Epidural with induction?

[Northofthebordermum]

Hi all

Looking for some advice. My waters broke early this morning (I’m 39 +4) but so far no contractions. They are going to induce me at 8.30am tomorrow if he hasn’t come naturally and I’m wondering whether to go straight to epidural given it’s going to be a drip. Or just try and stick it out with gas and air and maybe a bit of diamorphine??

it’s annoying as with my first birth my contractions started two hours after my waters broke and DS was born 6 hours after contractions started and was fine with just gas and air and a birthing pool. Was hoping for a repeat performance this time but not looking that way at the moment!

I had my waters broken and was then on a drip. I found the pain awful and gas and air just didn't cut it for me. So I got an epidural pretty sharpish.

Epidural for sure! They don't work on me, but they tried with both of my kids. Do it before pain ramps up and good luck!

Been induced a couple of times. Epidural for one and just gas and air for the other. Induction is notoriously more painful (although I can’t compare) and an epidural is usually recommended. Good luck!

I was induced in two labours and had the hormone drip, which sent my contractions in to overdrive, without the epidural I’d not have coped.

Having experienced most of the the first induction without the drip as it was my first and I wasn’t pushy and was told I needed to wait, there was not a chance in hell I was doing it again, so second time was quite serene (until they realised baby was too big to come out the natural way and I had a CS!)

Sorry without the epidural. I did 2 hours on drip without epidural which was excruciating.

I was syntocin induced with both of my two due to waters breaking and not going labour. Had epidural first time but managed with gas and air the second. Totally my choice due to tearing a lot first time and feeling disconnected and not in control of pushing. Second time was a more positive experience but it really hurt. Whole thing was 4 hours, much longer and I would have taken the epidural. Can you see how you get on and request and epidural if you need one? My midwife kept offering it if I wanted it.

Definitely get epidural. I've had one induction and two spontaneous labours. Induction was far and away the worst for pain. Couldn't have done without an epidural. Totally pain free.

I got an epidural as soon as I got on the drip and it was fabulous. I slept through until it was push time and it was super easy for me.

Same happened to me - waters broke in the morning but no contractions started. Had to go in the following morning but they couldn't start the induction until evening because of how busy they were. Despite my waters having been broken for 36hrs they didn't start me on the drip, I just had the gel which was enough to get me into labour (quickly!). I'd already said if I needed the drip I wanted an epidural but the drip was never needed. I did want an epidural but didn't get one, but that's a whole different story and it was all over with pretty quick so manageable. Are they definitely going to start straight with the drip?

I was induced with Pessary. Spontaneous waters. Gas and air and a shot of diamorphine. It was painful but first birth so nothing to compare to really.

Research your options and see what you think. Epidural can lead to further interventions needed. You might be ok with other pain relief methods.

Good luck

Ask for it ASAP!
I ended up having to wait 3 hours for it due to emergencies, which is fine of course but had I asked for it any later I would have been further down the list.
Good luck!

The drip is awful without the epidural. If your baby is being monitored too, you're not able to move about much. I gave in after an hour or two.

I said lots of lovely things to my anaesthesiologist. I think I loved her more than my husband.

I said lots of lovely things to my anaesthesiologist. I think I loved her more than my husband

😂 yes I couldn't stop talking about her and how much she had helped me 🙈

I don't think the pessary kick starting labour is anything like the drip. It's such an intense pain and I have a really high threshold for pain.

I completely forgot until this but I definitely declared my love and I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to admit it.

Possibly my most favourite person in the world to this date.

I was induced, and the midwife strongly suggested I get an epidural. I remember her saying it would be unusual to not get one when induced. I also remember her saying that it would be best to get it straight away, incase there was any delay with the anestesist. I got it and I'm glad I did!
Best of luck!

Another for asking for it asap. I had 4 days of pessaries with no action. Waters finally broke on day 4 then drip. Asked for epidural after an hour or so, but it all moved too fast. Had some gas and air which did nothing except make me feel like I was suffocating so ended up with no pain relief. Drip to birth was around 4 hours so didn’t have to endure too much but wish I’d asked for the epidural earlier.

Ask for the epidural as soon as the drip started, grateful I did as needed an emergency section sharpish and if I hadn’t had the epidural I’d of been knocked out.

all the best with your birth for you and your baby!

You won’t necessarily go straight in the drip, the policy in my trust for induction 24 hours after your waters break is one prostin gel and then to labour ward for the drip if they gel didn’t put you into labour.
but anyway you’ve got loads of time, I thought I was heading for induction too but luckily my contractions started 12 hours after my waters broke and I had lovely pool birth
good luck

Doi- anaesthetist (passed from a reply I wrote to the same q few days ago)
.....
Diamorphine has been unavailable for the last 2yrs, we only got it back last week, and given it may disappear again i assume most places will be saving it for theatre patients. The injection alternative is called pethidine if you wanted to read up on it (labourpains.com is an anaesthetic info website for ladies)
.....
We assess the board with all patient details on it constantly, anyone that is for oxytocin "hormone drip" we expect to epidural, and are surprised if don't. Not all inductions need oxytocin, some just have pessarys/waters broken

We cover all emergency csections, cardiac arrests, trauma calls etc so unfortunately we aren't always instant for epidurals that aren't life threatening but do aim to provide within 30m of request

Some labour wards have the policy that you must be in active labour for one (4cm) Others don't mind provided you're on a path to having a baby one way or another

We recommend you actually feel some pain of contractions before we put them in, as there's evidence that people get less pain relief if sited pain free (could be people are grateful to go from pain to sat on facebook/asleep, more likely they're now noticing every tiny twinge they wouldn't have noticed otherwise).

We prefer it if you have some pain 1st, as if you needed to go to theatre we topup the epidural with stronger medicine normally, so if we know its definitely working by you now being comfortable it's more reassuring for us

You can gave them at any point in labour but if at 10cm (fully dilated) we tend to advise against as will be unlikely to get any benefit but still have all the risks (they take 40min to fully work), and obviously no point in being in pain unnecc)

This was the same situation as my first and so far only birth. Waters broke, nothing happened, induction on the drip.

I ended up going all the way up the pain relief ladder starting with a wheat bag and ending with the epidural - I think the epidural helped enough for my body to relax and I dilated faster then than they were expecting for a first time mum. I remember her checking me and saying Oh I think it'll be about 3am based on the rate first time mums go - oh no you're actually already there!

I was also being monitored and the wireless ones kept not working and they kept losing him on the monitor so I was wired up and couldn't move much like a pp said. If it happened to me again I think I'd get an epidural much earlier!

Good luck!

Unless in dire emergency you dont have general anaesthetics for csections, if you dont have an epidural, we do a spinal anaesthetic which is like an epidural but a single injection that works quicker. We try our best to avoid GAs.

I've done 2 GAs in the last 6 months vs about 13 awake csections a week, every week

@Destiny123 I, for one, thank you for your service (and I'm sure 99% of drip-induced mums wholeheartedly agree) 😂

I would definitely wait for the pain again next time, though, as I am a sadist and I like to know what pain I'm numbing. So I'm glad that's actually in line with recommendations.

Did they specifically say they'd start with the drip? I was induced due to waters going too and only needed the gel. They said they'd put me on the drip if necessary but it wasn't needed in the end as the gel got things going.

I've had three children and I'm a nurse. Avoid an epidural at all costs, they can go wrong very easily and the pain of labour is fleeting and quickly forgotten so don't believe all the hype of it being "agony" or "unbearable". Every labour has a finite number of contractions, each contraction is another off the number and one more closer to delivery. You'll be fine 🙂