Induction vs. Natural Labor?

sbollenbach

This question is for those of you who've had an induction.  My DH and I are discussing the pros and cons of being induced.  He's worried that if we induce, labor will be far longer and worse for me. On a side note, I also intend to have an epidural, so the pain part (in theory) should be minimized.

Any input from actual experience?

shkdo0701

I was induced with my first and had super painful contractions right away. With my second i labored to 6.5 cm then they induced me anyways and once again my contractions went from a 2 to an 11...

BabyMenzel

ask the ladies on 6-12 or 12-24. being induced doesn't always mean that your labor will be longer and more painful

JinglesChic

Many women get fired up here at the mention of induction since it increases the risk of a c/s. I personally think it's a personal choice that needs to be weighed for each individual situation.

pandaluvr

I was induced with my first and it ended in C-section and really didn't help the situation one bit (was induced for high BP).

 

I wish the doctor had told me that it could end that way and I may have stayed on bed rest an extra week and scheduled a C-section as opposed to labored all that time to get no where.

So be prepared for that. A lot of people have successful inductions and no problems--some are induced too early or make some progress and end up in C-section.

I never felt any contractions--even with the pitocin they gave me. The whole thing just didn't work for me.

I would try to do it naturally if I could but I have to have  C-section again for the same BP issues. 

nannyannie

None personally (this is my first) but my BFF just gave birth on Nov 19th. She was induced.

She had a fairly easy labor (only pushed for 28 minutes, finished without pain meds) and only had an epidural because she was taking a very long time to dialate. Luckily, the epidural sped her dialation... That isn't common. I think generally it's accepted that pitocin + epidural slows things down, a lot, which can be very hard on the Mom's body, and on the baby, thus "necessitating" a c-section.

If you aren't 100% okay with C-Section as an option... I would say try to avoid induction. Of course, this is something that should be discussed at length with your doc.

xosheenaox

I was induced with my first. My OB gave me the option either induce me a few days early or wait to go on my own. I took the induction I was so miserable by that point. My induction start to finish was just over 13 hours. Everything went smoothly and he told me he's inducing me a week early this time b/c my daughter was over 9 lbs. I'm all for the induction I had an epidural also which was amazing!

Brit1017

I was induced with DS for pre-e at 37wks, and while it was most likely longer b/c my body was not at all ready for labor (not at all dilated, not at all effaced, and DS's head not engaged), it really did not take that long. The Cervadil was inserted at 11pm, my water broke at midnight, I had contractions all night, was 1cm at noon. They started pitocin at noon (and I got an epidural at that time), I was 10cm at 6pm, and DS was born at 7:44pm.

Like most things, it is all how your body responds to the induction methods- some people will respond well, others not so much.

Brooke_Lilly'smom

I am one that had a not so great outcome, but still ended in vaginal birth. I was induced at 39 weeks due to higher b/p and protein in urine. I went in on a Sunday to start the induction, and she wasn't born until a Wednesday. When I went in I had made no progress towards labor at all, so we were starting from the beginning. It was a LOOONNNGGG process, one that we are hoping to avoid entirely this time around.