I’m a first time mum and being induced tomorrow as baby girl doesn’t seem to want to shift. I am nervous about the process and what to expect as well as afraid of what if the induction doesn’t work. Would appreciate hearing about any induction stories or just some advice to try settling my fears as all I’ve had this week is people asking if baby is here and no support with this process (except for my partner who has been the only one to listen)
Sophia
When you mean induction did they say what what there are starting with ? Are you getting first a sweep of going into labor word for medical induction as the process for both is very different ?
I’ve had two sweeps and will be 10 days overdue tomorrow. Both sweeps didn’t work. Midwife mentioned about the pessary, balloon and drip options and how depending on what option the hospital decide will decide if I stay in or not. I’ve been booked into the Obstetric Assessment unit for the induction.
Ok most of the time they would keep you in as unlikely the medical induction won’t work. If you can choice go for drip as those are more effective. I believe that if none of this work (again I think unlikely ) the last option will be c-section, so in any event you will have your baby in the next few days. Good luck I was 2 days overdue and sweep done for me so I know how flustering this can be.
Thanks. The sweep only seemed to help in breaking my mucus plug whilst baby didn’t seem the least bit phased. Just feeling a mixture of nervous about the induction and the labour as well as emotional by being overdue and just people constantly messaging for updates
Hey MissKitty 89, I wouldn’t start with the synto drip first. Yes more effective but first your membranes need to have broken , and once it starts they don’t turn it off. They do the earlier methods of induction for a reason, and if you can go home for some of it (is that an outpatient induction with the first peasant)? I would definitely take that option. The longer you can be at home the better but ultimately ask lots of questions to the hospital which you are at, each trust policy for induction varies slightly so no one on here could advise you on a regime they don’t know.
Midwife x
Hi I had my induction 8 weeks ago today, so I'll try and include everything that happened as honestly as I can.
I arrived at hospital at 9am and had the pessary inserted, that's uncomfortable but not overly painful, it made my belly feel quite tight and uncomfortable but a couple of paracetamol and tens machine it really wasn't too bad. That didn't trigger labour, so I had that in for 24 hours on the ward. After 24 hours I went up to the delivery ward.
I had to remove the pessary which was quite painful. It felt huge like a massive tampon, but was actually smaller than a tampon.
Then I had my waters broken, I had gas and air for that, a bit painful and the midwife had to work a lot harder to get out to go than I'd imagined. I'd imagined it would be similar to balloon popping, but she had quite a sweat on by the time she'd finished 😂
Then I had a little monitor put on babies head which was an odd sensation but didn't hurt. I also had a monitor round my belly for contractions.
After that I had a canular inserted on my hand with a fluid drip and the oxytocin drip by about 11ish
When the oxytocin drip starts the contractions it was bloody painful! I'd been warned by my midwife that the contractions could come on quite strong and she recommended that I ask for an epidural which I did. Best decision I made!
I had the epidural about midday and then had no pain while I waited to dilate. Even had a sleep which was great.
I was fully dilated by 7.30, pushing by 8.30pm, baby was born just before 10pm, the epidural had nearly worn off completely so I could feel each contractions really well to help pushing.
I did nearly have to have assistance with forceps but managed to give a few big pushes and got her out just as the doctor was getting ready to assist
I had only a minor tear and graze and my beautiful daughter was in my arms, we stayed in for 24 hours as I had gestational diabetes, so her sugar levels needed testing and we did plenty of skin to skin while we were there, when her bloods were fine we were allowed home.
Induction isn't obviously the ideal but it was fine and I would happily make the same choice again if I were in the same position. My main advice would be to have a big breakfast before the oxytocin injection as you can't eat after it's in and ask for the epidural ASAP when you know your having the oxytocin. The contractions come hard and fast and until your dilated you can't do anything with them so don't sit in pain as you need to keep your energy for pushing when you are dilated. Good luck, hope you're soon holding your beautiful baby xx
Thank you Seb9 for your story and advice. Do they usually begin induction with the pessary? Congrats on your little one x
Thank you, she's absolutely perfect and I'm getting used to the sleep deprivation 😂😂
I believe they usually start you with the pessary to 'ripen' your cervix, the pessary can start off labour and then you don't need to go on to having the Oxytocin drip and labour progresses a bit more naturally, contractions build up while you dilate.
If you're quite overdue then you might only need the pessary as your body might nearly be ready anyway and just need a helping hand to get started
I’ll be 10 days overdue tomorrow and at my last midwife appointment she said nothing had changed I was still 1cm dilated and baby wasn’t settling into the pelvis permanently. So I’m hoping that by tomorrow there’s been some improvement because it’s so disheartening when you’re really uncomfortable and getting all the pressure but nothing to show for it.
I really appreciate your help in reading my post and sharing your story x
You're very welcome, it's so absolutely worth it in the end. Hope all goes well today 😊
I’ve been induced twice, two totally different experiences! First time(I was 40 weeks) pessaries were tried then they moved on to the drip, contractions were intense and I didn’t really progress much so had an epidural, anyways my daughter was born perfectly.... second time around(at 37 weeks) was four months ago and I had two pessaries and had my son within 6 hours, I went from 3 cm dilated to fully within 30 seconds( the midwife couldn’t believe it haha) and my son was born about 3 mins later with two pushes, so all in all my experiences have been good, don’t listen to horror stories, it will hurt like hell and it’s hard but you’ll do what you need to do to get your baba here xxxxxx
Thanks Lianna89 I appreciate your comment and story as not really had much support especially not from my mother as all she has given me was “well you decided to get pregnant”
I feel a little better reading your story and will try remaining calm and just take tomorrow a step at a time x
Good luck hun! Before you know it you’ll be holding your baby, remember if you feel like your struggling with the pain don’t hesitate to ask for an epidural, I’m really glad I had one with my first. I begged for one with my second but the labor progressed too quickly! Xxxxx
I was induced post term with my daughter. I got to hospital just after 3pm on a Thursday, a midwife did some basic obs & put the monitor on for babies heart beat. I too had the pessery, I think a consultant decides what method to start with based on what midwife has recorded on your sweeps etc.
I finally got the pessery at around 7pm plus treated to an extra sweet as it was inserted for good measure. Wasn't long before contractions started and I spent the night pacing the ward, having warm baths etc. By the morning rounds it felt a bit much so at around 10am I was sent down to delivery for pethidine. I was still only 2 cms by that point.
Managed to get some rest for a few hours. I think my waters went at about 7pm. Pethidine had worn off so I had gas & air. I also was having urges to push at this stage so was told to just go with it even though I still wasn't fully dilated. Eventually at 00:02 Saturday my daughter made her appearance. I did struggle to push her out. they were about to do a cut to help but another push and she was here, although I did tear & ended up in theatre after all that- nowhere near as dramatic as it sounds, the tear wasn't as bad as they thought once they had a proper look.
My second labour was natural and my son took all day to arrive too so I think I just have long labours lol also, I thought the first time hurt, but having the comparison with a natural labour it was no worse.
Hope all goes well for you tomorrow, looking forward to seeing your birth announcement xx
Thank you Cheekymonkey85 for sharing your story and providing me with more insight of different scenarios or experiences.
Tomorrow is going to be an early start at 8am so hopefully things will take more action and my little monster decides to play ball more
No problem hun. I was scared because I was birth partner for my sister & she had a totally different experience so it did worry me. But all went well & my monkey is now approaching 6 in the new year 💗 will be thinking of you tomorrow x
I wasn’t keen on an induction, simply because it just isn’t natural and get wrong getting the baby out when he wasn’t ready, so to speak.
I had two fast natural births first, then lost No3 due to an ectopic pregnancy. Ever since my anxiety levels were high.
With pregnancy No4 I had additional health issues and then little one didn’t move much anymore so I got induced 10 days before due date.
A sweep Sunday night was step 1 and didn’t do anything. Breaking the waters Monday morning was step 2 and didn’t change anything either. Both were painfree.
Monday afternoon they put me on the drip and an epidural. 4 hours later I had my son in my arms. It was THAT uneventful from an induction point of view (little one wasn’t that well at the end but that had nothing to do with the induction).
I genuinely felt I’d cheated my way round giving birth as it was so easy and mostly piainfree compared to my older two. And this one, despite being 10 days early, was the heaviest by far with just a few grams under 4kg. (First one was just 3kg)
Due to a heart condition and previous quick births they put me on an epidural early, so I didn’t have to wait for that once the pain kicked in properly, but it honestly was by far the most relaxed and stess free birth I’ve had. Because you know when it’s happening, and they know too, everything is prepared and ready for you.
By now you’ll be in the middle of it all - all the best!!
I was induced 3 weeks ago at 38 weeks due to diabetes. I went into the induction ward at 10am Thursday and had the gel induction, This started contractions and I was monitored again after 6 hours. At that point they said they could break my waters, but didn’t want to as there were no available midwives- it was quite busy. My contractions continued throughout the day and then at 11pm I was told I should try to sleep and they’d review again at 4am. After a few checks I had a further gel application late morning and the process continued the same as the previous day. Again I went to sleep around midnight and my waters broke without assistance at 4am. Then I was moved to labour ward and put on the drip. At 6.30 after a full day of contractions again they decided that baby wasn’t coming naturally so she finally came via c section Saturday night.
Mine was a long birth and in the time I was in the induction ward I saw people moving through quite quickly so it showed that all cases were different. My advice would be to bring something to keep you occupied in case it ends up being a long wait. Have snacks and drinks ready and make sure you understand your pain relief options- towards the end of the process I went with an epidural so I’d be ready if a c section was needed.
I hope you have a speedy birth. It is all worth it in the end and is forgotten about quickly in the chaos of having a beautiful little one to focus on.
My daughter arrived naturally at 12 days overdue without a sweep or anything - some babies just take longer and you can request daily monitoring and wait for natural labour if you'd prefer to delay the induction process. Look up 10 month Mama's online! Baby will come when she's ready to! Good luck x
Thanks for all your comments I really appreciate all your help with just shedding more light on different experiences. Means a lot especially being a first time mum.
I went to the hospital this morning and was monitored before they discussed methods. During the monitoring they observed I was experiencing tightenings that were registered on the heart rate monitor. Midwife at hospital did a sweep but more thorough and said she had to sweep under the baby’s head as it was in the way. She also said whilst she was doing the sweep my cervix was tightening. Am 2cm dilated since Wednesday.
They have decided to send me home to let things continue as they feel with all these tightenings it could be later tonight I go into labour. They’ve also said my birth plan can still go ahead (water birth in the birthing centre) so that’s made me feel a little better. And I’ve also been given until Monday to have waters broken if nothing progresses but they feel it won’t be long.
That's amazing! Hopefully your baby is on its way 😊 very exciting & really pleased to hear your getting to have a chance to try your preferred water birth! My second baby was a water birth, I loved it x
I’m currently having really painful strong cramps followed by smaller ones then painful strong ones again. So hoping that is more signs I’m getting closer. X
You've probably already been told but keep active, if you've got a ball have a sit on that and rotate your hips etc good luck x
Was told to walk, have sex or do housework. So done walking around the house and housework. As soon as the pain starts I end up moving forward on the sofa which helps. Thanks x
That how it started for me as well few days ago so looks like soon you will be on the way back to the hospital - good luck and keep us updated x
I was induced because I was 12 days over. I had a sweep done the week before then went into the hospital on the Monday for another sweep and to have a pessary fitted. I then got to go home and was told that if nothing else happened I had to come in at the same time the following day to get it removed. I started to get contractions within 4 hours and they continued all day and night. Mine were in my back, it really threw me because I just assumed they would be at the front! Although the contractions were frequent they weren't long enough for me to go in so I went back the following morning as advised. I was only 1 or 2cm dilated and I hadn't slept all night! 🙈
They removed the pessary and put a process gel up there to try to get things started. After that I was told to go walking around and if nothing happens to make sure I was back in 6 hours to go and have my waters broken. They gel intensified the contractions in my back but again they weren't long enough for me to be in proper labour. By the time it came to breaking my waters I was in quite a bit of pain and exhausted. I couldn't face eating although I needed the energy! I was still only at 4cm which I was devestated about after more than 30 hours. They went to break my waters but there weren't any to break so they got a little worried about when they might've broken. The next step would've been to go on the drip to being on contractions but I started to have merconium come out of me and then my little girls heart rate dropped and my temperature went up so I ended up with a c section instead.
I was terrified before I went in and when I talk about it now it all sounds a little scary but at the time you just have to go with it. At no time was I worried about my safety or that of my baby because they monitor you throughout, I was just tired and wanted to get it all over with!
I wanted to have a water birth (our hospital has a lovely birthing suite!) and wanted limited intervention so every time it didn't work and I eventually ended up on the labour ward I cried which is so not like me! It's true what they say though, once it's over you couldn't care what happened as long as you have your safe arrival!
Only advice is keep an open mind and just go with the flow! Don't feel you need to be a martyr either, if you need the drugs take them, that's what they're there for!
Sorry for the essay! Good luck!
No need to apologise for the long post thank you for sharing. I personally feel like this sweep I have had done today has been the most effective as the tightenings hadn’t shifted since she did it.
They were going to go with the Cooks balloon method which I said I would rather not have. Luckily my cervix has other ideas. So feel kinda lucky with that.
My contractions/pain is starting from my back before going around the front as well. It’s almost like someone presses the pain on switch before turning it off.
I’ve opted for birth pool and gas and air originally for my plan but have spoken with my partner about seeing how it goes especially being they’ve predicted baby’s estimated weight would be 8lb14. He’d rather go c-section so I’m not in as much pain but has respected my decision of seeing what happens.
It's fantastic news that baby is playing ball! Hopefully in the next 48 hours you'll have a little bundle to cuddle!! Best of luck with it all, let us know how you get on!
Still monitoring contractions as they’re ranging between 5-8 minutes apart but last couple have been strong and long. Not sure if should ring or not.
I always got told when you have 3 in 10 minutes, but I guess it depends how you're coping. When I phoned in they wanted to speak to me because then they can tell how you're coping! Good luck with it all, I hope you're better at the breathing than I was!
Update for everyone: finally got admitted into hospital at midnight and kept in. Didn’t get much sleep due to the tightenings/contractions managed to last until about 4:30am with no pain meds just breathing. Pain meds they gave didn’t really do much.
Cervix thinned on its own so didn’t need the pessary. Baby has moved further down. This morning baby was not very active due to last night but is now back to normal. Now I am waiting for bed on labour ward to have waters broken and to be put on a drip then let the contractions begin which is the part I’m more scared about then pushing. Be glad when all the pain is over and I can cuddle my little one x
Glad things are moving forward. Have you dilated much at all?
Dilated to 3cm but baby’s head is low and cervix has thinned a lot. They seem happy with my progression and how I’m handling the pain and everything as a first time mum. It’s just the waiting for a bed that is annoying to begin the next phase
Sounds like your doing brilliantly hun. Sending lots of love 😊 x
Thank you. I’m nervous about the delivering part especially with the fact baby does seem to get tired after lots of contractions/tightenings. But plan on speaking with the midwife about it when they next visit
Honestly you will be absolutely fine. I did panic but only because I didn't understand what my body was doing- there's a transition phase where your body seems to rest then want to push. Didn't happen with my first but I felt it with my second. It feels like you need a poo, I panicked because I thought I was gonna do one in the pool in front of everybody 🙈 really freaked me out. Soon figured it out though. Just have faith that your body knows what to do & listen to midwives instructions x
I'm Praying For You and your little one. 
Sorry for the delay but finally got admitted into hospital on Saturday at midnight. And yesterday morning I had my little girl. 1hour labour. Didn’t end up following our birth plan as little lady was giving me back contractions. She ended up weighing 8lb4 but is petite
Congratulations hun 😊 hope everything went well considering the change of plan xx
Everything was fine except I lost 550ml of blood after being cut. So feeling little fragile down south. Had our first night at home yesterday but it is good. Just slowly recovering xx
Oh bless you. I hope your being well looked after x
Congratulations, glad to know she's here and that you're home. It's an interesting time down south for a bit, but it does get better 😂
Hope you're getting some sleep and lots of lovely snuggles with your girl x
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