Come and share positive induction stories, please!

[SarahAndQuack]

I'm 32 weeks and because I'm 41/IVF pregnancy the consultant wants to do a section or induce by 40 weeks at the latest. I don't terribly want a section because I'm on my own and not driving isn't ideal. I've tried suggesting to the baby that he might like to pop out smiling after I cough once or twice, but he's been remarkably silent in response. So I need to think about induction.

And the backstory there is that my ex, who gave birth to our lovely daughter, had a truly appalling experience of induction. Really, really grim.

I would love to balance out those not-very-wonderful memories with stories of inductions that went just fine. Please and thank you?

I was drip induced at 38 weeks and honestly had a brilliant experience - baby was born within 4 hours, recovery was also really good.
I’d urge you not to go comparing/build expectations however as there are many variables at play.
I have also had a c-section and that was great too - I can understand why people would want them.

I had the pessary in at 9:30am, and baby arrived at 10:30pm after a very quick dilation and only 3 pushes. I was dreading it after hearing horror stories but it was relaxed, and I had a slow start before it ramped up about 6pm. At the time I was obviously not enjoying it but afterwards I was so glad it happened quickly!

wishing you all the best

I was >40 with my second and they insisted on inducing me at 39 weeks. I had a swipe the day before, and luckily enough I was just dilated enough they could break my waters and put me on the drip. I won’t lie, having my waters broken was painful, but after that I had an epidural before the drip and it was fantastic, pain free, 4 hours later they said I was almost ready and to to stop topping up on the epidural so I could feel enough to push and my baby was out in no time. I felt really relaxed and in control. It was a great experience.

It was with my second so that may have made a difference but I was induced with DD2 and it was totally fine. 11 hrs from interval gel to birth, no further interventions, not more painful than my birth with DD1.

But like I say, maybe take with a pinch of salt because I guess my first birth being a spontaneous vaginal birth may have made a difference.

Thanks all, this is really helpful!

I’d urge you not to go comparing/build expectations however as there are many variables at play.

I sort of know where you're coming from, @FinallyPregnant2022 - maybe I wasn't very clear, but I'm asking for positive stories just to help dislodge the horrible memories of what happened when my DD was born. It's not about building expectations. It's about having another set of narratives in my head so that when I feel a bit panicky I can remind myself that for lots of people it's fine, uneventful, or even quite positive. You know?

Just to offer another narrative in case helpful.

I needed to have my DC at 38 weeks. I was very worried about an induction having heard lots of stories, but did want to give vaginal birth a go if possible. A very wise consultant midwife suggested a middle ground which worked really well for me. That was it agreed that I would have an induction, but there would be a low threshold for switching to a c section.

As it was three days of attempted induction did nothing. It wasn't unpleasant, just nothing happened. I had pessaries, gel and balloon and only got to 1cm dilated. Felt nothing. At that point a consultant started suggesting they tried to break my waters and and put me on the drip. But based on my conversations with the consultant midwife I understood that that sort of induction where other methods have failed has a much higher chance of ending in instrumental delivery or c section after a very long labour by which point I would be exhauste. So I declined and had a very calm c section later that day feeling calm and rested.

I'm so glad I did it that way. I gave vaginal birth a chance, but my body clearly wasn't ready so a c-section was the best option for me at that point. It took away my nervousness about the induction because I knew that if it wasn't happening relatively easily we would switch course.

I had a very smooth recovery and was walking the dog ten days later.

In some ways I wish I'd had a vaginal delivery, but I am still very happy with my decision not to continue pursuing it when my body wasn't playing ball. I'll do the same next time.

@Tiptopflipflop, thanks, that is really helpful! Weirdly, I asked about this at my NCT class about a week ago, because one thing that was horrible about my ex's experience was that they kept saying she could choose to have a section, and then at some point she said yes, ok, a section would be good. And they turned round and said no, not possible (she did end up with an emergency section a bit later). We were really confused because they didn't say they were refusing the section because there weren't the staff - which of course you can understand as a reason - but they wouldn't explain why. My NCT leader said that in her experience, induction has to be pretty much all or nothing - once you start you are on that pathway and you can't just stop and have a section.

But obviously you did!

I will ask my midwife about this, because like you, the bit I would want to avoid is having my waters broken and everything after that, because it's the bit that feels so scary.

Really glad to have read your post!

Hi OP! All three of my babies have been coaxed out with induction or augmentation (waters broke spontaneously and then nothing happened). I think I’ve sampled all of the various induction methods. All three deliveries have been positive, or at least fine. I’d recommend getting an epidural before having the hormone drip, rather than waiting to see how it goes…

If I had another baby I’d definitely be asking for an induction if I got to 40 weeks. Hope all goes well for you!

first baby - 39+5 zero issues just gas and air - 5 hrs text book birth
second - twins - 34+5 - zero issues perfect birth 5 hrs
third birth and fourth baby* - natural labor, water broke and no intervention. pain was much worse than induction and lasted 3hrs. so for me, inductions were much much easier and even less painful.

Thanks both! This is so helpful.

Hopefully, as well, this thread will be useful for other people, as I bet I'm not the only person wanting to counterbalance fears.

First baby at 38 weeks and had a pessary induction. It took just over a day for baby to be born with about 12 hours of contractions but they were prepping me that my cervix was not favourable. Had gas and air for contractions until pushing and then I couldn’t get the gas to work with the breathing so went for the swearing version of pain relief.

I also had a point in my mind that I wasn’t going past and would switch to c-section. I hadn’t really told my midwife (it wouldn’t matter as they all changed so frequently anyway) but I did say if I was heading for a c-section, I wanted to decide rather than being rushed in after everything else had failed. It’s still counted as an emergency c-section at that point (there’s 4 categories of c-section from elective, emergency but kind of planned, emergency but you’ve got time for a spinal block, emergency and you’re under GA with no partner in).

I don’t have a natural labour to compare it to but I quite liked having some semblance of control. You know when you’re going in, you know there is an end point coming soon. It allowed me to plan a bit more I think. There are loads of positive induction stories on birthing websites, just have a search for them.

I had a gorgeous induction! Pessary inserted at 1300 baby born at 1831. Was 4 cm at 1815 and then it just happened really quickly- no time for painkillers just about got to my bed and out she popped! No time for tears we just laughed! Was a beautiful brilliant experience and I recovered so quickly as went for a sprint rather than a marathon! Would do it again in a heartbeat!

My induction was the best birth of my 3. The induction consisted of them breaking my waters and then leaving me for a few hours to walk around a park. Eventually things got going and the baby arrived swiftly and safely.
The key for me was hypnobirthing - I did an inexpensive online course and it was absolutely brilliant

I had an induction for my first at 40 weeks last year and it was a really positive experience. After the first pessary I had very mild cramps and we could get out the hospital for walks and cafe trips! They gave me a second pessary the next day and baby was born within 12 hours using gas and air. I just needed a couple of stitches afterwards for minor tears. I had also read a book on hypnobirthing before and I don’t know if it helped but the breathing techniques definitely kept me calm. I also really liked being in the hospital for the whole thing and not having to make the trip in while in labour.

You absolutely can stop the process whenever you want. They might not tell you that, but you can.

Just state politely and firmly, for example, you do not consent to having your waters broken and you do not consent to the drip. They might try to apply pressure, telling you baby needs to come put etc. You just repeat yourself "okay, I understand it is medically important that baby is delivered quickly. But I do not consent to having my waters broken so I am going to need a c-section.". And repeat. If they are still refusing with no good reason, politely ask them to record in your notes the medical basis on which they are refusing your request for a c-section. I find the "polite but firm broken record" technique serves me very well in my dealings with the medical world.

Ideally you would get it all agreed in advance to make you feel more comfortable. If your midwife can't help with your request ask for an appointment with a consultant midwife to discuss.

Hey OP. Was just reading through your messages. Sorry your ex had such a horrible experience it must have been scary. I was induced at 38 weeks with my son. It ended up in an emergency c section due to failed progression e.g. we went through all the induction options and he just wouldn't budge, cheeky lad! It was a bit of a drawn out process, but absolutely none of the interventions were painful. I had a pessary, then when that failed I had some gel on my cervix, when that didn't get him moving I had my waters broken and we went onto the hormone drip but I had an epidural sorted before that in preparation as I know it can be painful. Midwives all very supportive at each intervention including me requesting epidural - they all agreed the drip can cause painful contractions and best to get pain relief on board in advance. Long story short, I sat around on the drip with my delightful son deciding he was quite comfortable thank you. So, I asked for a section as after 48 hours was a bit fed up of nothing happening and I had one arranged and was in theatre within a couple of hours. So you can absolutely go for a section even if you are on the drip and having contractions etc. So I don't have any negative feelings about the induction process, it can just be a long one especially with a first baby (so I was told). Just be prepared to do some waiting, think about what pain relief you want at which stage and communicate that at the outset and hopefully all should be well. Good luck xx

I had an induction at 37 weeks in September. I had a sweep at 36+6 and that gave me regular contractions. Similar to a previous poster we agreed that a gentle induction would be best but a c section better than a drawn out induction. I had a few red lines on my head but thankfully they weren't needed. Baby arrived at 37+1, about 18h after initiating the induction