Being induced in just over a week, please come tell me your experiences!

[Jumblebee]

I'm in a slight panic as I found out yesterday I'll be induced at 37 weeks due to high resistance in umbilical cord and baby not growing as well as she needs to be!

It's my second baby, my first was a lovely pregnancy, had a sweep on my due date and went into labour that same day. The labour itself, well that was horrific!

I've been told by the consultant I won't be able to leave after they begin the induction and I've been googling and googling and getting myself all worried so thought I'd ask if anyone else had been induced and what it was like?

I've read that:
It can take a while and make labour last longer
It can be more painful than going into labour naturally (baby number 1 was back to back and ventouse so I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's not as bad as that)
There's a higher risk of medical intervention (the consultant made me aware of this!)

Basically I just want to calm myself down hearing how other people found it

My induction with my first was a bit of a shill because I had nothing to compare it to. However, it was very straight forward from the second pessarie (sp) going in and my first contraction it was all over in 5hrs 30.

It was really positive experience, I didn't have any intervention other then a small episiotomy and other than learning i don't like pethidine it was good.

Not shill shock.

DC2 and DC3 were both induced.

DC2 - the experience was obviously painful, but no more so than with DC1 (who was back to back), plus I had better midwife support and readier access to pain relief with DC2. Quite quick too, I think something like 12 hours IIRC.

It didn’t go as well with DC3 and he ended up being an emergency c-section BUT this was because he had got the cord wrapped tightly around his neck rather than because it was an induced labour. So in a way it’s good I was induced with DC3 because the continuous monitoring that comes with induction meant that DC3’s need for help was picked up a lot more quickly than it might have been otherwise.

In my experience it is true that induction makes for a longer labour, but that’s not to say that’s what your experience will be, your body has given birth naturally before so that’s an advantage. I was induced with my first child, not a good, but then she was 9lb 4 and back to back.

Induction for me was great. DS1 was a long and painful labour, with baby getting distressed towards the end.

DS2 was induced on his due date due to medical reasons on my part, and the labour was over in 2 hours! Quite intense and painful - but aren't all labours painful?!

I'd choose induction again any day based on my own experience.

My induction lasted 2 days and was horrific but everyone is different

First pessary took, much better experience than with my first (which was a “natural” labour”). It took about a day and a half all together but the contractions didn’t start until during the night when I lost my plug, it was a steady build and simple labour, no pain relief, big baby (just under 10lbs) but no tearing. I tore with my natural labour though!

Lovely relaxing experience, as far as labour can be

I was induced with baby #2 (due to Obstetric Cholestasis) but at 40+4, so possibly not really a good comparison to 37 weeks. However, second baby...
I had the pessary at around 10pm. Went off to sleep. Woke just before 4am, and realised I was having contractions, baby delivered by 7:15am.

It was much more intense than my labour with baby #1, but that was a strange labour where my contractions never came less than 4 mins apart and stayed very irregular the whole way through.
Breathing exercises (like hypnobirthing, but I couldn't quite manage to do the whole hog, so used what bits I could to help me) kept me going and not slipping into panic mode.

Mine took 5 days before anything actually happened and I was the most bored I have ever been in my entire life.

I hope it moves quicker for you but pack all the entertainment in the world (Netflix, magazines, phone, chargers, music, colouring books!) take snacks, take plenty of knickers!!

I ended up on the drip and asked for an epidural before it went it. As it happens it didn't work and so I went with gas and air instead. I think the problem is that you end up in the middle of labour without the build up so it hurts more? Maybe is more manageable if you've already laboured once and know what to expect?

I didn't dilate at all (not at all, in 5 days) so ended up with c section

But overall it was fine, it really was

Good luck with it all

Hi lass

Was induced due to 3x reduced movements in Nov 2014 and was admitted Friday and had a sweep and first pessary which didn't hurt at all at 2pm. Had another check and sweep at 9pm and had a great sleep that night after being monitored for 4hrs after dinner etc.

Got up next day, had a check as I had bad backache all night which I got painkillers and a heat pack for and had a shower before lunch.
Consultant came round and said i would have water broken when i went to delivery room and I could bounce on ball and go walk to stay active and any issues to just ask.

After 5pm and dinner went down to delivery suite, waters broken and went quite quickly into labour and it wasn't rushed or painful just a constant increase as normal.

I knew I had an issue as I could feel her stuck so I asked for an episiotimy and for help with forceps delivery and she was born healthy and happy at 7.50am on Sunday.

Best advice I can suggest is stay calm and listen to your body and also what medical staff say. Not everyone needs intervention and by no means is it less a labour if you do.

Also - diamorphine rules!

Thanks all so much for sharing, I think it'll just be the luck of the day how it goes!

I am hoping for an epidural this time round as last time I had diamorphine and slept through a lot of the contractions. When labour got going though I felt everything but didn't feel like I knew my own mind whatsoever, it was all a confusing blur and very stressful. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that with an epidural I'll actually understand what's going on as last time I had no idea and it was quite scary.

I'm so hoping I'm not in for too long as I'll miss my DD so much, the hospital I'm going to has restricted visitors due to norovirus and no visitors under 12 are allowed. I'll be dying to see her!

BUT I also want to breastfeed and don't want to leave until I'm happy that we have feeding settled (had to switch hospitals to see a lactation consultant the last time so spent 4 days in total in total.

Did anyone who was induced early find they had trouble with establishing breast feeding at all?

I was induced at 39 weeks, we struggled for the first 12 hours or so (but then I was genuinely exhausted and have one inverted nipple)

It's been easy since then (still BF at 14 months)

My inductions were around 37 and 37 and a half weeks - establishing breastfeeding slow in both cases as both of them needed phototherapy for jaundice, and also DC3 had a tongue tie on top of that.

But the midwives were very helpful and supportive when it came to me establishing breastfeeding, and both DC2 and DC3 took very well to breastfeeding once the jaundice was sorted out.

I had an induction at 36 weeks because the placenta wasn't working. It took 4 days to be able to break my waters. I had 2 pessaries and eventually on the 4th day they were able to break my waters. Nothing happend so I went on the drip, after about an hour on the drip baby was born. I pushed for less than a minute.

My induction was just a lot of waiting round, it wasn't a bad experience at all and I'm looking forward to my next induction.

I have literally just had an induction. Baby born this morning at 1am. I was 41weeks so can’t say on the early side of things.
But it went pretty smoothly, the only boring bit is waiting at the beginning and having to share a room. You don’t get moved until in established labour. I asked for an epidural quite quickly as I found the pain built much faster than with DC1 Who wasn’t induced.
Take lots to do and have a deliveroo account on stand by for partners food. Good luck.xx

Hi OP, I was induced with my first - took three attempts and a sweep all in all - a weeks stay in hospital. All I can say is bring a book, try to keep relaxed as possible (?!) and manage your expectations. In the end DD was born via syntocinon drip and forceps which wasn't great but we were home within 24 hrs. I'm sure it'll be fine - some happen very quickly!

Just to add, if you get to the drip stage, the consultant offered epidural almost immediately before induction even started. I wasn't medically eligible for one, but do take it!

I was induced with first baby at 35 weeks for pre-eclampsia. Had pessary at midnight, felt tightenings through night then waters broken and drip started in morning. Waters broken at 9.40 baby born 11.40. Was pretty intense as so quick but manageable with gas and air.
DD fed pretty much straight away and we had no issues (apart from usual getting the hang of it).