Talk to me about pain med free birth and induction (pitocin)

Don't Hassle the Hoff

My doctor is giving me until 41w6d to go naturally. This puts me at next Wednesday before getting induced. I realize a lot can change in a week, but I want to be prepared for what I can.

For those of you who were induced with pitocin and otherwise went med-free, what was your experience? I am particularly curious about those of you who have done pain med free with and without pitocin, and what the difference is.  Everything I've read tells me that pit is going to make my contractions far more intense. I want to stick to my original plan to go without pain meds, but I have really zero idea what I am in for if I have to get induced.

Don't Hassle the Hoff

I'm an ass. Same question below. My bad.

ABStoll

With dd1, I went into labor on my own 6 days past the EDD, and labored at home until I couldn't take it anymore. I got to the hospital at only 3 cms after almost 24 hours of labor but had my daughter less than 2 hours later, with only 5 mins of pushing and no interventions or pain meds.
With DD2, I was induced with pitocin for various reasons at 41wks4days. I was dilated already to about 3.54cm but not in labor. They started the pit just before 7 am, broke my water shortly thereafter, and she was born just before 11am with about 15 min of pushing. I did not get any pain meds. All of my contractions were totally manageable until transition, when I started screaming in pain and begging for drugs. I had held out long enough by that time that it was too late by then anyway which I am glad about.

I can compare the 2 births but it is hard to say if the difference was due to induction or just different babies and because I was "experienced" with the second one. I would say that the pitocin birth was definitely more intense but not necessarily more painful. It was shorter than my natural birth, so I imagine that I and my body just had less time to adjust to the increasing intensity. I managed the contractions leading up to transition a lot better with the induced birth though. I wouldn't even describe active labor as painful until after 8 cms for dd2 whereas for the first birth even getting to 3 cms was painful.

I definitely think going pain med free with an induction is possible! I had desperately wanted a completely natural birth, and was actually more against the pitocin than the epidural. When I found out I would be induced I was crushed and sort of gave up on having any part of the birth being intervention free. I am still disappointed with all the interventions I had but proud I managed to do a small part my own way. Luckily I had an awesome supporter in my husband. Other than him, the things that helped me the most were visualization I visualized the contractions as a muscle doing its job and thinking of it like the other muscles in my body feel at the end of a tough race, repetitive prayers we are Catholic, so I had my husband say the Hail Mary a lot, but you could use mantras or something in the same way, and changing positions I had to have internal monitoring hospital policy so I wasnt able to venture far from the bed. I also screamed/yelled a lot once I hit transition!

You just need to find whatever works for you and know that you can do it! If you end up needing pain meds, don't be too hard on yourself either. I hope you go into labor on your own soon!

Don't Hassle the Hoff

ABStoll:

and was actually more against the pitocin than the epidural. When I found out I would be induced I was crushed and sort of gave up on having any part of the birth being intervention free.

This is where I am at right now. I'll probably get over it in a day or 2, but the thought of needing an induction kind of crushes me, and makes me throw any hope of going pain-med free out of the window. I know I can do this, but at this point I am just frustrated. I have a week, so fingers crossed I go naturally before then. 

shutupanddance07

I'm also afraid of the pitocin. My midwife said that usually natural methods of labor encouragement do the trick, and they only occasionally need to do a pitocin induction. When they do, they do it low and slow, and about half the time your body takes over and does it on it's own.

footnotegirl

I only had the one experience, but I was induced with pitocin but delivered pain med free. 

They brought me in on a Saturday afternoon for my induction, and started with cytotec/cervidil. I started having some contractions, but they slowed early Sunday morning and so they decided to break my water on Sunday. That upped the contractions and helped me dilate more, but it just wasn't enough and by Monday morning, contractions had slowed again. At 9 a.m. they started me on the lowest possible dose of Pitocin. It ramped up throughout the day and by 3 p.m. I was going into Transition. They allowed me to spend most of that time in a hot bathtub, which was really helpful. Throughout the whole process, even though I was being monitored and was on a IV, they worked with me to make sure I could keep moving around, trying different positions, etc. They gave me wireless monitors and put me on a rolling drip, for instance. I was also allowed to have real food up until they started the Pitocin (they even made sure to give me an hours warning before they started it so I could get a last meal in) and then after that I was still allowed graham crackers, water, and orange juice. At 4:30 I started coming out of transition, they checked me for dilation, and told me to push during my next contraction. My daughter was born shortly after 5 p.m.  

ReichleyMama

Hi Ladies,

Yes, pitocin is not your friend.  But you can still have your pain med free birth.  With my first I was 12 days late and my water broke.  I was not dialated at ALL and having zero contractions.  I did the hospital birth with an OB constantly offering me pain meds, pit on high (I was ignorant and didn't realize I could ask for them to turn it down) and wasn't allowed out of bed.  Even with all of that, I was able to avoid pain meds and had a natural birth, 8 hours later.  Totally worth it.  Difficult, but doable.  Make up your mind that you ARE going to do it and do it.  Mind over matter.  Good luck!

Haley.Beth

I hope you've already had your baby by now, but I can share my story with you. My water broke at 41w1d, the morning of my doctor appointment to discuss induction. I went in, and he sent me to the hospital. I got there & got settled in, but contractions never really started. So after 6 hours they put me on pitocin. The contractions started pretty suddenly and were intense. I was trying my best to meditate and calm myself, but the nurses kept coming in and fiddling with things and generally driving me nuts. To just go to the bathroom I had to unhook myself from monitors and wheel my IV in there, because my hospital requires anyone on pitocin to be on constant monitoring. I hated it. I didn't realize until I was just about to beg for drugs that the nurses had turned up my pitocin all the way, despite me asking in the beginning for them to start and keep a small drip. They hadn't even told me. I labored for 18 hours on pitocin with no pain meds, and was able to have a pain-med-free birth, but I was so tired I was falling asleep for the few seconds I had between my transition contractions. I was so sore afterward I couldn't get up and move around like I wanted, and I was swollen from the fluid drip they had in me as well.

Bottom line is, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. But if you have no choice, a pain-med-free birth is completely possible, just more difficult.