# induction questions



## brittni1024

So I'm being induced Thursday morning at 5am, but I still have a few questions...

1. Am I allowed to eat before I go in? I've heard that I can eat like normal and then I've heard that I'm not allowed to eat anything past midnight. 

2. I'm 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. Does that mean labor will be shorter for me than someone whose not dilated or effaced at all? 

3. Are induction contractions really worse than natural contractions?

I think thats all for now. If i think of anything else later, I'll update. Thanks for any help you ladies can offer :thumbup:


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## LouLou78

brittni1024 said:


> So I'm being induced Thursday morning at 5am, but I still have a few questions...
> 
> 1. Am I allowed to eat before I go in? I've heard that I can eat like normal and then I've heard that I'm not allowed to eat anything past midnight.
> 
> 2. I'm 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. Does that mean labor will be shorter for me than someone whose not dilated or effaced at all?
> 
> 3. Are induction contractions really worse than natural contractions?
> 
> I think thats all for now. If i think of anything else later, I'll update. Thanks for any help you ladies can offer :thumbup:

Everywhere seems different with regards to eating, with you being in the states I am not sure but here in the UK you can eat what you like before induction. Essential to keep your energy up but not bulky food. :)

Unfortunately, no one can tell how you will respond to the induction process and although your cervix is more favourable than someone starting induction who is not dilated, its not an indication for a shorter labour than them. Once someone is in labour regardless of how many cms their cervix was, one person can shoot from 2cm to baby being born in minutes or dilate 1cm an hr for example. 

When it comes to induction, it is the contractions brought on by synthethic hormone pitocin/syntocinon that are said to make the contractions longer and stronger. 

:)


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## madcatwoman

hi, i can answer Q1 & 3 for you.

i was allowed to eat, there was never an issue there!.:coffee:

for me, the contractions were shocking,worsen by the fact they never slowly built up. but i know everyone is different:shrug:


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## Black_Rose

Some hospitals allow you to eat, but most dont :( Especially in the US...but you never know. Although you are "favorable" it doesn't really say how long or short your labor will be. Hopefully you are able to move about to help labor along :) I was not induced, nor was my labor augmented. :nope: but i came in at 2.5cm and 60% effaced and my labor was still 30 hours long. so its really hard to tell.
Generally speaking, pitocin contractions are longer, stronger, and more frequent. your body doesn't have time to warm up. So usually they do hurt more BUT there are plenty of women who had a good induction experience without the epidural. I suggest asking your doctor all of your questions and concerns before induction day! Best of luck hun! x


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## georgina.miss

hiya my induction experience was awful but everyone is soo different- the women in the same room was induced at the same time as me and had her baby 5 hours later where as i had mine 26 hours later 
i wasnt allowed to eat and only sip water for 8 hours and had to wear a horrible theatre gown the whole time...my contractions were horrendous as i had the drip and the epidural didnt work but that was just very unlucky so that probs wont happen to u...everyone is so different and u wont know until u have yours im afraid :( xx


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## Radiance

1. I was told not to eat after midnight - I could have water, jello, and juice

2. When I went in I was dilated to 2cm and 50% effaced

3. I've only had one baby so I wouldn't know but I enjoyed (natural) labor! My contractions were less than a minute apart though

My labor was 3 1/2 hours - They had to start my contractions and break my water
:)


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## aj11

brittni1024 said:


> So I'm being induced Thursday morning at 5am, but I still have a few questions...
> 
> 1. Am I allowed to eat before I go in? I've heard that I can eat like normal and then I've heard that I'm not allowed to eat anything past midnight.
> 
> 2. I'm 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. Does that mean labor will be shorter for me than someone whose not dilated or effaced at all?
> 
> 3. Are induction contractions really worse than natural contractions?
> 
> I think thats all for now. If i think of anything else later, I'll update. Thanks for any help you ladies can offer :thumbup:


1. I was allowed to eat jello and drink water after being induced, however it was the last thing on my mind, I'll be honest!

2. I was 1 cm dilated and about 50% effaced. They induced me at midnight, and it took until about 5 am for me to be really uncomfortable from the contractions. I got an epidural at 7:30 am, gave birth at 9:21 am after about 20 minutes of pushing. It's hard to say though how people will go! My water has prematurely ruptured and that's why I was induced at 38 weeks.

3. I have nothing to compare them to since it was my first childbirth experience. Having said that, they were VERY intense and had hardly any break between them once they got going. They actually had to turn down the pitocin because they were so severe. I did get stuck at 4 cm, could not relax enough to continue to dilate so I got the epidural and it was amazing. I literally dilated from 4 to 10 cm within 15 minutes of getting the epi. they let me "labor down" (let the baby move down as far as possible into the birthing canal without me having to push) until about 9am when I actually started pushing.

hope this helps! I really had a wonderful experience. It was hard, but the hard part only lasted about 4 hours!

GOOD LUCK!


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## maybethisit

I'm in the UK so it might not be that helpful, but I was allowed to eat and drink anything I liked. I only had the prostin pessary tablet then waters broken - the contractions were very intense but the baby was posterior and I had pre-eclampsia so I think that these factors were probably more relevant than the actual induction. I was also not monitored much during labour after they established that the baby seemed to be coping well, so could move about as much as I wanted. The labour was also extremely short - about 1 hour 20 mins from start of active labour to delivery - again though I think probably a pre-eclampsia thing plus the baby must have finally turned the right way as she was delivered the right way round!


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## MissGx

1. You can eat, I was eating just before I got the gel thingy and just after!

2. I guess it would.. but I was told I was 100% effaced and 2cm dilated. I got to the hospital and NOTHING! posterier, still firm, not dilated. So I don't know if my cervix got scared or my midwife was wrong!

3. Can't help you there..


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