# Ladies who had first time induced...second time labour what was it like/



## gills8752

I know its not true for everyone and there isn't a typical pattern formed but if you had an induced labour first time what was your second labour like??

I had a long first labor and after 20 odd hours I had an epi and was induced and ended up having an emergency forceps delivery as LO's heartrate wasnt recovering after each contraction (not due to induction or epi - just because labour lasted so long and she was back to back)

So I'm hoping this labour might go a little quicker and natural than my first, although what ever happens as long as I have a healthy baby I'm happy.
Just curious at to what everyone else has experienced. :kiss:


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## mummy2010

i would also love to know as i was induced 1st with over 24hours ov labour. so hopin will go natural this time xx


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## Nikki_d72

gills8752 said:


> I know its not true for everyone and there isn't a typical pattern formed but if you had an induced labour first time what was your second labour like??
> 
> I had a long first labor and after 20 odd hours I had an epi and was induced and ended up having an emergency forceps delivery as LO's heartrate wasnt recovering after each contraction (not due to induction or epi - just because labour lasted so long and she was back to back)
> 
> So I'm hoping this labour might go a little quicker and natural than my first, although what ever happens as long as I have a healthy baby I'm happy.
> Just curious at to what everyone else has experienced. :kiss:

Posterior babies can often cause long labours but most babies don't get heart decels from that alone. Many, many babies go through very long labours, often days with no signs of distress, so there is no way it can be said that this was the cause and the labour augmentation wasn't - Synthetic Oxytocin can and does cause fetal distress, so it is more than likely that that caused the heart decellerations. Induction and augmentation of labour is well documented to greatly increase the chances of instrumental and cesearean deliveries. So to avoid the same thing happening this time, try to avoid it, unless really medically neccessary (most OB's love the stuff, despite it rarely improving outcomes), you may have to be quite strong on this point! Also don't let them put you on your back for long periods of time as it doesn't aid the body at all in labour (squashes the pelvis and makes the opening smaller)and can encourage babies to turn posterior, in some cases. Try to stay active and upright as long as possible and relax as much as possible - fear will hinder your labour, as it interferes with your body's natural birthing hormones and creates a "fight or flight" response, which can slow and stop labour completely. I only say this as all this happened to me the first time too, my story could be identical to yours but I ended up with a section, so I've been researching like a mad woman since I got pregnant again... Believe in yourself and your body's ability to birth and everything can be very different to last time. xxx


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## Nyn

I was induced with ds1. Not for any need except (I now realise) for the convenience of the doctors. I arrived at the hospital in very early stages of labor, should really have been sent home.. but was told we can give you something to help it along, I went for it not knowing better. bad idea!! Contractions were horrendous and I couldn't cope, couldn't breathe, didn't have good support from the doctors at all. Had an epidural, they used a ventouse because his heart rate was dropping too fast, had a big episiotomy with lots of stitches.. horrendous recovery. Not a great first experience!!

So for the second I went with midwives and the difference was night and day. Labor started naturally, I labored at home and only went to the hospital during transition. Car ride wasn't very fun, but the birth was great. Still painful lol but so so so different. The midwife talked me through it giving little useful bits of advice.. I gave birth to ds2 totally naturally with no drugs and didn't tear or have an epi, was walking within the hour and left the hospital the next day. 

Ds2's birth really helped me heal phychologically after the trauma of ds1's birth. I'm going with a midwife this time round too.

edit to add: both my babes were posterior too, so the labor was intense.. but at least with ds2, the good birth, he turned right at the last minute as the waters broke and came out the right way round :)


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## Nyn

[/QUOTE]Posterior babies can often cause long labours but most babies don't get heart decels from that alone. Many, many babies go through very long labours, often days with no signs of distress, so there is no way it can be said that this was the cause and the labour augmentation wasn't - Synthetic Oxytocin can and does cause fetal distress, so it is more than likely that that caused the heart decellerations. Induction and augmentation of labour is well documented to greatly increase the chances of instrumental and cesearean deliveries. So to avoid the same thing happening this time, try to avoid it, unless really medically neccessary (most OB's love the stuff, despite it rarely improving outcomes), you may have to be quite strong on this point! Also don't let them put you on your back for long periods of time as it doesn't aid the body at all in labour (squashes the pelvis and makes the opening smaller)and can encourage babies to turn posterior, in some cases. Try to stay active and upright as long as possible and relax as much as possible - fear will hinder your labour, as it interferes with your body's natural birthing hormones and creates a "fight or flight" response, which can slow and stop labour completely. I only say this as all this happened to me the first time too, my story could be identical to yours but I ended up with a section, so I've been researching like a mad woman since I got pregnant again... Believe in yourself and your body's ability to birth and everything can be very different to last time. xxx[/QUOTE]

completely agree with all this! x


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## gills8752

sorry should have mentioned lo heartrate was dropping before induction, i didnt make that clear lol. It was her positioning and the length of my contractions that caused it along with her cord around her neck.


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## Samemka

I was induced both times.

With Emma, my waters were broken at 7.30am and she was born at 6:22pm. This was after 2 pessary's (4pm & 11:30pm) the previous day.

With Katie, my waters were broken at 8:30pm and she was born at 11:05pm, after 1 pessary around 11am the same day.

Both times the babies had heart decellerations so had to be delivered quickly using ventouse/episiotomy.


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## louise1302

i was induced 1st time pessary went in at 2 and 8 labour started at second pessary and he was born at 9am second was natural and lasted 45 mins from start to finish


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## beanzean

Oooh I will be keeping my eye on this thread as my labour kept stalling and I was put on a drip to keep it going. When the doctor thought that things had picked up and my body could take me the rest of the way they reduced the drip but my body just couldn't sustain my labour and it kept stalling every time the drip was reduced. My LO was also back to back but I was basically strapped down for 2 days on the bed as the monitor pads kept moving and falling off so the rather abrupt and unhelpful MWs told me in no uncertain terms to lie down and not move and keep the sensors in postion!!!!!! 

If someone could enlighten me as to how you can stay on your back and not move a muscle during labour that would be of great help to me!! 

After 73hrs, (and contractions were 7 in 10 for almost 12hrs) and on the way to theatre for my section we over-heard the consultant say "Why the hell has this woman been on 3 times the doseage for twice the recommended time"!!!!! 

I'm so excited about being pregnant but have started to suffer panic attacks everytime I think of having to go through that again.


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## Nikki_d72

beanzean said:


> Oooh I will be keeping my eye on this thread as my labour kept stalling and I was put on a drip to keep it going. When the doctor thought that things had picked up and my body could take me the rest of the way they reduced the drip but my body just couldn't sustain my labour and it kept stalling every time the drip was reduced. My LO was also back to back but I was basically strapped down for 2 days on the bed as the monitor pads kept moving and falling off so the rather abrupt and unhelpful MWs told me in no uncertain terms to lie down and not move and keep the sensors in postion!!!!!!
> 
> If someone could enlighten me as to how you can stay on your back and not move a muscle during labour that would be of great help to me!!
> 
> After 73hrs, (and contractions were 7 in 10 for almost 12hrs) and on the way to theatre for my section we over-heard the consultant say "Why the hell has this woman been on 3 times the doseage for twice the recommended time"!!!!!
> 
> I'm so excited about being pregnant but have started to suffer panic attacks everytime I think of having to go through that again.

Beanzean, labour is often shown to stall when a woman is not comfortable in her environment, it very often slows even when a new person enters the room and can totally stop if there is fear on the part of the labouring woman - all these things sound pretty close to your experience. Sarah Buckley MD explains why very well and she is of a scientific background : https://www.mothering.com/pregnancy-birth/ecstatic-birth-the-hormonal-blueprint-of-labor 

I would also reccommend her book "gentle birth, gentle mothering", it's a wealth of information on the physiology of birth and how every intervention can change the processes, all backed up by medical studies. 

I had a C-section too after a "failure to progress" in labour, even with augmentation, DD was posterior too. This book was a revelation to me and that, coupled with reading through my hospital notes with my new midwife has given me new insight to how the cascade of interventions and my fear culminated in the section, not the fact that there was anything wrong with my ability to birth. Also check out this blog, it explains it well, written by a UK birth doula and regular on Home and Natural birthing right here on B&B: https://thebabywife.blogspot.com/2011/07/merci-michel-and-madge.html

Also, labouring on your back is the worst possible position as you are compressing your pelvic opening and working against gravity - it is only done to make the doctors lives easier. It's especially bad for a posterior presentation (back to back). 

Try not to panic, there are many, many things that can be done differently so you can have a normal, unhindered and non-traumatic birth. Staying out of hospital is one of them - do you have access to an alternative for birth, stand-alone birth centre or would you consider staying home for as long as possible to labour? You are far more likely to progress well if you are comfortable and feel secure and supported. Do you have access to a midwife who would take care of you for the whole time, not hospital midwives? That makes a huge difference too. Sorry I didn't check where you were and now I'm typing I can't see your avatar, so I'm unsure of what your options are. 

Be aware of doctors and OBstetricians scare-mongering about VBAC too - overstating the risk of uterine rupture and understating the risks of c/sections - or putting obstacles in your way, insisting on time limits, cannulas, continous monitoring (oh no, that again!) etc etc as "conditions" in enabling you to VBAC, despite no research backing these measures up. Read up - there is a great VBAC resources link just been set up in "home and natural birthing", and decide what is best for YOU and your baby, make a plan to get what you want and you will start to feel better, I promise! :winkwink:


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## dacosta

first time around i listened when the docs said i needed to be induced; this time i'm sticking to my guns unless it's really necessary as I believe being induced caused all my problems ie long labour, not being very mobile due to numerous drips, labouring on back and eventually c-section. 

i hope that this time i can stay upright and mobile for as long as possible. i genuinely believe this helps.


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## Nikki_d72

Being induced is usually a no-no for VBAC mums anyway, as it can increase the risk of rupture, but definately stay mobile, you're absolutely right. Induction has been shown to increase the odds of operative or instrumental delivery by up to 50%!


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## luvmyfam

beanzean said:


> Oooh I will be keeping my eye on this thread as my labour kept stalling and I was put on a drip to keep it going. When the doctor thought that things had picked up and my body could take me the rest of the way they reduced the drip but my body just couldn't sustain my labour and it kept stalling every time the drip was reduced. My LO was also back to back but I was basically strapped down for 2 days on the bed as the monitor pads kept moving and falling off so the rather abrupt and unhelpful MWs told me in no uncertain terms to lie down and not move and keep the sensors in postion!!!!!!
> 
> If someone could enlighten me as to how you can stay on your back and not move a muscle during labour that would be of great help to me!!
> 
> After 73hrs, (and contractions were 7 in 10 for almost 12hrs) and on the way to theatre for my section we over-heard the consultant say "Why the hell has this woman been on 3 times the doseage for twice the recommended time"!!!!!
> 
> I'm so excited about being pregnant but have started to suffer panic attacks everytime I think of having to go through that again.


Beanzean,
I was also on pitocin and had a bad experience. I was "hyperstimulated" and had an 8 minute contraction and my son's heartbeat basically stopped inside me. There were probably 20 medical professionals in my room and they gave me two shots of turbutaline to stop my contraction and got it to stop and he is healthy. But I am also suffering from panic attacks whenever I think about induction again. I think I have post-traumatic stress disorder from my experience and have talked with my doctor about it but she just doesn't understand how much anxiety I am having about it. I asked her if she would srip my membranes at 39 weeks this time around and she said "well yeah, but if we are going to do that we might as well just induce you". I am REALLY hoping and praying that I will go into labor naturally this time. Hopefully you will too!


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## Nikki_d72

Luvmyfam, You do not ever need to agree to induction! I hate that so many of you are worried about what they will "make" you do - they MUST get your INFORMED consent for any procedure, although they may not word it that way. If you think you have PTSD then all the more reason for them to take your wishes seriously. If she won't listen to you, then change doctors to get a more understanding one. You are not even post-dates until 42+ it's ridiculous how much they favour induction so early, with no medical proof of improved outcomes (in fact it's been shown there is no improvement to outcomes from this routine induction).

Sorry this comes accross a bit raving but it makes me so angry that they would stress you so much in your pregnancy just to tick their damn boxes for protocol that's based on NO positive reasearch, it's wrong. Pitocin often causes hyperstimulation and fetal distress is common with it, yet they still happily use it, what's with that?!

Stand up for yourself, hon so you can avoid another horrible experience and get the birth you and your baby deserves. xx


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## nette17

I was induced with both my Girls. With DD1 I had the cervix gel on the monday night, they broke my waters 7am on tuesday and she wasn't born until 10.05pm that night. The contractions were horrendous, I had an episiotomy, and I think I ending up passing out in between them towards the end. With DD2 they broke my waters at 7am and she was born at 4.50pm that afternoon, however they decided that because it was my 2nd time round they would just push to drip up to full strength immediately, so I went from nothing to full contractions. However recovery from both labours was quick.

Third time round I'm hoping everything will go naturally and be a nicer experience than the first two things.


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## mum22ttc#3

I was induced with DD1 as they said she was measuring very small, I had a nearly 4 hour labour and had gas and air and pethadine. 
With DD2 I had a sweep and went into labour 2 days later, this time my labour was just over 3 hours with gas and air, she was also back to back.
Personally I wouldnt say that much differed between the 2 and neither hurt more than the other.
I hope you get the kind of labour you want, good luck :flower:


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## sarah2409

I was induced with my son, was in labour for 7 hours, went naturally with my daughter and she arrived in less than 3 hours!!


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## SarahSausage

I was induced with my first at 42 weeks. He was born 32 hours later after 2 pessRies, epidural, syntocin drip, episiotomy & he was back to back. It was horrendous. I have post traumatic stress disorder from his birth.
This time my waters broke on the Wednesday. I was admitted due to high blood pressure & protein in urine. I had to fight induction from then. By Friday evening, my body just wouldn't make contractions regular or intense enough and as the risk of infection was getting greater by the hour, I 'gave in' and got a pessary which made my contractions so effective the midwife wouldn't give me another in case they became too close together. Overnight the contractions died off and I ended up on the syntocin drip again. Exactly what I wanted to totally avoid!!!! However, I had remifentanil for pain relief and it was fine. My daughter was born 4 hours later. It certainly wasn't as bad as with my first born!!!


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## madge

Its really sad but induction seems so common now, the majority I suspect are at the doctors convience and the women being so fed up/desperate to meet their babies they agree (as I did!!). I had as most of you women, 48 hrs of pessaries, massive baby heart deceleration which stayed down, so emergency forceps/rip baby out as fast as possible, massive episotomy (which of course got infected), crash team dealing with baby whilst I had a massive post partum bleed (2 litres) - crash team then called for me.... etc etc!!!! We are both fine though!! All of the above completely hindered breast feeding, which meant I had to express for 7 months. 

This time round things will be different, I have made my consultant write in my notes that the community midwife can start sweeps at 37 weeks (usually they don't start until 41 here), I am going to express every night from 37 weeks and do apsolutely everything else I can to stop me going overdue again!! Any suggests gratefully recieved!!!!


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## GemmaGx

Hi there, I was 14 days late with my first so hence had an induction - was long labour and nearly had an assisted delievery - luckily avoided at very last minute as first son decided he would finally show himself! Second time round was a really good labour in every way. My son was very well timed in loads of ways. He perhaps choose the most convenient day to come into the world and he also decided to show his face mid afternoon. This meant when I felt the first twinges in the morning I had the morning at home with my husband. He could take my other son to nursery and pick him up in the morning. Nanny came to get him at lunchtime - very convenient for her as she had only been working that morning. In the afternoon, we went into hospital, I had him within 2 hours and was back home for a take away in the evening. Really straight forward labour and hoping for the same again this time but I think I may be dreaming! x


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## jk28

Ooh I'll find this interesting too as I was induced with my first, (which I believe was totally unnecessary, I was a midwife, so have a bit of info about this!!), but anyway I'd been ttc for my baby for 6 yrs & many fertility treatments & so just wanted him here safely. I also live in a different country & for some reason seem to have lost some confidence!! Anyway, they broke my waters at about 11am, Synt drip up & epidural in (at 1cm dilated)!! I just sat there, (very bored I may add) with no pain whatsoever!! At 5pm fully dilated, started pushing, no descent, ventouse tried but failed so emergency section. Baby had some breathing issues, (again I'm not so sure about this) so went to NNU. I ended up with 2 units of blood & an iron transfusion. But at the end of the day I have my gorgeous boy & I'm fine. This time round, moving back to the UK & hoping to try a VBAC, we'll see!! Apparently I've got an acute pelvic angle, which is why he didn't descend?? However, I was strapped to a bed, fully epidural in force for the whole labour, so I think that may have had more to do with it!! Wow, sorry for the long rant!!

Jayne x


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## jennthompson

I went into labor on my own with my first child at 37w and had no real problems at all. I was advised that I should be induced with my second child since I was at 41.5w. Being tired of being pregnant, I agreed without doing one shred of research. It was one of the very worst experiences of my life and I do partially blame myself for not looking into what I was agreeing to. 

I plan on being pregnant this time as long as I need to be, I will wait until baby is ready unless there is some pressing medical need. There was not one the last time, I think it was just suggested as a convenience to the doc and I stupidly thought it MUST be the best idea...6 years later, I have done my research and I hope and pray I don't need an induction!


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