For those that were induced - was it more painful/did you require pain control you had hoped you would avoid

[Jellybabie3]

Just curious as it says on the nhs website that alot of women ask for an epidural as induced labour is more painful i am due in on Thursday.

I was also hoping for a water birth..

When I had my DD I had been contracting regularly for almost a day before I had to be induced after she did her meconium inside me. I went from being able to cope with just gas and air contracting every minute to pretty quickly not being able to cope at all. I had pethidine which completely knocked me out but when it wore off it was exactly the same again. Baby was breech though so lots of pain in my back and couldn't get off the bed thanks to being monitored. I ended up with a forceps delivery.

Sorry to give you a negative story, but it is what it is and honestly I just did anything I could to help get my DD out. Take what you need to cope with the pain, it's there for a reason.

I had to be unduced as my first was 12 days late. I ended up having the hormone drip which brings on contractions thick and fast. To be fair I think being induced or not it's going to be painful 🙈

Lol yes i agree. Was just suprised it was on nhs website.....i know theyre being honest but crikey

I was induced with my third as my waters had broken but no contractions. She was born in about 2 hours (faster than we’d anticipated) and it was a very easy birth - DH only just made it back in time (he’d gone home to see our 3 & 1 year old). I had had 3 in 3 ¼ years & she was 13 days late so I might have been lucky. Didn’t have any drugs with any of them though & all were over 8lbs & late.

I went in to be induced with my youngest, although it was just the pessary in the hoohoo and things started moving without further intervention. Had no pain relief in the whole day and a half of labour!

I had to drip part way through labour and an epidural. I could manage the pain earlier in labour by moving around and standing under the shower, it hurt but was perfectly bearable. When the epidural wore off on one side whilst I was on the drip and I was stuck on the bed unable to move around the pain was really bad. I was really glad I'd had the epidural.

Have a drip, exhausted after being up repeatedly in the night with my 12 week old. Good luck

Been induced with both of mine. No pain relief except gas and air. Ds was 15 days late, labour was 2 1/2 hours.

Dd labour was 11 minutes.

No time for pain relief.

I was induced for my 2nd pregnancy with the gel they put on your cervix, I would never have that form of induction it again.
I had a 9 minute labour, you might think that’s great, no absolutely no.
It was like being disembowelled.
I’d take my first 12 hour labour any day over that 9 minutes, I went in to shock afterwards really awful experience.

My SIL was induced and refused the epidural for the drip. Several hours later she took it and said it was the best thing she ever did. She said if she had to be induced again, she wouldn't hesitate to take the epidural at the same time as the drip was started.

I have two days until EDD and am dreading if I end up being induced. At my ante natal class the nurse said it’s considered unethical practice now to not offer an epidural when starting induction, I think she was referring to the drip specifically.

Epidural or not, you won't get a medal without one - if you need it, take it! I had hoped for a water birth ended 3 days later with a spinal block in theatre. I resisted an epidural as I wasn't in pain despite the contractions coming thick and fast and the drip being turned up rapidly. Midwifes were a bit puzzled that I wasn't feeling anything but when I did I really did and the epidural was in within 30 minutes.

I was induced with ds1, but I didn't have AROM or a drip- just a pessary, which did nothing for 14 hours or so and then my waters broke and labour started with a bang. He was born less than 3 hours later without further intervention. It was painful- they told me I was 4cm dilated at one point, 10 minutes later I was screeching that I needed to push and after they'd finished harrumphing dismissively about being nowhere near that stage and grudgingly checked me again, they said I was 10cm. The thing I found difficult was the whole 0-100 aspect of it: literally one minute there was nothing and then woosh, big, powerful, painful contractions with very little space in between.

IIRC they insisted that as the labour had been induced I had to have constant foetal monitoring so that limited birth options, although to be honest by the time I was in full on labour I no longer cared where or how I gave birth as long as it bloody well ended.

In my experience the pessary isn't more painful but the drip was as it was so relentless with no gaps between contractions. Having said that, my experience was probably different as I gave birth abroad and only found out that NO pain relief was available after induction started so as well as in pain I was very pissed off!

I had to have the drip with my 4th because I'd got meconium in my waters and no contractions. It was fine, frustrating to be stuck on the bed on the monitors but I had the drip on for 4 hours with no contractions then a 20 minute constant contraction and out he popped. Think I had a bit of gas and air but no time for anything else.

Sounds pretty2 50-50 then....

I found it all very manageable (tens and paracetamol only) until the drip was started at 9cm. Then it quickly got agonising. If it had been 1-2 hours of this, I'd have been OK I think, but it ended up being 6 or 7 hours with the drip and a back-to-back baby. By the time I begged for an epidural they wouldn't give me one because I was fully dilated. So I would definitely recommend considering an epidural if you have the drip, and requesting it in plenty of time if you think you might want it - remember it can take a while for the anaesthetist to get to you, and you can always send them away if you change your mind. Good luck!

Although your booked in to be induced it doesn't always happen like that, I was booked in to be induced like u on the Thursday morning, was told to go in at 7pm Wednesday night. Arrived all ready to be induced to be told I was having contractions and all they needed to do was break my waters, I did have a long labour though so did end up with an epidural as I was really struggling, everyone is different x

I had the drip and demanded an epidural after a while.. And pethidine. But I demanded those when not induced too!
I also wanted a water birth OP but didn't happen.
I don't care, I only cared that the baby was safe and healthy

Hi
I was induced on my due date in my last pregnancy. I went through the while process starting with several pessaries hours apart, then rupture of membranes, I coped with gas and air and pethidine at that point. Once the drip was set up, it was agonizing and I asked for an epidural. The relief of it was great! I slept for 6 hours then woke up to needing to push. I managed a normal delivery without forceps.

I'm due in 8 weeks and would love a natural labour, I'm crossing my fingers! But if I can't its not a bad option. Good luck

I was induced with my third. Had contractions all day but nothing else happening. Was still 2cm dilated 11 hours later. Had a hot bath and it all started moving. Ds was born 50 minutes later. Only had gas and air but was thinking of asking for more before the bath.

I think it depends. I was induced with both of mine. The first was very painful because she was back to back but it wasn't quick. The second was very painful because it was quick. I asked for an epidural both times but didn't get one.

I quite enjoyed my induction tbh it was my third baby though. We had a laugh.

They did freak me out about epidurals but the only time I thought about caving was transition when it was too late anyway and that bit is a smite overwhelming anyway.

A good birth partner is essential I think.

I had the drip with dc1 after labour wasn't progressing quickly enough and was induced for dc2. Pessary didn't work so had the gel. I was lucky as I had the only room with a pool in it so was planning on still having the water birth i really wanted. However, they mistake my heartbeat for baby's and the doctor was all for whisking me off to a room with a normal bed etc before the midwife spotted her mistake. However it was too late to get back in the pool by then In terms of pain, it was manageable without anything at all right up until the last few contractions which were excruciating so I had gas and air for those!! I don't think I would have asked for other pain relief if it had gone on for longer - the gas took the edge off enough to just about cope with it. Still pissed off about the water though!!!!