Being induced tomorrow and need reassurance

[MarmiteLove]

Hi all,
I am currently overdue with my first baby (41+6) and am booked in to be induced tomorrow after having tried all the usual sugestions to bring on labour natuarally.

I have read up about it but am really anxious as i feel that once the ball starts rolling i won't get any choice in how it procedes and all i can think of is that it will end in a EMCS.

I'm sure i am just a worried first timer and many woman have had great labour from being induced but would love to hear from you. Can anyone give me some reassurance to ease my doubts?

Hiya,

I was induced with my first son at 42 weeks.

I went in at about 3 PM, at around 6pm a consulatnt came in and gave me the gel, I was about 1cm already and had a show on her hand

I didn't feel any contractiosn after and plodded around for a few hours.

At 9pm my husband had to go home and I tried to sleep.

At 2am I felt a pop and jumped up, I go my first contraction and ran to the bathroom, I called my husband and he came back with my Mother,

at about 3pm, my contractions were strong and regular and I was taken to the labour room.

TThe birthpool was in there and they ran it for me, I was in the pool for my whole labour and my son was born at 8am, after just 6 hours of labour.

It was a lovely, calm, relaxed induction and a quick labour too,

I hope it all goes well for you!! I'm sure it will x

I'm only pregnant for the first time so don't have any personal experience, but I can tell you about a friend of mine who had her first baby in February.

She was induced at 4pm. Nothing seemed to be happening so her husband was sent home about 8pm with a plan to try again in the morning. About 10pm, she started noticing pains that she says were no worse than period pains, so she thought this was all normal. About 3am, she asked the midwives for some paracetamol. They decided to examine her...and she was 10cm! She had to hold the pushing until her husband could arrive. Their little boy was born before 4am!

I've had 4 inductions

at

41 weeks (they insisted I was 42 weeks from LMP but I new when I conceived!)

42 + 2

40

42

The 42 weeker ones were fantastic relatively quick - the other 2 took ages to get going and had to have ARM to get them going ie days but once going were okay/realtively quick.

Only ever had one stitch despite have huge babies - so all positive from me.

My recommendation would be to refuse continuos monitoring it gets in the way! You have to have it for about 45 mins after the pessaries but other than that just say no unless there are particular concerns IYSWIM

I was induced, all I can say is it goes FAST, ferrari testarossa. be very very open to having an epidural as the pain is more intense. I fact I would not get induced again if they wouldnot give me epi at the same time TBH

but thats just me...

good luck, and try not to be too scared!

Yes I would agree with the intenseness.

After my induction I had 2 spontanious labours, they built up from period cramps to pains, to contractions little and often right up to insense pains lasting longer.

With my induction my first contraction was about as strong as my last!

I was induced by some stuff going in on a drip and the best thing about it was being wired up to the heart monitor so we heard the baby's heart beat all the way through which was very reassuring and made it all seem worthwhile

Haven't got any experience sorry, just wanted to say hope it all goes well and congratulations, you'll be a mummy very soon

I've been induced twice, the first time wasn't brilliant but that was more because I had pre elampsia. Second time, worked a charm very quickly, really peaceful birth in a softly lit room with just DP and the midwife.

Try to relax and go with it, hope it's a good one for you

Ive been induced twice once at 40 weeks and once at 37 weeks.
They were both fine the 1st once took 6 hours from having pessarys to delivery and the 2nd 8 hrs but he was back to back.
Ive also had once that started naturally and although the 1st 2 were more intense I only know that after having the 3rd IYSWIM.
Take a book that would be my tip and snacks (naughty ones like choccie) theres nothing more diheartening than delivering in the early hours and they only offering is cold wholemeal toast with marmalade - that was the most dissapointing thing about my 1st labour I learnt my lesson.
Good luck

Thanks so much everyone for your support i actually feel much more positive now knowing there are happy results.
I will try to relax and go with the flow and am prepared for the intensness -well, as much as i'll ever be. Thanks again

Its all relative the best advice I was given was that it will hurt but with every contraction you have its one less till you meet your little one. I always dealth with one at a time and thought of them as waves they reach a peak then die down.
Im really excited for you (and a bit ), I have 8 weeks left and am fed up.

I haven't actually been induced myself but do have a history of quick labours. People ask, "Oh, but was it more intense like that?"
All I could answer was that I had nothing to compare it to! So suppose I'm saying is that you hear all sorts of stories, but it will be YOUR labour, intense, fast, quick, slow, whatever; you'll cope and at the end you will have the most beautiful baby ever (until the next one!)

Good luck and let us know how you get on!!

Exactly, just because it is induced it won't necessarily be fast.

I was induced with dd and didn't end up needing either epidural or pethidine; gas and the TENS machine got me through all right. It was fast, but not that fast, painful but not that painful. Dh said afterwards that I didn't scream anything as much as some of the women he'd heard while waiting.

I was induced at 40+6, 4 days after my waters started leaking. Had a pessary and was told 'nothing was going on up there'. As it didn't work and I couldn't have another due to infection risk I was started on a drip and baby was out within 7 hours.

I had an epidural as the MWs were expecting it to be a long labour. I tore a bit and had a sore lower back due to birth position but it was fine. No interventions and a very alert baby.

I'm planning for a home birth this time but an induced birth wouldn't worry me now.

Best of luck and try not to worry.

Hi Marmite (great name BTW!)

I was induced at 40+9 after my waters broke quite spectacularly 36 beforehand and I failed to establish reliable contractions (they were all over the place).

Like Nonno said, I was initially worried about it being more painful because it was an induction but, since I had nothing to compare it to, it was just labour and we accepted it for what it was.

Overall I was in established labour (syntonicin drip as I was already a little dilated on arrival) for about 8 hours. Gas and air made the experience pretty enjoyable for about 5 hours. The last 3 hours were pretty tough and DS was delivered by ventouse but I didn't feel the need for (or at least didn't think to ask for) any additional pain relief. I did have a tear and the most unpleasant part of the whole thing was having that stitched up (no pain but unpleasant sensation) but I had expected to have a tear anyway really.

One of the best things about it was that we had a midwife with us at all times due to the monitoring required. I think she nipped out to go to the loo just the once!

My main problem was feeling the urge to push before I was fully dilated and I think that was partly due to the syntonicin dose being quite high due to my irregular contractions.

My original intention had been for a water birth in a low risk unit. I ended up with a medicalised and heavily monitored birth on a labour ward. My son was born quickly and safely and I wouldn't change it for the world!

Good luck

Wow thanks for all the tips and advice.
I will definately take in some snacks -i think thats good advice vicbar -although i've never needed encouragement for naughty snacks .
I guess i'll just take it as it comes but at least i don't feel so worried Thanks all

Hi - I was induced at 40 wks because of hypertension, so I wasn't allowed in the pool because of monitoring. Other than that, it went ok. The gel didn't have an effect that I noticed but apparently dilated me a bit more. Things really got going when I had ARM (my waters broken manually) and I was upright on my ball with gas and air from then. I only had the syno drip after several hours, once I'd opted for an epidural (I think my contractions slowed after the epi) as I was labouring well until then.

If I had to be induced under similar circs again, this time I would:

-try to stay in upright position for longer
-ask if they could try the drip first before ARM (a MW has since told me this would work with my body better, since it's the natural order of labour this way round).
-Try to resist an epi, because I do think it slowed things down a lot. And I lay down a lot afterwards - the loss of pain took away my focus to stay upright and labour! However, I felt like I needed one at the time, so it was a reasonable decision to make, I think.

DS came out with a little suction, happy and healthy, and I found overall, it was a very positive birth experience! Good luck!