Hi All. My little girl is actually 11 weeks now but I've only just got my home broadband sorted so just logged on here for the first time in ages and realised I never shared my birth story so I will do so now, not least because I was induced and scared stiff about it and it was all fine so hopefully can provide some reassurance to anyone facing the same. I hope I can remember it all clearly.
The decision was taken by my consultant at 35 weeks that I was to be induced at 37 weeks due to complications. I had high blood pressure throughout pregnancy and developed GD later on so was being monitored. Baby stopped growing and I was actually losing weight so they decided to bring my labour on early.
I went in for a sweep on the Wednesday at 36+6, this was very straightforward and not at all painful, I didn't even find it uncomfortable but I hope that doesn't say more about me than the people who do find it painful
Anyway, nothing really happened with that, no twinges or anything but they did manage to dilate me to 2cms.
The next day, Thursday 15th September, I was asked to call the hospital in the morning but there were no beds available, called back at lunchtime and they were still really busy but because I was high risk they told me to come in and get settled and they would try to get to me that day. I went in at 2.30pm, was monitored for an hour to make sure baby was OK and I wasn't already contracting too much for the pessary, was 3cms at that point so they gave me the pessary. Had mild contractions straight away, easily controlled with a TENS machine and some paracetamol but everything stopped again by about 6pm. By 11pm nothing more had happened so the midwife came in and said that I had gone too far to have another pessary and they would have to break my waters but they were too snowed under to do it that night and would do it first thing in the morning, sent my OH home for some sleep and I settled down for the night. Almost as soon as he had got in the car the pains came on again, I thought they would pass as they had before so I switched the TENS machine on and put the telly on to take my mind off it, the pains continued to get stronger and stronger so I rang the bell to ask for some painkillers but my midwife had got tied up with an emergency and couldn't come to me, another midwife went off to speak to her to see if she was OK with her giving me some painkillers, she went off for ages and by the time she got back (WITH 1 PARACETAMOL - I ask you!!!!) it was really starting to hurt and the contractions were coming thick and fast. The stand in midwife went off again to ask my midwife if she minded her examining me to see where I was at, again she was gone for ages and eventually came back and said she would do the exam, as soon as she did she was like "Errrrm, how far away is your other half???", (luckily I had called him as I felt like baby wasn't going to be long), I said "She's coming now isn't she???" and she was like "Yep, we're having a baby", the urge to push came almost as soon as she said that, other half came running through the door and with 2 or 3 pushes baby Abigail Lesley was born at 3.30am on Friday 16th September 2011 weighing 5lbs 5ozs - the tiniest little dot I have ever seen in my life with lots of thick black hair.
So after all the horror stories I had been told about inducted labours being really long and loads more painful actually mine was really quick and managed it with barely any pain relief (wouldn't have been my choice but hey ho) so it's not like that for everyone and can be a really positive birth experience. Hope this is helpful for anyone facing an induction.
The decision was taken by my consultant at 35 weeks that I was to be induced at 37 weeks due to complications. I had high blood pressure throughout pregnancy and developed GD later on so was being monitored. Baby stopped growing and I was actually losing weight so they decided to bring my labour on early.
I went in for a sweep on the Wednesday at 36+6, this was very straightforward and not at all painful, I didn't even find it uncomfortable but I hope that doesn't say more about me than the people who do find it painful
Anyway, nothing really happened with that, no twinges or anything but they did manage to dilate me to 2cms.The next day, Thursday 15th September, I was asked to call the hospital in the morning but there were no beds available, called back at lunchtime and they were still really busy but because I was high risk they told me to come in and get settled and they would try to get to me that day. I went in at 2.30pm, was monitored for an hour to make sure baby was OK and I wasn't already contracting too much for the pessary, was 3cms at that point so they gave me the pessary. Had mild contractions straight away, easily controlled with a TENS machine and some paracetamol but everything stopped again by about 6pm. By 11pm nothing more had happened so the midwife came in and said that I had gone too far to have another pessary and they would have to break my waters but they were too snowed under to do it that night and would do it first thing in the morning, sent my OH home for some sleep and I settled down for the night. Almost as soon as he had got in the car the pains came on again, I thought they would pass as they had before so I switched the TENS machine on and put the telly on to take my mind off it, the pains continued to get stronger and stronger so I rang the bell to ask for some painkillers but my midwife had got tied up with an emergency and couldn't come to me, another midwife went off to speak to her to see if she was OK with her giving me some painkillers, she went off for ages and by the time she got back (WITH 1 PARACETAMOL - I ask you!!!!) it was really starting to hurt and the contractions were coming thick and fast. The stand in midwife went off again to ask my midwife if she minded her examining me to see where I was at, again she was gone for ages and eventually came back and said she would do the exam, as soon as she did she was like "Errrrm, how far away is your other half???", (luckily I had called him as I felt like baby wasn't going to be long), I said "She's coming now isn't she???" and she was like "Yep, we're having a baby", the urge to push came almost as soon as she said that, other half came running through the door and with 2 or 3 pushes baby Abigail Lesley was born at 3.30am on Friday 16th September 2011 weighing 5lbs 5ozs - the tiniest little dot I have ever seen in my life with lots of thick black hair.
So after all the horror stories I had been told about inducted labours being really long and loads more painful actually mine was really quick and managed it with barely any pain relief (wouldn't have been my choice but hey ho) so it's not like that for everyone and can be a really positive birth experience. Hope this is helpful for anyone facing an induction.
x x Its nice to hear a positive induction story x x
