Why is everyone so against inductions?

[Penny2020]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, FTM here so I have lots of them!!!. I’ve been reading up on as many positive birth stories I can find in preparation for the big day and a theme is that nearly everyone says they do everything the can to avoid inductions, sweeps etc. I haven’t seen anything saying inductions are bad so I’m just wondering if I’m missing something. If you had this approach, what about the induction caused concern, is there something I should be asking my midwife should that be suggested to me?
Thanks mumsnet

My induction was fine. Pro-pess inserted, went home, and then had a fast labour mostly at home and baby born about 5 hours later, after less than 5 pushes and a short time after going back to the hospital. Tiny first degree tear needing two stitches. Gas and air only needed for the last stage. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I will tell you what with the whole cascade of interventions thing too, and that's that I think it's often put across in a way to scare you. And that you should avoid any intervention at all. I used hypnobirthing for my labour and it was great. HOWEVER it is important to really question what you want for labour. Would it break your heart forever more if you didn't have a peaceful calm labour at home using only water for pain relief? My antenatal teacher seemed to think this was the holy grail. I wanted to feel safe (with access to doctors if I did end up needing help), and I wanted to come out as "whole" physically and mentally as possibly with a healthy alive baby. Get it done was my approach! Especially as being overdue is the most miserable I've ever been. So when I used my BRAIN acronym from my hypnobirthing course to evaluate choices, it meant I chose induction. I didn't feel like interventions spiralled and were out of my control at any stage.

I had an induction with my first at 42+1. No problem at all and was ready to have one with second but she came naturally at 41+5. Only gas and air with both births. All friends who were induced had drama free births too. X

Mine didn't work and the whole process was allowed to continue over 10 days. My baby simply wasn't ready to come into the world then.

I had an induction with my first. Was painful but my labour was only about 3 hours long and straightforward really.
I think the worst part for me was feeling like my body had failed me and couldn't go into labour naturally.
My little girl was born at nearly 42 weeks. She was far too comfy!

I had a pessary induction which was fine- I think I would’ve gone into labour within hours anyway, my body was ‘ready’. I would’ve refused the drip though.

I think it depends on the type of induction you have, some people as you've read above only need a pessary or a gel to send them into active labour and in these cases labour can be very managble. From what I've read (but also from my own experience) the synto drip is a completely different ball game. Ramps up your contractions extremely quickly and very painfully. More painful than a natural labour meaning many people (myself included) need an epidural. All that contracting can be successful in getting some women to dialate and baby born but often extra intervention needed, and in my case despite all the contractions my cervix didn't dialate beyond 3cm, baby got distressed and I had an emergency c section. This was despite being induced at 42 weeks! It's all a case by case basis really, I'm fortunate that they did do the EMCS otherwise I certainly would have ended up with a still birth (I was resisting being induced but I'd lost my waters and baby had stopped growing so needed to come out). It really does depend on the situation as to whether its manageable and successful I guess

If I went round again needing to get the baby out before spontaneous labour, I'd give serious consideration to the risks Vs benefits of induction Vs c section. I think I had a good experience with pessary induction, but what I don't like the sound of is the mentality some hospitals get into of "we've started so we'll finish" where "not progressing" gets you shoveled further and further along the induction pathway with increasingly desperate measures used.

They tell you you're "not allowed" this and "must" do that, but actually they're not allowed to hold you down and force anything on you. If I were induced again, I think my game plan would be to allow pessary, sweep and water breaking, but if that didn't get things going I'd ask for a c section. I think the dangers to me of a very long labour and the attendant exhaustion and sleep deprivation and emotional turmoil would be greater than the almost-certainly-more-difficult c section recovery.

I had birth trauma counselling when pregnant with my second (nothing to do with the actual induction! Terrible community midwife and postnatal care) and it was really impressed upon me that I do have agency and don't have to simply proceed to the next step if I don't want to, even if that's hospital protocol.

I agree with Green above. So many friends have had inductions, looooong labours, then emergency sections. My birth plan for 2 was a planned section if any significant intervention needed. In the end I had a couple of sweeps and then gave birth at home as intended. But I would not have accepted induction. A planned section seems fine; one after 48 hours of exhaustion not so much.

@PerspicaciousGreen

If I went round again needing to get the baby out before spontaneous labour, I'd give serious consideration to the risks Vs benefits of induction Vs c section. I think I had a good experience with pessary induction, but what I don't like the sound of is the mentality some hospitals get into of "we've started so we'll finish" where "not progressing" gets you shoveled further and further along the induction pathway with increasingly desperate measures used.

They tell you you're "not allowed" this and "must" do that, but actually they're not allowed to hold you down and force anything on you. If I were induced again, I think my game plan would be to allow pessary, sweep and water breaking, but if that didn't get things going I'd ask for a c section. I think the dangers to me of a very long labour and the attendant exhaustion and sleep deprivation and emotional turmoil would be greater than the almost-certainly-more-difficult c section recovery.

I had birth trauma counselling when pregnant with my second (nothing to do with the actual induction! Terrible community midwife and postnatal care) and it was really impressed upon me that I do have agency and don't have to simply proceed to the next step if I don't want to, even if that's hospital protocol.

I totally agree with this again. If I had my time again I’d have had pessary > waters broken > give it time > c-section

I’d have cut out all the many bloody hours on the drip and the fetal distress

I had an induction with the drip and it was fine. I had no choice and was dreading it with all the talk about it being more painful but I had nothing to compare to so I'm a way that made it easier to deal with on the day. I didn't have an epidural.

Induction tends to be the start of a cascade of intervention. Eg forceps or eventual emergency c section.
The real issue is the pain though. In my view when doctors are discussing an induction they should strongly encourage getting an epidural. Lots of mothers, even when induced try to brave through which can lead to a lot of trauma. And doctors and midwives seem quite happy to just 'see how they go' and only agree to pain relief when it's vigourously asked for.

NOBODY told me what induction was like.
My DD wasn't interested in appearing on time, so when my waters went and there was meconium, it was like another language.
Talk of things going in my vagina to start it (too late for me) off but I was placed straight on the drip.

Had no idea what it would do, NCT didn't mention it and we obviously hadn't thought/known to ask.

It was effing painful (smear test with a broken toilet brush) and I was sobbing. Gas and air did nothing so when I was offered an epidural I went for it. Bliss.
I didn't dilate past 3cm so ended up as Emcs, which was fine all in all!

It was only afterwards I realised the pain of an induction is known about.

I was induced at 40 + 1 because of my age. It wasn’t very pleasant and ended in an emergency c section. But all’s well that ends well. I think I’d hold out for an elective section if I have another baby, though.