[moosmum2]

Am currently 38 wks pregnant with my second & it's looking like I am going to be induced. Would appreciate hearing any of your induction stories (hoping most are positive! )

I had a long drawn out spurious labour with my first but the birth was good so hoping an induction wont change this.

Some questions I have are:- if you've had more than one birth, was it more intense / painful? did you need intervention - forceps, episiotomy etc.. ? & any other info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks ladies!

[imamumto3]

my induced labour was very positive. It was my second VBAC so after ARM, they started the drip very slowly and gradually built it up. I had a very quick active labour & delivery, 30 mins all up, but my first vbac labour & delivery was only 45 mins anyway, so not much different. I did not need any intervention & I managed the pain with a tens machine & gas.

Good luck, hope it all goes well for you

[rosiec]

I was induced with my 2nd at 39+4. Prior to induction I was examined and favourable. I had the ARM and drip around 8.30am, my first contraction was't until about 9.30am and my baby was born at 10.16am. I would say the last 10 minutes was full on with contractions on top of each other. I didn't even push, my DD came flying out.

I did prefer my induction to my spontaneous 20+ hour labour. This labour resulted in a 3.4kg baby with 2nd degree tear requiring a couple of stitches.

My induced labour resulted in a 3.4kg baby with 2nd degree tear requiring a couple of stitches (obviously I only gestate 3.4kg babies). The recovery from the 2nd birth was so much easier than the first, as I hadn't laboured through the night. I was back on the ward by lunchtime and felt ready to go home a couple of hours after the birth where with my first I was exhausted and took a few days to recover.

I wish you well with the upcoming birth and hope your experience is as positive as mine.

ETA: I was also quite unwell when I was induced (the reason for inducing as I needed some really strong medication to help me fight a horrid sinus and chest infection and 3 weeks of antibiotics hadn't done anything and I needed drugs that the OB didn't want me to take while still pregnant) surprisingly being sick this didn't impact on my ability to labour at all. The OB was really concerned that if I needed a c-section he was really reluctant for me to have a general, so I had an epidural line put in just in case. I didn't need it and was able to move around during labour, though I didn't have much time for that as the birth was quick.

This post has been edited by rosiec: 25/04/2012, 09:14 AM

[BeagleBoy]

My induced labour was not a positive experience. It's was incredibly intense and painful, I required two failed attempts at the ventouse. I had an episiotomy and he was eventually born via forceps. I was in active labour for 12 hours.

However in saying all that, this is my first child, so I have no way of knowing if it was more painful than natural birth.

[mumto3princesses]

I was induced with DD1. My water broke and then nothing so I was induced.

They started the drip around 9am or so slowly increasing. Nothing happened for a long time but when it did it was pretty quick. Shower and then shower and gas for pain relief. then I got out of the shower and had a pethadine injection which ended up being pretty close to the end. I needed and episiotomy and ended up having her at 9:52pm.

[Sassy Girl]

I've had three inductions and one natural birth. I'd never voluntarily have another induction as they were hell compared to my natural birth.

They were so painful. I needed an episiotomy and forceps with the first. With the second and third inductions I had retained placentas. By contrast my natural birth was a breeze with no intervention neccessary. My first induction was 14 hours, second was 9 hours and third was also about 9 hours. In contrast my only natural birth was 2 hours and 43 minutes from start to finish.

[MARsmum]

I have had two positive inductions. My first labour was incredibly fast so I was induced for DD2 and DS.

With DD2, I was about 3cm dilated so all I required was an ARM then contractions started and I had a great labour where contractions slowly intensified and she was born 1 hour and 45 minutes later. With DS, I was also 3cm dilated and had an ARM although nothing happened. Contractions stopped and started then stopped again. So I was put on the drip and the contractions started and intensified but nothing like my natural labour in which I had no break in contractions. My DS was born 1 hour and 45 minutes after the drip was put on. I needed no further intervention apart from the induction.

My natural labour was fast but incredibly intense. I had absolutely no break in contractions. When one was finishing another started. A lot of people seem to complain that inductions intensify the contractions but for me it was the opposite. It slowed the labour down and allowed the contractions to build up.

However, if I was to have another baby, I would prefer for labour to start naturally as I think my last induction was a bit premature and more to suit my OB than me.

Good luck and I hope it all goes well!

[namie]

I've had two inductions and both were positive, although DS1s was a little more prolonged than it should have been because my Ob got held up assisting a colleague and was hours late coming back to me, will explain more below.

DS1 (at 40+2):
Gel thing was inserted at 8pm Wed night, mild period-pain-like contracting on and off overnight. Nothing major, I was able to sleep. Ob was supposed to return at 8am to break my waters but she got called in to help a colleague deliver twins at 28 weeks gestation (couldn't be cross when I heard that, lol!) so she arrived to me at 3pm. Broke waters, contractions started around 5pm and were fully on by 11pm. I'd been able to wander the room, breathe gas, whatever I needed.
I asked for an epidural at mignight because I couldn't cope with the pain anymore. Midwife agreed it was a good idea. That was administered just after 12.30am, and I was hooked up to syntocinon drip (apparently at half strenght/half speed), and the monitors which meant I was confined to the bed for the duration. I was able to sit up though and the wonderful midwife helped me through contractions until my Ob arrived at 3.30am.
DS1 was assisted into the world with forceps (and an episiotomy) at 3.54am.

DS2 (at 39+6):
Gel thing inserted at 8pm Monday night, period-pain-like contractions overnight, as before, nothing major. Ob arrived at 8am, broke my waters, by 9am it was all on, but this time they wanted to monitor me closely so I was hooked up to the machine and had to stay sitting on the bed. I used gas until midday when I was told I was 6cm dilated. I asked if it was too late for an epidural, they said no and called the anaesthetist who arrived around 12.30pm. By the time he'd scrubbed up and I'd been swabbed down etc it was too late and I started to need to push.
DS2 arrived without assistance (and my Ob!), at 12.52pm.

I have no qualms about being induced a third time if we fall pregnant again.

[becstar77]

I was induced for my first and third babies. The first was a long drawn out process (over 24 hours from gel insertion - 18 hours of the drip). I ended up with an epidural, episiotomy and a forceps delivery. Sounds like a nightmare but I am so thankful that my ob was so insistent on delivering my daughter vaginally and exhausting all options before heading to theatre. My little one was so comfortable in there she wouldn't descend at all. She was delivered with forceps in theatre in a last ditch attempt to avoid a c section. As I was labouring for so long, and prepped for a c section the recovery did take a little while. She was born around 10 pm so I basically didn't get up until the next day and it took a while before I didn't feel faint.

Dd2 was spontaneous and born after 6 ish hours of active labour. Recovery was almost immediate. I had an epidural but it didn't really work very well and she suddenly was ready to come out so there wasn't even time for a catheter to be inserted.

Dd3 was induced and the drip was put up after ruturing the membranes failed to get things moving. She was born after less than 2 and a half hours of active labour with only gas for pain relief. Also the first time I didn't need any stitches. Recovery was almost immediate and I was home the next day.

[Superman+4sister...]

I have been induced four times, and augmented once. Each time it was for being post dates.

Since I haven't had a purely natural labour I can't compare the intensity, but it might reassure you to hear that with my first I used pethedeine (which they no longer use, I think it's morpheine now) but with the other four I only needed gas. I delivered normally, without forceps or vacuum extraction, there was no cascade of intervention.

Most times they broke my membranes (not pleasant, but not traumatic either). I had the gel the first and second times, and the syntocin drip each time (but to different levels).

I needed stitches each time, the first time for an episiotostomy, but only first degree / mild repairs. My recoveries were quick and complete, and each time the baby was fine and breastfed well.

I hope your induction goes just as smoothly