Tell me about your inductions...I'm gathering data

[roopa1]

I'm 37+1, GDM, slightly big baby and I'm very petite. Nervous about induction. I can't find much in the scientific literature about how successful these are. So, please tell me if you have had an induction and:

1. First baby? Second?
2. How many weeks?
3. Pessary, drip or both?
4. Needed epidural?
5. Did they use forceps or ventouse?
6. Did you have episiotomy or tear?
7. Did they need to convert to caesarean?
8. How much did the baby weigh?

Thanks guys!

1 first (only) baby
2 42 weeks
3 both pessary, then drip
4 epidural
5 ventouse
6 bad tearing
7 avoided c-section (just)
8 3.6kg birthweight

Very different situation. But:

1. First baby
2. 34 weeks
3. Pessary
4. Fetal distress so Converted to csection so yes
5. No
6. No
7. Yes
8. 4lbs 😍

1 First (only) baby
2 41+5
3 pessary, and then drip
4 epidural - which did not work
5 ventouse, then forceps
6 episiotomy, resulting in blood loss and eventual transfusion
7 no-c-section
8 4.0kg birthweight, but more important head at 99th centile.

1. First baby
2. 41+5
3. Neither, waters broken

1. No
2. No
3. Emcs
4. 9lb 2

2nd baby
36 weeks (induced due to ICP)
Sweep then 1 pessary only. Went from first 'twinge' to delivery in 50 minutes 😂
No
No
Slight tear apparently (I didn't notice!)
no c-section
8lb (at 36 weeks!)

Oh and my induction birth was a million times easier than the one where I went into labour naturally!

1. First baby? Second? First.
2. How many weeks? 40+5
3. Pessary, drip or both? Both
4. Needed epidural? Epidural after 6 hrs of drip as I’d only dilated 1cm
5. Did they use forceps or ventouse? No
6. Did you have episiotomy or tear? No
7. Did they need to convert to caesarean? Yes, had emcs after failure to progress and baby’s heart rate dropping
8. How much did the baby weigh? 7lb 12oz

1. Second baby
2. 37 weeks
3. Both. Pessary caused contractions but no dilation. Move to drip after 24 hours.
4. Had epidural after 7 hours labouring without, it was nice but in hindsight could have done without it
5. No forceps or ventouse
6. No episiotomy or tear
7. No CS - pushed him out 10 hours after the drip first went in
8. 6lb 2.

1. Second baby. First was born spontaneously at 40+5. I had GD with baby number 2, not with first.
2. 38+6
3. One pessary/tea bag thing which had to be removed after 45 minutes as contractions were so strong. Actually had to have an injection to slow contractions near the end as neither me nor baby was getting a break in between.
4. No epidural. Tens machine and gas and air only. I labour quickly though. If it had been longer I might have needed something. Was definitely tougher than first labour (although that was quick too - both labours less than 8 hours start to finish).
5. No instruments used. I did have IV fluids as I vomit a lot during labour (did with first too).
6. No. I had a second degree tear with first baby. Nothing with second.
7. No.
8. 8lb 1oz. First baby was 7lb 10oz.

1. First baby x
2. 38 weeks
3. Pessary - removed after six hours as I was hypercontracting (7 in 10 mins!)
4. Done it all on gas and air, pushed for an hour with no pain relief and ended up with a spinal for surgery
5. Forceps
6. Episiotomy
7. Thankfully not
8. 8lb 9oz of perfection

1. First baby
2. 38+3
3. Waters broken + drip
4. Epidural for high BP
5. No forceps or ventouse
6. 3rd degree tear
7. No caesarean
8. 3.3kg, that's 7lb something?

GDM here too!

1. First baby? Second? Both - first and second
2. How many weeks? - First on due date; second at 38+6 (I was already in early labour with that one, they wanted to hurry it up).
3. Pessary, drip or both? First - both; second - drip (they don't do pessary where I live now).
4. Needed epidural? Yes - I had an unusual reaction to gas and air (won't go into detail as I don't want to put you off!) and was given it on the spot; Second - chose to have it at 6 dilated after what happened the first time around.
5. Did they use forceps or ventouse? First - ventouse; second - neither!
6. Did you have episiotomy or tear? First - episiotomy; second - neither!
7. Did they need to convert to caesarean? First - almost (she was back to back but turned before a space in theatre opened up, hence the ventouse (I was lucky)).
8. How much did the baby weigh? First - 3.4kg, Second - 3.38kg!

1. First baby
2. 42 + 5
3. Pessary x 2
4. Entonox only
5. No instruments
6. I had an episiotomy and stitches.
7. No mention of a cesarean.
8. He was 4.8kgs

I only have one child so nothing for comparison, but the whole process was relatively easy. 2 lots of pessaries, then 6 hours from waters breaking to delivery.

1. First baby
2. 42 weeks
3. Pessary only
4. No epidural, gas & air only
5. No
6. Yes, 2nd degree, healed no problems
7. No
8. 10lb, 98th centile head.

1. First baby? Second?

First baby.

1. How many weeks?

Induced on my due date. Born 3 days later.

1. Pessary, drip or both?

Pessary initially then drip after they broke my waters.

1. Needed epidural?

Yes. He was back to back and the pain each contraction was knee to armpit. I'd been awake 3 days straight. I overrode all my previous thoughts and demanded an epidural.

1. Did they use forceps or ventouse?

No. Because he was back to back face first they couldn't.

1. Did you have episiotomy or tear?

Both. Due to his face first presentation.

1. Did they need to convert to caesarean?

No.

1. How much did the baby weigh?

Just under 8lbs.

1. Second baby
2. How many weeks? 37
3. Pessary, drip or both? 1 pessary
4. Needed epidural? No
5. Did they use forceps or ventouse? No
6. Did you have episiotomy or tear? No
7. Did they need to convert to caesarean? No
8. How much did the baby weigh? 9lb

It was a lovely birth, I was expecting hell but it was fab.

1. First baby? Second? 5th
2. How many weeks? 36+6
3. Pessary, drip or both? drip
4. Needed epidural? Not during labour, I had a spinal for the c-section
5. Did they use forceps or ventouse? no
6. Did you have episiotomy or tear? no
7. Did they need to convert to caesarean? yes
8. How much did the baby weigh? 7lb 6oz

1. First baby? Second? - First
2. How many weeks? - 41+6
3. Pessary, drip or both? - Only Pessary
4. Needed epidural? - Yes
5. Did they use forceps or ventouse? - Ventouse
6. Did you have episiotomy or tear? - Small tear
7. Did they need to convert to caesarean? - No
8. How much did the baby weigh? - 7lb 8oz

This was for my first baby, my second was spontaneous but a much more traumatic birth

1. First baby
2. 41+4
3. both
4. Needed epidural? Yes!
5. Labour progressed very slowly
6. Baby started getting distressed during contractions, but when drip turned off contractions stopped completely (they were hoping my body would take over).
7. Yes
8. 7lbs 14

C-section was fine and recovery was quick. I'm 35 weeks pregnant now and I'm choosing to having a planned c-section. Good luck OP!

1. All 3
2. 42, 39+4, 41+4
3. Pessary, both, both
4. No
5. No
6. Tore with all 3, but nothing major
7. No
8. 8lb 8oz, 7lb 13oz, 9lb 1oz

1. First
2. 42+1
3. Pessary; it was uncomfortable at worst getting it inserted, and I was in labour within hours.
4. Not for labour, but was given one prior to the doctor attempting a manual rotation of my back to back baby after 2 hours pushing - prior to that I managed fine with one dose of pethidine during dilation, hot showers, hypnobirthing techniques and had and air.
5. Forceps following failed attempt to manually rotate stuck baby - he became distressed so needed delivering quickly.
6. Extended episiotomy to make room for forceps; has healed beautifully despite burst stitches afterwards, but it did take several months. Also had 2 tears which have not healed as nicely (bigger scars, more discomfort and numbness still, and are on my anterior wall which is prolapsed so I think that aggravated them.)
7. Nope
8. 10lbs9oz - and I am convinced my instrumental delivery and subsequent pelvic floor damage is a result of our relative sizes (I’m a size 6 to 8 and he was huge) and his positioning, not the induction. Again this is anecdotal/subjective but I do think it’s easy to think “if I’m induced that puts me at risk of intervention and iatrogenic injuries”, whereas I think often, and certainly in my case, labour hasn’t started on its own because of a preexisting issue, ie baby’s positioning isn’t ideal or whatever, so the correlation between induction and intervention is actually a correlation between some kind of pre-existing barrier to a straightforward physiological labour, and needing help to get your baby safely into the world. When my placenta arrived it was starting to get grainy and friable, and even after 5 sweeps and multiple episodes of regular contractions I hadn’t gone into labour on my own, so feel really grateful for the induction and the forceps as neither were undertaken without my fully informed consent, and I’m pretty sure both were lifesaving.

1. 1st and 2nd
2. 39+6 / 40+3
3. Pessary/ pessary
4. No/ no
5. No/ no
6. Small tear, no stitches needed /No
7. No/no
8. 6lb / 6lb 2oz

1. First baby
2. 40+1
3. Pessary then drip once waters broken
4. No
5. No
6. Yes – Labial tear, madam come out with her hand by her face!
7. No
8. 6lb 9oz

1)1st baby
2)41 + 6
3)pessary
4) No
5) No
6)No
7)No
8) 8lbs9oz

First baby.

Induced at 41 + 5 (had two sweeps previously that did sod all).

I was given pessaries. Had the maximum amount they were allowed to give me over several days, but I didn't even dilate to 1cm, so they wouldn't artificially rupture membranes or put me on a drip.

I had a C-section. Baby weighed 10 lbs 2 oz.