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Induction - what to expect?

Hi all,

I have been sched an induction a week tomorrow when I will be term +11. I'm obviously hoping I don't get that far but would like to be prepared.

I'd love to hear any experiences you can share. I have to admit, I have heard a lot of negative things surrounding them so would be particularly interested in positive stories but, equally, want a balanced view! Maybe if your experience wasn't so great you might have some tips on how you would have liked it to have gone differently and whether, in hindsight, there is anything you think you might have been able to do to make it more positive?

Thanks!

K 40+3 x

Replies

  • Hi hun,

    I was induced at 13 days overdue. Luckily i was already dilating and my cervix was fully effaced so everything was ready to go - the mw's were surprised i hadnt actually gone into labour yet! This meant i didnt need the pessary's to get things kick-started. I went in to the hospital at 8am and the mw broke my waters and hooked me up to the drip. The drip is trial and error for the mw to get you contracting enough to progress, sometimes the drip will be turned up that little bit too much - and i wont lie to you it is painful and to be honest i actually have 3 periods of my labour that i can't remember because i was in that much pain. I started off on G&A which helped, then the pain got worse so i asked for diamorphine, again this was just fab! I felt a little drunk but not too bad. Then the mw turned the drip up again and i asked for an epidural. The epidural worked great to begin with but i ended up knocking the tube out of the bit where they top it up - which no-one noticed. So my bed gor my epidural top up instead of me! Which is possibly why i was in as much pain. On the positive side i progressed quite quickly and was ready to push at 9pm, unfortunately I was exhausted by then and nothing was happening when i was pushing so i needed an emergency forceps delivery.

    I would keep an open mind with the induction, contractions dont gradually get more painful like they do when you naturally go in to labour, they can hit you quite suddenly so be prepared to ask for pain relief before it gets too bad - just incase!

    In hindsight there isn't really anything that i could have changed even if i had wanted to.

    Of course the biggest positive of the whole thing was that i got my beautiful baby girl. I was unable to hold her straight after birth because of the forceps and i lost alot of blood, but my husband got the first cuddle and that moment will stay with him forever. I am actually quite glad he had those precious first moments :/)

    I really hope this hasnt scared you, and of course your labour can differ greatly from my experience. Nothing is predictable about labour!

    Good luck honey and i hope you dont need your induction after all!

    Lx
  • Thanks Ladybird! That's interesting that you might not need the pessary application - it's that kind of thing I was hoping to find out. Really appreciate you sharing. Hope you and Emily are well.

    K x
  • Hi, I was fully induced with my first, it wasn't too bad as labour goes I suppose, went in for about 8 am I had the pessary and just plodded around the hospital until things started happening, went for a walk etc.

    As things progressed they put me on the drip and from then on most of the time i had the heart monitor on. Things did progress quite quickly from here. My little girl was born at half seven the next morning.

    Second bubs my waters broke but nothing else happened so again I ended up on the drip, this time I experienced the drip being up too high and was getting 6 contractions in ten minutes (they were actually overlapping at one point until they turned it down). They did hurt but both times I managed on just gas and air.

    I'm hoping that should we be blessed with another one I can manage to get it out without the drip as it does limit movement and I remember almost ripping it out at one point!

    I'm sure you will be fine whatever way it happens image
  • K, I have just come in here to post the same question! Looking forward to hearing people's stories (I think!)

    H x

    41+1
  • i'm not going to give all the details of my induction because to be honest it wasn't good, so I would say definitely try and get sleep where you can and make sure you eat, when my waters broke i had been up with contractions for 24 hours and then went for 13 hours of labour without food!

    The pessaries do hurt, some people the first pessary works, some of us had to have several, i was told when i went in for my induction that they normally expect it to take around 3 days which i hadn't realised? I found them putting the pessaries in very painful, the contractions you get are painful but not like the contractions you will get when on the drip to induce labour?

    And finally, have an epidural, they'll offer you one because the forced contractions can be a lot more painful than normal labour cotractions, it really really helps!

    Good or bad don't worry about it, all the pain i went through over my 3 day induction was still only 3 days out of my life and look what you get in the end ;\)
  • Thanks so much guys! Blimey, 3 days morello?! Didn't realise that! image
  • HI

    I was induced at 37 weeks with my 2nd child.

    I arrived at 9am and straight away they hooked me to syntocin. They said gel etc would not work as I was not ready to give birth. They left me for 2 hrs in order for contractions to start and my cervix to open.

    At 11am they checked me and I was in a lot of pain but coping with gas and air. They broke my waters. Within 10 mins I was writhing on the bed in agony. I had an epidural an all was calm. They kept checking me and I was progressing at the rate of about 1cm an hour. At 5pm I was 6cm. About 15mins later we heard a farting noise but it was from my lady bits. Only a student mw was with me and OH who due to illness was hooked up to drips etc... (long story) she looked under the sheets and said ' OMG I can see the head' She said don't push and pressed the emergency button. Next second Christopher shot out so fast that she literally had to catch him. He grazed me with his shoulder as he came out so fast.

    I was eating tea and toast about half an hour later. It was a good birth and he was fine and healthy. I was a bit shocked but fine. He was 5lb 11oz.

    Good luck

    dxx
  • Thanks so much guys! Blimey, 3 days morello?! Didn't realise that! image

    Flipping heck. That is not good!

  • Hi,

    I was induced at 36+1 because my waters had started leaking at 35+6.

    I didn't have the pessary, instead I was put straight on the drip at 8pm. Because of waters leaking and BH I had not had any sleep for the last two nights, so was already tired to start! I had not started to dilate at all at this point. The drip was increased in strength every 30 mins. At first the contractions were pretty bearable and I tried to relax on the bed. After an hour I sat on the birth ball and sometimes rocked my hips and other times bounced slightly. OH rubbed my back the whole time. After 6.5 hrs my contractions were very close together so I was examined, and found to be only 3-4 cm dilated. I was gutted and started crying saying that I will never be able to do it, and give me an epidural! OH said to ignore me as he knows I really wanted to try for a drug free birth. My waters were broken at this point (they didn't say anything to me, just asked OH if it was ok). Things really stepped up after this and on my second contraction I had a slight urge to push! OH told me off but I replied that I could not help it!. I spent most of my time on my knees leaning against the back of the bed, with my head resting on the elevated end. It was quite good! There were times when I cried and said that I couldn't do it, and I started on the gas and air, which did very little for me. The worst part for me was the monitors they keep on you. With every contraction your tummy presses against them adding to the pain. I ripped mine off and refused to let them put it back on! Things were a bit of a haze after this. I really didn't want to do forced pushing, as per my hypnobirthing classes, but I could not help myself. I just kept pushing, knowing that with each push I was getting closer. The crowning part was not too bad. My midwife poured warm water over me at this stage, which was lovely. I kept pushing through the sting, because you know that in just one more push the head will be out. It did not hurt at all when the body came out. I had a second degree tear which I did not feel at all, and I was not uncomfortable after the birth. I had a shower and felt ready to go! Stages 1-3 of my labour were recorded at 2 hrs 18mins!!!!! Cara weighed 6.5 lbs

    There was definitely some pain, but you know in your mind that it is not forever, and you can do it. You can still also appreciate that it is a very exciting time ??????

    Hope this helps, good luck

    Lisa
  • I was induced with my 2nd at 39+1.
    After delivering your 1st baby your cervix never closes fully, so I didn't need the gel to open my cervix. I had my waters broken at 4pm and begged not have drip for 2hrs (this depends on your hospital's policy so check!). The MW came back after 2hrs to hook me up but I was already having full-on contractions. My son was born at 7pm, my official delivery time was 51mins.

    Good luck
    Liz x
  • hi, i was induced at 40+3 due to high bp, they started with the pessaries, one on the weds, anothe ron the thurs, another on the fri, then my waters broke friday afernoon, a few hours later nothing was happening so i was put on the drip early evening, by 12midnight iw as still just 2cm (which is what i was when my waters ahd broken at lunchtime) and ds was in distress..he was born by em c section at 40+6on the saturday..very very long...they ahd told me it could take up to a week, btu i was all naive and thinking 'as if taht ever happens' was sure that it never happened but that thye had to say hust in case and was adamant that within 36hours ds wld be with us...just be prepared, it migt take 6 hours, it could take 6 days, unfortunately no one can tell u how long it will take. xx
  • Hi ladies

    Very interesting post for me. I am due to be induced at 38 weeks.

    Just a quick question - Is 38 weeks to early for a pessary?

    Tx
  • Hiya, I had a very positive induction with my lo. I was induced at 12 days overdue and was already 3 cm dilated so my waters were broken and I was told to go for a walk to get contractions going, didn't have drip or pessary or anything. We barely made it out the door before they started and the contractions were very intense from the start and not much of a gap between them. I managed on gas and air and had a bath which helped. Lo was born just under four hours later - they used a ventouse at the end as his heart rate was going down and not coming back up again so i had to have an episiotomy but it was all fine.
  • I was induced at 38 weeks due to PE. I was already in hospital a week at this point so they told me the day before and I was told not to expect to go over first thing in the morning and then at 9.30am they came and told me time to go to labour ward, I phoned hubby and he arrived over as they just hooking me up to the trace machine. They then hooked me up to the drip and broke my waters this was 11am, I was told ot go and sit in the rocking chair and was given the gas and air, my w said nothing would probably happen for hours but I found that I was getting contractions every 8 minutes, my mw went on lunch and another mw came in, I started being sick (g&a) and then I told the mw that it was getting too painful and I wanted an epidural she told me it would be about 30 minutes so told me to get up on the bed and as I did I started pushing so they called in the doctor and my other mw and then there was about 6 other people in the room and I was told there was no time for an epidural, I went from 4cms to 10cms within 3 minutes. So at this point g&a never left my mouth :lol: They had a put a sensor on dd's head to monitor heartbeat as the trace wasnt working at this point, then because she came down so quickly I had to have an episotomy but as soon as I had this I gave one push and she was out. This was 1.04pm so from waters being broken till birth it was 2 hours 4 min, and then 7 minutes later I pushed out the placenta. It was very quick though and a bit of a shock to both me and dd's body.
  • Little T - when you go into hosp a MW will give you an internal ex\mination to assess your cervix. Depending on how low and soft it is will determin how the hosp will procede with your induction.

    Liz x
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