I am being induced on Tuesday and I am reading that most times moms are confined to bed when they are induced due to the iv and constant fetal monitoring. Is this true? I plan on no pain meds so it is really important to me to be able to shower, bounce on the ball and walk around. I am afraid I won't be able to do any of this if I am induced?
I understand that whatever is best for the baby I will do so if that means being induced and in bed then I will do it but I want to be mentally prepared.
TIA.
Re: Question for moms who were induced with Pitocin
You need to talk to your doctor. The answer will vary from hospital to hospital. I could walk around, bounce on the labor ball, even get in the shower (they just wrapped the IV site really well). I just had to go back to be monitored periodically. Once I got an epidural obviously I was in bed for the rest of the time.
If your baby requires constant monitoring or internal monitoring, you will be very limited with how much you can move.
I was induced with pitocin on Wednesday and they only allowed me to bounce on the birthing ball because I had to be hooked up to the fetal monitor at all times. I'm almost 100% positive you won't be able to use the shower because you can't remove your IV and you will need the pitocin to continue your labor.
I wish you the best of luck in going all natural with pitocin. I thought I would be able to stand going through half of it without pain meds and I got my epidural when I was at 4cm. Pitocin is a strong, strong drug and when it really starts working, there's no stopping the pain associated with it. I would go in with an open mind about pain meds...
Not to hijack the post but how would you have Pitocin without an IV? Don't they have to administer it through an IV?
They tried to let me bounce on the ball and stand on the side of the bed. The monitor kept coming off and finally they pretty much made me stay in the bed. I wanted to go natural as well. I went natural with my second child and as long as I could move around it was tolerable. Pitocin was no joke. Not going to lie, it hurt pretty darn bad. I got an epidural at 6 cm because I just couldn't take it anymore. Like pp said, go into it with an open mind. In hindsight I would've gotten the epi much earlier and slept! If you can move around, it might be easier. Good luck!!!
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I'm getting a little annoyed with all the natural birth nay sayers here. I was induced last time and attempted to go pain med free. I needed an epidural partly to knock out ineffective contractions and only partly for pain. Had my husband and I PRACTICED our hypnobirthing techniques as much as we should have, I honestly don't believe the pain would have been a factor in my decision to get the epidural. The pain became a factor when I lost my ability to relax and focus.
Sure, OP, go in with an open mind but also know that if you are well prepared, an epidural isn't a foregone conclusion here.
I wish you a wonderful birth experience.
Wondering the same thing. I was under the assumption it was only given thru an IV.
I am sure each hospital is different. When I was induced, pretty much what was acceptable was going to the rest room and talking a periodic walk. The pitocin was tolerable for a while then finally when I was 9cm the severe pains came out of nowhere where I was screaming for the epi. Once you have the epi, no more walking or anything... the focus will be on delivering the baby:)
Good luck, you will be fine the only advice I have for you is if and when you finally feel the contractions so fight them just do the opposite take big/huge deep breathes and exhale. I promise that helps, I had to figure it out on my own.
I was able to get up and walk around until my water was broken-- then I had to stay in bed. Obviously, you won't be able to get up if you have an epidural.
I don't think that anyone is trying to paint natural birth in a negative light-- I think that people are just trying to give OP a realistic expectation of what a pitocin induced labor is like. Contractions are very intense and very close together, very quickly-- you won't have the gradual build of intensity that most natural births have. I've never met anyone who has had a pitocin induced labor that hasn't gotten an epidural, for whatever reason. (I do know women who have had small doses of pitocin to help their labor progress that remained pain med free.)
If you can do it, fantastic. And if you can't, that's ok, too.
I agree with this about pain meds. I tried stadol, said I'd try for an hour and only last for about 30 minutes until I wanted epidural, I was at 5 cm at the point.
I've never been induced, but I did have an internal monitor with DS. I was at the pushing stage, so pretty much in the bed anyways, but I was still able to move around quite a bit confined to the bed. Keep in mind (OP, not MommaErica) that just because you're in bed doesn't mean you can't move and have to be on your tailbone. I squatted, I knelt, I was on all 4s. All while confined to bed.
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