How Did Your Induction Go?

My second baby was induced. They started me on pitocin at 6:30 AM and I had my daughter at 1:34PM. I was worried that my contractions would be more painful but that was definitely not the case. They told me I was having "monster" contractions and I didn't even feel them! Good luck!!

Have you gone in already? I would personally do all I could to delay the induction. Doctors can wait until 2 weeks overdue before intervening medically (they usually just don't like to). But it would be your right to push for it.

Pitocin makes contractions longer, stronger, and often closer together and most often women will need the epidural to handle the intensity. Yes, the "cascade of interventions" mentioned earlier is a real concern. Since your body has already birthed two healthy babies unmedicated I would advise to cancel it and wait for labor to start on it's own again. Your due date could be off a little or this baby/your body is just making final adjustments. You could go in to labor on your OWN today.

Whatever you do, congratulations and be confident that you'll get through!

For me it was slow and painful; unlike my first birth that was natural without inducing, but I was overdue and was not dialating at all. My doc inserted a bulb tube inside that would run water around to strip membranes along with pitocin drip; was very painful felt like I was being ripped apart. Sorry, just being honest. The nurse gave me a shot to make me fall asleep; when I awoke I was upset because I was swelling up... my legs and ankles weren't danty anymore but huge! So the doc pulled out the bulb & water tube and I began to slowly dilate. I was induced at 10pm and gave birth next day at 12pm. I heard other stories about women having easy inducing and all I can think is...what the heck happen to me...lol Hopefully, it isn't going to be like that for you due to you are already dialating. I wish you a happy inducing and a quick delivery.

mine was awesome. they started the pitocin at 7am, it started hurting around 12, so I got an epidural, and I had a baby by 5ish. It was nice. I got to finish the 2 books I was reading and my dad had time to get there (from 7 hours away)

If I had it to do again, I might have tried to hold out on the epidural a little longer, but my nap was worth it.

i was induced and WILL NOT do it again. labor was harder and longer, (23 hours, 45 min of non stop contractions) i started freaking out from the contractions (one would start and before that one was over, another would start...no break) almost had to do an emergency csection cause i could NOT relax, and was causing my daughter's oxygen supply to get cut off....dont' mean to scare you, but finally the eppidural was administered and i fell asleep for 6 hours before delivery.....was so relieved when it was over, i didn't cry or ne thing when i first saw her, just layed my head back in relief!

dont' mean to scare you but for me....it was hell

I've been induced both times, so I don't have anything to compare it to. But, short and sweet, it hurt, but my kids are here happy and healthy with no complications.

What one doc did tell me is that when you're induced it takes a long time to get to 4cm, but then it goes exponentially faster to 10. That certainly happened with my second (three pushes! No lie), so I would guess that if you're already at 3cm, you should be good to go.

Finally, if you do use medication, whatever : ) You won't love this one any different than the other two. Respect yourself and your body and do what feels best to you in the moment. Of course, if you don't medicate, that's great too. No mom guilt : )

Good luck.

Ok- just to let you know, I am the ONLY person I have ever talked to who had this experience- but when I was induced NOTHING happened!

My son was also late and was a big baby. Although I used nurse-midwives, the consensus was finally that I should be induced. My parents flew out for the weekend, I fasted and we went to the hospital. I was given a pitocin drip and....

For a while my husband and family wanted to visit me, but gradually everyone got bored from waiting for something to happen. They went to eat, my husband fell asleep, I was flipping channels on the TV and feeling... nothing.

LOL, after NINE HOURS of this, the doctor came and in and said something like " Well I can't really believe this, but nothing is happening. Do you want to try a couple more hours or wait and give it another few days?"

I was so starving by then I asked him if I could eat dinner if I took off the drip and went home. The doctor said "sure!" and I told him " Right now, I would rather have a sandwich than a baby!"

My dad flew back home and for the next week (the week before Christmas) my mom walked me up and down the streets of the village we lived in. I think everyone got about 20 Christmas presents from her that year because it was freezing and we kept ducking into shops to get warm. I went in for a stress test every day= baby was fine, just didn't want to come out!

Finally I went into labor while eating pancakes and bacon at the Original Pancake House! I did have a long labor- my son was almost 10 pounds and had a very large head when he was born! But everything went fine - it all just took a little longer than we had planned!

As I said, I am the ONLY person I have ever heard of pitocin NOT working on! I just wanted to share this in case something like that ever happens to anyone else! It was unusual- but it all worked out fine in the end for both me and my baby! Don't fret- good luck and congratulations!

I had an induction with my daughter. She was my first baby and I had to be induced 6 days prior to my due date. Like you, I was at 3cm when the induction began. My daughter was very low in the pelvis and had been for several weeks. I was wearing a support belt to be comfortable the last month or so of my pregnancy. My labor was short, only 6 1/2 hours from the start of the pitocin drip to delivery. Since she was my first, and as of yet, only birth, I don't have anything to compare it to pain-wise. I progressed very quickly going from 3cm to about 7cm in just under 3 hours. At that point, I had an epidural and continued to progress quickly and was ready to push in another 3 hours. I only had to push a few times to get my daughter out. In fact, my labor nurse almost had to deliver her and my doctor almost didn't make it to the hospital in time. She shoved the ob/gyn who was on call out of the way, dove into her gown and gloves and basically caught my daughter as she came out! I've been told that I might be the kind of person who just delivers quickly regardless of induction and that if we have another, I might want to camp out in hospital lobby the week before my due date! I hope your induction goes smoothly and you have the birth experience you want ending in a healthy baby! Good Luck!!

Give yourself a few more days, if you and baby are in good health. If there's no reason to be induced, then wait. You do not have to do what your doctor tells you; you run the show on this. You could also have your membranes swept first, to see if that gets things started. Good luck, and happy laboring!

I was induced after being a week late. I had a cake walk delivery adn was very fortunate. I went in at 4pm and they did the gels 1st, then went up to labor and delivery and they started pitocin. I believe it was after midnight I was given an epidural, I was not in any pain, just a little uncomfortable, but they had 2 c sections and didnt want me to miss my window. There was only on little scare, the umbilical cord was wrapped around my daughter 3 times so they had to adjust her when I had a contraction because at one point her heart rate dropped, but fine after that. At 545 I was ready to push and at 623 my daughter was born. I felt great never had any pain. Eben the nurses commented on how easy it was and how lucky I would bne if my second went as smoothly.
I am opposite of you now and am expecting #2 and dont have any idea what to expect if I naturally go into labor hehe. Good luck and congrats :)

I had 3 of my 5 kids induced -- and all were really just fine. None of them took too long once the pitocin got going (about 4 hours), and for 2 of them I had no pain medication. Each time, the doctor broke my bag of water, and that really got things moving. Good luck!!

I was induced and the doctor broke my water and it went very well. I gave birth 6 hours after being induced. I chose to have the epidural (thank god!) after the 14th hour of pretty constant labor even though I was still at 2cm and they started to induce during the 16th hour...by the 21st hour my son was born healthy and happy:) I was dialated at 2cm from 6am until 7pm. By 10pm I was at 4cm, by 11:30pm I was at 5cm and by 12:30am my son was born. Not sure this helps any, but it's fun to remember in a weird sort of way:)

I was induced for my first after my due date because of preeclampsia with cytotec and it worked very quickly. I went into labor about midnight and he was born at 7 am. It was an unmedicated labor (except for the cytotec). I just recently had a spontaneous labor with my second and honestly it didn't feel any different than the induced labor--it was faster (about 3 hours), but I just kept thinking that it felt the same as being induced, which is to say it didn't feel good :)! Good luck with everything...also, both my boys were late, the last one a week, you could just wait one or two more days (I know how hard this is!!!) and not have to be induced. Have they tried stripping your membranes? That's was finally got the second one going (I think..)

My daughter was induced, and it was much easier than I expected. My son (not induced) was born 18 hours after my water broke naturally, and I spent 2 hours pushing. My daughter was induced, and born 8 hours later after 10 minutes of pushing. She was also my second, so that could have been part of it, but I honestly had expected more problems. It was very smooth, and the risk of a C-section due to induction goes down since this is not your first baby. I'd be happy to talk to about it in more detail if you send me a private message.

I had inductions with both my pregnancies. With the first, I was three cm dilated and the doctor broke my water at the same time as they put in the drip, basically. After that, labour came on hard and fast and it was really intense and horrible and after an hour or so of that, I was still only 4 cm dilated and the nurse told me that it would be another 6 hours as it was generally an hour per cm. I nearly died when I heard that and so asked for the epidural immediately as I couldn't sit or stand or walk - everything was too painful - and I kept thinking that it couldn't be natural. Then, with my second pregnancy people told me that they had learned not to give so much pitocin right off the bat. Just to be doubly sure, I asked them to start off slowly. I was also positive that I wouldn't need much as I was already 4 cm dilated when I went in and I was having twins who were 7 lbs each. I also asked them not to break my water as I wanted to see if it would go naturally as I was sure it would be less painful that way. I was right - the second time around was much more pleasant. However, after labouring for nearly 7 hours I finally gave in and asked them to break my water. I got panicky and asked for an epidural shortly after that as I didn't want to experience the extreme pain again from the induction and Baby B was breach and they were talking about reaching in and turning him around - yikes! By this time I was nearly up to 13 cc of pitocin from 1 cc at the start and still no regular labour! In any case, I ended up having the babies three hours later and they also did the epidural differently. The second time around I could feel when to push, though I couldn't feel the pain. It was a really nice experience despite the fact that after pushing out the first I suddenly realized that I would have to do it all over again. ;-) Anyway, congrats on your third and good luck with it all!

I was on a full picotin drip and it took me 20 hours but I think I am the exception to the rule.

Easy peasy!
I was dilated to 3 when I went in with my second.
They started the pitocin low and over 4 hrs slowly cranked it up. (I never felt a contraction during this time, although I was having them.) When it was time to move things along, I asked for the epidural FIRST, and then the doctor broke my water. Contractions progressed nicely and I was pushing 9 hrs later.
I never felt a single contraction!

Now, I did wind up with a C-section, but we found out after 2 hrs of pushing that the baby was stuck in my pelvis and was face up. So it had nothing to do with induction.

I would do it again in a second!

I was induced with my fifth child, 8 days late, after going a bit early with babies 2, 3, and 4. The doctor started me on a whiff of pitocin. It got things going, but wasn't awful. In fact, I found myself wondering if labor wasn't as bad as I'd remembered it to be. Then, after several hours of slow progress, the doctor broke my water. Once that happened, everything really got moving and started to hurt, a lot - but not worse than it had with my other deliveries. Before I was induced, I was a little nervous because I had been induced before. It was my first, and I think the doctor had some issues. So it was an unpleasant experience. But the most recent induction was not much different from my previous deliveries, aside from the fact that I started out in the hospital much sooner.

They will likely break your water, see if you start up on your own...then start the pitocin drip and slowly crank it up, depending on how well your baby tolerates it. If the baby's heart rate drops, they turn it down to keep the stress level down. As you are already 3cm, I don't think it should take too long for the entire thing to be over and your baby there. I did about 3 hours with pitocin and no epidural with DD (I had already had contractions for 14 hours 2 min apart and NO DILATION at that point) and 2.5 hours with pitocin and no epidural with DS -- Yes, I was basically induced 2 times. When I went to the hospital with DD, I had had 2 min apart real contractions for 14 hours and no dilation so the doc said either stay and we will break your water and start pitocin drip or go home and come back when the baby is ready to come. I was like -- how the heck am I supposed to know that when my contractions are ALREADY TEXT BOOK. Needless to say, I stayed. 2nd was 7 days late. Currently prego with #3 and hoping for spontaneous labor this time! *sigh*

If your other deliveries weren't so long or difficult that you avoided any pain medicine than you should be AOK as long as your induction progresses quickly enough! You are well on your way!

I think after I got induced, it went by pretty quickly. I know I have an epidural beforehand because my mom suggested I get it because the contractions would start coming faster. I'm know sure if you're for or again being medicated but just wanted to throw that out there. Good luck!

I have not personally been induced, but having worked in the field for many years, I would talk to your doctor about possibly just breaking your water to see if that is all you need. My sister was in a similar situation as you with her second, they broke her water to start the induction and she delivered her son a few hours later, no pitocin. I think the contractions would be more natural (not excessively strong or close together) if your body was encouraged into labor this way. With my 4th child, my water broke spontaneously with no signs of labor, I was only 38 weeks and was barely one cm dilated. The contractions started within a couple hours, were strong and regular within the couple of hours or so and he was born a few hours later. All of my births were unmedicated. If the water breaking is not enough on its own you could ask about nipple stimulation (either manual by you or with a breast pump), there are protocols for how long/how often to do the nipple stim. Again, it would be your body's own hormones regulating your labor. There are so many components of labor that we have no clue about, pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) is just one of many factors. I think labors are more manageable and smoother when the body does as much as it can on its own. Good luck!

You probably have your baby now, but if not, one option is to have your provider strip your membranes. It's something you can talk about with them.

I've never been induced, but good luck! I am also pregnant with my 3rd and have had two unmedicated spontaneous births, so I can imagine what you are feeling now, and the concern and disappointment.

Is there anyway they can try to break your water first to send you into labor, rather than using pitocin? Maybe use the pitocin if spontaneous labor doesn't start? I don't know...I'm just throwing things out there. I had discussed this with my midwife during my other two pregnancies, which were both past 40 weeks.

At 9+ days overdue, it sounds like it's probably medically necessary to induce, and hopefully they can start you on a low dose of pitocin and your body can take over from there. At 3+ cm, you should be ready to go.

Good luck!
K

I had a great induction experience. I was also overdue and had low fluids and like you I was already 3-4 cm dialated. They hooked me up to the lowest possible does of Pitocin at 5:00 at my daughter was born at 7:30. I don't think that the contractions were any worse than my previous non-inducted birth and it was so much faster. Good luck. It will go great I am sure!

I had 2 inductions...they were both fine. In the hospital at 6am and holding my babies by Noon....but I have fast labor and ironically enough, my first born child was the only one that wasn't induced but with him I was at the hospital at 6am and holding him by Noon!

So, I am going to guess that this one for you will be similar to your first 2.

Everything should be fine...and probably quicker than you think ;)

Congrats on your new baby...having my 3rd was the best decision of my life!

They didn't break my water first. They gave me the pitocin first. I came in with 3 cm as well. Once the pitocin kicked in the contractions started to come. That was at about 9 am. Contractions kept on coming stronger and stronger. I was in labor allll day! In the afternoon they broke my water. I started to push like at 8 pm. and the baby was born at almost 11 pm. But it was because I had an epidural and it worked a little too well, so I couldn't really feel where I was pushing and that is why it took so long.

But as you already know every woman is different. Good luck!

I think that's all you will need since your body is preparing for birth even though your overdue :) I unfortunately had to be induced with my first and it wasn't pleasant...ended up with a C-section anyway. BTW I was overdue and showed no signs of going into labor. I think you'll be fine.

induced twice - by 8 am and had both boys before lunch. relax - it goes quick!

I was induced with my first, and it worked well... took a while, but it was a first baby. I did the first 6 hrs w/o drugs and then "gave in" as I was only 2 cm..... even w/ the drugs, she was born happy and healthy after 23 hrs!!!

So, since it's not your first, I think it will be just fine. Once you get going... it will be fine.... enjoy the new little one.

I had 2 inductions, both at 42 weeks. Both went fairly quickly, with me ready to push in just a few hours. The thing with pit is that it brings on very strong contractions, that are very close together. Natural labor it way easier to handle without meds, my contractions on pit were less than 30 seconds apart leaving no time for recovery inbetween. But over all, it was not bad, and even with the epidural I was up and walking 20 minutes later, and the babies nursed right away with no ill effects.

Blessed Be and congratulations.

Both of my children were induced and it was fine. Don't expect, however, that you'll get the pitocin and 30 minutes later you'll have a baby. It could take time. Or, since it is your third it could be all hot dog in a hallway.

Just have an open mind and keep the health of yourself and your baby in the forefront. Good luck!