Induction Experience

I will PM you later when I have to time to write it up.. it wont be short LOL In a word I hated my induction and still question whether it was completely necessary. Although a way off am looking forward to my 36 week meeting with the OB so my mw and I can find out exactly what her reasoning was!

I was induced with twins. I was relieved when my OB said "we'll induce you tomorrow" as I was just on 37wks and over it!! 2 good sized babies and my short stature made things painful and uncomfortable. Plus I had developed pre-eclampsia just prior to that visit.
No gel, they went straight to syntocin drip. A registrar tried to break my waters but failed....painfully!!! I had a contraction monitor plus two fetal monitors and therefore wasn't allowed to get off the bed! Things seemed to be progressing well....but then the drip had to be adjusted as I was get 6 contractions in 10 minutes which I was told was too many (?). So the drip went down, then up, down then up! My waters were broken about 6 hrs after the first attempt, then I had an epi put in.
I got to 9 cm then stalled, one side of my cervix started to swell (OB couldn't even push it aside) and then it was discovered that twin A had gotten stuck.....so I ended up having an emergnecy c-section, 20hrs after induction was started and after 17 hrs of labour.
My one real issue was that I couldn't move!! I wanted to walk around, change position.....use the toilet not a bedpan!!!!
Thats the basic story of mine...pretty uneventful really. The twins were my first pregnancy and we were fairly happy to go with what the hospital said was best, we just wanted our babies safe and healthy.


Edited by mumoftwins

Thanks so much everyone for the feedback/experiences so far. I really appreciate you letting me know how it was for you. The assignment has focussed so much on the actual process of induction without discussing the most important part about the impact inductions have on women and the different experiences you, as women have had.

Demoralising
Energy sapping
Impersonal
Clinical
Not client-centred

I was induced at 41+5. Bishops Score of 1 from memory. 2 loads of prostaglandin each day. Day one, I was OK. Got tightenings at night (yay) but they made DH go home. I spent the night in the labour suite by myself and that's when it hit that this was not working. Day 2 - held off the gel because they were concerned about irritable uterus. Met a OB who I couldn't understand - he spent most of the meeting with his hand up me. Eventually more gel. Got demoted from the labour suite (fair enough) into a room with people who would get synto and immediately start contracting . No idea of what was going to happen if this didn't work. MWs talked about sending me home. I was 41+6 and was scared to death at the thought of going home. DH cornered the OB on his way home and he said I could have a CS on day 4 if it didn't work. No one told me that. Day 3, again the MWs talked to a faceless OB who said he may well send me home. I rang DH in tears, who rang my MW in tears. My MW had had no contact with me during the induction - I'd been handed over to the hosptial apparently but it felt like no one was taking responsibility or acting as a key contact person. Made me feel really powerless. Despite being a health professional who is very pro-self advocacy, I did not have the ability to advocate for myself. More gel. By 7pm I was barely dilated and my MW finally showed up. Agreed plan was see if we could try synto the next day otherwise CS. Next day - 1 cm. Waters broken, synto, epi .... DS arrived via ventouse and a lot of force 12 hours later. I had a PPH and needed transfusions, had delayed milk coming in ......

My birth itself was OK, but my induction was hell. I am scared to death of having to go through that again. I've changed MWs and my new one seems very +ve that I will have a better experience. We've worked out which OB I'll see if I need to be induced and she'll push for an earlier induction. I also get the impression she would be prepared to advocate for me more than my last one.

I loved my induction, I was induced at 38 weeks 1 day due to gestational diabetes. I had been taking 5W and been doing lots of walking before I went in. When I went in I was already 2cm dialated so perhaps that helped. My MW was really good and was strong in asserting that we shoudl delay breaking my waters - in her opionion this never helped. I had one lot of gel at 8.30am and nothing happened. Another lot of gel at 2.00pm and was told I would be admitted over night. At 8.00pm I started getting cramps similar to period pain, at 10.00pm they started getting uncomfortable and thats when I realised they were contractions - and text my DH to come (luckily he was staying at his mums less than 5 mins drive from hospital) at 11.00pm my waters broke by themselves and my MW was called, and at 1.31am my DD arrived. I am hoping I get an induction next time as I want to be at the hospital when things start as things happened so quick last time!!! I am glad my MW was so assertive that we give gel time to work and not try anything else. Other then gel and gas no drugs were required.

Please PM me if you want anything else.

I have since shifted to Perth and I am quite apprehensive as to whether things will go as well for the next one!!!

Ummm I didn't think too much of it...I went in to be induced and ended up only needing my waters broken as I was already dilated 2cm....progressed slowly, was on the drip, got to 6cm and then had a high temp so ECsection it was.

I was induced with my first due to lack of progress. I went into labour naturally at 41 + 1 but after 18 hours of strong regular contractions I had made no progress. So we transferred to hospital where the syntocin was administered. I was pretty freaked out about having it as you always hear how much more painful the contractions get with induction, and the MW warned me it can get a lot more painful quickly. However, since having DD2 I really don't think it made any difference in terms of the pain, it's still just as painful without. The induction worked well for me and 8 hours after it was started I gave birth.

Ladies - you are amazing! Thanks so much for telling me about your experiences. Keep them coming!

At this stage the real reason for my induction is unclear... the induction form my mw filled in says:

IUGR
Unusual Bloods
Lowered platelets

Jake was scanned the day before I saw the OB and the radiologist said all was great, he was about the 15th percantile so no longer IUGR I wont need to see you again unless you get to 41 weeks.

Bloods done urgently after seeing OB, platelets were back up.

I was told I had PE but my BP was fine... my new mw is tracking the serial BT's to see if she can figure out the exact reasoning for my induction at 38+1

Bishops score was 5

I had gel at 8am on day 1 and by 11 was getting tightenings.. LOTS of stair climbing and walking around and by 11pm I was moved to birthing suite with early labour, still not dilated.

At 4pm contractions stopped, 11am more gel was given, still not dilated. Lots more walking around but not so much stair climbing as my legs were like jelly from the day before (should have paced myself LOL). At 6pm I was 1cm dilated and my waters were broken, 20 minutes later it was all on. I was along (DH had gone to grab some dinner) and freaking out. I had not expected the contractions to come so hard and fast.

My mw was at home sleeping as she had been at the hospital for 24 hours and had another woman in early labour but the hospital team were basically leaving me to it.

At 8.30pm my mw appeared, the hospital had called her without asking me and she had all of 4 hours sleep so really should not have come in.

Still no one helped me to focus or offered any suggestions to help me calm down ( I had gone into emotional shock by how quick things were now moving after 36 hours of not much). At 9pm had an internal was 4cm dilated and over it, epi was offered (even though I didnt want it) and I took it. That was the first help I was given...

Synto was ordered without waiting to see how I progressed on the epi and was administered about 40 mins later and then upped every 30 minutes.

My contractions were still good and strong so coupled with the increasing synto I am not surprised jake got all twisted and his head turned transverse blocking the cervix, which started to swell and in an hour I had gone from 4cm to 5cm and back to 4cm. Jakes heart rate began to drop to 60 bpm with each contraction and due to that and the obstruction the C-section was called.

I was so traumatised by the whole ordeal that I up until a my last mw appt the thought of another induction sent me to tears. She assures me that if I am able to be induced she wont let things go the same way.

It came down to lack of support and communication. What was a horrific ordeal could have been a much better experience had the medical staff involved been more willing to actually help me.

I am still so jealous of people who have a vaginal birth after an induction.

On a side note, my platelets were obviously still up as I was given an epi....

I had a really positive experience, thankfully!
I had a hind-water leak at 36+4 weeks, about 11pm. Rang the delivery suite (as LMC was overseas) who said as I was before 37wks and baby wasn't engaged that I'd need to come to the hospital. Turned up at 2am for monitoring. Was 2cm dilated and having mild contractions. By 4am all contractions had stopped so I thought I'd be sent home, but nope they wanted me to stay till the OB arrived in the morning to check me. (DH got sent home tho). I even slept for 2hrs till someone came in to take blood samples.
8am, OB and DH turned up. Still 2cm dilated and not having contractions, but a scan showed no fluid around baby, only a small membrane in the front, so OB decided to get things started. So had the gel put on my cervix.
Had mild period pain for the rest of the morning, nothing I couldn't cope with.
Fast forward to 2pm. OB came back, still 2cm dilated but cervix favourable due to gel, so he broke the front water membrane (OUCH!!!!!!!!). He said he'd come back about 5pm and if still no progress I'd be given the drip to speed thing up.
Didn't end up needing the drip though as after the ARM contractions were all on! Tried gas but threw up, so just walked thru the pain and rocked on a medicine ball one of the MWs brought me. Also got in the bath at one point but wasn't comfortable sitting down so got up and walked around again.
After 5pm, 3hrs after waters broken, I started getting the urge to push! A MW checked me and I was 9cm dilated! Was told I could push when I felt the urge. I was standing up leaning on the bed, and the MW said I could stay there to push if I was comfortable, so I did.
Baby was born after 17mins of pushing at 5:29pm.OB only just made it back as I was about to do the last push (luckily as he wanted me to get up on the bed and started lowering it, but the MW whispered to do one big push and I wouldn't have to move )

So yes, was a very positive experience and would do it that way again if need be (altho ideally I'd like a homebirth next time)
hope that helps