Positive induction stories please! Fed up!

[TiredButTrying84]

Looking for some positivity here… I’m 40+2 and honestly so fed up. Baby is measuring very big (90th+ percentile) and showing no signs of leaving! I’m really petite (5ft2, normally 50kgs) and feel like I’m carrying a baby elephant.

I had a failed sweep last week, the midwife could only just reach my cervix. I’ve been offered an induction this week at 40+4 due to babies size and I’m seriously considering it now, mainly for my mental health. I’m huge, can’t sleep, can’t move, and just feel totally drained and fed up!

I’ve gone from nesting, cleaning and active to barely functioning. Even the midwives look at me with sympathy now! The daily “Any signs yet?” texts are sending me round the bend too (even though they’re just people that love and care)! I’ve started to really swell up in the last week too.

The problem is, everyone I speak to says avoid induction if your cervix isn’t ready… and is very happy to tell you the horrifying induction stories that ended up with a week in hospital or emergency CS, but I’m honestly at breaking point and don’t know how much longer I can do this.

Anyone else been here? Would really love some positivity or reassurance right now…

p.s. I’m very much of the mind I don’t want to kick baby out if they’re not ready too! I have tried every single old wives tale regularly… the tea, the ball, the walking, the miles circuit, the yoga, what got them in there, all of it!!

It’s normal to feel fed up at this stage, it’s bloody hard being overdue. But they’re right that induction is less likely to work, go slower, and lead to more interventions if your cervix isn’t favourable.

Were you planning a particular type of birth - birth centre, epidural straight away, or…? If the latter you could just get on with it but if you were hoping for spontaneous labour and a more physiological birth then you might see if you can hang in there a bit longer. First babies are 7-10 days ‘late’ on average. Due dates are only a guess anyway.

Positive story here although it did take 2 days to get going. Started (but not painfully) and then stopped. Then had my waters broken and that got it going and it was all in all a far better experience than first birth! Please try not to worry. Look forward to your lovely new baby.

I had an induction with a closed cervix and it was fine. I had a balloon induction. Inserting the balloon was excruciating and they gave me gas an air. The balloon did it's job and fell out 10 hours later. The broke my waters but then nothing happened so I ended up having the hormone drip which i always said I didn't want. It wasn't pleasant and I ended up with pethidine for the pain. I asked for an epidural at 5cm because i was struggling and the thought of carrying on until 10cm was horrific. But I didn't get the epidural because I went from 5cm to 10cm in 20 minutes and she was out in 4 pushes.

I had an induction on Tuesday and it went well! It took a while for labour to get started which was very frustrating, but once it was going it was all v quick and positive.

I started with the Dilapan rods which stayed in for 16 hours. It really hurt getting them in, but didn’t feel them at all once they were there.

I had gas and air to get them out though which really helped!

Annoyingly, they didn’t really do anything so I asked for the pessary as this is what I had for my first birth and it worked previously.

1st pessary didn’t seem to have an effect so had a 2nd 6hours later. 3hours after the /nd pessary I was having proper contractions.

Contractions started at 7.30pm and baby was born at 11.37 with just gas & air. I had wanted an epidural but there was no time!

Good luck for your induction. It will all be worth it once baby is here!

I am small like you 5ft 1 ands 44kg pre children and managed fine having big babies although yours might not be as big as the midwives think. I had a smooth induction with my first the drip does make the contractions intense but it’s a means to an end and nothing bad happened it was just painful.
You’re not even 41 weeks yet just try and spend a couple of days doing nice things and looking after you and see if any happens naturally.

I've had 4 inductions all different methods.
1st was just breaking my waters and things got going. Labour was about 10 hours baby was 7lb 7oz no complications small tear.
2nd was pessary. 1 hour labour 8lb 2oz small tear in same place.
3rd waters broke on thier own but nothing happened so put on drip had an epidural before they started the drip. 7 hours. Bigger tear. 9lb
4th broke my waters and baby kept disengaging drip started epidural at 5cm. 12 hours 7lb 2oz no tears no grazes.

I appreciate that my cervix was open but it's proof that inductions don't always end in complications. The worst labour was my fastest as it was so panicked felt quite bruised after too.

I had two inductions, the first because baby was late and the second due to concerns over baby and me (induced at 35 weeks). I had an epidural before the drip each time and it was really pain free and straight forward. Small tear with the first (one stitch) and none with the second (but DC2 was very small!). Good luck OP.

I was induced with DC2 but at 41+6. She was clearly ready as, after 2 hours of no action, it was a very fast delivery. Very pleasant after the 30 nightmare of DC1. However, there were a couple of mums on the ward who’d had the pessaries a couple of times and 48 hours later were no further on.

I was induced due to gestational diabetes and blood pressure. It was my first baby and induction took two days of pessaries and the balloon to get going. I had IV meds to induce contractions and then to slow them down as they got too fast.. I got an epidural and it helped with the pain but I was able to use it sparingly so I could still feel contractions and push. I did have some complications during labour and needed ventouse delivery but ultimately me and baby were well looked after and safe. I'm also very petite! I think every birth is unpredictable ... maybe spontaneous labour would have been slightly less of a rollercoaster physically but I'm glad I chose induction. For me I had risk factors so the risks of continuing past my due date outweighed the scary induction stories I'd heard and I just wanted baby out!