Don’t tell me what to post - how rude. We all have our own experiences and most people agree that the dreaded drip is incredibly painful. I know - Ive had it. When you’re on the drip you can’t move around and try to manage the pain.
I've had it too. Twice now. First time I didn't want to move. Moving and repositioning hurt more than lying on my side. Second time I was quite happily trundling around the room and trying different positions with the drip cranked up to max for hours.
I work in obstetric theatres. We definitely see a lot of assisted births with epidural already in place. It was a huge part of why I opted for opioids over epidural with my first, and had one only as a last resort with my second.
As for the inductions themselves, I consider them both positive, though they ended differently. Both were early inductions for pre-eclampsia
First induction started at 37 weeks. First gel pessary (standard for my trust at the time) put on at 10am. Zero progress, so second inserted 6 hours later. Few tightenings triggered by power waddling around a nearby field, but no labour. 1cm (and a bit, but not enough to say 2) dilated. I should have had a second set of gels the following day, but that night there was only one woman labouring in the entire hospital, so I was bought down early. 3am ARM. Thank god for gas and air. One midwife pushing hard on my bump (baby was not engaged at all) with another rummaging industriously with the amnio hook. Ow. 2 hours later no contractions still, so drip it was. Drip was doubled every half hour until I was contracting 3 times in 10 for a minute, which was at the penultimate level. So I almost had a gradual onset of labour, which allowed me to cope on gas+air for 5 hours. At 11am, it wasn't cutting it any more. As before mentioned, I was not keen on having an epidural, so I opted for diamorphine. Bliss. I was asleep between contractions for the next 5 hours. I hit 10cm just as the diamorphine was wearing off. Drip was turned off. 20 minutes later, my contractions had completely died away, so drip went back on. I had zero urge to push, so I consciously pushed with each contraction. 20 minutes later my baby was born. Small second degree tear.
Second induction started at 37+1. Single gel pessary, as baby was not engaged (again), which meant I couldn't have the balloon. Straight to 2cm after some full blown contractions while power waddling. No labour though. Unfortunately for me, everyone else was going into labour, so I was bumped down the list. I didn't get to labour suite until 8am 37+5. ARM via the two person method again. Afyer 1 hour, no contractions. Again. Drip goes up. Moved around. Tried many different positions. Even felt an urge to push, but it turns out it was a false alarm as I was only 4cm. Gas + air handled everything. However, 9 hours of that later and still no baby. Second babies come quicker and easier right? WRONG! I need something stronger, so I beg for a check, so I can decide what pain relief to gave. 5 fucking centimetres. Meptid (diamorphine was strictly rationed for use in theatre cases only at the time) would run out long before 10cm at that rate. I reluctantly request an epidural. As it's handover on a Friday night, and there's only a single anaesthetist on, I wait two hours. Contractions continued full force, despite the drip being off, which was grim, but were getting weaker and more spaced out by the time the anaesthetist arrived. Epidural sited and drip is put back on. I get a couple hours sleep. It's now early hours of 37+6, I'm still 5cm, baby is high, and starting to show signs of distress. I throw in the towel and have a C-section. Baby was back to back and had their head tipped back. Never would have come out vaginally. While it wasn't the birth I wanted, I felt nothing but relief. I was so glad I had tried everything I could to try to have a vaginal birth. It just wasn't to be.
If I have a third, while I know it would be highly managed, I would go for an induction over elective C-section any day. While pain wise recovery was fine, wound healing was not. My first birth was the best, but my second labour was better.