Experience of being induced?

[cherelle]

Just wondering if anyone has any stories to share of being induced?

My midwife is coming over on Wednesday to set me a date for induction if my little one hasnt made an appearance by then.

The leaflet she gave me on induction is quite scary and talks about the pain being quicker and more intense! Anyone have any ok experiences of it?

xx

 

[misscrazycooki]

I found mine to be more painful but I was induced early at 38 weeks the tablets I could cope with it was the drip to bring on contractions I hated it they were all over the place and hurt like hell, seeing as I was hooked up I couldn't walk about so I guess thats what made it worse x

 

[Cantstop]

I was induced but I don't have anything to compare it to as it was my first - I will say though that from when the drip and contractions started I was having contractions for about four hours before I got my epidural and the pain was bearable, but the relentlessness of it was the worst thing - but this is probably a labour thing rather than an induced thing. Don't know how you feel about epidurals but as soon as I had mine the relief was simply amazing and the rest of the birth was easy and painless. I couldn't recommend it highly enough.

 

[Jaxx01]

I was induced with the drip, wasnt given gas and air and was begging for an epidural after 3 hours. The pain is quite intense but then i guess It would be with normal labour too?? (I dont know as it was my first!)

Try not to worry hun as the more uptight you are the harder things will be try and stay calm and remember as soon as you hold your littlew baby you will not care what you've just been through it's the most amazing feeling in the world !! xx

 

[snr1982]

I was induced but i've got nothing to compare it too either. I also cannot remember much about it . I can't even remember what they did to get it started, I'm sure it was a pill or two i took?!.I wasnt in labour very long and I remember I managed to walk about the hosptial with my mother for ages and managed fine. The only thing I didn't like was they made me stay on the bed once I went into the labour ward. I hated being stuck on my back and wanted to get up but couldn't coz they have a monitor thing on the baby to check its ok. It can't have been that bad though otherwise im sure i would remember more. sorry I'm not much help!

 

[littlemiss83]

I dont have anything to compare it to, but I was enduced due to baby's heart stopping (she's a healthy 6yr old now) at 39 weeks, It was a bit of a blur as it was so rushed, I remember having a drip and taking tablets, and they broke my waters using a stick thing. It was straight into lots of contractions, I was warned it would be a more painful birth due to my body not being aloud to go into labour naturally. I was in labour for just under 11 hours, I had an epidural, diamorphine and gas and air and lets just say they didn't take an edge off the pain for me as they were given at the start of it all, the epidural i had to have as they wanted to prep me for c.section.

 

[treeze]

hey cherelle

i was induced with Josie and it still remains the best experience i ever had... The only thing i would say about mine was that i had no idea it could take quite a while for the pessarys to work in dilating your cervix...

in my case i went in on the Thursday Morning for induction as 7 days overdue and was given an examination.. cervix closed and posterier and head engaged so the internals were a bit uncomfy..

then given the pessary / gel (which at the time was a 6 hourly gel but now i understand they use a 24 hour one which sounds much better). So 6 hours later checked and no progress.

6 hours later - no progress - repeat the above process with another pessary /gel!

Got mild contractions and not much sleep that first night - hubby sent home at midnight which i got upset about. The other 6 women on the ward who had been induced all back up on the ward with their babies having had the gels work straight away for them... i also got upset about that!

Friday - The following day = exact repeat of above... 2 more gels.. no progress... a new ward of women in who all had successful inductions and appeared later with their babies... that night i had pethedine to help me sleep as still getting mild contractions but just not dilating at all. Hubby sent home midnight again.

Next morning (Saturday).. i begged for an epidural and was so sore due to the internals and pessarys.. consultant examined me one last time and said "you're 1cm - we can break your waters!" me and hubby cried with joy!

So this is where my labour ON PAPER (supposedly only 13 hour labour!)started...

SATURDAY
12 midday - waters broken (didn't really hurt at all but used gas and air)
then stronger contractions started..lost mucus plug about 2 or 3 pm.
By about 4 o r 5pm was still not dilating much so they said they would put me on drip and i decided on an epidural before they put the drip in.

Had some probs with epidural which had to be adjusted a few times but bliss once it worked. They finally whacked the drip up and i went from 5 to 10cm in about an hour or so and didn't feel a thing (but i could see from the monitors that drip was certainly very effective at making the contractions regular and strong).

1AM SUNDAY - started pushing
23 AM SUNDAY - Josie was born 10 days overdue weighing 8lb 3oz

Had 2nd degree tear and stitches.. home by the next afternoon.

FOr me and hubby it was best experience ever but probably the best part was after we got down to delivery and had my waters broken. The couple of days on the ward were NAFF but only because nothing much happened... had grotty mild contractions and all the other women it appeared to work really well for so i think it was more a mentally hard thing that it took so long for me...

but don't let that put you off as i'm pretty sure i was a very small % of people that take that long to get to 1cm! Once they could break my waters i would say it was a pretty normal first labour.

I think in some ways although you have to be checked and monitored more it's a very effective way of helping baby into the world in a safe and controlled environment. They know exactly what they're doing with all these drugs and different methods and with me if things got too much they simply turned the drip off or down etc until i could get the epidural sorted etc.

Don't be put off by peoples bad experiences... every person is different and in some ways it depends what you've set your hopes and ideas of your birth to be as to how good or bad you find the whole thing. Try to stay open-minded - the most important thing is that baby is born safe and well... not how they get here and what pain relief you managed with or without etc.

Every birth is amazing regardless of how it happens x x x

 

[cherelle]

Thanks everyone. Loved reading your story Treeze

I guess the things that worry me are not being able to move around and not having as much freedom if im induced. I had really hoped i could have a nicer labour - perhaps get in the pool and walk around and try to deal with it best i can before i need any painkillers. I dont mind having an epidural or whatever but i wanted to try and move about and stuff.

Obvs theres no point in planning though as i cant control how it will happen and at the end of the day i just want to meet my baby xx

 

[misscrazycooki]

Treeze I can personally say my hospital never let me wait to dilate I had my waters broken when I wasn't dilated that was agony ended up having epidural then spinal as had c section and epidural snapped

The pessarys I was only given two in less than 24 hours then pushed into having drip when baby didn't want to come out. Seriously put me off having another baby naturally anyway probably have another section just annoyed me when they said 1 in 5 end in section x

 

[treeze]

awh sorry to hear that... doesn't sound like they gave you much of a chance at all... you'd think they would rather give you as much time as possible as surely it is easier for them rather than staffing a theatre for c-section etc? sorry to hear you had a bad time x x x

Treeze I can personally say my hospital never let me wait to dilate I had my waters broken when I wasn't dilated that was agony ended up having epidural then spinal as had c section and epidural snapped

The pessarys I was only given two in less than 24 hours then pushed into having drip when baby didn't want to come out. Seriously put me off having another baby naturally anyway probably have another section just annoyed me when they said 1 in 5 end in section x

 

[Eilishnbean]

Im gonna write my birth story soon but been so busy with little Grace! I had the drip, I actually thought it would be like 0-100 pain wise with what I heard but for me it wasnt (I was already 3cm) but I had gas and air and managed it quite well.

 

[pinkymum]

I got the epidural before they started the drip so I felt nothing

 

[bethx]

I was induced with both my sons and both have been good experiences. well good for what i expect labour to be like. I was given 6 hour pessarys but only had to have one as i was contracting well. I was checked after 6 hours and was still only 2cm so was sent to get my waters broke. Things got more painful after that but still fine with no pain relief. After another 6 hours i hadnt progressed so was put on the drip. Thats when things starting getting intense, I managed ok on gas and air though. I was contracting perfectly 4 times in ten minutes.. the sheets that print out of the monitor were perfect as my contractions were hitting at eactlyly the same periods and same intensities every time. Both time I was in established labour (which they count from then they started the drip) for 4 hours. Honestly for me it was quick and although painful I really dont think it could of been much more painful than normal labour. Dont worry about it.. if you still havent got you baby by the time your booked in youll be so excited to finally meet bubs it makes it alot more manageable

 

[amandapanda]

I was induced and I can't say that pain was a particular problem - didn't even really hurt when they broke my waters and had no pain relief for that at all. Ended up having epidural early anyway so pain wasn't an issue - I remember spending hours just laying there reading my book, lol. The thing I really didn't like was being tied to the bed (not literally, lol) because of the drip and also being strapped to baby monitor. The only way they could hear baby's heartbeat was if I was slightly tilted to one side so I was expected to lie like that through the whole labour - I was so uncomfortable and got more pain from back ache than contractions!! You can't get up and walk around like a natural labour and you can't eat or drink - in case you need a c section (which I did). I remember being really hungry and gasping for a cup of tea, lol. On the whole the experience wasn't too bad at all, although mine failed so I never for to the full on pushing stage xx

Wow Beth 4 hours from going on drip to birth?? Mine was 13 hours from start of drip and I only got to 4cm dilated....then taken in for c section as they felt it just wasn't happening. I think that's why I didn't feel so much pain aswell - my contractions were pretty weak anyway and I wasn't dilating all that much at all and Asher didn't want to come out so wasn't moving down!

 

[bethx]

I was induced and I can't say that pain was a particular problem - didn't even really hurt when they broke my waters and had no pain relief for that at all. Ended up having epidural early anyway so pain wasn't an issue - I remember spending hours just laying there reading my book, lol. The thing I really didn't like was being tied to the bed (not literally, lol) because of the drip and also being strapped to baby monitor. The only way they could hear baby's heartbeat was if I was slightly tilted to one side so I was expected to lie like that through the whole labour - I was so uncomfortable and got more pain from back ache than contractions!! You can't get up and walk around like a natural labour and you can't eat or drink - in case you need a c section (which I did). I remember being really hungry and gasping for a cup of tea, lol. On the whole the experience wasn't too bad at all, although mine failed so I never for to the full on pushing stage xx

Wow Beth 4 hours from going on drip to birth?? Mine was 13 hours from start of drip and I only got to 4cm dilated....then taken in for c section as they felt it just wasn't happening. I think that's why I didn't feel so much pain aswell - my contractions were pretty weak anyway and I wasn't dilating all that much at all and Asher didn't want to come out so wasn't moving down!

Yep amanada my first labour was 3hrs59mins and second was 4hours5minutes .. The last 2 hours were the most painful thats when i started on the gas and air. But waters breaking etc was just uncomfortable. I was allowed to drink all through and eat light snacks. I had a good meal before i went on the drip then was picking as crisps etc throughout. The midwife said that as long as things were progressing fine that nowadays your allowed to eat wheread before they used to starve you lol.
They also said I could get up if i wanted to and unsttrapped me from monitor to go toilet etc.. just had to pull the drup along. I ended up on the bed most the time though and had to always be lying on my left side as they couldnt get a good reading of baby otherwise.

 

[AyeshaD]

being induced is more painful then going on natural birth... that's I heard is that true.. So cherelle, prepare yourself and wish you all the best..

 

[pinkymum]

I agree with Amanda, the worst part was being stuck on the bed for hours. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink either.

 

[cherelle]

I agree with Amanda, the worst part was being stuck on the bed for hours. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink either.

Thats not too bad, well not great obviously but not too bad thanks! x

 

[purplehippy]

You know stuff about mine but I've written it up anyway! x

 

[Welshhunniexx]

i will be very honest and truthful, it was my 1st but it hurt like hell!

on friday 27th march 2009, i had a stretch and sweep as i was in agony with s.p.d.
lost my m.p late sat night. sun morn one of my waters broke, think midwife said it was my forewaters. had to go into hosp that night to get induced.
went on the drip very early hours of monday morn. contractions started around an hour later. wer fine to start off with but got a hell of a lot more painful!
tried gas and air - didn't work, pethadine - didn't work, just made me high and i didnt have any idea what i was doing or who was around me. by this time the contractions seemed like they were coming every few seconds and the pain was the worst i had ever experienced. also, i was only 2cm dialated.
they then gave me an epidural which killed the pain.
after 9 and half hours i was only 3cm dialated. the midwife could see i was in distress so begged the hospital to do a c-section. hope arrive 3:40pm on monday 30th april 2009, bang on her due date.

i have been told now i have to have c-sections on any pregnancies due to the dilating problem.