Anyone that's been induced...

[Munchkin30]

Hey all,

I'm heading rapidly towards my due date with no sign of baby yet and I'm now thinking about the possibility of induction. I was booked at 42 weeks with my daughter but went in for induction 5cm dilated and in active labour so narrowly avoided it!! I'm not so worried about the induction process as I've had 2 baby losses induced with pessaries and tablets and it was just like labour really.

But i'd like to avoid it cos I want a waterbirth and the room I went into when I was 5cm was miserable and not a place I want to hang out in. It was a 6 bed ward with women at various stages of induction. I really don't want my child's entrance into the world started like that!!

So I want your induction stories. When were you induced and why? Was it drugs or breaking your waters or a drip etc? I think if they break my waters I'll get my waterbirth. Where were you induced? Could you go out and have a walk/coffee?? How did labour go??

Thanks all xxx

 

[Snufkin]

I had 2 pessaries and then the drip with my first and it wasn't s great experience, so I'll not bore/scare you with it, but just wanted to say you don't have to agree to an induction. They'll probably want you in daily or almost daily for monitoring after 41/42 weeks, but you can definitely opt out of being induced. I'll not agree to an induction this time until I'm at least 42 weeks, and I'll not book one before then.

 

[zebbed89]

I had one pessary when I arrived I was already on labour ward as they couldn't control my blood pressure. I started contracting pretty much straight away I was 3 cm about 2 hours later and they broke my water and I had an epidural as my BP would spike with contractions. I was put on pitocin as they wanted to speed labour up and get her out. A few hours later I was having alot of pressure and was checked and was fully dilated and pushing commenced 1 hour 21 mins later my little girl was born I only had a few grazes. I was in labour for 8 hours. Xx

 

[misspriss]

I was induced, but it was early at 33 weeks due to pre-eclampsia and was not successful, so I don't have too much to share.

I did have AF-like cramps from the foley bulb, then they started the drip after 12 hours and I had regular and strong contractions, I just never dilated past 5 and had a c-section. It wasn't awful, just a lot to go through not to be successful.

 

[atx614]

I was induced at 37 weeks due to iugr. They put 2 pills in vaginally the night before, not sure what they were called. Then pitocin in the morning. My water broke in he morning in an exam and baby came two hours later. I actually thought it was a great, fast birth!

 

[Perplexed]

With my daughter I was induced at 41 weeks due to low amniotic fluid. I don't know how effaced I was but I think I was 1-2 cm dilated the night I was admitted to the hospital (40+6). I had a stretch and sweep that morning at 40+6 then arrived to the hospital at night. On the way I was getting some irregular contractions. At around midnight the tampon-like tablet was placed. I cramped a lot more and kept waking up at night due to the cramps, but they still weren't regular. In the morning the tablet was taken out and I got to go have a shower. Then my dr came in to examine me and I was 3cm dilated with bulging waters...she broke my waters and I went into active labor immediately. Gave birth to DD around 6 hrs later. Pitocin was administered after I was fully dilated because I had an epidural just then and I think it slowed my contractions down a bit. I'm very thankful that my labor progressed naturally to that stage without anything though.

I think if I had asked to walk around with the tablet, I'd have been able to. But it was really late and I just really wanted to sleep if I could.

 

[Eleanor ace]

I was induced via pessary with my 1st at 13 days overdue. I went in, got given a bed in a 3 bed room (but there was only 1 other woman there) and then taken to have the first pessary in and get monitored. After that my DH and I were free to wander about, sit in the little courtyard garden attached to the ward, walk outside if we'd wanted to, go for a drink in the cafe etc and chill in our little section of our room. I had another pessary put in in the evening before my DH left and again lay with a monitor on for about 30 minutes and then was free to do what I wanted although I was limited as it was about 8pm so the cafe was shut and as DH had to leave I just wanted to keep to myself, have a bath and read.
I went into labour that night and once I called the MW I was moved to a little examination room to get checked for dilation and I was given the choice of waiting there to dilate more while the MW went to call L&D to let them know I'd be coming along soon or go back to my room; I chose to stay in the examination room as I wanted my privacy. I would have been able to have a water birth with the pessary induction but the MW gave me pethidine (without telling me she was going to ) and as things were moving along quickly there wouldn't have been time to wait the 4 hours to be able to go in the pool. I moved to a room on L&D and although it wasn't where I'd ave chosen to be the MW there was really great about minimising the medical side of the room and making it nice and relaxed with dimmed lights, quiet music and hushed voices. There was a couch in there which could be used in labour and a ball. I had some complications (not related to the induction) but it was a really great experience

 

[CassieSims]

I was induced at 38 and 2 because of pre eclampsia, so my induction had more restrictions than yours will! My blood pressure going into my doctors appointment was 166/108, so they sent me over to be induced ASAP. I had an IV inserted immediately, and the baby was put on monitors. They basically said my blood pressure was too high for me to move around much, at first they said I could go to the bathroom, sit on the couch, and things like that, but they very quickly changed their minds and said no, you can ONLY get up to go to the bathroom and you need to tell us first. They gave me misoprostil at 6pm to ripen my cervix, they gave me another dose every 4 hours. That wasn't too bad, it triggered contractions for me but not productive ones. At midnight they gave me pitocin. In the morning the contractions were TERRIBLE and I had to get a shot of morphine around 8am. At that point they agreed to let me get into the tub and I took a nice long bath. They inserted a cervical balloon around 2pm. I got my epidural at that point because I couldn't deal. So I slept through most of the rest of the day. At midnight my waters broke, I was 10cm dilated, after 3 hours of pushing I had my baby girl

All in all not too bad, but I was on bed rest from like the very beginning!

 

[Cattia]

Stalking this as I'm worried about induction too. I've escaped it with my other two but honestly this one doesn't feel like she's shifting any time soon. It's good to read some positive experiences as usually everything you hear about induction is pretty awful! I had no idea that there was still any chance of a water birth with induction so that's positive too.

 

[mel28nicole]

I was induced at 39+2 for high blood pressure. Given 3 pessary which took 12 hours. Given pitocin and my water broke on its own 12 hours later. Took 14 hours to get to 10cm but DD wasn't descending down enough after pushing for an hour so they upped my pitocin and told me to sleep for 3 hours but had terrible back labor. They check me and said it would be another 2-3 hours of pushing and I gave up and had a c-section.

That's my short story lol. I did get to pee until my epidural wheb I was about 5cm

 

[monkee12]

I was induced with my son due to gestational diabetes, I had 2ml of the gel peas art at 9am, I was allowed to move around and go for walks around the hospital, they kept me putting me on and off the monitor to monitor my sons heartbeat, they broke my waters at 5pm and he was born at 10pm that night, birth went fine and I was allowed to have contractions in the bath but couldn't give birth in a pool x

 

[spunky84]

I was induced at 41+6. My midwife said I could give it another 24 hours or could decide to go at 41+6. I opted for 41+6 as I figured another 24 hours wouldn't matter. She offered for me to still go to the birth center and just have my waters broken and see how we progressed.

I had a sweep at, I think, 41+3. I had loads of cramping from 40 weeks onwards. During a NST (as I was worried about lack of movement) it was noted that I had an irritable uterus (contractions about every 20-30 seconds that did not progress labor).

As I was 41+6 I figured I was at higher risk for needing a transfer to the hospital, so I just opted to go straight to the hospital. I was 3-4 cm dilated and 100% effaced. Once they go me sorted, they started the pitocin (also hooked up to a fetal monitor). Within 10 minutes of being on the pitocin, DD's heart rate started dropping.

They tried positioning me differently with no difference. They broke my waters to insert an internal monitor so they could monitor her heart rate better. Once they did that I started cramping a ton (just bad period like cramping). As her heart rate kept dropping, they gave me a shot to try and stop the contractions (that I apparently wasn't feeling - unless that was the bad period cramps???), but they wouldn't stop.

They kept me on the monitor to monitor her heart rate drops and within 2 hours I was being prepped for a csection (though I know if her distress was getting too bad they would have done an emcs). So, different than I'm sure most induction stories!

 

[Zephram]

I was induced at 41+2 and it wasn't the greatest experience. I went in the night before for the pessary, but as I was 1cm dilated and having regular contractions for two days I was sent home for the night and told to come back in the morning as my midwife was reasonably sure I would go into proper labour that night. I didn't. Went back in the morning, still 1cm and contractions stopped when we got there. But they went straight to the drip and broke my waters anyway.

This was in the L&D ward, single rooms with water baths. If I'd had to stay over night for the pessary it would have been in the maternity ward in a double room that I was the only one booked in.

Anyway... I had to be continuously monitored. Was not allowed to use the bath or leave the room. My contractions were nuts pretty immediately, different from the way the natural ones felt. I got an epidural and only made it to 3-4cm before LO had two heart rate dips and I started getting a temperature. So drip was stopped and off we went for a c section.

I'm hoping for a VBAC this time!