Induced labour - what to expect?

[Faerie]

We've just found out our baby has Gastroschisis, and hoping and praying that I make it that far (these babies are often really prem) I will be induced at 36 weeks. How is this different to normal labour? Not that I've experienced that either!! I was planning on having a fairly natural birth using tens and gas and air, but I've heard induced labour is a lot more painful than natural labour?

 

[Uvlollypop]

its just alot more intense, ive not had a labour thats started naturally so cant compare but everyone ive spoken to said its more intense and faster

 

[reallytinyamy]

I had an iearly induced labour hun, it was ok. For me it was quite quick and I did it with just gas and air. Everyone is different hun but theres no reason to think you cant have a natural birth. Keep an open mind.

 

[Uvlollypop]

oo i should prob add that i did my induced labour naturally with no drugs i had a few puffs of gas and air and didnt like it so didnt use anything lol

 

[Faerie]

Thanks girls. I know it's probably a bit silly to be worrying about having drugs in labour now seeing as I know that my little one will be given a general anisthetic a few hours later, but it's just the way I want it. So many things won't be going to "plan" that at least if I can have a natural as possible birth whilst wired up to a million machines that would be great!

 

[maccy]

I was induced, they start you off with a prostagladin pessery or gel, then if that doesn't work, you get put onto a drip with syntocin which gets turned up bout every half and hour. When i was on the drip I had to be permanently on the monitor so couldn't really move. I was fine one minute then once it got turned up to the maximum (next stage was a c-section) it was quick and painful, I got an epidural, then I was completley fine, I think it varies from woman to woman and the procedure at the hospital...I'm sure you'll be fine!

 

[Sweetie]

They skipped the gel with me because someone screwed up and said that I was dialated a bit so I was straight onto the pcostin (sp?) and for me it was rought because I was contracting but I wasn't dialated, so we weren't getting anywhere. I had an epidural and except for one person everyone I know has had one. The one person was too far gone when she hit the hospital. It ended up working better for me to have the epidural because I ended up with an emergency c section for various issues and because of the epidural I was able to be awake for the c section. The other reason we chose to go with the epidural was because I have a tendancy towards anxiety attacks and OH and the doctors were trying to help prevent this.

 

[cybermum]

I had the gel which didn't work so they put me on the drip and had it at maximum.
It was more intense ,though I felt it went much better than I had thought it would.

I had gas and air and then an epidural.I have epilepsy and my MW thought trying to go the natural route would prove very stressful which triggers a seizure for me and that would have been no good.

But overall I found it much better than I thought.

 

[reallytinyamy]

I had complications too and ended up with a drip in one arm, monitor on other arm and two monitors on my tummy- I couldnt even lie on my side, wasnt able to move off my back. I imagined it being horrendous not being able to move, but it really wasnt that bad, not at all what I wanted but ok