Well, I’m just a week away from a scheduled induction. My doctor scheduled an induction for [name]June[/name] 5th (the day after my due date as I don’t want to go over since my birthday is [name]June[/name] 12th ) and I’m a little nervous. It doesn’t seem like she’s willing to come on her own and with a scheduled day to go into the joys/pains of labor, I’m equal parts scared, nervous, and relieved.
On one hand, I’m really relieved to know exactly when it’s going to happen to I can prepare myself and get ready. The problem is, I’m not sure how to be preparing for that.
On the other, knowing when I’m going to give birth is also very scarey. Despite getting myself all prepared for the pain and knowing large parts are in my head and my mother saying “It didn’t hurt that bad till you were half-way out”, I’m still scared and nervous about how I’m going to handle this.
So, cut me some slack as a first time mom and give me your tips on how to prepare for the experience and handle the pain without medication. I’m going to try going natural unless I just can’t take it. It would be extra nice if people who’d been induced talked to me about the experience as I’m clueless.
I was induced (I requested it at 41 weeks, same as you). You have a couple of methods to kick things off-- either a foley bulb (the balloon tip of a bladder catheter) placed in the cervix to crank it open (you go to 3cm automatically), or a medication placed in the vagina at the mouth of the cervix which kicks off labor. Almost always you are augmented with pitocin simultaneously. You will therefore be on external fetal monitors (which constantly track baby’s heartbeat-- the same things strapped to you when you went to L&D a few weeks ago) and a tocometer (which measures the strength of your uterine contractions), and you will have an IV for fluids and the pitocin drip. Since most modern monitors work remotely, you can get up, walk around the labor &delivery ward, go to the bathroom, get into any position you choose, etc.
If you decide to opt for an epidural, it will be placed whenever you choose, but most women feel like they need& want it around transition (when you are dilated about 7-8cm, and transition to fully dilated). Once you begin pushing, that is the point of no return. Most modern obstetrics practices permit eating & drinking throughout labor as long as you will have an epidural. If your goal going into it is to labor without pain relief, you might not be permitted to eat in case you need a c-section emergently. If you do, you will have to be intubated and receive general anesthesia, so there is a high risk of aspiration. You might want to re-read our long " Pain Relief" thread re: pros, cons, and the technique of placement.
Thank you ^_^. My doctor said he was going to put something like a wax bulb or something that would release postaglandins (I believe that’s right). I already know I won’t be able to eat as the pamphlet they gave me about the policies of the L&D said “no food or liquids only ice chips” which is annoying but understandable.
Thanks again. I always love when you respond because I know I’m getting medical advice. Also, congrats on the baby! I’ll be excited to know the name you choose as [name]Antoine[/name] [name]Raphael[/name] is so handsome!
For me, the uncertainty of when/where it would happen was a BIG part of my anxiety. At least you know those details.
Aside from that l&d has so many variables. I have heard so many different birth stories. My best friend pushed out her baby sans meds and said it was an intense and amazing experience. I have heard horror stories as well, specifically of holding on to the idea of going med-free/vaginal delivery for a long long labor that ends up veering away from the birth plan. My own story is not very dramatic…but I had an epidural, was pretty sure I was going to get an epidural from the very beginning though I did wait to feel the pain before deciding. For me, I forgot all of my breathing techniques and I guess I kind of disassociated to manage the pain. I think everyone does whatever works for them when it comes to dealing with the pain. So whatever you naturally do. I think it’s not so much about preparing as it is about letting go. I think it’s about getting through it whatever way works for you. I thought pregnancy was worse than L&D!
Thanks. the medication in question is misoprostol, which is a prostaglandin. It’s best known under the trade name Cytotec.
Oh, the other intervention likely to occur once things kick off a bit is AROM (artificial rupture of membranes), where your amniotic sac is punctured by a little plastic crochet hook. That’s not till you’re truly in labor, though, since you’ve got 24h after rupture of membranes to deliver (risk of infection goes up dramatically after that) so no one will want to do it prematurely. That’s is assuming your water does not break spontaneously. Once it happens, the contractions become much more intense since your uterus has more room to squeeze and work-- it will be squeezing the baby, not the amniotic sac.
Finally, if you’re GBS positive you will also be receiving IV penicillin every four hours on the dot.
Well, most moms go past 40 weeks. In other counties you aren’t “overdue” until after 42weeks! I went to 41 weeks with all three of my births. So, I don’t really see the need to schedule an induction just one day past your [name]EDD[/name]. If you really do want to have a drug-free birth, doesn’t that also include other drugs like pitocin or cytotec? Those will also make your labor much harder to handle, with many women opting for an epidural because of it’s intensity. If it were me, I wouldn’t schedule an induction until 42 weeks, and give myself some time to let my baby decide to be ready on his/her own.
I had a scheduled induction with my first, and a natural, med-free delivery with my second.
Inductions often take a long time, especially if this is your first. The meds they’ll give you will make really strong and powerful contractions, so be prepared with techniques to help you through them. Hopefully you’ll go into labor on your own before then! If you’re opting for natural, med-free, read up on hypnobirthing. I worked with hypnobirthing techniques, and it made my birthing experience so pleasant! Discover what types of visualizations and mantras will work for you (with each contraction I imagined riding over it like surfing over a wave, and it was VERY effective for me) and start visualizing them now.
Perhaps you want some kind of nice smelling lotion to take with you to make you feel more relaxed throughout the labor process. Take along music that soothes you.
I was induced due to IUGR and it took a while to get going. We were admitted on the weds and bub arrived Friday morning . Take reading material - seriously, especially if like me you were no where near ready to give birth (I was only 1cm dilated when admitted) .
Be prepared that induced contractions can be more painful and if it is anything like the hospitals here, you will be monitored every hour or continuously.
I had no pain relief apart from a wheat pack and rescue remedy (which is great if you can get hold of some)
My advice would be though to try and get bub moving on your own. Walk lots , and lots and lots (although I walked to the point blisters and it did nothing- I think I’m just an anomaly ) and if you don’t feel too much like a tank at this point- , sorry to be forward as I hardly know you but…have sex- so many people I know had sex soon before they went into labour and maybe then you won’t have to go through the induction process =)
I just had acscheduled induction two weeks ago and was 41 wks along. This was my 3rd baby, the other two came on their own at 39 wks. I found the induction process pretty smooth- they started pitocin, increases te rate every 20 min, continuous monitoring, and ruptured the membranes about 4 hrs in. The pain for me was very tolerable untill they ruptured the membranes: the prostaglandins released with the rupture made the contractions really intense.
My only advice based on the experience is to eat light food for about 24 hrs before (the cramping can be pretty intense with pitocin). And, try to walk around or even stand as much as you can during induction: pre:membrane rupture this helped distract from the cramping and post- rupture gravity helped move the baby down and speed the dilation of the cervix. I was reluctant to stand/walk at first post-rupture, and in retrospect I wish I had because once I did labor went really fast.
I had a pretty sudden scheduled induction. We went in for a non-stress test one day before 41 weeks and because he was so big and my blood pressure was just a little higher than they were comfortable with, they got the hospital to fit me in that night. They wanted my cervix to ripen a little before they started pitocin because I wasn’t thinned or dilated at all, and I actually got really lucky and had my water break with that alone. So, I guess I wasn’t really induced, but pushed along.
I ended up having an epidural after trying both to do it naturally and IV medication. (Helpful hint from our birthing class: Sign the consent as soon as you get there, even if you don’t want it. She said they can’t accept it after giving you other forms of pain relief, and then you’re just stuck. I don’t know if that’s true everywhere, though.) I was actually really happy that I had it. They did it perfectly, so I got to kind of half-nap while I labored down. I just couldn’t do it. It was a ridiculous amount of pain, and that was without pitocin. [name]Just[/name] know that it isn’t the worst thing in the world if you need it.
Also, ask if you can bring popsicles, it’s nice to have something flavored.
I had an induction and it was not a good experience. I let them talk me into one 4 days past my due date, but my body just wasn’t ready. I was in labor for 23 hours and never made it past 4 cm. I ended up having a c-section (which is what I wanted anyway but the hospital doesn’t allow “elective c-sections”) From my experience, and the experiences of my friends and acquaintances, inductions seem to drastically raise your chances of a c-section. You’re starting a natural process that your body just might not be ready for. [name]One[/name] day past your due date does seem a little too soon for an induction…
I’m in no way advocating all natural, pain free, “crunchy” births either. I believe in modern medicine and epidurals, but I honestly feel like my experience could have been avoided if they would of just let me go into labor naturally. And I’m telling you, inductions are not fun. The foley bulb HURTS and is super uncomfortable, the not eating thing is terrible and by the end of it you feel like you’re going to faint because you’re so weak from hunger, not being able to get up and walk around sucks. Going into labor naturally would of been way less traumatizing, even if it ended up with a c-section.
Hey Dantea.
I’m not a mother, but I just wanted to wish you good luck! You can do it. The pain is temporary, and you’ll have a beautiful [name]Persephone[/name] at the end. From what I’ve heard/seen, you get breaks in between contractions, so if you can stay in the moment it’ll be easier to manage the intensity. As for the induction, it wouldn’t be my choice, but I think there are some compelling reasons not to go too far overdue. It’s your body and you should feel confident that you’re making a positive decision for your baby. If you feel uncertain about it, you need more information. The replies haven’t been too reassuring, so I just wanted to chime in and say that you’ll be FINE no matter what. We’ll be rooting for you!!
You will totally do fine!! [name]Trust[/name] in the doctors & hospital staff. Educate yourself by reading up on inductions from legit medical sources. People on message boards can give great advice, but they’re limited to speaking only from their experiences & the second hand stories of others. You will do great!!
If the only reason you’re wanting to be induced at 40+1 weeks is because you don’t want the baby’s birthday close to yours, I would STRONGLY reconsider. That’s still less than the average length of time for a FTM to be pregnant, and it’s true that labor can be much more difficult with an induction than it is if it comes naturally. Unless there’s a medical reason to deliver the baby earlier (large birthweight, high BP, low fluid, etc.), I would try to avoid an induction or at least wait until a week after your due date.
Other than simply making it up, I am not sure where certain posters are getting the statistic that the average pregnancy lasts for more than 40 weeks, and that first time mothers can expect even longer pregnancies.
In a series of several hundred thousand births of singletons where labor began spontaneously (so no planned casaereans, no inductions, and no traumatic events like car crashes) the average onset of labor for a first pregnancy is 39wks 6 days, and for a second+ pregnancy, 39 weeks 5 days.
I personally think induction at 41 weeks is smart (probably because that is the decision I made, natch :)) as the rate of in utero death almost doubles in the 41st week as opposed to the 40th, but you are not considered post-dates until 42 weeks. No obstetrician will feel comfortable managing a pregnancy past 42 weeks because at that point those same in utero death rates really skyrocket, and of course the baby is much more likely to be macrosomic leading to an obstructed labor. This is due to an entirely ‘natural’ process, placental calcification, that restricts blood flow to the baby.
I do want to echo [name]Emma[/name] and others that you will be fine! If you have any more specific questions please don’t hesitate to ask.
I will have to look up the sources, but I have heard and read time and time again that the average gestation for first time moms is 41 weeks 1 day. I do respect your information, and I am not trying to argue against it, but this is something that I hear quite often, so I am assuming the other posters echoing this have heard or read it as well.
Okay, I have no medical background, nor have I experienced induction, but it does strike me that there’d be a difference between getting induced at 40 weeks one day (which is when Dantea said her induction is scheduled) and getting induced at 41 weeks . . . that is to say, wouldn’t the medical reason to be induced at 41 weeks vs. 40w1d be a bit more compelling?
Also, [name]June[/name] 5 is still many days off–she could well come on her own by then.
Whoops, you’re right @hilary! I didn’t read dantea’s post closely enough because I thought in a prior thread she mentioned her OB’ practice was to induce at 41 wks. I do have to agree then-- dantea, I would think carefully about undergoing a so-called “social induction” when it isn’t medically indicated. Close birthdays really isn’t a great reason to undergo induction.
@sdsurfmama: the CDC tabulates the average gestational length for US pregnancy, but does not disaggregate based on spontaneous labor or not, nor on nullips versus others. In the US for the last available year, the average gestation for a singleton was 38.7 wks, or 38&5.
This is probably the best, most useful, most relevant paper. A British retrospective survey of >122,000 singleton births in nullips only which looked only at spontaneous labor. Average GA was 40&0 for white women, 39&0 for black women. (Weighted average for 39&6 for all births).
A giant Swedish study looked at >400,000 births from the late 1970s to early 1980s, all non-intervened, but did not control for nullips versus others, and got an average GA of 40&1 for all singletons. However, enough has changed in the last 30yrs re: accuracy of dating and women’s general health and fitness, not to mention the racial composition of [name]Sweden[/name] being quite different from that of the US, that I trust the modern British study more.
Last &least, in terms of data quality: An epidemiologist I admire has been running a long-standing pregnancy survey and analyzing the data in a fascinating way on her blog. This is unpublishable because it is self-reported and un-verified, and a self-selecting crowd of women, but in >4200 births the average gestational age for a non-induced nullip was 39&5, which went down only slightly for subsequent births.
I’ll clarify since so many of you are getting onto me for scheduling that one day past my [name]EDD[/name]. Right now, my doctor has the babies weight at over 8 pounds. He doesn’t feel like it would be wise or safe to continue letting the baby grow past that to avoid complications with my body or hers that could cause unnecessary injury or problems with my blood pressure. I’m a small person, with a small pelvis, etc and as it is, at my last appointment I was almost completely thinned, almost 3 cm dilated, and he said her head is about as far down as it can get to my body is just almost there, she just seems to be needing a push. So, to avoid her getting too large for my body to handle and to give me a chance at a vaginal birth, and so she doesn’t have birth complications due to her large birth weight, we opted to induce as soon as we could.
Aside from that, no I don’t want her birthday right there on mine, but that’s not the only reason. I want her to be safe, and I want myself to be safe. As it is, my doctor has already said that I still just barely had a shot at getting her out on my own. I’m really not concerned that it will be more pain because to have her out and safe will be worth it. I just want some help in things that have worked for others in managing it.
If it wasn’t for those things, he would have induced at 41 weeks, yes.
I’ll have to look into the hypnobirth thing because I’ve heard about it and it does seem like it’ll be something really nice for me. I already know I can’t bring Popsicle or suckers, I asked >.< but I will be allowed to walk around between contractions once everything gets going and to use the shower if I want as long as a nurse or my husband is nearby. I also thought about using the birthing ball or the squat bar but from what I understand, the strain on your knees isn’t worth the squat bar so I already requested a birthing chair so I can be as upright and use gravity as much as possible.
) and I’m a little nervous. It doesn’t seem like she’s willing to come on her own and with a scheduled day to go into the joys/pains of labor, I’m equal parts scared, nervous, and relieved.
Also, congrats on the baby! I’ll be excited to know the name you choose as [name]Antoine[/name] [name]Raphael[/name] is so handsome!
the medication in question is misoprostol, which is a prostaglandin. It’s best known under the trade name Cytotec.
I’ve also done hypnobirthing and I highly recommend it!