Help! Induction tomorrow...advice/stories please!

[BeachLover26]

I'll be 40+12 tomorrow, so am going in for my induction. I've read all the hospital info, but it's all a bit scary still. The baby's not even engaged yet, so don't know if that means it isn't going to be straight forward. I started out planning a home birth, so this isn't really something I expected. I'm so excited that I'll get to meet him soon, and don't want to wait any longer, it's just I dread it being too medical. I really don't want an epidural unless cs is unavoidable. And afterwards I just want to get home asap (I don't like being in hospitals, especially on wards). Also no idea how long it will take.
Any good stories out there? And advice on what I'll need?

Hi OP :)

I've been induced twice - first time because of Pre-Eclampsia, second time because my waters broke but labour didn't start. I was fortunate that my cervix was favourable both times so didn't need gel etc.

The hardest part of induction for me was that the contractions were very full-on right from the start; there was no gradual build up. However, with DS2 I managed with G&A only, so please don't think that it won't be manageable.

IME induction was, by it's very nature, really rather medicalised. That doesn't necessarily make for a bad experience though, just a different one. I found, and others may very well have found differently, that the best way to cope was to ask for what I wanted, accept the answers (so long as they were justified and reasonable!) and just go with it. I'm planning ahome birth with DC3 (due in March) but from past experienc le expect to find myself exactly where you are now!

Good luck, let us know how you get on and enjoy meeting your new baby!

I was induced for our first as he was IUGR. Induced at 38 wks and apparently no sign of natural labour. But I had 2 pessaries, about 48hrs apart (there was a delay because the unit was very busy and they wanted to wait a bit for the second) and the morning after the second pessary things kicked off. TBO, that labour and a subsequent 'natural' labour were pretty much identifical from there, apart from a heart rate monitor for the induced labour. Both pretty full on very quickly, baby out in around 6 hrs, gas and air only. Of yes and half a shot of pethidine for the first as apparently I was a little tense (really?) and that was slowing down the labour. Rubbish as pain relief, didn't enjoy at all but it did the job.

On the plus side, with an induction the uncertainty of when the baby will arrive was gone plus I didn't have the rush to hospital in labour. I know there are some horror stories (there always seem to be more of those than the good ones!) but for me induction was absolutely fine, meant my baby was out and well. As for leaving, we were in a little longer with our first (probably because he was small and borderline for NICU) I think about 2 days but having had an induction we had a private room. For our second, was out the same day (he was born very early in the morning).

Hello, I had a prostin gel induction (the worst bit was putting the gel onto my cervix as baby was already engaged) so that stung.

But after that a pretty textbook labour, slow to start, had half shot of pethidine and took me 2 hours from then (I fully dilated in 10 mins after pethidine) to push her out. Dont worry you will be fine and get to meet your lovely baby really soon lucky thing!

Hope it goes well xxxx (cant wait until February when its my turn again)!

Thank you. It's great to hear some positive experiences. People are very quick to tell you awful stories. I can't believe that I'll be cuddling my baby soon!

I was induced with my first one. I remember very good advise given by a midwife at antenatal classes - don't set your idea in stone about your birth plan. Things can change by the time you come closer to the labor so don't panic if it is not going as you planed. No one understandably wants more medical intervention than necessary but induction is fine, I luckily heard no horror stories so I was kind of ok with it. It took me 3 days in the hospital to give birth so I was pretty exhausted and asked for epidural that in my opinion might have slowed down the labor a bit, but I was happy when it was all over.
You will be OK.

I've been induced with all 3 of mine, and not had any bad experiences.

DD1 was overdue. I had a pessary, then labour started slowly and i got my water birth. 23h start to finish though!
DD2 was SROM and i didn't go into labour. 3 days of pessaries etc later i had a syntocin drip. She was out in 6h, G&A only.
DS was also overdue. tried the pessary route, no go. Syntocin drip again, out in 4h. Also just G&A.

With DD2 and DS i insisted on being mobile despite the constant monitoring. I think it helped with positioning and really helped me handle the pain.

Hope it goes well! :)

Not so much a good story as I refused induction at 40+12 and went in at 40+14 when my waters broke but nothing progressed even with augmentation (basically induction after labour has partially started) and ended up with a c-section 24hr after my waters went. I had been planning a birth centre waterbirth. Hay ho.

However a c-section can be okay, just make sure you stay in control - I asked everyone in the theatre to introduce themselves and tell me what they were there for. It made them laugh and I got to find out who everyone was. Hubby was there holding baby and had I not been such a short-arse (only 4'10'') there would have been room for me to hold him while I was being stitched up. I had a spinal block rather than an epidural (they prefer it for sections if possible) and only spent one night in hospital after the section. Section started Thursday just before midnight, spent Friday night in, went home Saturday afternoon. Was forgetting to take my painkillers by Sunday evening!

Good luck!

I was scheduled for induction with DS -- but my waters broke at 11 pm the night before! So you never know...

Good luck!!

I had a good induction. I was 40+13, had prostin pessary at around 11am, lay down for an hour and a bit IIRC for it to work, then went marching laps around the hospital and up and down hills with my dh, and from first contraction to birth was 3 and a half hours! I hope yours goes well. Good luck!

Phew. Keep the nice induction stories coming. I've had two sweeps so far, nothing doing and induction is looming for Monday.

I had a couple of sweeps but nothing doing...was admitted at 40+11 and had further sweeps and pessary, alas still nothing.

Waters broken 40+13 (was told to go for a walk around the hospital a few times - don't get me wrong I like a nice walk, but walking like John Wayne to accommodate the immense loaf-of-bread-like pad between my legs - maybe no - did the trick though, and contractions started an hour later (proper full-on contractions, none of this faffing around timing between them nonsense, gas and air required immediately!), 7 hrs later DS arrived.

Good luck ladies, not long to go

Mine didn't work initially - 24 hours and several pessaries til first contraction. I read afterwards that an epidural should be sought when placed on syntocin drip but it was never THAT bad. I remember being very tired and saying "I want my epidural now" probably when I reached transition stage.

I should add that I had contractions for about 8 hours - helped by pethidine, tens, hot bath (reverse order) before I was taken to labour suite and the blessed gas and air.

Porto I begged asked for an epidural, only to be told that it was too late - er why don't they tell you when you reach the cut off point for epidural? Had it been offered, I would have taken it