Those of you that were induced...

mrsenglar

I'm from 3rd tri and I might have to be induced. I'm kind of nervous about it. I am just curious if you had a good or bad experience. I would really appreciete feedback. I know there are a lot of pros and cons. I just want to hear from those that have experienced it.

Thanks so much!

preg_amy

I was given prostaglandin gel, and went into labor during my second dose.  So I was kind of induced.

Then I was given pitocin to help dilate my cervix and didn't get further than 1 cm.  It was awful and I ended up with a c-section because I wasn't dilating after 36 hours and my baby was in distress.

HOWEVER, my cervix is effed up, and I know others who have a great induction experience. 

Just to warn you, though, pitocin contractions are much worse than regular contractions. 

cflynn

I was induced with both my kids. The first one was 11 years ago and turned out great, I was induced at 8am and my son was born by 11:25am. He was 2 weeks late. This time I had to be induced due to low fluid and decreased movement. I don't think she was ready to come out because I ended up with an emergency c-section because her heart rate started to become irregular with each increased dose of pitocin. All and all not bad, and the c-section wasn't nearly as bad as people say.

MarlaDossett

I was induced and had a good experience.  I will say that the contractions were pretty intense.  I had been planning to try for a natural birth but ended up opting to get the epidural.  If you are already dialated it could go fairly quick.  I was already between 3 & 4 cm when I went in at 7:40 AM and I had my baby at 3:40 PM the same day. 

brandonswife07

i dilated fully, but my baby turned funny and got stuck behind my pelvic bone and his heartrate dropped during pushes, so i had to have a c/s.  the c/s had zero to do with induction itself.

also, baby and i both responded poor to pitocin and epidural, so they had to turn the pit off & on and bunch, and i had to have oxygen most of the time.  that's a fairly common occurance i think.  my BP dropped, and his heartrate wouldn't stay steady.

summerbridesara

I think this would be considered induced.....my water broke in the early AM and I went into the hospital, started having very minor contractions.  Things weren't progressing so they started me on Pitocin.  They kept uping the dose and the contractions got more intense.  I ended up with an epidural and had a pretty uneventful labor and birth then.

Good luck!

JennR

I was induced with DD at 42 weeks.  If at all possible, I will never be induced again.  If there was a medical reason that I had to be, of course that's different, but if all signs point to baby and mom are fine, but the drs still think we should induce - no way.

As far as inductions go...mine went pretty well!  They started cervadil at 6pm and at 7 am the next day they started pit.  I wanted to go completely natural and instead was strapped down to iv's and monitors.  Pitocin is hell.  contractions come right on top of one another with no breaks.  I ended up with an epi around noon.  She was born at 2:45pm.  Actual labor was about 7 hours.  She was born with the assistance of an episiotomy and a vacuum.  My personal opinion is that if we were to have gone naturally, most all of those interventions could have been avoided...but in the end, we had a healthy baby and no c-section which of course was my biggest fears.

If you have to be induced, it's not the end of the world.  Make sure that your DH is strong enough and knows your wants/rights so he can stand up for you if he needs to or hire a doula.  If I had to do it again, I would have def. gotten a doula.  Good luck to you...whatever happens you'll get to hold that precious baby soon!

ElizC

I had an awful experience, next time around I will go into labor on my own or go straight for a c/s. However all of my friends have had great experiences.  I was at the hospital for 3 days being induced.  I had very strong contrax and didn't dilate past 3 cm.  They tried like everything to get me to dilate, which in turn just gave me a fairly serious infection.  Also the monitors didn't pick up that DS was in distress and he ended up needing to go the NICU. 

Just be prepared to be at the hospital for a long time.  I also wouldn't tell a lot people that you are going in.  Your phone will ring off the hook and it will just remind you that you still haven't  had your baby.

TKx2

I was given pitocin during early labor...I was 3 cm dialated. I got to the hospital around 3:30, in my room by 4.  They started my GBS meds and the pitocin right around 4.  I started having contractions about 30 minutes later.  At about 7 they checked me and I was 4 cm, so they gave me my epidural.  I almost immediately dialated to 10.  I started pushing around 8, they turned off my epidural at 9, and DD was born at 10:44.  Overall, I had a really good experience, other than having the epidural turned off and worn off for the actual delivery.

Do you know if you are dialated at all?  My doctor says inductions usually work best if you are already dialating.

mamamoos

i had a great experience, all things considered.  i was induced about 38 weeks due to high BP, protein spilling etc (headed toward pre-e fast).  i was 2cm, 50% when they started the pit drip about 6:30 tues night.  they upped it every hour, but i didn't start feeling anything until about 2am when i woke up with contractions (felt like bad period cramping) that i couldn't sleep through.  they gave me some nubane which made me loopy and "drunk." i fell asleep until about 6:30am.  at 9am they broke my water and things really started hurting.  i got an epi (i was at 4cm) and slept till about 11:15am. when i woke up i was 10cm and ready to push.  started pushing about 11:20am, he was born 12:09pm.

  

chrisnj0614

I was induced on my due date because of excess fluid (polyhydramnios) and possibly large baby.

I was 1 cm/50%.  The night before I checked into the hospital and was given cervadil.

The next morning (my due date) I was 1 cm/95%.  My water was broken at 8 am and I was given pitocin.  i dilated to 10 cm by 4 pm (10 hrs). I pushed for 2 hours starting at 5pm and he didn't budge.  I had a c/s.

I wouldn't change it.  Yeah it ended in a c/s, but i feel that it would have ended in a c/s if i went into labor on my own too.  He was too big for my little body.

 

jillijo

I was induced with cervadil and pitocin. The thing that surprised me the most was how long it all took. I got the cervadil on a Tuesday evening and my baby wasn't born until 12:33 a.m. on the following Thursday. I guess I thought that with both of those interventions things would go quicker.

On the bright side, I was able to labor for a few hours without other interventions (i.e. epidural), so I got to somewhat experience natural labor. As PP said, though, the pitocin contractions are heavy so I eventually opted for the epi. It all worked out and I did get the healthy baby and vaginal delivery I had hoped for.

Here's my birth story:

https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/6494833.aspx

Good luck to you!

 

MrsRenee

I was induced due to high bp.  The evening I went in, I was given a couple doses of some pill to soften my cervix.  In the morning they began the pitocin.  I was on that pretty much all day.  I opted for a c-section because I wasn't progressing much and my bp was starting to become a concern.  I was lucky though because the pitocin didn't cause me any painful contractions.  I was having them all day, but never felt anything.  In fact, it wasn't until they stopped the pitocin (right before the c-section) that I started having horrible back labor. 

kelly_renee

I was induced when I was 3cm dilated and 80% effaced- they started my pitocin at 12:30PM, contractions started at 12:45PM weren't too painful in the beginning but then at 1:30PM the contractions were right on to of eachother never ending, I have never been in sooo much pain, I got the epi at 2:30 felt great afterwards and had my baby girl at 3:20PM (it would have been earlier but I had to wait to push because my OB wasn't there yet).

Although the contractions were absolutely awful, I was glad to have my baby during the day after a good night's rest.

With my 1st I went into labor on my own the day before my scheduled induction at 1AM, had DD at 6:50AM after no sleep and being worn out I didn't see my daughter after 11 hours because the nurse gave me sleeping pills to "take the edge off" (I didn't know what she gave me)!

In my case I preferred my induced labor but only because of how rested I felt afterwards due to getting sleep the night before. But the pain is intense with being induced.

roshybride

I was induced with my first son. I was 1 cm when I went in and they started pitocin at 8:00 am. I progressed steadily through the day. My water broke at 2:30 pm, I started pushing at 6:30 pm and he was born at 7:57 pm. So about twelve hours after starting the pitocin. I did that labor and delivery with one shot of staidol (which doesn't work for me, so did nothing) and no epidural or any other pain relief. I thought my induction went well.

Also, most people will tell you that pitocin contractions are more painful than natural contractions, but I totally disagree. I went into labor on my own with my second son and it was 100 times worse pain. My water broke at 11:15 pm and I had my son at 2:42 am, but the contractions hurt so bad and were right on top of each other. They gave me staidol (which as I said earlier doesn't work for me) and I also go the epidural.

I'm half considering being induced with the third (whenever we decide to have a third) because my induction was so much better than my natural labor. Longer yes, but much more bearable.

brideonjuly8

My experience was wonderful!  I was already 2-3 cm at 39 weeks and I elected to be induced.  My doc was fine with it since my cervix was favorable.  I was in labor for 9 hours, epi was great, and I pushed for 44 minutes.  I was SO glad I chose to induce. 

shakespearenluv

I was induced at 39 weeks due to infection but I was already 5 cm dilated when I got to the hospital.  All they had to do was break my water and the regular contractions took off!  I didn't need any other medicine but I did choose to get an epidural.  I labored from 8:30 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. and then started pushing.  I pushed for 2.5 hours and the epidural wore off so I felt everything.  That kind of sucked.  But the worst part was when he came out.  The cord had been wrapped around his neck and he wasn't breathing so they had to rush him to the NICU.

I will only be induced next time if medically necessary.  I actually would love to go into labor on my own.  But they considered me "in labor" anyway since I was already so far along by the time I got there.

tmhouston22

I was induced at 39 weeks due to me being sick the entire 9 months!!! I had a great experience. I was between 1-2 cm when I went in. They first put a pill next to my cervix to try to get it to soften(at noon). They did this twice then started potcin. I got my epidural before I even felt any pain because the anasetioligist was on the floor and going into surgery for quite sometime. It was then or never. I had a hot spot and only felt the contractions for about 10 mins until he came back and gave me more medcine. I fell asleep and within 45 mins I was pushing. My son was born at 3:11am. GOOD LUCK!!!

Lazzlee79

I had a great experience.  I got my epi soon after I was induced, so I ended up not feeling any contractions (I was hooked up to the monitor, so they were being timed).  4 hours later I was fully dilated..  I pushed for 15 mins and out came little man.  Everyone is different so it's hard to say what your experience will be, but it's amazing how quickly you forget the bad stuff of labor when your baby is sitting in your arms

Good luck to you!

katydid2007

I was induced at 40+5 weeks due to low fluid levels with cervadil and pitocin. This was on a Monday and I was 0 cm dialated and was on Cervadil until Tuesday morning at which point they started the pitocin. A few hours into that I was in a lot of pain (but still not dialated) and elected to have the epidural.  By early evening on Tuesday I was still not dialating so they broke my water.  Within a few hours I was 6 cm and I had DS at 7:52 on Wednesday morning.

All in all, about 36 hours.  The first night with cervadil and the following morning with the pitocin were the worst.  Once I had the epidural DH and I actually had a great time.  I had a few complicating issues during that time period (fever, baby's heart rate continuing to dip) that could have led to a c/s but it never came to that.  The contractions with pitocin are more painful (so I hear) and it can be exhausting.  I was able to sleep with the epidural which I think gave me the energy to push -- which I definetely needed since DS was sunny side up.

Don't stress about it too much.  A healthy baby is the goal.  I think you need to just decide that whatever will be will be as far as the delivery is concerned.  I know very few people who had things go exactly as they would have liked or planned.  Mentally, I think it's better to be ok with whatever happens as long as the end result is you and baby being happy and healthy!  GL!!! 

kje1977

I was induced using Pitocin only because I was a week overdue.  My doctor had actually thought we wouldn't even make it to the due date, because I was starting to dilate at 37 weeks, and I measured a little big (but not big enough to change the due date).  So when I was a week overdue, she was concerned.

 

We started the Pitocin at 8:30pm (I went in on Halloween, and didn't want a Halloween baby!), and I was having regular contractions and dilating throughout the evening.  I didn't think the contractions were that bad, and they weren't on top of each other.  I even got a couple hours sleep in the early AM hours.  I had to breathe through a couple of contractions, but when they got really uncomfortable, I asked for the epidural, and then I was not in pain at all.

 

Unfortunately, my baby didn't want to come out at all.  He was at -3 station the whole time, even when I had been laboring for almost 12 hours, and was 7 cm. dilated.  So we waited another thirty minutes, made no progress, and opted for a section.

 

Honestly, it was not as bad as I thought it would be, and as it turned out, DS was a little tweaked to one side, so it would have been very painful for me, and very difficult for him, if we had kept going for a vaginal birth.

 

Just talk to your doc about your concerns, and make sure you're aware of your doc's history/experience with inductions/sections.  How often does the doc do c-sections, which methods of induction does he/she use, etc?

 

Good luck!

DEW1027

I was induced at 7am and she was born at 3:48pm .

The contractions got horribly intense very early on and I got an epidural at 11am.  napped- woke up at 1:30 and pushed until 3:48 bc I felt horrible pressure and knew I needed to.  I don't know what natural is like--- but I tell ya what, the epidural when I was pushing, felt like it wasn't even there.  All my contractions were in my back, and I have back pain every day now something awful--- some people tell me it was from induction, I can't proove that, but I never had problems before that.

 Good Luck! And remember... like I keep telling myself, it was the worst pain you'll experience, but once you see your baby it does all go away... why else would women do it more than once?

Sueball1

I was induced at 39 weeks due to low fluid, measuring small and decreased movement. I was only 1cm, 50% effaced when I went in. Started pitocin at 1pm and had 18 hours of labor... it was rough. However, I held off on the epi for 12 hours thinking I had to get to 5cm like my Lamaze classes had drilled into my skull - not realizing that those rules go out the window if you are already on pit which forces your body to contract. I progressed much faster once I got the epi and delivered vaginally- only pushed for 40 minutes, no problems.

Obviously I've only had the one experience, but getting induced isn't that bad. My suggestion would be to get an epi ASAP b/c pitocin ctx really hurt - don't feel like you need to be a martyr!

One silver lining to induction - you at least can somewhat prepare for your birth. Mine was an emergency situation but even with that, I was able to call my parents and ILs so that they could book a flight, take my dog for a final walk/cuddle, and calmly pack my bags.

GL!!