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Hi mommas and mommas to be!My LO finally arrived last week, and I thought i'd share our story of induction and intervention. Before my induction I was petrified as I didn't know what to expect as I've heard so many awful stories, and every intervention story I heard was generally pretty grim too, so I'm hoping mine will provide a slightly different perspective (at times!)
I was induced at 40+11 (my dates). We arrived at hospital and I was less than 1cm dilated. They popped a propess in to try and kick start labour at 8.30am, and I was hooked up to a CTG which read babies HR and my HR for an hour afterwards. After that, I was monitored every hour (babies HR on doppler, and my HR and pulse) and every 4 hours on the CTG. We walked round the hospital, bounced on the ball...and not much at all happened.
By around 6pm I was feeling some very minor cramps, but they were really very gentle. By around 9/10pm they had become slightly stronger, like a normal period cramp, and were coming every 2-3 mins. I asked the midwife if this was the start of contractions, as I only felt them really low down, where I would normally have my menstrual cramps. She said that the real contractions would start high on my bump and spread the whole way round and to my back. This, in hindsight, turned out to be a crock!
Anyway, I had a bath around 11pm and it eased my discomfort, and the cramps eased off. I got a good sleep, interspersed with regular HR checks and CTG for an hour at 4am.Next morning, after 24hours with propess nothing had happened so I was taken to L&D and hooked up to syntocin. I was 1-2cm dilated, and they brought Drs in to see about breaking my waters. After a bit of to and fro, at 10.00am they did break my waters, and coupled with increasing amounts of syntocin, my labour really began! By around 11am I was getting regular, and painful, 'tightenings' (this is what my midwife called them as they were still low down and not registering high enough on the CTG to be called contractions...) By 12.30pm they were coming every 2-3mins, but the midwife said they still weren't strong enough to be real contractions. Well, i beg to differ as I was now in pretty blinding agony through each one! It wasn't that each one was horrifically painful, it was the the fact that they were so constant that was leaving me drained, so I started on gas and air.
I wasn't allowed to be checked again until 2.30pm, and if i was 3cm I could have an epidural (never really what I wanted) and if I was 4cm I could have remifentinal (a form of pethadine which wears off after a few minutes). Luckily, I was just at 4cm so started the remi and :thumb up: EXCELLENT STUFF! Total relief through each contraction! Well, an hour and a half later, around 4pm I told the midwife I needed to push. She said I couldn't because I probably wasn't dilated - but when she checked I was 10cm. 4-10cm in an hour and a half, with no pain due to my pain relief!
So pushing began, but unfortunately my Los heart rate started to dip on each push. After an hour or so, it was bad enough that a team was rushed in and that is when things got scary. Drs and neonatal drs were in, and it was decided that I needed an episitomy and LO needed ventouse to get out. Absolutely terrifying, as my feet were whipped into stirrups and suddenly I was injected and being cut. I wasn't allowed any more remi as I was pushing, so I had just been on G+A, but as I wasn't pushing well with it it was taken away - so I did the last bit with nothing. And it was TOTALLY FINE! Isabelle was vacuumed out at 5.54pm and given some facial oxygen, but was 100% perfect! I was stitched up at the same time, and she was given to me.
Unfortunately, my BP dropped dramatically afterwards and I was passed out for almost an hour, as they pumped me full of...stuff! I came round and fed her and she latched perfectly!
Around 9pm I asked for a shower, and when I got into the shower I collapsed. Luckily I had yanked the cord before going down, so the midwife and my husband came to help me up. But I came round, then collapsed 4 more times, being sick as well, until they managed to get enough people to carry me back to bed. My BP was very low, and bloods later revealed my haemoglobin had dipped to 7 (should be 12).
That meant we ended up staying in hospital for a few extra nights as I needed fluids and a blood transfusion. I couldn't get out of bed at all, and the whole thing was pretty crappy.
BUT (and this is the important bit!) I am now 7 days post partum and I am 100% fine. I did a 2.5mile walk today with my family, and apart from being a little sore round my stitches, and getting a little more tired more quickly, we are both doing great.
Isabelle is a champion feeder, and sleeps amazingly well (for now!)
So do not be scared of induction or intervention. I was worried I wouldn't be able to handle induction from what I'd heard - and I survived with minimal pain relief. I had heard intervention left you basically crippled for weeks - I'm sore, but nothing major. And lastly (and most importantly to me) I had heard induction and intervention made breastfeeding more difficult - I cannot keep Isabelle off my boobs!
Good luck to all mommas who are off to be induced soon! You will do super! If I can do it...anyone can!
