induction storys please, good or bad!

[Natalie1984]

can u please share ur induction storys with me ladys im booked in for 1 on sunday at exactly 40 weeks and ive heard nothing but bad things.

Mine isn't a happy tale, Natalie, but it was good I was induced as it turned out as DS and me weren't well.

I think the main problem seems to be that once you start you can't stop! So further intervention becomes likely. Why are you being induced at 40 weeks?

coz im suffering really bad SPD im on crutches and ive got quite a large hernia plus a few other small problems tho i didnt expect to be induced it was a suprise when the consultant told me what her plans were but im ready for anything as im in agny all the time

Watching with interest, as I'm also interested in stories of induction at or before 40 weeks (have gestational diabetes so 40 weeks is my limit).

I was induced and had a very positive experience. My dd is now 11 wks old. I was induced as I was overdue. I had a sweep and it did nothing. I went in on the friday morning and they put me in a room with one other person and monitored the baby. Then they inserted the first lot of gel. We were allowed out and about and luckily I was at UCH in London, right in the centre so we went for a wander. By 4pm, nothing had happened so they did it again. Started getting contractions about 7pm. They started getting more intense and I got painkillers which did nothing so I asked for something else and I got morphine (only 1cm at this stage). Now I was always going to have an epidural whatever so was happy to get any pain relief.
The next morning, early hours, I got more morphine which made me sick but about 12pm they took us to the deilvery suite. I had brillian care. A midwife with me all the time. I got an epidural at 1pm on the Sat and they put me on the drip to speed up contractions. They constantly topped up the drip and I felt no pain at all.
DD was born early hrs sun morning. I need an episiostomy and forceps but that was because they needed to get her out quick as her heartbeat was all over the place (cord round neck). She was fine and I felt zero pain which was exactly what I wanted. I recovered really quickly from the delivery.
Only downside (and I would probably have had this anyway) was that my legs and feet were incredibly swollen and it took a couple of weeks to get back to normal. This was probably caused by the drips (and the heat!)
If your idea of birth is an all natural drug free one, then an induction is definitely not that, but if you are willing to have an epidural (I could never have got through it without one as the contractions were coming fast and I was exhausted) then hopefully, you can have as positive experience as I did.
Saying all that, my hospital and staff were amazing.

I wished somebody had told me that only 1% of women who are induced give birth without an epidural - I was screaming the place down waiting for one. I had a terrible induction process, I don't think it was managed properly plus my epidural didn't work correctly so I still got pains (in my bottom) with every contraction. Ended with an EMCS - not sure the stats for that.

Not all inductions follow the same pattern
I was induced with dc1 and dc3
dc1 required intervention dc3 was very similair to dc2 natural birth.
Good luck dc1 was only 40+5 dc3 was 40+14.

I was induced with my last baby as he was 11 days overdue. They inserted gel, and after about 3 hours I started getting mild pains. I walked the hospital for the afternoon to get things moving, we went to the delivery suite at about 6.30pm, and he was born 2 hours later. The midwife checked me twice, and I wore a monitor from time to time, and used gas and air. It was a lovely, peaceful labour, with no undue intervention bar the gel at the beginning.

Induced with ds1 at 38 weeks. Had the gel at 7pm, niggling pains started a few hours later, into labour by 2am and ds1 born at 7am. No epidural, just gas and air.

The insertion of the gel was horrible (worse than labour imo), but it was really all fine.

Tapster - is it really only 1% who don't have an epidural? What % of non-induced births manage without one, by way of comparison?

MM - might be difficult to explain, but why was insertion of gel so terrible?

I was induced with both my dc at around 38 weeks for medical reasons. Ds took 24 hours from start to finish - two lots of gel to get things going, waters broken, drip to speed things up, epidural, episiotomy, ventouse, lots of stitches. Not great but I at least avoided a c-section, which was my main aim! Dd took half the time, only one lot of gel got labour going and managed on gas and air and then a small dose of pethidine. She flew out in the end, with just a few stiches required.

I think a lot depends on whether it is your first or a subsequent labour, and also whether the baby is 'ready' to come out. I always felt that at 38 weeks mine were not ready, but at 40 weeks this may be different.

In both my experiences, contractions came on fast with not much time in between. This is particularly the case if you have to have the drip to speed things along, and I would definitely opt for an epidural if I was given a drip again.

Good luck!

1% figure is if you are given a drip if the gels haven't worked as the contractions are painful and fast (especially if not managed correctly!).

Mine was straightforward - induction a couple of days before 40 weeks. Gel at 3pm and 5pm (approx), mild pains an hour or two later. Was getting fed up with the belt monitor and the contractions (stronger by then) by 11pm but the MW said they were just contractions from the gel, not real ones and that it would get a lot worse! It didn't get any worse though, just turned into a pushing feeling and sprog arrived at 1 am. Just had gas and air. Hope all goes well!

Mine was good. I was 2 weeks overdue and ds was on the small side (6lb 5oz) so they wanted to get him out. Went in at 6pm and had a pessary inserted (this is a small tablet that releases hormones to dialate the cervix) which was uncomfortable but not too bad, about the same as a sweep.
I slept overnight and then they did an internal to check me in the morning and no progress so they inserted the 2nd pessary at about 7.30am and told me to go walk about the hospital and see if things got moving and come back at midday to be checked.
I walked around with dh, got a drink, went and sat in the car, anything to pass the time. I started getting mild contractions that became slowly stronger until I was stopping to breathe through them whilst dh rubbed my back (ds had turned back to back the day before).
I went back to the labour ward and asked for some paracetamol at around 11 and then was due to get an internal at midday but the midwife was a bit busy so just kept popping in to check on us and give me gas and air etc.
I didn't need to be put on a hormone drip or anything else, the labour progressed quite quickly and although I had a lot of back pain it was was bearable, dh rubbing it really helped!
The midwife finally gave us her full attention at about 3pm when she checked and I was 7cm, she wheeled me through to the birth room and my waters broke once I got in there, from there I got to 10cm and didn't have to push long.
Ds born at 16.45pm

Also meant to say that I found the actual insertion of the gel to be very uncomfortable - partly due to the position of my cervix as they apply the gel/pessary directly to the cervix. Second time around I made sure the gas and air was on hand, and that made it a lot easier (if not very pleasant).

CSWS - I think it was partly because my cervix wasn't ready (ripe? is that the word?), and partly because I'm not good with strangers sticking their hands up my bits (smears, gynae examinations etc). Long story, don't really want to go into it here. I think nerves made my body tense up too, making the ordeal 1000 times worse. I swore very, very loudly at the mw who applied the gel.

I was induced and had a really positive birth experience, - no pain relief, no stitches and a relaxed dd.

I was induced at 42 weeks - mine is one of the bad stories, but it didnt have to be and I've since heard lots of positive induction stories. The bad thing about being induced is that you need continual monitoring so you cant move around much (not that you'll probably want to Natalie1984 with your SPD etc.) - the good thing is that you know you're going to have a baby at the end of it.

Thanks MM.
We're off to the outdoor pool today with a friend or two if you want to join us btw. Meeting there at 11am.

csws - thank you for the offer, but today I have no ds1 so am having a big push with decorating (or wasting time on MN ). Have a great time!

Ooh fab - enjoy the peace!

Hi Natalie, sorry to hear that you'vegot such bad SPD...i had it too, its horrible!

I was induced with DS1 as waters broke but no labour (even after 94 hours!!).

Anyway, gel didnt work so was put on drip eventually, even then it took 6 hrs before i had any contractions...once it started it was v quick though, was fully dilated after 4 hrs. Unfortunately baby then showing signs of distress, heart rate dropping low and staying low for longer periods so ended up as emergency CS.

Even though this doesnt sound v. positive it actually was. Being induced does mean 1 on 1 midwife care during labour and both the ones i had were fantastic. The EMCS was scary at teh time as obviously worried about thet baby but all the staff involved were excellent so i actually felt like i had a good birth even though it ended up with lots of intervention.

I would keep an open mind, i had tens machine, then gas and air but did also have an epidural later on.

Another positivve is that the SPD does just go after delivery...it was amazing...even with c/s it was so much easier to walk the day after op than the day before so hold that thought in your head too!!

thanx for all your storys guys i actually feel more positive plus i had a show this morn so u never know fingers crossed it could be soon!

that sounds promising...ill keep my fingers grossed for you that it kicks opff naturally for you....good luck!!