What to expect from induction

[HowDoIGetHimOut]

Hi,

I am due to be induced tomorrow...have a sweep in about an hour but not holding out much hope that it will do anything in time.

Can anyone tell me what to expect from the induction process? Am a bit nervous.

Thanks

The hospital should provide you with detailed information. Especially as I think it varies slightly from place to place. But you'll most likely start with a pessary and will be given a second one a few hours later if there's no effect. Then, if still no affect, you'll get put on a oxytocin (sp?) drip (it might not be called that directly as I think the hormone in the drip is slightly diferent).

The main thing with induction is that once it starts to happen it can be much quicker and/or and more intense in that you don't get the build up. That's why epidurals are very common in inductions and if you are anti-epi it's may be time to reconsider that. I don't know anyone who was induced who didn't go with pain relief. It's hard to explain and I've never experienced a non induction birth but from talking with friends, it is a slightly different labour experience. But the result - a happy healthy baby - is the same. Good luck!

I was induced for my first child. Can only speak for my experience, but this is what happened with me:

Went into hospital bright and early. They asked if I would agree to them leaving the induction until the afternoon, to see if things started naturally (was 10 days overdue). I said yes fine. If you would rather avoid induction if you can, perhaps suggest to the midwives that you'd be happy to go to back of queue.

So me and dp sat around chatting all morning, me hooked up to a monitor on the bed in a curtained-off bit in triage (tip: take reading material and nice snacks, there may be lots of waiting around). At around 2pm I had a pessary. Nothing doing. Had another one around 5pm. Neither was painful.

Went into labour around an hour later. Despite what I'd heard, it was not quicker than a 'natural' labour- it took 16 hours. But it was also not too painful. I quite enjoyed it actually. Did not have an epidural; used gas and air throughout, and birthing pool on birth centre for labour.

However, my contractions all but stopped at one point, so I had to go to delivery suite and have a syntocin drip to speed things up. I have wondered whether this was as a result of being induced- I hadn't gone into labour naturally so perhaps that's why it stalled. But who knows?

At this point things got more medicalised- I was on a monitor at all times etc. I have heard that induction tends to lead to more intervention and maybe that's true. But it was still fine, and I was able to move around and dd was delivered vaginally without forceps etc.

So, induction to me was fine. I'm 35 weeks now and would rather not be induced again if possible simply because I'd rather avoid any sort of intervention, and it is an intervention, but if it does happen I won't be too worried.

I was induced for dc2.

Pessary worked in less than 24 hours, waters broken artificially and baby arrived 2.5 hours later.

Gas and air only and no stitches.

A much better experience than dc1 which was very medicalised, spontaneous labour but ended upon hormone drip and a vontuesse.

Don't panic, you'll be fine.

Thank you - really good to hear some positive stories.

Pessary given at 6pm, nipped out for burger and fries at 8pm, first contraction at 11pm, DS born at 4am. Vaginal delivery with gas and air only. Yes the contractions were very close together from the start but manageable. It was a long wait to get the pessary though so would second the reading material and snacks comment. You will be fine, good luck!