Labor Induction - Flanders,NJ

Hi A.,
I'm a birth doula. Please don't take the suggestion of induction lightly. It has more consequences than most people think, to both mother and baby. I'll be happy to answer questions here so that others can read as well. For starters, please read this article:

http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/birth_p...

I have many more in my files and would be happy to share.

K.

Hi,

I was also induced for my baby girl. Donnot worry, its not at all a bad experience. I took epidueral becoz of induced labor and everything was quite normal and I had a vaginal delivery n my baby is healthy.

Rgds
G.

Hi A.,

I just had my first baby in May. My doctor tried to induce me for 4 days (two of which I was admitted into the hospital for). It didn't work and I ended up with a c-section which was not bad at all (I would actually recommend it). Even though I didn't dilate, I had a lot of contractions from the pitocin and you can't eat or drink while on it. If you are not dilated at all, being induced does not always work.
Hope that helps a little. Good luck!!

Hi A.,

I have never been induced but I am the mother of three little girls - my third born July 11th, 3 weeks ago, and if there is one thing I know it is that every woman's experience is different and every pregnancy is different. Some mother's inductions have gone well and some haven't but no one else's experience can guarantee or even suggest what yours will be. My third little girl was born at 41 and 1/2 weeks. At that late date she was only 7 lbs. - she obviously needed some more time to grow. Due dates are very imprecise.

And as the nurse who responded to you said, there are many risks associated with unecessary interventions in the birth process.

Unless your baby is in some kind of danger, why would you want to force her to be born if she is not ready? God has planned the exact time and date that she will be born and He has perfect timing!

Hello A.,
Honestly, what is his rush? unless there will be complications for example if you are diabetic and having a very large baby or if you are past your due date and there is no signs of labor. i truly do not see a need for induction. I think let nature take it's course and if nature needs a little help then there should be intervention. That's just my opinion. And i've had 2 babies. Good luck and please tell us how everything works out.

Hi A. -

I'm also a birth doula and would strongly suggest you ask your doctor for his reasons as to why he thinks this procedure is called for. You have every right to question him. Just remember this is your body and your baby and you have the right to informed consent.

Best Wishes!
C. CD(DONA)

A., I am a dual certified birth doula (professional labor support person). Has your doctor given you any reasons why he wants to induce early? You have a right to ask questions and understand what his reasoning is (whether it be medically necessary or because he is going on vacation.

Hi A., my name is L.. First off - congratulations! and an early happy birthday to Shayla Jade.
I was 34 when I had my first too - it was very cool!!

Unless there's some health/safety concern with your or your baby - why can't the doctor wait? Is the doctor trying to plan a vacation or something? I'm all for letting little Shayla Jade decide when she's ready to say hello to the world.Don't let the doctor make you feel like it's something you HAVE to do - unless there's some concern... GOOD LUCK and HAPPY BABY!

What's your doc's hurry? Pitocin induction creates a clamping sort of contraction and it's harder on mom and child than regular contractions. It also increases your chances on getting an epidural and C-section, especially for a first time mom. Unless you and your baby are in danger, you might want to hold your doctor off. People also change doctors as late as when they go into labor if they discover that their beliefs on how to manage their childbirth is different than the doc's. So definitely keep your options open. If you are birthing at HUP or with Penn Midwives, you can get a free doula (that is if you don't have one already). There are a lot of great articles online about the dangers and why you shouldn't induce as well. Take a look at them before you decide what to do. Ultimately it's up to you, not your doc or your provider, since you are the one who has to go through it. Good luck. --Y.

Unfortunately I am in a rush and can't all that I would want to. There is no legitimately sound medical reason fro inducing labor unless yoru child is in legitimate danger or you are. Instead it has sadly become a routenly over used medical intervention. Pitocin which is what is used to induce is a synthetic form of a human hormone present at birth (oxytocin) and it is administered in a one size fits all dose (unlike how the body releases oxytocin) therefore giving your body no chance to build up the contractions adn it over takes you with intense pain, whichmost women can't handle physically or emotionally which immediately leads you to ask for an epidural which in turn slows down the progrssion of labor (b/c of the fact that you were induced beofre WAY before your baby was ready to be bnorn, after all it is the baby that secretes a hormone that tells your body to start labor) adn so one intervention begets another and shortly you are wheeled to the operating room for a completely unnncessary c-section. Inducing is more conveninet for doctors b/c they know excatly when the "show" will take place and can schedule several aptients conveniently adn allow room fro thei socail calendars.

It is perfectly safe adn NORMAL fro a first time mom to give birth up to 10 days or so after her so called due date. Due dates are not infallable, after all every woman's cycle is NOT 28 days adn this is t hemaigc number used in figuring out your due date. I am not a 28 day cycle woman so it is not precisely appropriate to solely relly on my estimated bue date when it is obtained throught this formula.

Call me if yo uwant at ###-###-#### (cell). I will be out most of the day.

Good Luck,
R.

PS/ I am a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) and most importantly a mom myself (of a 2 year old).

A., whay does your doctor want to induce? Is it for medical reasons, or is it just an option? Most doctors, now, prefer to induce beacause they'll be able to schedule your labor, the labor will be quicker, and more convenient for them. But, for me, I wish I never agreed to it. I regretted it. It takes away from the excitement of going into labor unexpectedly, and takes away from the beauty of nature's way of letting you know it's time. Plus, my baby had an umbilical hernia, where his belly button bulged out like a squishy piece of flesh the size of a Vienna Sausage. It looked really gross, but wasn't something serious. However, it's usually caused by the surrounding muscles being under-developed, which made me think, "What else could not be fully developed because I let them induce early?" I felt guilty for wanting them to "take" the baby just to relieve my own discomfort, and to be able to "plan" it around everyone's schedules. From the time they gave me the first dose of Potocin, to the time the baby was out, was only four hours! It was four extremely painful, agonizing hours! And it was not the experience I had dreamed about. You may want to reconsider, and let nature take over.

Hi A.,

My labor started spontaneously but was augmented with Pitocin (same drug most OB’s use to induce) to speed the process. It was my first labor so I didn’t have a frame of reference for the experience. As far as my doctor and the hospital staff were concerned everything went fine. I had an epidural too, so I didn’t feel the intensity of the contractions that Pitocin causes. I’ll never know though, if the experience was more stressful on my daughter as Pitocin cases contractions to be much longer and stronger than naturally. As I understand it, with Pitocin, if the uterus clamps down on the umbilical cord during one of those super-contractions, the baby could be made to go for 5 minutes without vital oxygen and other nutrients from the umbilical cord, causing fetal distress and ultimately an emergency C-section. That is one of the reasons why the C-Section rate is so much higher where Pitocin is used. Another reason C-section rates are higher with inductions, is that you’ll spend your entire labor, from the first contraction till you give birth, in the hospital, instead of laboring at home untill reasonably dilated. Any labor that goes beyond a certain amount of time (And the clock starts when you enter the hospital, not when labor actually begins.) is deemed dysfunctional and in need of intervention by Dr’s. They do this out of a genuine desire for safety and predictability in the process of labor and birth. However, there is a lot more natural variability in labor and birth than there is in, say, a factory floor. Their model is based on the technological paradigm which birth does not fit into so well. So they end up cutting off their nose despite their face sometimes. Dr’s come off highly authoritarian. So you tend to feel like they’re the bosses and you have to do what they say. But legally speaking, you are the guardian of your child and of yourself and that includes your body. And you have the legal right to informed consent or refusal of any procedure. OB’s know allot, but there are other approaches out there, which sport markedly better report card scores in terms of lower rates of C-sections, episiotomies, perineal tears, shoulder dystocia, use of forceps and vacuum extractors, postpartum hemorrhages, neonatal deaths and many more scary outcomes. So feel free to double-check the facts when your Dr. sites your baby’s safety and wellbeing as the reason to go along with his or her recommendation.

I hope this was helpful.
Warm regards,

M.

Congratulation A.,
My first birth was a natural birth and I wanted to do the same second time around. With the second pregnancy I was 12 days overdue and it made the doctors very nervous, so they pushed for induction. I was still able to have natural birth (no drugs) even with pitocin and had a very good experience (painful, but good) Everybody's body is different everybody's experience is different, what exactly are your worries?

Hey A.,

I would say DON"T DO it. The only person who might possibly pay for your doctor rushing you is YOU!!! These early inductions most always end in C-sections. Way too many of my friends have this story. Unless your baby is under some unusual stress - wait for your body to do its thing.

Hi A.,
This is my first time to read/respond to a question on the site. Just signed up this evening.:-) I am a labor doula and was interested in your question. Why is your doc wanting you to be induced?? What kind of birth were you hoping/planning for? non medicated, medicated, delayed medication if needed, ??? That matters because being induced may limit your options. Is there a medical reason for the induction? Babies are kinda like popcorn, some pop early some pop late but most pop somewhere in the middle. So just because you haven't "popped" yet doesn't mean something is wrong. I usually tell my "mommies" that some mommies are "crock pot" method, some "conventional oven" method and some "microwaves". You are not even "late". What's the hurry? There are things you can do to help encourage things along, but there are no gaurentees. These little ones can't read yet so even IF they could get the "memo" they couldn't read it yet. :-) write back and let me know why your doc is wanting to get things going so fast. You could always delay the "induction date" for 2 more weeks. So you still have a date but it gives you some time. by the way did your doc tell you what your "Bishop's Score" was? That tells you the likelyhood of a successful induction. That means not all inductions end in full blown labor, every now and then you have to try again another day.
Let me know,
A. B
PS Enjoy each and everyday you get to hold this little one inside of you, there is nothing in this world like being pregnant.

Hi A.,
First, congratulations! Your baby is almost here! Second, is this a convenience induction or a medically motivated induction? I mean is this just so your doctor can move you along or does he/she feel that it is an urgent matter for the health of yourself or the baby? If there is good medical reasoning I would go ahead but most times doctors just don't want to be inconvenienced by the hassle of an unscheduled labor. If you are trying to have a natural child birth I would say wait because the use of pitocin (the drug used to create the contractions) is very strong and they will likely also want you to have an epideral to combat the forced pains.

Best of Luck!

Does your OB have any reasons for wanting to induce before your due date? I'd be more concerned about the motivations for such moreso than the induction itself.

A., unless the baby is at risk, I recommend that you hold off being induced until the very last day allowed by the doctor. The reason I say this is because with my first child, Chester County OBGYN told me that I needed to schedule an induction of labor after only being a few days past due. I really didn't want to, but I did it reluctantly. The process itself wasn't bad, but the baby didn't tolerate it and they had to do an emergency C-Section. This has happened to other moms I know as well. It may go perfectly fine with you, but there is always a chance the baby won't tolerate the induction process. My opinion is that the baby(generally speaking) will come when it is ready and as long as there is no risk to you or the baby, I think you should wait it out.
In regards to the induction process, it really wasn't a big deal. I didn have Pitocin with my 2nd child (5 months old) to speed up the labor process and the contractions were over the top. My suggestion is to get the Epidural. Once you get that there is no pain. :)
Good luck!
D.

I don't know why he would induce you when it is not past your due date???? It seems to me that Docters are way to eager to get expectant mothers out of the way for some reason. I am from Canada and it just doesn't work that way there. Unless someone is going on a couple weeks late, then they talk about labor induction. It just doesn't seem right to me. Sorry, just my thought. My son was 2 weeks early though.
If your baby is not ready to come out, i beleive there must be a reason??? Doesn't everything happen for a reason and work out in the end?
Well, good luck A....and remeber, when the baby does come, sleep when she sleeps and don't worry about your house work.

Induction is no big deal - if your doctor is trying to avoid other complications - like increase blood pressure etc. I would go for it!
I would try to avoid pain meds if possible. You got to go with what ever works and be accepting of yourself, your baby and your body - but I do think epiderals slow things down.

Good Luck!

Hi,
I was induced last December. My son was a week late. He was my first so I can't compare it to anything but it wasn't bad. You walk into the hospital on a planned visit rather than rushing and everything is ready for you to have your baby. That was kind of nice. They induced me at 8 am. Broke my water at noon, had an epidural around 12:15 and had my son Jake at 3:27. It really wasn't bad. The contractions hurt pretty badly but after I got an epidural my husband and I just slept and watched part of a movie. I started to really feel the contractions around 3. After 7 minutes of pushing I was done. I can't complain too much. I really liked walking in and having an appointment for delivery. Very calm. Good luck!

Hey there! I was induced with all three of my kids. It's really not that bad. It makes the contractions stronger, but it makes the labor go faster. I don't have anything to compare it to but here's the way my experiences with induction were. I started the pitosin(sp?) at 7 am for the 1st and around 10 am for the other 2. I had an epidural with the first and had the next two naturally. The doctor broke my water around the same time of day (11:30am- 12 pm) with all of them. I had the first at 5pm, the 2nd at 3:15 and the 3rd at 2pm. I hope that helps a little. Feel free to email me at ____@____.com if you have any more questions. TTFN!! A.

Hi A.,
Both of my boys were induced. My olders, who is now 17 was extremely difficult because it was 8 hours even after the induction and they did not want to slow me down with meds. My second was 12 years after and with an epidural (pardon my spelling?) and it was a lot easier. Oh by the way, I am not the most tollerant when it comes to pain.
Good Luck.
J.

Hi A.. I have 2 little boys and was induced with both of them w/ potosin (sp?) because my water broke- but no labor symptoms- nothing as far as moving toward delivery. Everything went fine both times- but everyone is different. Just relax- don't stress- and when its all over it'll so be worth it!!! Good luck!!!

Hi A.. My name is T. and I'm 32. I have been induced twice. The firt time I was 37 weeks pregnant and had the symptoms of preeclampsia. I ended up needing a c-section because I was too ill to go any further (it had been 24 hours). My second induction was when I was 38 1/2 weeks pregnant. I was induced b/c one of my legs was very swollen and they were concerned with clotting. That induction went much better. I was dilated between 1 and 2 cm when we started. I had the baby within 12 hours. If there is a medical reason to induce, I would listen to your doctor. Otherwise, follow your gut. Good Luck.

Hi A.,

I was induced with my first child last year. I defintely thought it was very intense but I also got the epidural. From the time I was induced to the time I had my son it was a total of 10 hours. I don't think it would have been that fast if I wasn't induced. I was happy with my results and wouldn't have changed a thing.

Hope this helps,
E.

A.,
I am a 28 year old mom of 9 month old twins. I was induced due to pre-eclampsia. I did carry the twins to 38 weeks and my doctors were not going to induce unless there was a problem with me or my children (even though I wanted them to due to being so very uncomfortable). My experience was fine. I was induced at 1:00pm, but did not deliver my daughter until 2:30am. I did receive an epidural which was wonderful! I had my entire family in the delivery with me up until the time I had to start pushing which was around 11:00pm. I would ask the doctor why he/she wants to induce b/c like myself, I wanted to try and have them w/out drugs, but due to the confinement of my bed with the pitocin and other drugs for my pre-eclampsia, I was unable to walk or use other techniques for the contractions. I would hold off on the induction unless there is a health risk for you and/or your baby.

Good luck!

Hi A.. My name is B.. I have four children and I was induced for three of them. I think that labor in itself is unpleasant. I think the pitocin just brings it on maybe a bit stronger or faster. It helps if you're already dilated, it will go faster. The one good thing about induction is that you can usually get an epidural as soon as you want, that is if you're planning on one for pain management. I was actually able to nap through my last childbirth and watch a movie.

Wishing you the best of luck!!!

Hi A., my induction wasn't so unpleasant. I actually welcomed it b/c I was pretty freaked out about going into labor on my own! It was nice actually being at the hospital w/ nurses around to make sure everything was going ok rather than staying at home until they said I could come in. They were able to break my water at 5 pm, the contractions came quickly, by 10 pm the anesthesiologist was there and my epidural kicked within a half hour and I was happy as a clam. I was able to rest for a couple of hours. The nurse asked if I was ready to start pushing at 2 am and by 2:42, my boy was born! Some may say it's unpleasant b/c it works faster than your body doing it naturally but I was happy to get through that as soon as possible. I am expecting my second and I am hoping that they want to induce me!!! Good luck!

A.,

First I'd like to say that the folowing is my OPINION.

I do not understand why your doctor wants to induce early. They generally wait untill about 2 weeks AFTER your due date to induce unless your health or the babies is suffering.

I started to get labor pains on a Sunday, but nothing was really happening and they came & went. It continued that way untill Wednesday night. They were constant and painfull Wednesday evening. I went to the hospital Thrusday morning & they sent me home saying I wasn't progressing. I went in again Friday (I was schedueled for a non-stress test) and (still having pains) couldn't even walk through some of the contractions - the nurse taking me back to the testing room even said I was in labor. They still sent me home. I hadn't slept since Tuesday night (other than noding off here and there) because of the contractions. Finally on Saturday My mother, grandmother and I went to the hospital (they were not going to take me home without a baby to go with!) and the hospital admitted me at their insistance. I was in labor untill early evening when they said they were going to induce me because I wasn't progressing. At that point I told them if they wanted to induce I wanted an epidural.

I too have been told that an un-medicated epidural is really bad, but I had an epidural first. The epidural was fine, although I still couldn't sleep on it - when I tried I was still semi-awake and could hear everything in the room. The induction didn't do too much in my case anyway because my daughter was born even though my contractions were still 1-7 mins appart! My contractions never stabalized, but I still only pushed for 20 mins and my daughter was born.

Good Luck & Congrats!
R.

HI

My partner was not induced. her mid wife called it was enhanced or helped. They used rose something to increase dilation, and to think of it they did give her that drug to keep the contractions going. The problem that she had was that she reached 10 CM, but didn’t stay at 10CM. when she was pushing she must have went back down, and she was RIPPED!!! Too many stitches even for her mid wife to say.

I do believe that if she had a Dr instead of a mid wife that this would not have happened. That the Dr would have stopped and a C Section would have been preformed.

I do recommend the epidural. Unfortunately when Lynn gave birth she waited so long to have hers that she was exhausted by the time she had to push, and didn’t know how too. When it was my turn a year and a half later, I learned. (It’s just like pushing when you’re constipated)

Hope this helps

Karen

Hello A.,

My name is C. and I was 36 when I gave birth to my first child - with her I had be induced as my water broke, but labor did not start. My second child - now 4 months old - I gave birth being 38 years old. My due date with him was March 18, but my doctor suggested to induce March 16th, as going that close to the due date and not starting and not even any signs of labor, the placenta gets "old" and somewhat unsafe for the child. And in my case this was quite beneficial, as my son's head actually turned out to be too big and it would have been very serious if I would have not been in the hospital at the time labor did start. I definatly would suggest going ahead with inducing, as you are so close to your due date and having doctors around you 24/7 at this point as a big plus. All the best and CONGRATULATIONS! Shayla Jade will be a blessing every day. Kind regards, C.

Hello A.,

I was induced for my pregnancy as well. I am 37 years old and have a 15 month old son. It is an unpleasant experience but its not all that bad. They give you medication so your not really coherent anyway. If you have support people then you'll be fine...I had my best friend and my husband in the room holding my hand and that made it easier for me. It's all different for everyone...but don't worry so much just go with it...and once your baby is in your arms ...you'll forget the whole thing. Anymore questions please email me.

Kelly

I was induced 8 days before my daughter's due date. I did not find it to be terribly unpleasant as long as I had my epidural. You will probably be unable to deliver without any pain management because the intensity of the contractions are increased as the dosage of oxytocin (pitocin?) is increased which is different than what your body does naturally. That being said, the birth was relatively easy. I have no complaints.

K.

Hi A.,

I was induced with my second child because I was over a week late. They gave me pitocin through an IV. It was not more or less painful or uncomfortable than going into labor naturally with my first, and it was actually more predictable because we made an appointment to be at the hospital and start it. Good luck ! Ana

A.,

My due date was Aug. 4th last year. I was induced on Aug. 10th. I think as with anything some people will take it better than others, but it wasn't as bad as the horror stories I had heard. Of course it also was my 1st so I don't have much to compare it with. The pitocin did make me sick to my stomach but I think it also helped my labor go quicker. I don't know if you plan on having pain medication, I didn't and the contractions were very strong (just have someone standing by with a hand of steel so you can squeeze it. Sounds dumb but it helped me) but it was tolerable for me (and I don't handle pain very well). All in all it is not plesent but when you look back on it the pain is nothing compared to the beautiful new love you will have in your life.

Hi A.! Induction definitely is NOT the most fun, but neither is being very pregnant! I was a few days late when my doctor suggested induction to me, and at that time, I was not comfortable with the idea because I had read too, that it is usually more gruelling and most wind up with C-sections, which was another idea that I was not comfortable with. Since the baby was fine and there were no complications, we agreed to wait another week. So at ten days past my due date, I was ready. I had had a week to digest the implications, I knew I was giving the baby a little extra time to come on her own, and I was more than ready to do whatever it takes to get on with this labor process. My advice is to do what you are comfortable with, you can't allow the baby to stay too long, because that's more complications, but don't feel forced to do something you aren't ready to do as long as the baby is doing fine. Induced Labor can be very time consuming and tiring and you need to feel okay with that. The drugs (cervidil) that they started me off with the night I went in, did put me in labor but the contractions were not strong enough to make a difference so I opted for the pitocin the next morning which did get me going. But my daughter was born that day (11 days late). I did have to have the c-section in the end, but not because of the induction, (the cord was loose around her neck). But she was born perfect and healthy and it was worth it. Good Luck!

Hi A.:

I had my 1st baby at age 26 and my doctor decided to induce me 8 days after my due date. my induction was due to high blood pressure. the induction was great - within 7 hours i delivered a healthy 8lb. 7oz. baby girl with no problems - delivery was vaginal - did not need vacuum or forceps. everything went great - started pitocin at 8:30AM, my water broke at 11AM - laboring cramps started at 11:15AM - had an epidural at 11:30AM and by 2:30PM was fully dialated to 10cm, so i started pushing, by 3:30PM the baby was born.

i was not worried, scared or upset about my induction and i think this helped. i was very calm, relaxed and listened to my doctors during the "hard labor" - ie, pushed when told and just concentrated on getting the baby down and out. i plan on getting pregnant again soon and i hope my next delivery is as smooth and great as my 1st one was. just remember to relax and think about not being pregnant anymore - ahhh, now that's pure bliss.

also, be sure to keep your eye out for those "baby blues". the week after i delivered my little bundle of joy, i did nothing but cry and felt like my world was turned upside down. i called my doctor and told him what i was feeling and he wanted to see me that day. i was diagnosed with ppd, post-partum depression, and put on anti-depressants - weaned myself off the anti-depressants after 20 months because i started preparing for my next pregnancy - still have some symptoms, but they are manageable, ie: insomnia & very irritable at times. if you need anyone to talk to after the baby, please feel free to email me at ____@____.com; the first 3 months were the most difficult, but then it was great and it still is - my now 2 year old is the greatest gift ever - she's the absolute best! Good luck and PUSH!

Hi A.,
I was induced with my first child three years ago because I was 11 days past my due date and had only dialated 2cm with no signs of labor. My personal experience with it was not a favorable one. This is one area that most of the birth classes do not seem to cover. I was given Pitocin to start labor and let me tell you that my labor pains went from 0 to 60mph in a matter of a couple of minutes. The nurses were pretty good about offering some drugs to help with the pain, which (if you're going to take the drugs) was a very good thing. Keep in mind that the induction does not always work the first time. I have two very close friends that were induced, one took three different times and the other took almost 48 hours to finally work. I would be concerned (at least IMHO) that your doctor wants to induce right around your due date. Of course there could be medical issues that you do not mention.
I wish you the very best of luck on what will be a truly amazing (and exhausting) experience. If you have any other questions, drop me a line (jbraughler at yahoo.com)
J.

I don't know why your doctor wants to induce but I would find out why? Get another doctor to take a look at your case if you still have questions. I went into labor on my own but was given meds to get things going and it was not fun at all. My sister-in-law also found the meds to make the contractions more regular very unplesent. Everyone is differnet so don't worry. I labored with light meds so it ended up not to be so bad by the time I had to push. 3 pushes and my son was out! If there is no medical reson for doing an induction talk to your doctor and see if you can wait. If you can't wait you'll make it don't worry!! Good Luck! Before you know it you will have your little baby in your arms!! Let us kow how it goes.

Hi A., I was induced for both of my children. Labor is an unpleasant experience no matter what you do.... but the memory of the pain passes quickly once you are holding those precious babies in your hands. If you are going to induce, I recommend getting an epidural quickly (don't wait too long like I did).
Good Luck in your decision.

Hi A. and Congratulations! I am a Mom of 4 - all of my children were by cesarean but I was induced with my first child. My suggestion to you is mixed - is there a particular reason they want to induce you now? If there is no apparent health threat to you or the baby I would opt to wait as a "due date" is rarely accurate and it's not unusual to go well past that date to deliver. Some Dr's will induce a Mom to comply with a schedule. As far as it being "unpleasant" - labor pains at any time are unpleasant but with induction they are stronger and longer. I recommend you talk with your Dr about an epidural. While it won't take all of the pain away it will help to comfort you some. As a side note about the epidural - you may have heard some nasty things about them but I have had an "epi" twice and the first one was in for 4 days - with no complications and at that point in time the pain that is caused by inserting the needle is just "par for the course". I hope this helps you to some degree. Let me know if you would like to talk about anything else. Best of luck to you at this joyous but scary time! ~ J.

Hi A.,

I was induced with my daughter a week and a day after her due date. All labors (even when induced) can be quite different, so please don't worry yourself unnecessarily. Once the pitocin was started, the contractions came on quickly and strongly. I got my epidural around 5 centimeters and was quite comfortable. I did have a fourth-degree tear (she was my first child, 8 lbs. 9 oz.), but the recovery was not nearly as bad as people would have you believe. From start to finish, it took six hours. My best advice to you is to focus on relaxing and breathing rather than worrying. Focus on positive thoughts--your baby girl will be here soon! The more relaxed you are, the better off you'll be. Best of luck!

Laury

Well, I am a nurse with experience in maternal child nursing and I would say it depends on the reason you are being induced. Yes, induction with pitocin tends to bring contractions on a bit stronger than they would occur naturally, but an induction with a cervical ripening agent tends to be a bit less intense (this is usually how it is attempted initially). Is the baby large for gestation, or are you having symptoms of preeclampsia or gestational diabetes?
-S.
p.s. I like the name! I think my parents are the only ones in the world who picked my spelling.

Hi A.!
My name is Ann and I live in Dallastown. Our son was born on Sept.26. I was induced, 4 weeks early, because I kept having premature labor. I was in the hospital 11 times! I really liked induction and didn't have any bad experiences with it. I guess it can be different for everyone! They gave me an epidural at 10:30 and induced me at 11am. The doctor broke my water shortly after that. I was very comfortable all afternoon and was even able to sleep. I began pushing at 6:00pm and Noah was born at 6:08! The nurses said they thought I broke a hospital record! Noah and I did not have any side effects from the induction. Noah was in NICU for 9 days, since he was 4 weeks early and had some breathing problems. But, he is all caught up and a big, healthy boy now! I hope this helps you with your decision! Good luck and God Bless!
Ann
PS. This was my 2nd pregnancy. We also have a 3 yr old daughter, Adrianna. I had an epidural with her, but was not induced. I thought the induction was easier!

I wanted to know WHY your doctor wants to induce you? I have had three children ,all were natural childbirth. My last two were 6 days past their due date(which is only a guideline due date really.)They were both 8pounds 13 ounces, no pain meds. My doctor had scheduled me for an induction but they both came before then. I am sorry I don't have any personal advice about induction but my friend has had two inductions and had only pleasant experience with them. Hope this helps, and Best Wishes for you and your baby!!!!!

I wasn't inducted with my first child, but a very good friend was just inducted with her second. She said that it was very uncomfortable. She would have a regular contraction and just as that was starting to end, she'd have a Patocin contraction. They were back to back like that the whole time she was in labor, which was like 3 hours. Labor is scary and there is no way to know what is going to happen. It's not easy, that's why it's called labor. Every person's body responds differently and there is no way you know until you are there. I was in labor for 21 hours with my son. I pushed for 4.5 hours. My eppidural wore off twice. And I ended up having a c-section. But we get through it and it's all worth it. Every minute, every hour. We make it through. Besides, that is why science invented drugs.

Hi A., first of all congrats! Secondly, I am sure you are asking this question because you are nervous. I have no experience w/ induction but I wanted to say that it is perfectly normal to be nervous and every birth is different. So if you heard any unpleasant stories, dont take them to heart, everyone's experience will be unique to them. Good Luck! You will do GREAT!!!

A.,

Why do they want to induce you early? Is there some kind of a risk factor involved?

I have 3 children. 14, 3, and 9 months. I was induced with my 2nd two. It is totally different, in my opionion, that going natural. It was a lot more painful (contractions) and I felt like I was in labor forever. My 3 yr old took 17 hours. My baby, they started induction on Sunday Evening and I delivered him on Tuesday morning. My 14 yr old, water broke at home, went to hospital, he was born 4 hours later, no drugs and it wasn't that bad. (that's why I decided to have more)

If there is a reason for induction, do it. The doctor know best. I had it done because of high blood pressure. My baby was induced two weeks early, his weight at birth was 8 lbs 7 oz and if I had gone to term, he would have been too big and I would have had to have a c-section.

So, I didn't mean to scare you. Hopefully, this information is helpful for you.

Need to talk? My name is T.. Email me anytime at ____@____.com and Good Luck.

I have never been induced, but have friends who have. If your doctor believes that the baby is very big, I think it's best to be induced and not let the baby get too big. My sister-in-law delivered a 10 1/2 pound baby (one week late). It had to be a c-section delivery, and that was still tough. The baby had some muscle damage in his neck because they had such a tough time even getting him out of her belly (his head was huge!). She should have been induced a little earlier. If your dr. wants to induce you for a medical reason or because of the size of the baby, it's probably best. I wouldn't do it for just the sake of convenience, though. Good luck! From the mom of 3 healthy little boys.

Hi there!

Congratulations on your upcoming arrival. I am due with my third child on August 6th and I'm anxiously awaiting my next appt Thursday morning so I can be scheduled to be induced. I'm hoping they'll induce me on Thursday so I can be home by the weekend.

I've been induced twice before and had fabulous experiences both times. I've also heard that it can be unpleasant but I'd bet that some parts of labor & delivery are unpleasant whether you've been induced or not. It's just a bit of an awkward situation all around. I see huge benefits in being scheduled for induction. The biggest is planning and I don't just mean it's convenience with your schedule ~ knowing when you'll be going in allows you to really rest up the day or two prior. As I crash into bed each night, I have my fingers crossed that I don't go into labor on my own. I don't think I'd have the strength to get through a delivery after a long day or running around. Enjoy these last few nights of uninterupted sleep, if possible! It is also nice to be able to line up any help you think you might like in the days following your delivery. For me, just being able to know who is available to help with my 22 month old & 3 year old is a relief.

AS far as pain & all that associated with labor & delivery... I don't think the inductions contribute much to it. I have actually felt like I had more control because things are done in a more timely, regimented manner. There aren't any crazed moments when my husband & I are on different pages. My first 2 were born in Chicago and the third will be born at AAMC ~ my fingers are crossed that this experience is as enjoyable as the others.

Good luck to you! I hope you have an easy delivery!!

B.

I was induced with my second child. My water had actually broken but I wasn't in labor yet so after waiting around for a long while, they induced me. The reason that people find it unpleasant is just that it speeds along the process. It is not worse than going through labor normally, it is just much faster. My first baby I did not need to be induced so I went through it both ways. My suggestion would be to have an epidural put in as soon as they will do it because it will make everything go easier. Also, try to do it early in the day so you are not struggling through labor all night long. I found that as long I as I focused on remembering that although it hurts, it is the only way to get the baby out and it will be over soon, I was able to keep going.

I wasn't induced but I did have pitocin and wanted to share my experience with it. My water broke around 5 am. My doctor told me I could either come right in or wate a few hours because I wasn't in any pain and didn't feel any contractions. I got to the hospital around 8 am and was 90% effaced and 3-4 cm dialated.

I was having hot flashes and it turned out my hot flashes were actually contractions. However, they were weak. My doctor said I had until around 5 pm to get my contractions going naturally. My doula arrived and we tried all sorts of techniques like walking, pressure points and using a breast pump. The breast pump worked a little but not enough.

The nurse on duty kept saying I didn't want the pitocin. My doula said that she didn't think pitocin was that bad because it would just help my body get going and it does speed up labor but it doesn't neccessarily make it more painful.

I got the pitocin around 5 pm and around 6 pm I was having to breath through my contractions. around 8 pm labor got really painful and around 9 pm I was asking for pain meds. The doctor checked me out and said I could either wait for an anesthesiologist or push because I was 10 cm dialated. I decided to push and delivered around 10 pm.

Some of the responses I read made pitocin sound awful. In my case, it was just what I needed to deliver a healthy baby girl. Overall the birth went well. I did have an episiotomy because I began to tear in multiple places and I was just plain old tired. I was a little disappointed about that but I am thankful pitocin was available for my birth.

Good Luck,
A.

Hi A.,
I was induced for my first child. I was two weeks late though. Inducing before your due seems odd to me, but that is between you and your doctor. I am sure he has his reasons. Anyway, the induction process is fine. The issue is your tolerance to pain. The contractions tend to be more intense with induction. If you are trying to go natural birth (without drugs) you may want to rethink that part, but once you get the epidural, you would be fine. My story isn't the best example though. I was induced and still was in labor for 12 hrs and still ended up having a c-section. I wish you the best. No matter what you decide; the birth process is amazing and worth every minute of pain you might have. A.

You have heard right that being induced into labor is unpleasant, but so is labor and delivery in general. No, actually, the only thing unpleasant about the whole experience is the pain! Unfortunately, I was induced with both of my children! My water broke with both pregnancies two weeks before my due date. I was not dilating or contracting, so I was given Pitocin (sp?). Labor is difficult anyway, but this makes the contractions very strong and very close together! I felt the full effect with my first child (in 2004) without any pain meds! It was intense. The second delivery (in 2005) was MUCH better because I had an epidural and didn't feel a thing! So, my recommendation to you is: if you must be induced (which there is NO reason to feel badly about) definitely get an epidural!

Hi A.
I was induced for the birth of my first child secondary to medical concerns. It was not an unpleasant experience. I had originally planned for a medication free delivery but personally speaking the contractions come fast and hard from being induced, so I quickly opted for an epidural. I have also heard that it can be a slow process after you are induced. Truly an individualized experience. But bring things for you to do. Abook, some soothing music perhaps? For my second child I asked to be induced 4 days before my due date because I was so uncomfortable and HUGE, but nature took care of that naturally. Good luck to you.

Hi A.. First of all good luck with your new baby.

I was four days overdue with my daughter when I was induced. I think it all depends on your doctor, nurses and the setting you are in. I loved my doctor, the hospital, and the nurses couldn't have been sweeter. I went in at 4:00 p.m. on a Monday. Not to get into too great detail - but they inserted a gel into the birth canal and started Petocin. It was not a big deal. I had my daughter (which we did not know what it was) at 2:47 p.m. on Tuesday - by C-section. My 9 lb. 15 oz bundle of joy on New Years Eve. If they had waited another few days can you imagine how big she would have been.

I was told also that it hurts alot more being induced with Pitocin but with nothing to compare it to - it was going to hurt anyway. I don't know how you feel about drugs during delivery but I waited 18 hours before getting an epidural - if they offer it - take it. It relaxes you especially if you have been in labor for a long time.

Good luck and believe it or not, just relax, you won't remember the pain.

A.,
How wonderful that you are expecting your first little girl. My labor was induced with my first child (my son) 19 years ago. My water had broke on a Sunday and I was hoping to have my midwife deliver my baby in the hospital. Well, we tried to wait for things to go 'naturally' but by Tuesday they were considering having a doctor step....so they induced me and kept waiting for 'something' to happen....they waited and waited....they checked on me continually for several hours and finally they increased the pitocin (spelling?) and when they got back from lunch I was definitely ready for my midwife. (To make a long story SHORT....yes it was unpleasant and uncomfortable) but I think if you have a good support team and realize that when it's all over you will be holding your baby girl and all the pain and discomfort will be forgotten soon after. Hopefully you will not have to be induced but if you do just keep in mind all that you have trained to do. If you are breastfeeding, that will be an even greater bonus to forget the pain and also begin bonding with your daughter. GOOD LUCK! S.

Hi my name is A. I have three little girls 9,4,2 and the first two were induced. My first induction was a very pleasant one I was two days late and my doctor was going out of town. I was pretty young and scared so instead of letting another doctor do the delivery we decided to go ahead and induce. I went into the hospital at 7 am started pitocin at 9am and my daughter was born at 1:11 pm. My second child was due Dec. 29th 2001. I managed to talk my doctor into inducing a week ahead of time because of christmas. Things didn't go quite as smoothly that time though. It took almost all day and was very long and arduous. After we brought her home she was a very hard baby. Colicky and demanding. the last baby came by herself and was also a short and easy labor. Neither the first or last baby was colicky or demanding. I firmly believe that if we had just let the middle baby go she wouldn't have come until the new year. And she would have been a different kind of baby. So basically my opinion is babies will always come when they are ready. If your not comfortable being indused don't let anyone push you into it not even your doctor.

A.

My OB was reluctant to induce me, and waited until I was a week over due. It is painful. My experience was unsuccessful, and my contractions continued for a full day, and that brought about the birth of our son. I wound up being in labor for a couple of days instead of over night.
It can be stressful on the baby, so I would imagine that your doctor is doing this for a good reason, but you should ask what it is. My mother's OB gave her a C-section w/my youngest sister so that he could go on vacation. Now that was 25 years ago, but you should still know the reason for any procedure.
Try and let nature take its course if you can.
M.

Congrats on the upcoming birth of your baby girl!! Why does your doctor want to induce you? Is there some medical reason? They usually wait at least a week or so after the due date. Anyway, on my due date (1/6/06) my water was leaking a little, but no I wasn't having any contractions. They induced me with Pitocin, which did bring on the contractions pretty hard and fast. Once I had the epidorial though I did not feel a thing (seriouly - not a thing) and the larbor and delivery went very smoothly. It's not that bad. Try to stay clam and practice you're relaxation techniques (and considered the epidoral). Good Luck. P.

Hi A.! I was induced with both of my boys, now ages 5 & 3. The first time, they started Pitocin BEFORE they gave me an epidural, and it was very strong, fast, intense contractions. I was very relieved when they did finally get me that epidural! The second time around, they gave me an epidural BEFORE they started the Pitocin, and it was pure pleasure. I don't know what your birth plan is (meds, no meds), but I do know that I was very "pro-epidural." You'll be just fine whatever your decision. Best of luck, and enjoy your precious daughter!

-L.

Hello,

I was induced with my daughter last summer and I had a good experience. I had been dialated 3cm for over ten days and had contractions that got to 10 minutes apart and then just stopped so they though an induction was best. I was given Pitocin at 11am and the contractions started quickly. I chose an epidural and delivered my baby at 6:40pm. I really don't think being induced made labor and delivery anymore unpleasant than if it had happened naturally. I also liked knowing exactly when I had to be at the hospital.

Hi A., and congrats on your baby girl!

I had my daughter 14 years ago but I was given Pitocin (sp?) to speed up my labor. It makes the labor come on much faster and stronger, there is no gradual build up of contractions.

My advice to you would be to get an epidural as early as possible to keep you comfortable. I have always been of the mindset that having a child is a beautiful experience but it can be clouded by the reminder of the pain and labor.

My daughter took 43 hours...contractions every 5 minutes or less that entire time, until they broke my water and then I only dialated to 7 and they gave me a C-section. It was exhausting. Obviously worth it though.

Best of luck to you!

L.

Hello, A. and congratulations! I am the mother of a wonderful 3 year old boy. I required induction of labor for heart rate decelerations of my baby during a non-stress test one week past my due date. I am also a pediatric nurse practitioner.

While I agree with the others that induction of labor should only be performed when medically indicated, there are definitely instances in pregnancy that require it. Not knowing your specific situation, it is best for the welfare of you and your infant to follow the recommendations of your physician or nurse midwife.

As far as the induction experience, the labor pains were extremely strong and almost continuous without any breaks in between-- almost requiring me to have an epidural. Once the epidural was placed, my entire labor process was just wonderful and pain free-- a beautiful birth experience for both my husband and me.

Good luck.

J.

I was induced with both of my children. It wasn't unpleasant at all, but I had an epidural! I don't think it's any more unpleasant than normal start of labor. Both require contractions! :) Best wishes with your new baby!!

Hi,
I am a mother of seven. My last two were induced for various reasons. The doctor would not recommend such a thing if there wasn't a very good reason behind it. By all means, listen to your doctor. He/she knows best. No, it is not a comfortable thing, but niether is risking you and or your babies health.
Good luck. I wish you and your little one the best.
S..

Hi A.! I am so sorry I hadn't been able to respond sooner. Tomorrow is the 4, have you already been induced? Had the baby? If so, congradulations, if not, good luck.

I had been induced (partially) with my daughter, and partially with my son. My daughter was very large, and the doctors had been concerned that she would wind up being to big for me and i would need a c section. They had me go to the hospital, and started to prepare me. They gave me an iv, because when you are induced, you need an iv. That day they weren't going to give me the patocin, but they put something in my cervex, which was supposed to start to soften it to prepare me for the induction the following day. That thing was enough to put me in labor, though. I was pretty drugged up, due to them giving me sleeping medicine that night. (I felt constipated, and nobody realized it was actually the onset of labor!) The labor started about half an hour after tehy put that stuff in me.

My son was basically a normal birth, my water broke on it's own, and I went into labor. I didn't have any meds because I didnt' want any. My son was very large, though, 9 lbs 12 ozs, and he kept getting stuck. They gave me the patocin in order to help speed up the labor. They also wound up having to give me a local anistetic, like novicane, in order to relax me just enough to have the baby. Otherwise I would ahve had a c section.

The patocin gives your labor pains a lot of force. they are quick and strong. They supposedly hurt more, but I really am not sure on that becasue of my particular situations. In all, I say being induced is better than getting a c section, because, though it hurts a lot, natural birth is a wonderful experience. I have never had a c section, btu friends who have all have felt cheated.

Anyway, I hope that helped, and good luck!

liz

I was induced for my third child. I have to say that yes it was extremely painful, but was also quicker than my other births. From start to finish it was 5 hours. They used a cervical gel on Sunday evening and sent me home, I was to return to the hospital in the morning for pitocin. Well I was back to the hospital within 2 hours and delivered my son with in an hour of being back. I prefered that to the long drawn out labors I had with my other children, 62 and 18 hours respectively. So I guess it depends on you.

Hi A.! CONGRATS on your baby! I was induced and was given Pitocin w/my 1st (hoping it doesn't happen this time w/the 2nd). All I can say is that everyone's labor is different BUT they do say that Pitocin gives you stronger, harder contractions. It was not an unpleasant experience by any means...as you can see, I'm doing it all over again! LOL

If you are that concerned about being induced, talk to your OB. You can also talk to one of the nurses about the pitocin and/or do a search on the internet. I know that my OB's office do not let you go but a few days past your due date.

Good luck!!!
~M.

Hi A.,

I have not been induced, but have heard the same thing you have. I've heard that with an induction, the contractions just keep coming, one after the other, with not break in between like in a natural labor.

I guess the real question is, why does your Dr. want to induce? If it is just for scheduling reasons, I'd be tempted to say "no". But if it is because your baby is in distress, or is too large, you might want to follow your Dr.'s suggestions.

Good luck & congrats! I am only 12 weeks behind you.

Katy

Dear A.,
I was induced with each of my two boys. The first time was a bad experiance for me, my water broke but I was not having any strong contractions. The second time with my younger son, I was already 4 cm dialated and it was a better experiance. My younger son was also 2 weeks post due. My body doesn't like to go into labor it needs that jumpstart. Whatever happens good luck. I wish you the best.
L.

Okay A., let me be honest with you. Being induced is not fun. It ramps everything up. BUT think about it, does the doctor have a good reason for wanting to speed things up a bit. You not feeling well, the baby in distress??? I would say Childbirth in general is not fun. I have two boys 10 and almost 2. I was induced with the first one and then had a C and a scheduled c with the second. If you trust your doctor and feel confident that he/she has a really good reason for the induction, go for it. It will get you to that precious girl a bit faster. If it makes you feel better, ask them WHY are you going to induce me? If they say, because they don't want you to be an emergency in the end, then go for it. You don't want the birth to end up being an emergency.

Best of Luck with everything and Welcome to Shayla Jade.

Dear A.,

My name is D. and I will be moving to the Landenberg, PA area at the end of August.

Both of my children were induced. I did not find it to be a terribly unpleasant experience. I will tell you though that when induced you go into labor right away. There is no build up of anticipation and a chance to get used to the labor pains. It was like the most intense menstrual cramps I ever had within 1/2 hr. of being given pitocin. You will do fine. I am not going to tell you that it didn't hurt, because it did. I had an epidural when it got too intense. My first child refused to come out and had to push for a while which was exhausting. My second was induced and once induced she came right away.

Good luck.

D.

Hi A.,
My name is D. age 41. I had both my children by induction as I was overdue with both. My youngest is now 18mths old. My first labour lasted 5 hours and the second lasted 3 hours and 10 minutes. Please don't worry about being induced. It does speed up the labour process somewhat, but the medical staff have done this a million times before and will explain everything as it happens. It's always scary the first time as you don't know what to expect or how it will be, but the end result will be a wonderful little person. Good luck with the birth of your daughter and welcome to the wonderful world of motherhood.

Hello A.,

Congrats on your pregnancy, and soon to be little girl! I was induced on November 21st, 2005 and I also have a baby girl. I was told that at any point I could have the epidural. My water was broken and they put me on pitocin. My labor pains really were not that terrible. I got the epi at 4cm after about 5 hours of labor. I wasn't in much pain, but I wanted it just in case it came on stronger. I've heard that inductions are very painful, maybe some are, but mine wasn't horrible. Let's face it labor sucks no matter how you get there. Anyway, after 12 hours of not moving past 4cm, I had to have a csection, something I was terrified of. I failed to progress because my baby was 8.8lbs and I have a pretty small frame. In my experience, you can search for so many answers and opinions, but everyone is so very different and every labor is so different. From what friends told me about labor ect, I felt mine was nothing like theirs. Best thing is to relax, easier said than done I know, but try. Think about that beautiful little wonder that will be in your arms very soon. One thing I do agree on with other moms, is that everything you go through to have that little miracle, matters not when you have your baby.

I wish you and your family all the best, good luck! You can do it! Let me know how it went. :D

PS: I was induced because my blood pressure was high.

I was induced because my son was a week overdue. It was not an exactly pleasant experience, but with the help of drugs for the pain, it was managable. Of course, since you are on a drug to induce labor, the breathing didn't help much(at least not for me). This was my first child as well. I'm not going to lie, I had alot of pain, but keep in mind that everyone is different. You may come through it with minimal pain. I suggest the help of pain meds because they did help me out when the contractions were coming- remember the induction drug is controling the intensity of your contraction, not you. My advice is to stay as calm and relaxed as possible, that really helps. I never thought I was going to make it through, but I did and I have a gorgeous little boy and would do it all over again for him. Just remember your body was made for this, and if you need some help, the nurses and doctors are there to help you. Good Luck and God Bless.

I was induced because my water didn't break but it started to leak. I will give you the honest truth, it was HORRIFIC. I went from laughing and smiling with my husband in one second and the next second I was in such pain. It was just so sudden and they didn't warn me that the pain would be so intense so quickly. I wish that it was a more gradual type of situation.

I have three children and all of them were late, the last one they decided to induce by breaking my water. There were no drugs used. It wasn't nessecarily more unpleasant then the other two (regarding pain)...its a painful experience, there is not much you can do to avoid that (besides an epedural). Just remember when the pain gets really bad it's probably almost over and you'll have a beautiful baby girl. You shoud ask how they want to induce you. Well, good luck.

Hi A.,
My daughter was a week late with her son. They induced her. She also was afraid because she heard how unpleasant it was. She said it was not that bad. The only thing is instead of labor starting slow, it comes on pretty fast. Meaning the stronger contractions. There are a lot less weeker ones. That was her second child, her first came on time without being induced. The only other thing that she did like was she new the day that her son was born. No more humm is this the day! I was there when both my grandchildren where born and the only diff. was her contractions started faster. But why induce before your due date? Unless there is a problem.
Best of luck - K. Love to hear how it went. My email is ____@____.com

A., I was induced in January and it was just a long process. They started the induction on Sunday night and I didn't have my daughter until Tuesday morning. They kept me comfy, so that was good, but it was a long experience. If your doc does induce, please rest up as much as you can while you're in labor. I didn't and I regretted it when it came time to push! Good luck!!

Hi A.,

Although labor with my daughter started naturally, I didn't dilate so I was given pitocen. Unpleasant, maybe but contractions are unpleasant with or without induction. I got through it by looking to the end! If your doc is suggesting induction it must be for the best. At least you will know exactly when it will happen and you can mentally prepare! Hope you have an easy time and good luck!

Hi A.-

I have 2 precious girls Sarah 10 & Chrissie 3. I was induced with Sarah in 96 and it was a great delivery only took 4 hours after going into labor. With Chrissie in 03 I was in labor for 30 hours and they also induced me I almost had her delivered naturally like Sarah but I would not dilate so they did an emergency c-section. They usually induce if your amniotic fluid is not sufficient so I would highly recommend asking WHY they want to induce you and if it's safer for the baby please do so and don't be scared-after all the pain and the first time you hold your precious little angel you really do forget the hardship of childbirth. Make sure you know why they want to do so. It's uncomfortable but stay calm and good luck to you. Don't worry you'll be just fine. Stay very still if they give you an epidural. Being a Mommy for the 1st time is scary
but the reward is priceless. Let me know how you make out and remember the calmer and less anxious you are the better for Baby Shayla. God Bless-you'll be fine!! :)

K.

Hi A.,
I had my first child in A. and I was not induced although my daughter was born five days after my due date. My mother was induced with me and said that it was the worst experience of her life and prolonged her labor immensely. (This is consistent with all the research I've read.) It was so terrible for my mother that she went on to have 5 more kids without any intervention at all.
Why does your doctor want to induce you? I'd find out if it is really for the benefit of your daughter or for his/her scheduling. I'd also get a second opinion from another health care professional because you should never feel pressured into doing something you don't want to do.
Best of luck to you!
S.

Hi A..
I have had 2 children. The 1st one I was induced due to my water breaking and labor never coming on. The second child I was 5 days late but labor started naturally. Both kids were a c-section. the 1st and emergency c-section the 2nd I wasn't dialating and labor had gone on for way too long (24 hours early labor & 15 hours hard labor UGH)

My doctor for the 2nd child was a high risk Dr who is well respected and women come from all over to see and he said I could go 2 weeks past my due date w/o hurting the baby as long as the water didn't break, heart rate was good etc.

I would NEVER encourage inducement b/c it was the worst experience for me. Your body is being forced into doing something unnatural and not allowed to let things come naturally. Labor was excrutiating for 8 hours until I was 3 cm dialated that is when I could get the epidural. (I HIGHLY RECCO THE EPI). In my opinion the baby will come when she is ready. Your body knows what to do and should be left to do what is natural. Tell your Dr he/she can induced on the 14th day that you want the baby to come when she it ready. it will be the best for you and her.

I would love to know how everything goes so please feel free to email me. Good luck and I am sure it will work out fine.
B.
____@____.com

Labor induction itself isn't unpleasant, but the unnatural contractions are. If you were planning a natural birth, it will be tough. The chances of having a c-section are more likely too. If you or the baby are not in any danger, I can't see why the doc wants to induce early. A birth can fall any time two weeks before and two weeks after the estimated due date and be considered "on time". Not all babies are ready at the same time.

I had to be induced with my second child (who was two weeks late), and ended up with a full epidural. Everything turned out OK in the end, but it was not the natural birth that I had envisioned.

I would at least question the doc on his reasons, you are paying him, after all- he is working for you not vice versa, and it is your body!

Hi A.! Congratulations on the birth of your daughter. Labor induction for me wasnt that bad at all. I guess it would depend on ur tolerance for pain, and the tolerance for being examed relatively frequently. I mean you are having a baby, so you are going to feel some pain. But I'm quite certain it wont be as bad as you may think. I had an epidural right after the pitocin was introduced so I really didnt feel much (in fact I was asleep most of the time). However, when it came time to deliver the epidural had worn off, but it still wasnt bad. I wasnt trying to be a hero and go thru childbirth naturally. From the time I started pushing to the end maybe took 20 minutes to a half hour. I had a mirror, that helped a lot. I could see what I was doing while I was pushing.
Besides, after a couple of months you wont remember the pain anyway! At least I don't :-)

P.S. Don't work yourself up! It will really be okay. I looked at this way, pain or no pain...baby still has to come out. I promise ya, it really will be okay.

Who is your doc?? I have had 4 of my kids induced. My 5th was the only one that came on time and my water broke on its own.

Why is your doc wanting to induce you now if you haven't even hit your due date??

How far dialated are you??

Have they said how they will induce you?

Jenn

Hi A.!

I was induced after my water broke. I was only 1cm dilated, but you can't go long after your water breaks to prevent infection. I had a great experience!! It was a little rough before the fabulous epi-doctor came, but after that it was all fine. In fact, my family and friends kept telling me the next day that they couldn't believe I had just had a baby. I was due January 9th, and had my daughter on December 28th-all 8.9lbs of her!

Good Luck and Congratulations!
M.

I'm J.. I have 2 girls - I was induced for the first and she ended up getting stuck and I had an emergency c section. I then had a planned section for #2 but had a section early due to my health. If you are suffering at all, I don't think inducing is bad, but if you are fine and the babe is fine... i would wait it out. Good luck!
J.

HI A.! Congrats on your lil girl!
First and foremost, I agree with many mom's that you should follow your doctors advice, especially if there is a reason, other than convenience, that they want to induce early.
As for experiences: I was induced with my oldest son, almost 14 years ago, because my water broke with no labor. My second son, was not induced, but born by emergency C-section because he was too big. I will say that the labor on the Pitocin was more intense. My pain was managed with a drug that I cannot remember the name, but I don't think they give it anymore. I didn't have an epidural, and I managed to get thru it.
I did, however have the epidural for the 2nd child, and it was nice. The pain was better, but I found it harder when it came down to the pushing part. But then again the difference in the sizes of my 2 children, played a HUGE roll. (The first was 6#3oz, and the 2nd was 9#, and I am a small framed person!)
I guess it all really depends on your preferences.
You'll know whats best for you, as far as pain management goes, when the time comes, and if you dont, the doctor will give you sound advice.
Just remember that the pain does eventually go away, when its all over and its worth it! Honestly, the rumor that you forget the pain comes true eventually.
I hope this helps and good luck with your delivery! :)

Hi A.. I was induced in June of this year, my son was four days overdue and HUGE! (almost 10 pounds). I wouldnt say that it was a terrible experience, just very, very slow. I started the pitocin drip at 8 AM and finally gave birth at 8:40 PM. I had terrible back labor, so I think that is what made my delivery so rough, well, that and a giant head trying to squeeze out ;)

Hi A.,

I just had baby number 3 in December and I know what you are going through. With my second baby, she was due on March 1st and they induced my labor on March 19th. The doctor induced me because she knew that the baby was 18 days overdue, I was not dialating from the contractions and my baby girl was just not going to come on her own. They used something similar to a crochet needled to break my water and let nature take its course. It wasn't a terrible experience at all. It was very quick and painless. My advice to you is to be sure that you understand from your doctor why they want to take the baby so soon after the due date. Make sure that you know what procedure that they will use to induce you and that you are comfortable with that. Find out if there are any risks to your baby and yourself. There shouldn't be but you want to keep yourself as relaxed as possible. I'm sure that all will be well and a month from now you will be savoring the joys of motherhood for the first time!!

Hi A.!!

Congratulations!! Shayla is a beautiful name. I was induced with my first son due to low fluid 3 weeks early. Since I was not dialted more than a finger tip, it was very painful to break my water. Once the pitocin was in my system and contractions started, I tried to get an epidural but it did not take. The contractions were brutal and non stop. Dominick from breaking my water to him being here took about 9 hours. 45 minutes of actual pushing. It was painful...but that all wore off I had another son (scheduled induction Aug 4 but came on his own a few days earlier on Aug 2) This time I did not have an epidulral or pitocin. From the time they broke my water and he was born it was only 2 1/2 hours. He was out in four contractions 9 minutes.

Best of luck.... like someone else wrote, you will soon forget the pain that you endure during labor as soon as your baby girl is out and in your arms.

H.

Hi A.! Congratulations on your first angel. My name is K. and I have 2 girls. I was induced with my 2nd. My due date was March 4, 2005. I was induced on March 1. For me, it was great. I was already 4 cm dialated when they checked me. I had my water broken(which I did not feel)-only like I peed myself, and then given pitocin(to bring on contractions). When I felt the contraction, I got an epidural(I had my first daughter totally natural and it did hurt a whole lot but forgot about the pain when she came out. My 2nd took only 4 hours and I did not feel any pain. It is hard for you to know what to expect since this is your first baby. Just go into it with positivity and you should be just fine. Just to let you know, my 1st child took 15 hrs from time my water broke naturally till birth. The 2nd child was induced and took only 4 hrs. I wish you the best of luck. You forget about any and everything (except the baby)as soon as the baby comes into the world.
Take care, K.

Hi A.,
I am S., actually due the same day you are with a boy and #2 for us. Why do they want to induce you already? I was not induced with my first but have heard the same things as you have. I hear very painful contractions and just a harder labor.
S.

Hello A.,
My name is L. and I have 3 children which 2 were induced.
My advice is not to let your doctor pressure you in to inducing this early. If you are not in Labor by one week after your due date then maybe it is a good idea to induce. Obviously, if no complications arise until then.
Inducing is not as bad as you have being told. They hook you up intravenously to a machine that will slowly drip in an inducing drug into your vein. Your will begin to feel contractions about half hour to one hour after the drug is in your system. What I like about inducing is that labor comes quickly and so does the baby.

Good luck and God Bless.

L.

Hi A.,

I was induced a couple of days past my due date and to be honest with you it was not bad it all. I find that the most unpleasant are the contractions which you will feel whether you are induced or not and the only thing that I found that induction brought was anticipation to the arrival of our daughter. I wish you luck and let your doctor do what she/he feels is necessary because at the end of the day you will go into labor with or without help.

Best wishes,

J.

A.,

I was induced 8 months ago. I was actually 4 days late and I had high blood pressure during my last trimester so they didn't want me to wait it out much longer.

If it makes you feel any better, my experience was just fine. The best part about it was that the labor happens quickly...I was emitted at 7:00 am, had the pitocin maybe about 8:00 am and my son was born at 11:50 am. No 36 hour labor for me, thank god! Yes, I hear the contractions are stronger with the pitocin, but if you're not against getting an epidural then it shouldn't matter. I will warn you, my epidural didn't reach all areas and I had a "window" on my right side. I felt every contraction in that spot...BUT since I was ready to push so quickly, it wasn't that long to endure the pain. Let's face it, I there's going to be some discomfort no matter what.

Go for it...it's that much sooner you can be with your little one. :-)

Good luck!!
M.

Hi A.,
My name is M. and I was induced with my daughter back in 2001 due to pre-eclampsia. They added some drug to me to reduce my blood pressure that gave me the worst heat flash I've ever felt! I got nothing but water for 24 hours and I threw that up anyway. They finally had to break my water because I had no contractions and that was finally how I ended up giving birth. That was unpleasant, but for the safety of my daughter I'm glad I had it done. My son was much easier to deliver & I was ready to go a few hrs afterwards - and that was naturally. Good luck.

Hi A.,

I was induced for both of my children (17 & 35 months). My first was born 12 days past my due date and my second was born 15 days late. I did not have other medical reasons for either. With my first they started pitocin around 9am and my daughter was born 130am that night. I responded to meds immediatedly, but they didn't bother me at all until late in the day - I also didn't change much till then either. They broke my water maybe around 1pm. Real pain kicked in around 8pm I'd say. I ended up getting 2 doses (each lasting about 2 hours)of iv meds. They were great!! I could definitely still feel the pain, but I just didn't care!! It freaked my husband out though because I'd get so relaxed my breathing was really quiet and slower. It also helped me relax enough that contractions actually started causing me to dilate MUCH faster. I went in to be induced with my son also on the 11th day. They planned to insert a cervidil to ripen it. BUT, he had flipped and was breech. I went home and stood on my head for a few days (literally). My doc gave me until day 15 before she insisted we either opt for c-section or extenal version to flip him. We opted to have her "flip" him - she was successful. I had to be prepped for emergency c-section before starting just in case though so i had an epidural (really not a big deal to get if not having to hold still while in hard labor). Doc held his head down with 1 hand while broke water with other so he couldn't flip back. I immediately started having contractions so they didn't give pit. I was 5cm and 90% already. That was around noon. Doc came back to check at 345 and I hadn't really changed so she said it looked like we'd have to start pit soon. I had let the epidural wear off and the pain was picking up at that point. I also REALLY had to pee. Doc helped make my bed into a "chair" so I could better relax muscles and go. I delivered at 506 with no pit or pain meds.

Is there a reason they want to induce early? My docs won't do anything without a med reason until after 1 week. I guess they all have different preferences and every woman and pregnancy is different. I think induction can go like any other labor - smoothly or not. The biggest thing I've learned is that you don't get to control it. Accepting that was a big step for me.

H.

Hi A.,
Not all inductions are unpleasant. You should ask your doctor what type they are planning. There are different reasons for the different types, but as far as the unpleasantness (is that a word) goes, a balloon induction is the only one that is uncomfortable and it is not used in that many places. The other types are cervidil and pitocin and they are not unpleasant. You should talk to your doctor about their reasons for wanting to induce you. I'm sure that they would be willing to listen and discuss your concerns.
I hope that I helped and that your labor and delivery of your daughter is wonderful!

Hi A.,

I had a little girl in March, and though my water began leaking on it's own, 12 hours later I still wasn't having anything but very mild contractions. So they had to induce me to get things going. I got Pitossen and they broke my water completely, which worked pretty fast. I don't know how it compares to a labor that progresses naturally, but I began having regular, strong contractions within an hour, that then became very intense. I assumed they would be just as intense without being induced, but I guess I don't really know! They did come really close together after active labor got started, so there were lots of intense contractions, seemingly right on top of one another. Gave me very little break. But by then I was glad to have things start moving quickly since I had been waiting and waiting for something to happen! I don't really think my labor was any more unpleasant than anyone else's, induced or not... labor is labor! But it does mean you are hooked up to one more IV. Not sure how you feel about that. I had an epidural, so that really was awesome, and I didn't care if I had 20 IVs in me as long as I could lie in bed and sleep. Why does the doctor want to induce you now with so little time left before your expected due date? Can you just wait a couple of days and see if it happens on it's own?

I was induced with both of my kids. I loved it. I knew when I was going to have them. It wasn't an unpleasant experience at all. They broke my water and started the meds in the morning and I was in full hard labor and had them both within about 4 hours. The first was a little longer and harder, but I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Good luck and congratulations!

Hello
My daughter was due 1/17 at my 37 week appointment I was 4 to 5 cm dialated and was given the choice to be induced. I decided to go with it. They broke my water and gave me potocin a few hours later because what few contractions I was having stopped. I didn't find either procedure total unpleasant, no more uncomfortable that a pap smear being done. Hope this was helpful. I wish you good luck and a safe delivery.
C.

Hi A., my name is K. and I am 39 yrs. old and a mother of 2 girls. I had my first baby at 36 yrs old and I was induced it was not fun. I was in induced labor for 12 hrs. THEN they decided to give me a c-section. It was the most pain I have ever been in and lifted me off the bed every 5 min. Maybe you will have better luck but my body did not respond well. Hope all goes well for you , I think most of the time it does work ok. Good luck.

Dear A.,

Congratulations for your coming baby.

I was induced when I was pregnant with my first son, and truly, I didn't like the feeling. To me it seemed like they were accelerating the labour, but in my case I guess they needed to as my baby was losing his heart rate.

From what I understand, you get induced when there is a threat of losing a baby/mother, when you are past your due date and still have not dilated enough/at all. Or when your have been in labour for a very long time and your body is tired.

I hope I've been of help.

Good luck,

Hi A.-

I've been induced twice. Labor pains aren't pleasant - induced or not - but induction wasn't terrible. They gradually increase the dosage of Pitocin that induces the crampy labor pains. It starts out mild and by the time it gets uncomfortable, you'll be dilated enough to take the epidural. (assuming that you're doing that)

The good thing about induction is that you make an appointment, so you can be prepared and have those folks that you want with you. Also you're observed throughout so that you know if anything should go wrong it'll be noticed right away. It's peace of mind.

Once you hold that baby in your arms, you will absolutely not care one bit how she got there!

Hi A.,

Both of my children were induced, since they did not want to come out!! My 1st was 10 days late, and my second was 7 days late. But anyway, to answer your question. The only thing wrong with inducing labor is that it seems that the labor pains are more forceful than natural labor pains. My first was a terrible experience, because the doctor didn't get there to induce me until around 11:00pm. Then my labor pains started around 2:00am and I received no epidural until 6:00am that morning (which was only 4 hours but it seemed like a lifetime!) Then I delivered around noon that day. I haven't scared you yet, have I?? (ha ha) But, the second one was a breeze. They induced, I got the epidural in a timely fashion so minimum pain was experienced, and was actually happy and laughing during the delivery. The moral of the story is try not to get induced late at night!! But anyway, I hope this helps a bit, try not to be nervous (yeah right!) and remember: the epidural is your FRIEND!!

S.

Hey A. I am due on Aug 6th...they haven't brought up inducing with me yet I go to the doc tomorrow....but is there a reason why they want to induce u? I have a friend who was due on the same day as you and they wanted to induce her but that was only because the baby was very big.....I am the same age as you and my doctor feels no reason to rush my baby (also my first)