anyone induced and go without pain meds?

LynsiBHM

As the days tick by, i'm starting to wonder if I will need to be induced. I have heard pitocin is pretty evil stuff and almost always requires an epidural or something to ease your pain.  I really wanted to try med free, but now I'm doubting myself.

Did any of you new mommies get induced and tough it out? I'd love to hear any good induction stories...

TIA

vflipo

I had a favorable bishop score when I was induced, plus I had started early labor by the time I got to the hospital. My doc and I discussed my desire to go med free, so we started with prostaglandin gels. They did one round (as opposed to 3 or 4 in a typical induction) and my water broke on its own. I went 18 hours before getting an epidural. I probably could have pushed through it, but I knew I would need the energy to push her out. Also, she wasn't descending and they thought my pelvis was too small. Getting the epi allowed me to take a nap while we waited to see if she would be able to move down. The epi wore off before I pushed, so I got to feel that which is something I really wanted. I tore like a piece of tissue paper, but I didn't really feel that part. My labor overall was 28 hours with 2.5 hours of pushing.

ETA: I can spell, I promise.

Sweetclump

My water broke and was not having any contractions so they started me on pitocin to induce. I did not have nay pain meds.

JustMeInFlorida

I don't know if this is what you want to hear but I'll go ahead and tell you my experience. I was induced with Cervidil, it didn't work so they started me on Pitocin, which also did nothing to help me dilate, so at 4.5cm my OB broke my water. I went from 4.5cm to 5cm in 15min, 5cm to 6 in another 15min, 6cm to 8cm in 15 more min. and had LO at only 9cm. I had no chance to get an epidural and man I wish I had cause the pain was unreal. Pitocin is a biatch and the pain can be very bad. I was induced because I had to....not saying this will happen to you, just my experience.

JJsMom211

I went 13 hours med free, pitocin from the get-go. I was induced at my 39wk appointment when they diagnosed me with pre-e. After 13 hours of hard labor and only dialating 0-3 I gave in and got an epi. I wanted to go med free but I don't regret my decision. I got an epi and within 2 hours was fully dialated. Without those 2 hours of rest I would not have had the energy to push for 3 hours!

If I'm able to go in to labor naturally for my next baby I would like to try med free again. Don't let this discourage you. I had the same fears as you when I found out I was being induced. I have heard a lot of success stories of med free induced labors including my mother and my MIL. It's doable.

csalagi

I had pitocin started at about 8 pm, didn't feel any of the contractions until 12:30am when I started having back labor.  The nurse checked me around 12:45am and told me I was at 7cm so I was preparing myself to get ready for transition and within 10 minutes my body started pushing on its own so I told the nurse I was having the early urge to push.  We thought I was maybe at an 8 or 9 but when she went to check she freaked out because DS's head was right there and my OB hadn't even got to the hospital yet.  My OB barely made it because DS shot out (I couldn't stop my body from pushing) at 1:04am.

Honestly, I thought pitocin contractions were not bad at all.  The early labor contraction I had been having for a month before were worse.

pattersg

My water broker on it's own at 3am, but I had thin meconium and wasn't progressing by 6:30am ( I was set to be induced that day anyways) so they started the pitocin. I lasted until about 11:30 when they told me I'd only progressed 1 cm... I gave in. I was doing ok, but I knew if I didn't have the epi I would be too exhausted to push if I was still progressing that slowly! After the epi, I had a quick nap but it only worked on my right side.. i still had full on contractions on my left. I progressed much quicker then and had her at 6:24 pm  after less than an hour pushing.  honestly it is an individual decision based on your idividual pain tolerance. even with pitocin your labour could be 24-48hours, in which case what kind of shape are you in to push being htat pooped? your decision and don't let anyone else influence it!

mrsfrates

I went 12 hours does that count! I stalled out at 4 cm and had to have a C-section! Pitocin SUCKS!

brittwatt

 I was induced and did not have an epidural but I did use a pain med called stadol. The stadol didn't really do much but make me super sleepy. I had a very pleasant induction and found the pain to be bearable... not pleasant but I could handle it.

 Here is a link to my birth story 

https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/51183521.aspx

 

 

allyca

I was induced using Cervidil which put me into labor so I didn't need pitocin(was only 1cm 50% effaced). I labored for 21 hours before I got an epidural. I could handle the contractions but I was so exhausted that I got it to rest. The epidural made me feel nothing but they slowed my contractions so I had to get Pitocin. Once I received the Pitocin I could feel the intensity of the contractions again through the epidural. I would have never wanted to feel those without an epidural. Even watching them on my monitor made me thankful I wasn't fully feeling them.

However, if you really want to go med then I would say just go with the flow and see how your body reacts to it. You may not even need Pitocin (or needing to be induced for that fact).

mamaprof

With my first baby, I was induced at 42 weeks. They started pitocin at 7:30 am; contractions began around noon, water broke at 3:30, delivered at 6:23 pm. No meds. I meditated throughout the entire thing and was able to control the contractions fairly well. 

KariD77

I was induced with pitocin and did not get any pain meds....i was leaking a little bit of fluid at like 9am, went in to get it checked and my water had broken... They started the pitocin a couple hours later, I felt my first contraction at 2:30pm so they put that as my labor start time and my little girl was here at 4:42pm...I'm not going to lie, it HURT and I gave in and asked for meds thinking I would be at it for hours, but when they checked me for the first time before giving them to me I was already at 9 12 and about ready to push so I toughed it out....

 what really really helped was a very encouraging nurse who reassured me I didn't have much longer and could get through it. She got me back in the right mindset to get through the pain. If you are able to, I would tell them your plan when you get there and ask for the most encouraging nurse they have to try to get you through it...

 

Hth

LynsiBHM

thank you all so much for sharing your stories!  I'm trying to keep an open mind and just remain positive that my little man will decide to come on his own. 

KMEss86

I was induced with pitocin and got no pain meds. It was no piece of cake, but I didnt expect labor to be easy. Definately dont let an induction scare you away from as natural a birth as possible.

kausher

They started me with the cervadil but it didn't have any effect.  So that was an overnight ordeal.  I couldn't really sleep because I was hooked up to things and they come in and bother you.  The next day they decided to use a Foley Catheter on me instead of pitocin and it worked really well.  I was glad that they used the catheter because it was one less drug they had to pump in me. 

(Foley catheters can also be used to "ripen" the cervix, to allow the induction of labour. The catheter is inserted behind the cervical wall and inflated. The remaining length of the catheter is gently pulled and taped to the inside of the woman's leg. The inflated balloon applies pressure to the cervix, as the baby's head would prior to labour, causing it to dilate. Over time the catheter is adjusted and re-taped to maintain pressure on the cervix. When the cervix has dilated sufficiently, the catheter simply drops out) 

 I went in open minded about pain meds and decided that an epidural was for me.  My contractions didn't have any space between them, it was a constant up and down roller coaster.  If you are on the fence at any point, get the epidural.  Sometimes it takes a long time for the anesthesiologist to get there and if you wait too long they can't give you one.

 Ultimately I had to get pitocin to strengthen the contractions and the epidural wore off which was sad.