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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

please tell me your experiences of being induced...

36 replies

ronniemummy · 29/08/2006 20:04

I am now 8 days late and have already had a sweep and a show and I am now booked in for being induced on Friday if nothing happens in the mean time.

I am quite anxious about it and because of the constant waiting now am bursting into tears about the whole thing.

I would really love to hear how people found being induced- good and bad stories please!

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orangegiraffe · 29/08/2006 20:06

Would'nt want to upset you tbh, I was induced on 2 ocassions and didn't like either.

Seona1973 · 29/08/2006 20:10

I have copied my answer from a previous thread about induction:

I had a good induction. As I was 3cms dilated when I went in (after 2 sweeps that didnt work) I had my waters broken and the drip to speed up contractions. I had a tens machine, gas and air and one jab of diamorphine (like pethidine) and managed with that. I didnt find the birth that bad at all and thankfully it wasnt too long either - had dd within 8 hours of having my waters broken (which is quick for a first birth). My sister also had an induction that went really well so it doesnt always have a bad outcome. Good luck

buktus · 29/08/2006 20:10

same as orangegiraffe hopefully things will happen naturally for u though

Saturn74 · 29/08/2006 20:12

I've also been induced twice and feel the same as orangegiraffe! I'm sure you'll be absolutely fine. Best wishes for the big day.

softmusk · 29/08/2006 20:22

hi i was induced with my first dd and i didnt like it one bit but the minute my dd was put in my arms it was worth it so just look forward to what u get in the end not the labour it couldnt of been that bad i wanted and had another dd 14 months later

Seona1973 · 29/08/2006 20:40

Looks like I'm the odd one out with having a good induction then!!

Peridot30 · 29/08/2006 20:42

hi i was induced with both my kids. both different experiences. had epidural both times 1st delivery was ok.2nd time more stressful as epidural didnt work. all worthwhile though as you get a wee bundle of joy at the end of it definately recommend the epidural!!! good luck x

coppertop · 29/08/2006 20:55

I was induced in all 3 pregnancies:

1st time: very long labour but the pain was well-managed IMO. My only problems were on the postnatal ward and completely unrelated to the induction.

2nd time: I found there was a lot of faffing about while waiting for the induction procedure to start but that was due to staffing levels. The understaffed ward meant that I found it difficult to get even some paracetomol when the pain kicked in but once I was in the labour room it was great. The epidural was put in quickly and I spent a lot of the labour just napping. Only 6hrs of labour altogether.

No 3: Excellent care on the antenatal ward but I was unlucky enough to get a crap MW. She refused to believe I was having anything more than twinges ("Monitor says no" attitude) and kept cranking up the drip and refused to let me have an epidural. She still insisted I was only having twinges right up to the moment that dd's head appeared.Once the MW had gone (her colleagues were not impressed from what I could gather) the care was excellent.

princessmel · 29/08/2006 20:55

Hi, Are you ready...
I was 2 weeks od with ds and was induced. I had one dose of the pessary stuff(syntocin or something)and started contractions within 30 mins. They felt like dull period pains at first and were about 5 mins apart. Had tens machine on and they got worse. Mw examined me and I was 4cm but there was no bed for me on delivery suite so had to stay on antenatel ward. Had half dose of pethadine and portable gas and air. There were not really any gaps between my contractions at this point and then the gas and air ran outThey didn't tell me that till later. Then my waters broke and I was sick a few times on dh(sorry). All this time we were on our own in a side room with a mw occasiionally popping her head in door and dh ringing the help bell every time I threw up.
Eventually went to delivery suite and I demanded an epidural! I had real gas and air while I waited.I was a crazy looney woman. I wouldn't let them examineor touch me even though they thought I was 10cm. After the epi they examined me and I was 10cm. They left me for a while for baby to come down then we tried pushing. Because I'd had such a late epi and they kept topping it up (they were probably scared I'd kill someone if they didn't)I couldn't feel to push properly so ended up having forceps, ventouse and a cut int he operating theatre. It was better than ending up with a c section which was going to happen If I couldn't push him out. Couldn't feel any of the intervention cos of the epi. I was so happy when ds was born that it made up for it all.Even though I was spaced and still a bit crazy!

With dd I so didn't want to be induced again so was over the moon when my waters broke at home. At the birthing centre they saw mecconium in the water so said I'd need to be induced as baby needed to come out. I burst into tears and said how it had been with ds. So, they gave me an epidural before I was even induced! It was the best thing they could have done for me. I could feel all the contractions but NO pain and knew when to push etc. After they induced me, with the drip this time, they checked me after 4 hours and I was fully dilated. Then they only gave me a half top up and I pushed her out fine. I had a small tear but no pain. I felt a labour fraud as I was enjoying myself, chatting, reading mags etc.
It was so diff from the first induction. I hadn't wanted either but at least I was in control the second time. I had a room right from the start, a great midwife the whole time and whatever pain relief I wanted. I was overjoyed with the second labour and even though I was sad that I was induced again it was so much better than the first one.
I hope this hasn't been too boring or horrible to read but you did say you wanted good and bad experiences.! Both times my babies were fab, beautiful and amazing. Yours will be too however they come out.

mimi1uk · 29/08/2006 20:59

induced x2 no probelms think it is more painfull, as it is artifical anf body does notnhave so much time to kick in the bodies natural painkillers but i could deffo have another

kpmumtobe · 30/08/2006 10:02

am also threatened with induction for Friday (will be term +13) and really worried about the drugs side of things. they talked about 'continuous monitoring' which sounded like I would be strapped to the bed. How does it work? Can I be mobile? Will I have to lie on my back the whole time? This is the opposite to how I imagined my baby's birth to be!!!

princessmel · 30/08/2006 10:07

Hi, I had to be monitered the whole time too. I think sometimes the wires are long enough for you to move a bit but not to go far. I'd go for an epidural if you have to be induced!! See my post from yest! Good Luck xxxxx

kid · 30/08/2006 10:11

I was induced with DD as my waters had broke 24hours before and labour hadn't started. They used the gel first which got things going really slowly so they then used the drip. I am a big wimp with needles but managed ok.

Apparently my body didn't cope well and the contractions came thick and fast with no break in between. They had to stop the drip but the contractions stopped again!So I had the drip adjusted constantly for the whole 22 hours. When I was fully dilated, they discovered DD was brow presentation so I needed an emergency section.

princessmel · 30/08/2006 10:17

Just wanted to add that even though these posts sound scary ( mine included) you just have to focus on the end result, which is your much wanted baby. It doesn't really matter how you get there in the end.

redbull · 30/08/2006 10:20

hi just wanted to say my friend is a widwife and she swears by eating an actual pineapple not the tinned stuff!! i have forgot the reason behind it but its meant to kick of labour HTH

Tommy · 30/08/2006 10:23

feel for you ronniemummy - DS1 was due on Christmas day and I was induced on 9th Jan It was an extremely unpleasant experience so I won't bore you with the details.

Try and relax in these days and get for some walks if you can while the weather's OK again.
Good luck

Coathanger · 30/08/2006 10:29

HI Ronniemummy!

I have 3 boys and my first and third were induced. I must say, I had good experiences The only down side I think is the fact the contracts hit you like a brick wall - there is no gentle build up in the strength of the contractions as with a spontaneous labour, but then I suppose there is no mistaking it!!

I was induced with my first at 12 days overdue. I only needed 1 lot of gel and it went smoothly and lasted about 9 hours.
My second induction (third child) was also at 12 days over and again was a straight forward delivery but was very quick - 39 minutes - but I think that had more to do with the fact it was my third!!

Try and keep in you mind that it doesn't have to be scary, or complicated, and think of it as a normal delivery thats had a little helping hand. Once that gel has taken effect, it is no different to a standard labour. I was a bit worried about haing my first induction, but it was not a bad experience, so when it came to having another I was not worried at all.

I know its easier said than done, but try not to worry about it. The more stressed you are the more likely it is for things to go a bit pear shaped. It really isn't all that bad (in my opinion), and you can still have a good labour experience

I hope I have helped with 2 good stories of induction.

Good luck with it all. Try to keep an open mind and most of all try to enjoy the experience.

CH
xxxxxx

p.s. Can't wait to see birth announcement
{{{{HUGS}}}}

coppertop · 30/08/2006 10:30

kpmumtobe - During the earlier part of the induction process (before going to the labour room) all the women on the ward were encouraged to stay mobile and walk up and down the corridors etc. We were probably monitored only every few hours or so. In the labour room I was told I could move around if I wanted too. Tbh the monitoring turned out to be pointless anyway as the MW hadn't attached the belts properly and so the monitor wasn't reading the contractions properly. If you have an epidural you'll almost certainly have to stay on the bed though.

Coathanger · 30/08/2006 10:33

Just thought I would add, I only had gas and air with my inductions and I was completely mobile throughout

Original poster

ronniemummy · 30/08/2006 11:19

Thanks for everyone's stories about being induced- certainly a range of different experiences! Will let you know!

OP posts:

Gwu · 30/08/2006 12:47

I know what you mean about bursting into tears. I was 7 days late. DH and I ended up having sex as a last resort before the medics stepped in. It worked, at least labour started the following morning. Have you tried that? We most definitely weren't in the mood but the thought of being induced or having sex...

Good luck.

princessmel · 30/08/2006 12:57

Yeah, thats how my waters broke with dd. Had a curry the night they broke too. A madras!
We did it on the sat and I had contractions all sun afternoon then they stopped. We then did it again on mon night after the curry!

hana · 30/08/2006 13:04

was induced with my first pregnancy - not because I was much past my dates, labour had started but it was v v slow

had prostin about 10pm one night - nothing happened for hours and hours - it wasn't until about 24 hours later that labour was established and I was moved to labour ward. Had an epidural around midnight - let me sleep a little bit - had it topped up a few times - labour slowed down and needed something to speed up contractions thru drip in arm ( can't remember what called) when ready to push epidural had worn off so could feel contractons. Long time pushing, bout 1 hour and , waters had to be broken, baby was becoming distressed - had lots of people in room when baby actually was delivered - forceps were at the ready as well.

so very different to second labour - had no intervention, no monitoring, and just the midwife and dh in the room.

bubblebell1 · 30/08/2006 13:39

hi ronniemummy,

my induction was pretty much plain sailing, i was 41 weeks and very large. was booked in and had a pessery at 7am monitered and by 11am having mild contractions, at 1pm i was 6 cm dilated and coping ok, i had pethadine and ds was born 4 hours later weighing 9lb 4oz. wont hesitate to be induced this time around either dependsing if i get that far.

hope everything goes ok tho

kpmumtobe · 30/08/2006 13:49

good to know that mobility is still an option and that the drip not always necessary. i think my fear is that this helping hand might have adverse effects on the baby, breast feeding and bonding might be compromised etc. any thoughts?

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