Early induction

[Ducky23]

I am being induced at 37 weeks (38 if I can make it) due to previous sb and anxiety, has anyone got any positive early induction stories for me and also when did you get your induction date, what should I expect (do you go straight to labor ward etc) and is there anything extra I should be taking in my hospital bag?

Thanks

I don't know from personal experience, but DP is an anaesthetist (who has worked in Obstetrics) and his advice is that if you get induced with a drip, take the epidural. Evidence from two friends who have been induced, one who took his advice and one who didn't until 4h after, is that this advice is useful.

Firstly because the contractions are (apparently) more intense (and therefore painful) with the drip, and second because in both cases they ended up having a C-section and because there was already an epidural line in, it could happen v quickly without the delays (to find the anaesthetist, to get you "consented", to get the line in and for the drug to take effect) that would otherwise have been stressful. (Or they would have ended up with a general anaesthetic, for speed, if the baby had been in distress, which would have been even further off their birth plan wish-list).

I had a drip induction without epidural and found it fine. It was a really long process - three days from first pessary - but walking around and bouncing on a gym ball really helped. If yoi want an epidural then great, but if you were hoping to avoid it, it's doable. The contractions are very intense but gas and air is great stuff!

As Taura said, there are benefits to having the epidural sited early, but I was glad that I didn't have it.

I was induced at 38 weeks.

I had pessary . Waters broke naturally and I gave birth 2 hours and 19 minutes later DS was born.

I did find that contractions were intense from the beginning but I did it on gas and air.

Thanks guys

Am hoping I don't have to have the drip, but from what I hae read it usually ends up with that. Was hoping to have a water birth but have been told if I have the drip it's not possible

I am not sure if water birth is option even with pessary if induced. I was monitored as soon as pessary was put in and through labour but there were other medical complications for this

I was induced 10 days ago. The first pessary did nothing and the consultant discussed with me that I would probably need the full process to get things going as I had never laboured before (2nd baby but first was section at 31 weeks - no labour). So second pessary was put in and I was fully expecting to get to the drip stage a day or two later. Well baby had other ideas cause she was born 4hrs later! Gas and air, tens machine and a paracetamol! So I guess it just shows that you never can tell. I was very tempted to opt for another section but so glad I went with it.

Ohh I hope I'm like you errr! I keep reading on here that most people won't do it with just the pessary! And congratulations!

I was induced just before 38 weeks, I had the pessary and it got me to three cm dilated but that was it, so waters were broken manually to spend things up (36 hrs after pessary) and put on the drip, it still took a further 12 hours for baby to be born. I too was recommended to have an epidural and I did, however for me that was the wrong decision, it interfered with the drip and slowed down labour a lot. To the point that by the time I was fully dilated my contractions had stopped and refused to start again, baby was born with ventouse (and episiotomy) in the end. Baby had to come out as was becoming distressed and I was powerless to do anything to help her along as epidural was so strong I couldn't have pointed you towards my middle if I hadn't been able to see it. I basically could do little less then lie there and let them pull out dd. for me it was awful.

I'm pregnant again, I will need to be induced again (medical reasons) but this time I absolutely refuse to have an epidural. I hope to avoid the drip all together but I don't think it would be too bad if I didn't have the epidural. Although I know it may be more painful with the benefit of hindsight, I am prepare to tolerate the pain for the sake of saving me the heartache of seeing my born baby being born this way. I also felt so guilty to know dd was distressed and I could do not to help her, my first job as her mother and I wasn't able to do anything about because I just couldn't feel my body.

That is my personal experience of epidurals. My mother had one for me and she loved it, she was one of the ones recommending to me before I had dd but I don't thinks hers was as strong, or it affected her differently. The induction itself, before the epidural, I thought was great as everything is so well controlled and you are already in hospital just waiting for things to start so there is no uncertainty. That part I really like and I am happy to be doing it again with dc2, I just want to remain more in control of my labour this time.

Hth

I will be induced early this time. I have had the drip with both my girls, and epidural. Both were born with the ventouse. Dd2 was born at 37 weeks, waters went but contractions didn't start so they set the drip up. This time due to bp and kidney problems baby will be born early, hopefully between 37-39 weeks, but any time after 34 weeks I have been told. I'm almost tempted to ask for a c section!

Omg that sounds scary I'm worried about something like that happening

I have the option of c section dance but felt i didt want to loose out on any immediate contact with him (due to last birth I would find it quite stressful I think) do any of you regret vb and would prefer a c section than be induced?

I've been induced with the drip (not early) and didn't need an epidural, didn't even come close to needing one. The thing I'm most grateful to the midwife for is not saying to me beforehand that she'd recommend an epidural, i think that would have made it much harder to deal with. The drip does mean that anything watery is out, but you can still have an active, mobile birth, just ask for remote monitoring. My personal view is that the rate of epidural on a drip is probably more linked to the continuous monitoring and lying back on a bed scenario which makes labouring much harder.

I was induced at 37 weeks due to obstetric cholestasis. It was seriously not even half as bad as I expected. The worst bit was waiting around!

I had to go in every Wednesday to have my bloods taken, and was asked on the Wednesday if I was ok to go in on the Friday for induction. I had to call the maternity ward on Friday morning to find out what time to go in. Went in at 10am and had the pessary in by 10.30am. Lots of waiting around and contractions started at 4ish, and I was examined at 11pm and told they could break my waters. Unfortunately it then became very busy on the ward so I was stuck at the bottom of the pile and didn't get my waters broken until 3pm on the Saturday. That didn't start me off so I was put on the drip at around 5.30. Contractions became very painful very quickly but I requested an epidural early so once that was done, I couldn't feel the pain and it was great. Fully dilated at 11/12ish and midwife left me an hour for dd to move down further on her own, and within three pushes she arrived at 1.54am. The only annoying thing about having the drip is you have to be constantly monitored, so you're kind of stuck in one place which got boring very quickly. Especially after I had the epidural, as I was just propped up on the bed for hours. As the pain was taken away, I managed to relax for a couple of hours after not sleeping since I went in on the Friday which was nice (I struggled to sleep in hospital for some reason.)

Do not worry yourself! Take lots of books and things to entertain yourself. Have a serious think about pain relief if you end up on the drip. I wouldn't have coped at all unless I had the epidural (I was dead against it before, but the lovely mw talked me round to it and I'm so glad she did!).

Ahh it's great to hear positive stories think I will have an epidural should I need the drip

Sorry Ducky didn't mean to scare you.

I really think that my experience of birth would have been really good with the induction what spoilt it for me was the epidural and being strongly advised to have one even before labour was fully established. I will be induced again, even though I have been told I can have a c-section and I am looking forward to it this time as I am getting into it aware of what I want and knowing that I can refuse an epidural if I don't want one. I think lizzie hit it on the nail when she said the worse part of having an epidural for the whole labour is that you are stuck on your back and this can really slow down labour.

The care and attention I received during the labour was second to none, it's just that for me being unable to feel anything at all for the whole 12 hours I was in the labour room made the experience feel very detached and unnatural. As strange as it sounds this time I want to know I'm in labour even if it means feeling some of the pain.

It's good to hear a few different stories Ilive. It all helps, thank you

Be aware that not all inductions work. They tried for five days with me and I never dilated enough to break my waters. C section, but a very positive experience, for me in the end.