Natural Birth

Facing likely induction...

So I am a FTM and still pretty early in 2nd Trimester but I have Lupus and now due to thyroid complications pregnancy induced hypertension with a high risk for pre-e. For the lupus alone my MFM has told me they induce at 39 weeks, but I want to have as natural a birth outside of that as possible. So limited pain meds, able to labor in the tubs they provide and in any position which I know may be hard if they insist on constant monitoring, etc. what tips if any would you have to be as successful as I can be at trying to have a natural birth with induction? I wish I could have a completely birth but my health complications seem to make that obsolete. I also don't want to be bullied into anything because I wasn't aware of other options either.
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Re: Facing likely induction...

  • I was induced at 41wks6 days for gestational hypertension that developed at 40 w 6 d. I was induced with prostin gels. They are used to cause cervical change with the intent that your body takes over on its own and you go into labor. I did 5 rounds of these gels and had cervical change however my body never took over in the start of labor. I would ask to induce using these gels, it is a much milder induction. With the gels they insert them on your cervix then you lay in bed for an hour of monitoring then you walk for an hour. Then monitor for 20 minutes then apply more gel and continue the cycle. Hopefully they will do the trick for you. At 34 hours of labor induction they started pitocin. I went pain med free for 40 hours before getting the epi and delivered 15 hours later. With pitocin they require constant monitoring but I bounced on the ball with the monitors hooked up to manage the pain.
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  • pe3we303 said:

    I was induced at 41wks6 days for gestational hypertension that developed at 40 w 6 d. I was induced with prostin gels. They are used to cause cervical change with the intent that your body takes over on its own and you go into labor. I did 5 rounds of these gels and had cervical change however my body never took over in the start of labor. I would ask to induce using these gels, it is a much milder induction. With the gels they insert them on your cervix then you lay in bed for an hour of monitoring then you walk for an hour. Then monitor for 20 minutes then apply more gel and continue the cycle.

    Hopefully they will do the trick for you. At 34 hours of labor induction they started pitocin. I went pain med free for 40 hours before getting the epi and delivered 15 hours later. With pitocin they require constant monitoring but I bounced on the ball with the monitors hooked up to manage the pain.

    The only problem with these gels is if you proceed to quickly they can't be removed. This can cause excess bleeding and very intense contractions if your body is sensitive to them. The also make cervical dialators in pillow packs that can be removed easily if the contractions become too intense.
  • A Foley catheter is an option in some cases. I'm sorry i don't have more info or ideas, but hopeful that helps some., Good luck!
    Boy 10.6.13
    Labored at freestanding birth center using hypnobirthing techniques
    Delivered via csection
  • I was induced and gave birth without pain meds.  My original plan was to have no meds at all, but I was induced due to GD at 40w5d.

    I was started on cervidil the night before and pitocin was started the next morning.  The cervidil didn't do much in terms of dilation, but did soften my cervix up quite a bit.  The pitocin wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but I think the highest they turned it up to was 16 or so.  I asked for wireless monitoring and I was able to walk the halls for a while and get into any position I wanted to in my room.  See if that is an option for you. 

    You might want to look into a doula as well.  They are great at laying out all of the options for you and making sure you make informed decisions.  She can also help with positioning you and massaging you.   

    You also want to find out how they are inducing you and research whatever method or medicine they are using.  Some doctors still use Cytotec (mine wanted to), which a lot of people are not willing to use.  When I found out I was going to be given Cytotec I refused and my doctor changed it to Cervidil. 

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  • Yes they only did 3 gels a day to make sure my uterus didn't over contract and cause complications. There are risks with any form of induction unfortunately.
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  • I was induced with both my LO at 42wks with cervidil. Both times my body took over. The nice thing about cervidil is it can be removed and you don't need iv or continuous monitoring. I would go over the options of monitoring and your MFM could maybe agree to intermittent monitoring to allow for movement which helps manage pain and the baby to descend. Good luck

  • I ended up being induced and went pain med free. First, you should develop a plan with your Dr to allow for the gentlest possible induction. I did this with my Dr so when it happened we were both on the sane page.

    I had a terrible bishop score and not a favorable cervix for induction. The hospital I was in typically chooses cytotec for cervical ripening. We did a few doses if this overnight in the hospital under monitoring. This got me fully effaced but I did not dilate at all. So next I would have done foley bulb, but that is only an option if you have about 1 cm of dilation to work with. So we skipped to pitocin. We agreed to start it low dose and keep it on until I have labor established (about 2 hours) then we turned it off. This actually worked! I kept going on my own steam till the pushing stage when I needed it again.

    I had a hep lock IV, so I was disconnected from the IV whenever possible. Also, I had to be under CFM, but I wore telemetry belts which didn't bother me and stayed in place, even while I labored in the tub for 5 hours.

    Anyhow, I hope you go into labor on your own, but it is a really good idea to plan an approach that you are comfortable with in the event that you do get induced. Planning gave me a really positive outlook heading into my induction, and I have no regrets about any if the choices I made in the course of my son's birth.

    IVF #1 ET 1 d3 embryo 10/30/11 BFP
    3 Embryos frozen (1 d5, 2 d6)

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    FET #1 ET 1 d5 embryo 02/10/15 BFN

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