if your cervix was not ripe....

ladylisalt · August 2014

I am approaching my dd and due to age my OB has mentioned possible induction. At todays appt. cervix was still not ripe,etc. no dilation...she will see me again Monday and discuss if we should move forward with induction. For those of you that were induced and in the same situation..did you get a vaginal ripener or did they go straight to IV of pitocin...just curious what is the norm

coco62014 · August 2014

I had cervidil first but unfortunately it didn't do much for my cervix and I had lots of contractions. ended up with an emergency c section.

baloneydisc · August 2014

We did Cytotec overnight and had no progress until about an hour before my OB came through for rounds. When he came to check on me I was 6cm, they broke my water and I got the epidural. I don't think I ever got pitocin.

Abitha001 · August 2014

When I got admitted to be induced at 41w 3d, I was 1 cm dilated and about 40-50% effaced. The plan was to do Cervidil overnight to ripen my cervix and start Pitocin in the morning. I received Cervidil at ~7:30 p.m. and mild contractions started immediately. By 1:00 a.m., I was having stronger contractions and was in active labor. The doctor checked me at ~6:30 a.m. and I was 2 cm dilated and 90% effaced and contracting regularly so I did not need Pitocin at that point.

If you do get scheduled to be induced and they plan on using a medication to ripen your cervix, please read up on the two options (Cervidil and Cytotec). The use of Cytotec to induce labor is an off-label use of the drug, Cytotec has NOT been approved by the FDA to induce labor. My doula warned me about it because it can trigger very strong contractions that your body isn't prepared to handle, leading to a C-Section. My OB/GYN's practice was to induce using Cytotec but I requested Cervidil instead and they used that no questions asked. The milder Cervidil was enough to get contractions going in my case so I have no doubt Cytotec might have caused me some problems...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684033/

ladylisalt · August 2014

coco62014 said:

I had cervidil first but unfortunately it didn't do much for my cervix and I had lots of contractions. ended up with an emergency c section.

ooh thats tough. Just curious how come they didn't use IV Pitocin was it a timing issue?

ladylisalt · August 2014

Idani said:

You still have two weeks until your "due date" I would not push an induction especially if you are showing no signs of ready to labor. I was induced with my first due to failing NST and my blood pressure sky rocketing and I ended up with an unplanned c-section. Is your doctor concerned with just your age or are their other reasons to push an induction?
edit: I went straight to IV.

More my age. Apparently the placenta quality lessens as time goes on. I am trying to wait it out too and am not getting pressured its just been a discussion.

bumpuser8967176 · August 2014

Not to scare you, but I did two rounds of Cytotec, 24 hours of Cervadil, and 24 hours of a balloon catheter, which finally got me to 4cm. Then I got pitocin and stalled out at 5cm after I reached the max dose. I ended up with an emergency c section. I wouldn't induce until the last days possible- I was induced at 39 weeks 6 days due to high blood pressure and ended up having DS 4 days later. The good news is that next time, we head straight to a c section and I am relieved after all the "fun" I had this time. Thank goodness for handsome babies!

My Dr. wanted to try everything before pitocin and that pitocin was a biotch!

Edited because words are hard.

ladylisalt · August 2014

BurritosAtEveryMeal said:

Not to scare you, but I did two rounds of Cytotec, 24 hours of Cervadil, and 24 hours of a balloon catheter, which finally got me to 4cm. Then I got pitocin and stalled out at 5cm after I reached the max dose. I ended up with an emergency c section. I wouldn't induce until the last days possible- I was induced at 39 weeks 6 days due to high blood pressure and ended up having DS 4 days later. The good news is that next time, we head straight to a c section and I am relieved after all the "fun" I had this time. Thank goodness for handsome babies! My Dr. wanted to try everything before pitocin and that pitocin was a biotch! Edited because words are hard.

I appreciate the honest feedback. My dr. gave me 2 possible induction dates. One would be 39 wks and 2 days the other 39 wks and 6 days. Looking to aim for the later.

bumpuser8967176 · August 2014

Go as late as they will let you. A lot can change in just a day or two. Best of luck!

ladylisalt · August 2014

BurritosAtEveryMeal said:

Go as late as they will let you. A lot can change in just a day or two. Best of luck!

Thank you so much. That is my plan. Maybe she will come soon!

Slpafford · August 2014

I was induced at 39w 3d, I was only at 1cm at the time of induction. I went in and was hooked up to pitocin around 8:45AM and baby was born vaginally at 6:06PM. I had a great L&D experience and a very easy birth. Going in I was very nervous because I had heard from friends, family, and random people that their induction was tramatic and ended in emergency c-section. Hopefully yours will go as planned. Unfortunately there is no way to really know how your body will react to labor and being induced until you do it. Good Luck!

cookieinva · August 2014

First pregnancy I was 35 and induced at 41 weeks (as late as they let me go). Went in at 0%, 0 cm and ripener did nothing but pitocin worked that morning and had a vaginal delivery in the afternoon.

Second pregnancy I was 39 and induced at 39 weeks and a few days not because of age but because my first was over 10 lbs so didn't want #2 to get too big. In my ob did an ultrasound a few days before my induction to check size and position, and he also checked out the quality of the placenta; I guess you can see calcification on the u/s and it looked great so that wouldn't have been a reason to induce. Anyway, that time I was at like 3 cm I think but they still did a round of cervical ripener. Again had a successful induction and vaginal delivery that afternoon.

coco62014 · August 2014

ladylisalt said:

coco62014 said:

I had cervidil first but unfortunately it didn't do much for my cervix and I had lots of contractions. ended up with an emergency c section.

ooh thats tough. Just curious how come they didn't use IV Pitocin was it a timing issue?

I was supposed to get Cervidil overnight and then Pitocin the next day but I started bleeding and had the c section at midnight. I was 40 weeks +1 day and had very low fluid which is why they were inducing.

GinnyJ2012 · August 2014

I wasn't induced, but with DS1 my water partially broke and I was barely a 1, breaking my water completely caused dilation without the need for meds. This time I took evening primrose oil and at my 40 week was a 2, the did a membrane strip and i delivered DS2 2 days later. I'm not sure if the EPO/membrane strip helped, or if it was just my time, but its worth a try. Good luck!

sab311 · August 2014

I was induced 5 days after my due date. We started with Cervadil. It didnt work the first night so the second night we did another round of cervadil. that only got me to 2cm. The Dr decided then on the 3rd day to try a cervical balloon which brought me to 3cm. in the end they had to break my water, give pitocin, and after a few hrs of no progress i ended up with a c-section anyway because it was taking too long. it really wasnt the best experience for me.... Good luck to you, I hope you progress much easier than i did!!

ladylisalt · August 2014

sab311 said:

I was induced 5 days after my due date. We started with Cervadil. It didnt work the first night so the second night we did another round of cervadil. that only got me to 2cm. The Dr decided then on the 3rd day to try a cervical balloon which brought me to 3cm. in the end they had to break my water, give pitocin, and after a few hrs of no progress i ended up with a c-section anyway because it was taking too long. it really wasnt the best experience for me.... Good luck to you, I hope you progress much easier than i did!!

It sounds like this has happened to so many ladies. Hard to hear but glad your all okay. I know we have no control over this but it is hard not to overthink it. Thanks for sharing your experience.

PolarPan · August 2014

I had a very uneventful pregnancy. No complications. No negative side effects. Nothing bad. I went in for my 38 week check up and my BP had sky rocketed as did my weight! I was instrructed to go to the. Hospital and get induced. Naturally, I was scared as I sat in the hospital for the rest of the day. Luckily, they sent me home that evening to weigh my options, which were very few. I was given a choice of the next three days as to when they would start the induction. I went in on the 3rd and was started on the balloon to mechanically open my cervix at 11pm. The next morning they started me on a Pitocin drip to get me going even more. Light contractions started that afternoon. Heavier and more regular contractions started that evening. On the 5th at 1:45am I went into active labor and because of that darn BP, they heavily recommended an epidural. I got that at 4am. Once that took over I was falling asleep in between contractions and he was born at 6:24am.

Pitocin wasn't bad at all. The balloon was worse because of the cramping. Try your darndest to let your body prepare itself, but if complications arise, don't hesitate on the induction. Better to be induced than have something worse go wrong. Good luck mama-to-be!

purplekuda · August 2014

I had cervidil night before and I was very unfavorable. I progressed great the next day and had a rather painless delivery, but I don't think it's the norm.

Aimes33m · August 2014

I had cytotec placed vaginally when my cervix was high and tight. Contractions started soon after, painful, every 2-3 min. 4 hours after it was placed they checked me and I was only 0.5cm. Mentally devastating as I had been contracting so frequently and strongly eveyone thought I'd be further. I ended up getting the epidural pretty soon after that. Apparently the epidural was enough to relax my body and help because 5 hours after I was checked at 0.5cm I had jumped to 7cm and a couple hours later I was complete. Never needed anymore interventions after that initial cytotec. Pushed for 40 min and she was here!

Ekzerr · August 2014

I was induced at 42+1 with prostin gel...they placed it in at 315, we had to wait there for an hr before they sent us home to wait and said come back at 915 unless my contractions were 3-5 min apart or water breaks...within an hr of being at home contractions were coming every 40 seconds so we went back to the hospital around 745...labour progressed very quickly and she was born at 10:02!

britab · August 2014

My doctor could never reach my cervix at my appointments. On my due date she couldn't reach it either and started talking induction late the next week. The next morning I was in labor and had my baby at 3pm the next day. You never know what could happen!

if your cervix was not ripe....

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