Iv have only been induced so i cant compare it to anything but i will tell anyway

I had undetected HELLP at 40+4 so i was induced quickly. I was given a pessary and had my waters broken at 4pm, then they put me on a drip of the drug (cant remember what is called) and gradually pumped more and more into me. I remember them starting at 6pm and them being maybe a few minutes apart, then after a couple of hours they were maybe 45-60 seconds apart (cant remember exactly, it went so fast IMO) and this carried on until the pushing stage at 4am. Baby was getting distressed so i had assisted forceps and was given an epiosotomy (lots of stitches OUCH!!!!) and Marley was born at 6.07am the next morning.

But i did all the above on gas & air only (well i was told i couldnt have any other pain relief so not through choice haha) and to be honest i think i felt safer starting labour whilst in hospital. I know many people may not agree with me but when i got pregnant i always had this worry that i would go to the hospital too early or too late and end up having my baby on the floor of Tescos haha. The pain i felt from having stitches was worse, 10 times over, as i really expected the contractions to be cry your eyes out painful. Thankfully, for me they weren't THAT painful. Not painful enough that i wanted to cry.

I would have prefered a simple water birth like i had in my birth plan but labour and birth isnt predictable and hopefully, being induced is only ever used when necessary.

I was induced, and put on the drip, the contractions were really painful, and I wasnt allowed pethidine, as they were worried because Paige hadnt been moving and they didnt want it to affect her even more. I decided to just go for the epidural as the G&A was crappy imo.
In the end, it ended up that Paige was just neing lazy and there was nothing to worry about... but it was painful before the epidural!

I was induced and didn't actually feel my contractions at all. I only had the urge to push and the midwives didn't believe me and so refused to even examine me, when my husband forced them to I was 5cm, they sent me straight down to delivery and my daughter was here within an hour.

I was induced with my first daughter, twenty minutes after the induction she was born, but it hurt like hell, sorry dont mean to scare you.

in my experience no it dosnt! I had a great induction x

Thanks for your replies ladies.
I'm 40 weeks today and visiting the MW. Ideally I do still want to avoid induction but it helps to hear that there are ladies out there who've had positive experiences

X

I wasn't induced...but I wish I was. It was one of my main fears during my pregnancy and actually....I don't know why! At least when you are induced you are already in hospital with all the lovely staff keeping you calm and monitors and pain relief!

Beats hours and hours of contractions at home and not knowing when to go into hospital!

This will be my first baby too, and i am quite anxious they'll end up inducing me as late babies runs in the family ..i was late and so was my brother!.

My mum went into labour naturally with my brother and was in labour for 18 hours, with me she was induced and she said it was painful but it was over quicker for her

I was induced at 37 weeks with my daughter bc of preeclampsia & induced at 38weeks with my son bc of gestational diabetes. I assumed bc baby#3 has had no complications that I could not be induced. To be honest I was worried about going natural and not knowing when my third would get here with 2little ones and no family close I prefer induction (my sister almost had her 2nd in her living room & the cord was tight around his neck so that would've been devastating). Labor pains are awful no matter what so when I get induced this time I will again be getting an epidural. All my kids were born healthy& beautiful and getting induced provided the safe, stress-free, controlled environment I needed. I hope this helps women weary about induction.

Hell yes it is more painful! Do not let them give you the potossin (sp). My first was planned to be natural until the impatient DR kept increasing the potossin...I was full max with no epidural and wanted a c-section instead, so they gave me an epidural ...then it wasn't bad at all. Had him the old-fashioned way but needed pain intervention.