Induction without pain meds...how horrible is it?

[Guppy051708]

If you get pitocin and dont opt for pain meds or G&A, how bad is it in comparison to natural eithout painmeds? Ive heard horror stories, but is it really that bad? Ive had three ubmedicated births. Two very long and one less than 2 hours. One of my long births was bc lo was faceup and that backlabor was crazy painful. The other birth was manageable despite length (both over 30 hours, no interventions or meds). My third i had double contractions so intense but honestly preferred that over my other two. So what are pit contractions like without pain meds? Is it.managable or is it truly god awful?

 

[sevenofnine]

I don’t have natural labor to compare, but I was induced with Pitocin (was in magnesium too which was terrible). The contractions with Pitocin for me were not manageable. There was absolutely no rest phase between them- in fact for me there was no “between”. It was absolutely constant and never ending. I ended up getting an epi 4 hours after my water broke (it broke from the Pitocin causing so much pressure).

With that being said, I know many women who said it wasn’t that bad and did it without pain meds!

 

[Allie84]

Oh, man.....I had to get pitocin with DS and I was so against meds and wanted a natural birth. It was the worst pain ever. They said it was the pitocin, but I was also in back labor. I finally got an epidural at 9 cms!!! I hate pitocin....

 

[krissie328]

I had pitocin with DS and did not want an epidural. However, after 4 hours I was in so much pain and unable to move due to the monitors that I opted for an epidural. If I have to be induced this time I will be getting one sooner.

 

[Twinkl3]

I've never had a natural labour so cannot compare unfortunately, however the pain was shocking. To be honest, I don't think the pain was the whole of the issue it was the fact that you have no rest breaks. Its literally one after another.

I don't know if it was the same for everyone else but because I was on the drip they also had to monitor DDs heartbeat so your basically confined to the bed as moving around stopped the tracking.

I was stuck at 3cm for hours even after GA and Diamorphine. I ended up having an epidural (which I didn't originally want) and had a natural birth

I'm sure each ladies experience is different as well as pain threshold and tolerance.

 

[Sarahcake]

I'm so sorry to have to give you a negative opinion but my experience, was awful.

I was inducted via the drip after pesseries got me nowhere. I had 8 attempts at an epidural and none worked and by the time I got to pushing, it was too late for any other pain relief. It was not a manageable situation, I was cut, stitched and hemmoraged without any pain relief too and it was absolutely awful.

I think what made it worse, is that all my labour ended up in my back and down my legs and because I was induced, I was on the monitor meaning I was basically strapped to one position for the whole 8.5 hours and it was intense.

I would wholeheartedly say please keep your options open for pain relief. I am good with pain in general but the only reason I handled it was because I had to. It's scared me into having an elective csection this time.

Again, I'm sorry to have to give you a negative but I wouldn't want anybody going into that unprepared x

 

[Zephram]

Personally I wouldn’t try it, though I do know someone who has and was fine. I was induced with my first and it was much worse than the natural labour I had with my second. With induction you go from zero to what feels like 150 in minutes. The contractions don’t build naturally as they do with a natural birth. It’s just all mega contractions from the get go without the natural build that helps you to get used to the feeling. With a natural birth you also have all the other hormones circulating naturally that help to dull the pain a bit - with induction you don’t have this. I caved and got an epidural after less than 2 hours with my induced labour, I just could not handle it. My second labour, the natural one, I got through nearly 24 hours of labour before needing an epidural so I could rest, I was exhausted more than needing pain relief on its own.

So keep an open mind. You could do like I did with the induction, which was to last as long as I could without pain relief and then get something if you need it. You also have the advantage of it not being your first birth, so it will go faster for you and you will also know what to expect regarding what contractions feel like, so it’s definitely possible to do it without pain relief, but if you do need pain relief, like most women do, then you haven’t failed or anything. The process is much harder on your body than a natural birth so it’s okay to do it differently.

 

[minties]

With my first, I was in natural labour and was augmented about 12 hours in with syntocinon (works like pitocin).

That stuff was excruciating! I was enjoying my labour beforehand. The contractions hurt, but in a good way. I was walking around, swaying, moaning and felt powerful. Afterwards, I was curled up in a ball crying uncontrollably.

I caved in and got an epidural, which I was so against. Baby went into distress and I ended up with an emergency c-section.

My last c-section, with Emma, was taking ages because I had a surprise uterine rupture, and was getting my tubes tied. The spinal was wearing off rapidly towards the end. Still hurt way less than that bloody syntocinon in my first labour!!

 

[MrsC10]

I don't have a non medicated birth to compare to, but I too was induced (pitocin) with my first....it was awful!
They couldn't get my contractions into a regular rhythm. One minute the drip was turned down and my contractions would taper off....and then the next minute they would increase it and my contractions were coming too close together.
I gave in after two days and got an epidural.

They do say that inductions are more intense and more painful as your body is being forced into something it wants to do naturally.

I hope you have a better experience than all of us if you end up getting one xx

 

[NDH]

My first birth was an unmedicated induction. It was definitely the hardest and most intense of my births (but the other two were short and easy) but it was doable. Back labour on top of it was the worst part, or maybe the second worst part after not being allowed to push for 2 hours.
I wanted to walk but there just was no break between the contractions that I didn't want to move off the floor in the end. But I think if someone had pulled me up and insisted I move itwould have been much better.

 

[Isme]

I wouldn't know. My first was an induction (unnecessary and stupid) that drug out for days and I ended up needing medication/epidural. Just barely avoided a c-section. Second labor was not induced and I managed to deliver without medication. Third labor needed to be induced for medical reasons, unfortunately, and my body clearly wasn't ready. Another days-long ordeal that I could not push through without and epidural and whatever else.

I'm sure it really depends on the person. However, having had 2 induced labors and one natural one, I can say with confidence that my natural labor and delivery was much easier to manage. It wasn't pain-free by any means, but it wasn't anything like my inductions. My body simply does not respond well to artificial labor. I thought I could go without medication this last time since I'd done it with my natural labor. I was incorrect. So then I dealt with feelings of failure on top of the general misery and anxiety I was already dealing with.

If I ever decide to have another child and I need to be induced, I'm just going to go ahead and get the epidural as soon as they offer it. They don't hand out special prizes for extra misery during labor and delivery. My epidurals don't even work exactly how the should, but even partial epidural relief is better than laboring for days on pitocen without it.

 

[lau86]

Two out of three of mine were induced but with the pessary rather than pitocin, I'm not sure the pain was much worse than my natural birth, but I actually got the gas and air a lot later with my inductions (!!!) as they ignored me on the ward with them whereas I went straight to labour ward with my natural one. Is pessary an option where you are as I think it is less painful than pitocin

 

[kitty_el]

I have been induced twice with the pessary & then syntocin/pitocin. I had to have an epidural both times and they didn’t work fully. I still felt a lot of pain. I said at one point ‘if you turn the drip up anymore I’m going to rip the f....ing thing out my arm and walk out’

I would most definitely opt for pain relief ASAP plus I have heard the more relaxed you are the quicker the process which can only be a good thing

 

[smileyfaces]

Ive had 3 inductions, no natural birth to compare with. I managed all 3 on gas and air. Yes it hurts A LOT but as long as you are mindful and in the zone I feel it is managable. Very painful though. Perhaps try hypnobirthing to help you relax x

 

[Reiko_ctu]

It wasn't any worse than a natural birth in my opinion... however it goes from zero to 100 in no time. There's no early labour with pitocin, for me it was just nothing and then bam!

I did use gas and air (but just because I like it and not because it helped with the pain at all lol).

You can totally do it without pain meds, especially if you've done it before. Or, don't be a hero and get the pain meds, and you're still awesome xx

 

[Isme]

I just realized from reading the comments that, duh, most of you are in the UK and have the option of gas & air. That may really help, from what I've heard. It's not an option here, but I hope that it will eventually make its way into use. I would definitely try that and see how far you can make it. Best of luck to you.

 

[KatBar]

I was induced this time round - I had a natural, spontaneous labour last time with DS1. Its kind of hard to compare the two experiences, as my spontaneous first labour, I laboured all in my back. I laboured for 11 hours at home, and then for about 3-4 hours in hospital before opting for an epidural. After the epidural, my son was born roughly 4 hours later and it was an emergency forceps delivery as he went into distress as I was in the pushing phase. The whole process was a shock to my system (when he went into distress and a billion people coming flying into the room - I was very close to having an emergency c-section), I had episiotomy but then still tore as well. They thought it was 3rd degree, so I had to go to theatre, but it ended up being a bad 2nd degree tear. I had to be in recovery for ages, and was so anxious to get back and see my son (he was up with my husband on the ward during this time).

I really wanted a different experience this time, and was petrified about being induced and what it would mean (my sister was induced and ended up with an emergency c-section).
However, although yes this time the pain was incredible by the end (no back labour what-so-ever), I had a quick and “easy” labour/delivery. For me, the contractions didn’t come on thick and fast, it was gradual as they put the pitocin up.. Basically I found them easy for the first hour, started to really feel them in the second hour and then in the last hour they got umbareable - but I was basically 9/10cm by this point, so that’s not surprising.
I think they thought I had ages to go, so they never checked me and I actually got an epidural just before he was born because I could no longer bare it. They put the epidural in and said they’d give me a few hours before they checked my dilation, however, they had to put a heart rate monitor on his head, as well as put a catheter in, and so when they did this they realised I was actually 10cm and ready to go (my son had started to push himself out and I was still semi getting pain and lots of pressure in my vagina).
Anyway, about 20 minutes after the catheter going in, he was born. I had a great midwife that really help ease him out to avoid tearing, and I only ended up with some slight grazing, and they put one stitch in - but they said that was more to tidy things up then being 100% needed.
My recovery this time has been amazing.. I basically didn’t need any pain medication. Swelling had gone down by day 2-3 - and my vagina basically looked normal again at this point. No pain pooping or peeing. No issues from having the epidural.
Even though the pain was more intense at the end, I would take this labour and delivery every time over my natural one!!!

Everyone will obviously have a slightly different experience, but hopefully you will also have a good one too.
If I’d been checked for dilation, I probably would have birthed my son without any pain relief at all (I just thought I might have had ages to go and couldn’t face it at that point - before the epidural, I had no pain relief at all).
I also have 2 friends that have been induced and did it all with no pain relief, so it’s definitely possible .

 

[Guppy051708]

How long were you all in labor for?

If youve had more than one baby, how long was it for each (and was the drip on or not?)

^^yeah they dont readily offer G&A here. I know that wont even be an option.

 

[NDH]

8.5 hours from drop going in to birth with first, 6.5 hours active labour

1.5 hours active labour (7 hours from first ctx) with second

45 mins active labour for third, about 9 hours from first ctx

 

[krissie328]

About 10 hours from when pitocin was started until he was born.