Induction at 41w - Pitocin w/o pain meds?

LeighK · June 2009

I rarely post but would like your opinions. At my appointment today (after NST, also had one Friday) my OB said she wanted to induce because I have not been having regular contractions and I have been 1 cm since 36w.

So Wednesday evening they will place the Cervadil and Thursday morning start pitocin. I would really like to avoid the epi (and all pain meds) if at all possible. I know that having pitocin makes contrax stronger and closer together.

WDYT? I have a pretty high pain tolerance but have never been through labor. Any opinions appreciated.

Thanks!

rommelea · June 2009

I've never been through labor either, but I do know there are girls here that have done it... and I know people in person that have done pitocin without pain meds. It's not easy - but it's doable.

Good luck!

madhatter2003 · June 2009

It's do-able, but tough from my experience mainly because once you are on pit you are tied to the monitors more, which makes moving and changing positions much harder.

Just go in with an open mind, do your best, and know that if you need it the epi is there, but if not then even better.

karelaorange · June 2009

I also have never been through it. But I've read some birth stories of mothers that have pulled it off. It sounds like they make themselves very clear that they want to go med free. They request to start on a very low pitocin dose. And they also make it clear that a slow labor is okay by them; docs often want to speed things up, which requires a higher pitocin dose that many women can't handle. If you're not afraid of it taking a long time, then you should tell them this.

LoveEeyore · June 2009

Ditto on the open mind. With DD I''d planned on a natural L&D. But my water broke and my body would not cooperate, so had to have the pitocin. I did end up with the epi- and I thimk it helped avoid c/s b/c I was exhausted and upset and it allowed me to rest before pushing. The contrax were very intense for me once they really upped the pit.

Texasmommy · June 2009

I was induced with Pitocin and was doing okay in the begining, but then they came in saying they wanted to "up the dose" and get the contrax closer, etc. I got the epi after a while.

If I had to do it again, I would hire a doula immediately and not allow them to up the dosage all the time. I would also get up next to my bed with the monitors still on, which I didn't know is allowed sometimes. Not being able to change positions did it for me. When I would get up to go to the bathroom, I could work through them, but once I was back in that bed on my back, it was pretty bad. GL!

AllisonLeigh · June 2009

I know that it is doable. My mom did it with me. good luck if you do

joseysbride · June 2009

With my daughter, my water broke on it's own, but I wasn't having contractions. I was not quite 2 cm when I received pitocin, and I delivered with no other meds.

I'm not going to lie, the second they flipped the switch on the pitocin, the contractions were awful and very painful. They were almost 100% in my back. I went for almost four hours when I told my dh that I'd like to talk with the nurse about possibly getting something, and when she checked me it was time to push. Once I started pushing, it was a breeze compared to the contractions; definitely more exhausting than painful.

I think you just have to take it one contraction at a time, and if you really want to go med-free, make sure your dh knows that and is supportive of that. You can do it! I personally went in with an open mind. I wasn't one who said I will or I won't, and I am so glad that I did it without the pain meds. My entire delivery and recovery was better than I could have expected, and I plan to do it again if all goes well.

Good luck!

brideofscowboy · June 2009

I've done it. It is doable. I also have a pretty high pain tolerance, and contrax HURT. I kept telling myself that they would end..and they did.

I had pitocin to bring my contrax closer together b/c even though I was fully dilated, my contrax were really irregular which make pushing for progress a B!tch. I pushed for 2 1/2 hours and I ended up having a c-section (under general anesthesia, not an epi) due to other issues but I went med free until the c/s.

If it's what you want, go ahead and try it. I went into my labor saying I didn't want an epi...I stuck to my choice and although contrax hurt, I don't regret it.

dennice79 · June 2009

Its definitely doable, but I will tell you as someone who was induced and had pitocin - it hurts and it hurts bad. I have a very high pain tolerance and thought I could go with out an epi, I made it 6 hours before asking for an epi. the biggest problem is that there was no down time between contractions and so I could never relax. I was not tied to the bed for those 6 hours either I walked the halls and did all the things that make it easier. My ob who was there for most of my labor, said I did not even go into active labor until about 8 hours after epi, and from that point I had her 3 hours later. As pp's have said keep an open mind and don't be mad at yourself for needing an epi.

LMBESQ · June 2009

I am sure it's doable, but it wasn't in the cards for me. We took Hypnobabies and planned a med-free birth. But at 39 weeks I was admitted with severely low amniotic fluid, and the on-call Dr. told me I was to be induced (and confined to the bed). This meant no walking, etc., to help labor progress on its own.

I was admitted on a Saturday at 3pm. Pitocin started at 7pm. I labored med-free throughout the night, and the pitocin ldosage kept getting cranked up. I was still only 4 cm at noon the next day, and the contractions were unbearable. I got the epi at 1pm on Sunday. I progressed from 4 cm-10 cm within the next 4 hours. I pushed for 1 hour, and my dd was born.

I was impressed with my pain tolerance for the many hours I was med-free with the pitocin, and do think I would have been able to go entirely med-free had I progressed a little quicker. But after a night of no sleep and almost 24 hours of pitocin contractions, the epidural brought wonderful relief.

Good luck!

mrsblt · June 2009

My mother had three deliveries with pitocin helping things along, and with no pain meds of any kind. Good luck!

will's_littleone · June 2009

I'll be honest. My second child was 3 weeks late and they did the Cervadil and Pitocin. I have a high pain tolerance and it was really intense. I had no pain meds. But everyone is different. I had a long labor that made it worse. My first was with an epi and went fast. We just never know, do we? Best of luck to you!

Heather577 · June 2009

It is do-able. I did it twice (even though I wanted the epi!). I won't sugar coat it though.....It hurt. I didn't know pain like that was possible....or that it was possible to survive that much pain.

emathis2 · June 2009

I haven't been through labor yet because it seems like my baby is never going to be ready even though I have been forever!!! It's likely that I will end up in the same situation as you in a few days time. I wish you the best and I hope you can do it med free if that's your plan (mine also). I'd love to hear how it all turns out! Good luck!! I think you can do it. Just be really pushy about what you want and dont want

mominatrix · June 2009

I was on pit for hours with DD without pain meds... it was fine until they broke my water to plant an internal monitor.

If I were you, though, I'd seriously question whether it's necessary to induce you in this situation. Why not just wait a few more days?

KristensMom314 · June 2009

With DD, I personally wanted to try to go natural with no pain meds. I also had to be induced; the pain was ridiculous, so I ended up with an epi. It ended up being the best experience ever. I'd say go in with your goals for no pain meds, but if at any time you feel like you can't handle it, your birth experience won't be any less enjoyable with an epi or other drugs. I plan on doing the same thing again this time.

Good luck either way!

mominatrix · June 2009

There are real risks to induction without medical need (and being overdue is not a medical need)...

You may want to read this article before you make a decision:

https://www.hencigoer.com/articles/elective_induction/

BuddhaKitty · June 2009

My childbirth class instructor informed us that Pitocin makes labor contractions 10x more intense so if you go without meds, GL!!

DavisPT09 · June 2009

I was induced with my LO and I went without the epi. I'm not going to lie.. the contractions were REALLY intense, but I've never given birth before so I don't know what they would have been like without the pitocin either. I don't know if that made a difference or not, but I did it without an epi.

GL to you! Just remember that you can start by saying that you would prefer to go med free but then if you decide you want something its always there.

vhortde · June 2009

Just get your focus right and use all of the resources you can for support. Some people experience harder contraction with PIT but some don't too. Just go in with an open mind and try your hardest to have the birth you want.

Manderlin923 · June 2009

I suppose it's too late to hire a doula now huh lol....

Good luck. I have heard the same as everyone else- induction can and often does lead to c-section and it makes contractions much more painful than natural labor.

Is there a reason they are inducing you? Sorry I guess I just don't understand why they are....are you and the baby both healthy? Can you see if you can hold off a few more days? Maybe labor will start on it's own.

My advice, though I haven't gone through it yet (but am planning a med free birth center birth) is to get as much support as you can. Talk to your husband/coach ahead of time and make sure they understand your wishes. Get up and move around, change positions for labor- the worst way I've heard to labor is on your back and I don't even mean while pushing, I mean just while having contrax- it feels better (so i've been told) to MOVE. Ask your hubby to massage you, to hold a pic of the baby in front of your face, listen to calming music and above all know that the pain is there for a reason- it is helping to bring out your baby!

Research as much as you can before then- if it's important to you to go drug free maybe knowing the side effects will help you stick to your guns even when the pain is really awful. Again, good luck- I hope you can do it if it's important to you And don't be afraid to say NO if you DON"T want to do something or ask WHY it needs to be done or if there's any alternatives- sometimes I think women get pushed around because they think doctors know better. Obviously they have more experience but it is your body and if something doesn't feel right to you, then you shouldn't have to do it unless absoloutely necessary....

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Induction at 41w - Pitocin w/o pain meds?

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