Tell me about med free birth with induction please!

HappyIAm

I really want to go natural but am being told we will need to induce at 38 weeks due to MTHFR and risk of placenta breaking down.  Anyone go natural with induction or plan to?

zaramarie81

I am expecting our first so have no personal experience with this. However, my doula gave birth vaginally without pain meds after being induced and assured me that it can be done very successfully (after I expressed concern over going past my due date and being pressured to induce).

nickolasap

I was induced close to my due date. I didn't hav an epidural. I stayed calm and relaxed my body. Baby dropped and I dilated within 2 hours. Pushed 1x and baby's head was out, 2nd push shoulders and baby completely out. Perfect baby girl weighed 7.6  I endured the pain, didn't scream. Was funny cause I dilated so fast that the staff wasnt ready and I had to wait on them. 

MommyMelRN

A friend of mine just had a baby, 3 day induction, no pain meds.  She also had a doula, so I think that helped!

footnotegirl

I had a three day induction, first day was cytotec/cervidil, then when that didn't work, they broke my water, and on the morning of the third day they started me on pitocin, very small dose, which ramped up throughout the day until I gave birth at 5:30 p.m. 

I did the whole thing without any painkillers. It can be done. Make sure you can have freedom to move around while being induced (I was on an IV and monitors, but the IV was on a rolling pole and they got me wireless, waterproof monitors and were very supportive of me walking around the floor, using birthing ball, getting on all fours, doing squats, and getting into a warm tub) as I found that very important for both pain management and my sanity. 

My big help was to remember that no matter how bad the pain is, it WILL pass. It is temporary, and at the end of it will be either the pain stopping (between contractions) or having your baby in your arms (at the end of it all).  

JoJoH23

I also had a 3 day induction and delivered vaginally with no pain meds. I was induced early because of cholestasis. My bishops score was 9 (which is very favorable) yet I made no progress on Pitocin for days on end. It was exhausting and painful but we only upped the Pit in small increments and did minimal monitoring so I was able to move around as much as I needed. Eventually my midwife turned off the Pitocin and broke my water, after which my son was born a mere 3 hrs later.

I must say the most important thing was my support system. I had a wonderful Doula, my mother and my Husband present and although that may be too many people in the delivery room for some, it really helped me to feel like I wasn't doing it alone. I can not imagine  going into a situation like that without support. Also, my birth ball was heaven and I was on it 95% of the time. I also think that I willed my self to dilate quicker because I was nervous that they were going to insist on turning the Pit back on...nothing like the power of positive thinking, I went from 4cm to 8cm in 10 minutes.

kristin172429

Yup, I was induced and did a natural birth.  The cervadil started some natural contractions, but they weren't strong enough to get the baby to drop, so after 10 hours of that, they started pitocin.  I will admit - pitocin contractions sucked, but you can get through them.  I actually was doing really great with slow, concentrated breathing on the contractions.  

I had some labor complications with my LO, so I started feeling the stress of that towards the end.  It made it much harder, especially because it coincided with transition, where you need the most mindfulness to push through, so that part super-sucked for me.  BUT, I did it!  LO came out just fine - perfect, even.  He was so bright and alert from the moment he entered this world and I attribute that to not having any meds during my labor.  If I had to do it again, I would go natural again in a second, even with the pitocin.