or augmentation of labour.

That's great. Thanks both of you.

Am really hoping to have a home birth this time, BP allowing, so that's really encouraging.

Was hoping to hear something like that about the build-up, singalongamumum! It just took me so much by surprise last time (even though I'd been induced, so I knew it was coming). One minute, lovely contractions that I just breathed through, the next minute, screaming my head off!!

It happened so quickly, that they wheeled me to the delivery suite in a wheelchair, laid me on a bed, and I never quite got up again! I'd really like to have a bit more of a lead into it this time and stay more upright....

(sorry about the PTSD, foxytocin)

Yep.. will have to see how things go with BP etc, but would really like to avoid sweeps/ inductions this time, if posible. I guess it's just a fingers crossed thing, and see how it goes...

don't worry about having a fast labour though. there was no build up to it but my body just knew what to do. The natural hormones just took over. There was no time for the birth pool fill so I could use the water as pain relief but I was fine just leaning over the birthing ball - and mooing through the contractions. By the time the thought 'I don't think I can do this any longer' came into my head, I went into transition and I am sure I went asleep right there on the birthing ball. When I woke up, I felt dd turn and begin to descend and ordered dh to get me in the pool 'now'. He did so and 3 contractions later, dd2 was born ever so gently and peacefully. No pushing, no panic, no stress.

Oh that's wonderful, foxytocin. Really nice to hear.... Let's hope I can tell a similar tale in a few months time!

yes induction more painful ime
this time especially as its not your 1st baby, if you don't have to be induced then most likely it would be a lot easier, it was for me with my 2nd baby who was non induced and same for others i know. it was faster but not in a bad way, i would have thought induced births take longer generally? but not sure

PE is usually due to the genes of your DP being new to your body. If the second child is also from the same DP then PE is even more rare.

Remember you do not 'have to' be induced. I wrote in my notes that under no condition would I accept and induction or augmentation of labour. If I went to hospital it would have been for medical reasons and would only go for a c/s, not to have labour.

I hope the HB works out for you. My dd2 was also born in sept. Have you seen www.homebirth.org.uk and www.aims.org.uk? they are fantastic sites to gain knowledge about birthing, especially at home. I had reluctant midwives and those sites gave me the information to stand my ground. I also had a woman who was hoping to train as a doula to talk to who kept me sane as the midwives were behaving as if I had unreasonable expectations. If you want to see my birth plan, I'd be happy to share it. You may find ideas in it you'd like to use - and maybe some stuff you'd not like to use too.

thanks, firawla. Was expecting/ hoping it might be a bit easier this time (especially due to the fairly short gap between DS and this DC) (as the midwife put it: anything that has gone back to normal won't have been that way for long!! )

foxytocin thanks, too. would be really interested to see your birth plan, if you don't mind. How would I do that?

Luckily (and interestingly) for me, it was actually my midwife who suggested I have a homebirth! I really hadn't thought about it til she said something. I assumed they wouldn't let me after last time. Have looked at the first website, but not the second one, so thanks, will look at that too.

I'm in a really good position here, as I'm only a 10 minute drive from the hospital. In fact, my only worry is that I'll disturb the neighbour! Stupid? Dunno....
Am also a little bit terrified that I won't be able to push effectively again this time. That's the main fear that keeps me up at night right now. But I do suspect the pethadine didn't help there. I just didn't seem to... care (?) enough??...

But last time I also picked up impetigo from being in hospital for 5 days (I'd been on the antenatal ward for 3 days before being induced), which gave me a really bad start to being a mum (antibiotics for me and newborn DS!). I'd really like to avoid hospital/inductions etc this time if I can.

However, I guess if BP does go up again, or something else happens, I'll cross that bridge and decide what to do when it comes to it

Anyway... sorry for rambling!! and thanks...

My birthplan also said no sweep/induction etc. It also said not going to the hospital for anything other than a c/section.

Basically, anything other than completely natural = c/section. I swear it made them work harder to ensure this as there was no get out clause of 'oh stick her on a drip with an epidural so you can manage the next 3 women that have just arrived'.

It also said no internals because I'm the only person who gets to say when I'm in active labour thank you.

if you email me a y f forster at gmail dot com, I will send it on to you.

it is great when you have supportive midwives. it makes a big difference. This time, if your bp starts to go up, you can have it managed and as long as it stays within the normal range, there is no reason to forgo a home birth. In fact, even if your bp does not stay within the normal range you still have the right to labour at home. While most women would not choose to do that, admittedly, it shows that really no one can 'let you' labour at home or 'make you' come in, iyswim.

on the subject of internals, because of my trauma the first time round and the obstructiveness for a hb the second time round, I did not want the midwives to even touch me so I carefully wrote in that I wanted no internals. It seems like I said I may allow them if... but with my doula there, I know I'd be refusing them. But that is another issue and more to do with my screwed up mind at the time.

hmmm... that's really interesteing. I'd never really thought of saying that. And now that's two of you that've said it! (the no hospital except c/s thing)

Not sure I'm ready to say that, yet. There's a part of me that has to believe that DS was distressed, and that's why they had to 'suck' him out (although we were slightly that they decided to do it at the shift changeover time....)

Will have to think/talk this through carefully. Also the 'no internals' thing. Didn't realise there was any choice in the matter! All I know is they wouldn't actually believe I was in labour (and only after they'd done an internal examination) until it was so late, they had to wheel me off double-quick! So internals didn't really help there, did they? hmmmm..... something to think about.

There's something to be said for taking control of your own labour, isn't there??! I'm not very assertive, though, at the best of times. Especially when I'm having contractions (hence the pethadine thing), but hopefully if DH is there this time (he'd been sent home last time), and I have a decent birth plan, there's more chance of being listened to?

here is a link on how to assess how far you are along without a VE.

I like what my doula told me which was, the closer you are to the floor, the closer you are to giving birth.

thanks, foxytocin. will email you

and thanks for link!! off to nursery now. will look at it later...

First time around i was induced and it was the worst experience of my life. The contractions came hard and fast and 4 hours in i begged for an epidural. Then 6 hours after the epidural i was pushing for an hour and a half and suffered lots of pain afterwards.

Second time around i was 15 days late and was due for an induction but went into natural labour the night before. The experience was completly different.

The build up was slow and lovely and it was nice to have a gap between contractions, unlike last time. When i got to hospital i was 7cm so really pleased and had my ds 4 hours later. It still hurt but was a really lovely experience and i felt "sober" and in control of it all. No epidural this time, just my tens machine and half a shot of pethadine at the end

I found induction (dd2) far more painful than the homebirth I had for dd1. Possibly because I had ARM and I believe this can make contractions more painful. Also there was no break between contractions. On the good side it was fast and no intervention required (although I asked for an epidural there wasn't time). It was just a totally different experience.

DD - induced - 1 lot of gel, then waters broken, went from comfortable to raging contractions in one fell swoop at 3 cms. couldnt cope = epidural and 14 hours later dd stuck after 2 hrs pushing, then ventouse.

DS - not induced. twingy all day, regular from 6 pm, hurty from 6.30, hospital at 8pm, 3 cms, delivered by 9.

DS more intense (but not more painful), but build up rather than going from nothing to full on meant it was much easier to cope and endorphine production not buggered up my body just took over and knew what it was doing.

the lack of build up often the worst thing about induction IMO, best of luck!

I was induced with a pessary for dd1 and had a natural labour of 23h. Nightmare. She was back to back and it was sooooooo painful! DD2(7.5h) and DS1 (under 4h) were both Syntocin inductions and were great. Painful, regular contractions, but with my g&a i was so in the zone i just went with it! If we go for no.4 i'm booking in early for an induction.

DD1 induced with prostin x 3 plus synto (PET). Bloody awful, caved and had an epidural.

DD2 spontaneous labour. I kept waiting for it to really hurt and it never did.

DD3 induced with much worse PET. No time for prostin etc, very painful ARM which led to strong, irregular contractions but no dilatation. Was bullied into synto by mw who told me that "The partogram looks awful and the other midwives have both delivered two babies at least" .

I REALLY regret letting them put the synto up, I am usually very assertive, but you are very vulnerable when you are on your back, strapped to a CTG and in pain aren't you?

AngryWasp, I like the sound of your birthplan. May I ask you more about at some point (we are ttc no4)

ds induced on a drip, contractions bearable, managed without pain relief at all. very exhausting because of 12 hours of nearly no breaks between contractions.

dd spontaneous. contractions much more painful but bearable with gas and air. longer breaks between contractions, dd born after 5 hours.

DD1 - Induced with prostin pessary, Spontaneous Rupture of Membranes, No significant pain until time to push (didn't know I was in labour), nominal labour time 4 hours (they don't really know, but going by the trace they think 4 hours ish).

DD2 - Induced with prostin pessary, ARM, regular contractions, gas & air & pethidine (Yuck), sudden lifting of pethidine haze with awareness of need to push, DD2 born 5 minutes later. 8 hour labour.

DD3 - Induced with prostin pessary, ARM, went for a walk for 1.5 hours, then gas & air, DD3 born just under 2 hours later. 3 hr 20 min labour.

None of mine have been unbearable, despite DD's 2&3 being induced early, but then I have never needed the synto drip, and I think that makes things more intense.

I would agree lou; it's the synto that's evil imho.