[merbaby]

Hi

I am 39 weeks and 1 day today. I have had a wonderful pregnancy and virtually no negative symptoms at all, sleep well, feel comfortable etc etc.....and have been getting really passionate about having a natural, spontaneous labour and birth after being induced with my daughter in 2008 due to pre-eclampsia, and having contractions starting 3-5 minutes apart and only getting closer and stronger over the next 12 hours. I ended up with an epidural after 8 hours as I just couldn't cope any longer. That was at 40 weeks 5 days.

I have had perfect bp up until the weekend, when it suddenly went very high. Sooo, I am booked for my much dreaded induction tomorrow night. My cervix was checked today, and I got a 1 out of 10 on the Modified Bishop Score (the score they use to indicate how ready your body is for labour...or something). My cervix is high, thick and long. Not good. My obstetrician said it is likely to be a long labour.

I have read the Hypnobirthing book and have been listening to the affirmation and relaxation CD every night for a long time now and was so excited about the prospect of going into labour spontaneously - I loved wondering where I would be, what time it would be, how it would start etc etc, and being able to labour at home for a while. I also believed that I would cope wonderfully with labour and even enjoy it.

Now I really don't need to hear THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT YOU AND BUB ARE HEALTHY. I KNOW that. Of course that is the most important thing - which is why I have agreed to the induction (I wasn't pushed to have it but know the risks if I don't). It just seems like everyone I talk to who I mention my dream of a natural birth to thinks that this somehow means that I don't care about the health of the baby, and that they have to remind me of that, and they dismiss the part about the birth. I just need someone to understand that this lovely natural birth was so important to me. It's not because I want to be a hero or prove anything - it's about more than I have time or energy to go into right now - but it was (is) a dream of mine.

I would love to hear any encouraging and positive induction stories - preferably ones that were drug free (apart from the induction drugs) and happy. I know that I have to accept the inevitability of whatever happens now, but some encouragement would be great!

Thanks!

[LipStick]

I was induced a day before my due date due to foetal growth. Bubs wasn't growing towards the end and they thought let's get her out so she can grow on the outside rather than risk me being overdue and her not growing inside. I was told 1 week before that I would be getting induced and I would pray and hope that she would come on her own accord, but she was quite comfy in there!

I went into hospital at 8am and had the gel about 9ish. I was having contractions according to the monitor but I couldn't really feel them until about midday, then things started happening. You aren't monitored all the time with the gel, only a bit at the start (as baby can react badly to the gel) and a couple of times throughout.

I had DD at 8:20pm, so a 6 and a half hour labour. I didn't have any tearing/grazes and I didn't have any drugs. What got me through each contraction was just focusing on getting past that contraction. It helped me alot. Also DH wore a shirt that had some writing on it and I would stare at the O and picture myself opening up.

I know this may sound strange but I really enjoyed the experience and it wasn't what I thought it would be. I'm a big whimp so I was very freaked out about giving birth beforehand, but I woke up being very excited to finally meet DD

Goodluck with your induction and I hope it's an amazing experience for you. How exciting you get to meet bubs soon!!

[cheekybooby]

One of the most amazing things about giving birth is feeling baby coming down the birth canal, turn a corner and come out. Certainly something that you wont have felt with an epidural. You know when to push and wont need someone to tell you. I wasn't induced with my first labour, nor did I have drugs and all up it was about 3 days. My second I was induced, gel only, and it is just as intense.

Mind over matter has to be your pain relief if you ant to experience it fully, and it can be done, women have been doing it for 72 million years. If it comes to the health of the baby, well, drugs are risky, so try to remember that when it gets a bit rough.

Good luck and take care

One of the most amazing things about giving birth is feeling baby coming down the birth canal, turn a corner and come out. Certainly something that you wont have felt with an epidural. You know when to push and wont need someone to tell you. I wasn't induced with my first labour, nor did I have drugs and all up it was about 3 days. My second I was induced, gel only, and it is just as intense.

Mind over matter has to be your pain relief if you ant to experience it fully, and it can be done, women have been doing it for 72 million years. If it comes to the health of the baby, well, drugs are risky, so try to remember that when it gets a bit rough.

Good luck and take care

[merbaby]

Lip Stick and cheekybooby, thank you so much for your responses. They are indeed encouraging!

cheekybooby, Feeling my baby being born is one of the many, many reasons I want this. I know this sounds far fetched - but my ultimate dream with this birth is to actually lift the baby out myself - with my own hands. I have been visualising it intensely and could really see it. I am hoping and praying that it will still happen.

I also would love to labour in water (my hospital only has two labour rooms with the nice big corner baths - you're allowed to labour in them but not birth in them - which sounds crazy but there you go) but have been told I will not be able to do that with the induction. I did spend most of my labour with my DD in the shower, but really not the same!

I have had an acupuncture session this afternoon in the hope of getting things going without drugs (although it still isn't natural in my eyes because it's still tampering with the way it 'would' have been), and have been trying acupressure points, nipple stimulation etc...have been having some really strong Braxton Hicks - but I'm pretty sure that's all they are.

Thanks again for the support and encouragement!

[willow79]

So I've been induced overdue with mine. Both times baby was high & it wasn't looking very favourable.

My first was horrible it was long & slow. When they ruptured membranes there was Mec so I was hooked to a monitor the whole labour. I held off for most of labour without drugs but couldn't take it in the end as I was just so exhausted, the synto was a killer. Dd I think was effected by having peth late which made her sleepy & caused a big nightmare for our start to BFing.

So move onto number 2, I was dreading an induction as I was presenting exactly the same. Well all I needed for this one was the gel. Woken at midnight to a flood in the bed, having some mild pain 3cm at 2am. Sometime after 330am pain was starting to ramp up having a shower & got the urge to push. I seriously thought I was imagining it the contractions weren't even regular! She was born just after 4am. dH only just made the birth, I wasn't even going to bother calling. So I didn't even need to contemplate drugs. She BF beautifully & I was home by 10am!

Moral of the story don't let previous experience get you down, it may well turn out very different! Good luck

[merbaby]

Thank you willow79 - sounds wonderful!

You ladies are just what I need right now!

[ceeshell]

Both my labours were induced for pre eclampsia.

THe first one was at 40w4d - The first dose of gel went in at midday and I went into established labour at 6pm when my waters broke during an internal (was just lazing around the hospital watching movies and reading until then). DD1 was born at 10.40pm. I had a bit of gas to help control my breathing, but that was it. 15 minute pushing stage. It was a very positive experience, I spent a lot of time in the shower, my husband and I worked together as a team (well, I obviously did more hard work, but I couldn't have done it without him, it was really lovely). No epidural.

My second was an emergency induction due to dangerously high blood pressure. The scary red alarm on the wall was pressed after a routine bp check. There was no gel, just the drip turned all the way up and my cervix was not AT ALL ready. The doctor broke my waters for me (I am not going to lie, that was very unpleasant). Baby was born in 2 hours 15 minutes with a 15 minutes pushing stage. No epidural, no gas (this time around it made me vomit). I wasn't allowed to get off the bed. Not fun, but it didn't last very long.

My first labour was a dream, really. My second was hard, but short. Both resulted in beautiful babies.

The one thing I can tell you is that the euphoria I felt when I met my baby was identical with both labours.

ETA - 2nd baby was induced at 38 weeks.

This post has been edited by ceeshell: 13/02/2012, 08:04 PM

[merbaby]

ceeshell, Thanks for your story. I had my waters broken with my DD - it was horrible! I have been told that this time because of the position of my cervix that this probably won't be possible...which is good I guess... I originally had the gel which didn't do anything really, then ARM, then drip. I hope this labour is shorter than my last one too!

[Elemenopee]

I haven't been induced but just wanted to add my first birth was way longer and harder than my second.
1st -epi, peth, and gas. 12 hours in labour room.
2nd - drug free, 12 minutes in labour room.
Good luck in having the birth you want.

[katrina24]

Hi, I was induced with DD one due to post dates. She was not engaged, my cervix was high, closed tight and thick. I went in for the induction an had 1/2 dose of gel applied. The OB was so sure it would be a hard induction he wanted to do 1/2 gel at night with the rest the next morning then break waters and put me on SH toxin drip. It went a bit differently, I went into labour a couple of hours after first gel and DD was born 4 hrs later after a relatively easy labour. Good luck.