Experiences with Induction

[bendherova]

May 29, 2015 7:36:24 GMT -5 budders said:

1. What was your cervical situation prior to induction (effacement/dilation)?
2. What interventions were used to try to get you into labor? How effective were they?
3. How long before you were in active labor?
4. How long was your labor overall?
5. How did you end up delivering (vag/CS)?
6. Anything else worth sharing about your experience?

1. No dilation or effacement at 41w.

2. Cervadil 2x- 12h apart. Pitocin started about 16h in.

3. Active labor hit between 20-24h after first cervadil treatment.

4. 32h total including 2h pushing.

5. DS was delivered with vacuum assistance. I was likely 1-2 contractions from a crash c-section, but that had nothing to do with the induction, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice.

6. Just know that it has an end point, even when you are 24h in and it doesn't seem like much is happening.

eta: 6b: at my first appt with this pregnancy, the OB and I talked about the induction/delivery. I told her I'd go through it all again.

[Widget123]

The following is from my pregnancy with DD, with was a medically necessary induction at 38 weeks:


1. 0% dilated, 0% effacement
2. Cervidil followed by Pitocin. I don't really think Cervidil did much of anything for me. I didn't really get going until they broke my water, which was around the same time they started the Pitocin. Even with the Pitocin, it took me several hours to get to transition.
3. It depends on how you define active labor. It took more than 24 hours for the contractions to really get going strong, but I was in a lot of pain well before that.
4. About a day and a half, but it seemed like much longer than that at the time.
5. Vaginally, although I was nearly ready to throw in the towel and get a c-section
6. My situation was definitely not the type that they could have sent me home and brought me back days later. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that being a possibility for some people.

[billyhorrible]

1. What was your cervical situation prior to induction (effacement/dilation)?No effacement, no dilation, long cervix, baby hadn't dropped.
2. What interventions were used to try to get you into labor? How effective were they? Placed on Cytotec for 12 hours -no dilation or effacement. Placed on Pitocin for 12 hours- no dilation or effacement. Manual water breaking - went into labor about an hour or two later.
3. How long before you were in active labor?26/27 hours
4. How long was your labor overall?I never know how to answer this question. I was in the hospital/induced for almost 33 hours, but again, the first 26ish hours I wasn't really in labor. I went from 0 to baby about 7 hours.
5. How did you end up delivering (vag/CS)? a vaginal
6. Anything else worth sharing about your experience?


I knew going in that it was going to be a long process, so I wasn't terrible surprised when it was. DH felt the whole thing was terribly traumatic. He kind of expected the whole thing to be quick. Also, my story is one that might easily end up in a c-section for lack of progress, (the admitting doctor told me he didn't blame me for not wanting to be induced, I was a terrible candidate and my odds at having a c-section were around 50%) so I'm lucky to have had some really fantastic health care professionals on my team.

[sugarbean17]

1. What was your cervical situation prior to induction (effacement/dilation)?

3-4cm 70% effaced (both times)


2. What interventions were used to try to get you into labor? How effective were they?

Pitocin drip started low, slowly increased. Water broke 3-4hours in both times. Very effective.

3. How long before you were in active labor?

About an hour to two hours. Both times

4. How long was your labor overall?

6 hours both times.

5. How did you end up delivering (vag/CS)?

Vaginal both times

6. Anything else worth sharing about your experience?

No pain meds the first time (I asked for an epidural but by the time the anesthesiologist arrived i was a full 10cm). Did an iv med right before pushing the second time because I needed to push but they told me not to because of a lip on my cervix. It made me feel yucky though I don't plan on doing that again.

[sully326]

This is when I was pregnant with DS.

1. What was your cervical situation prior to induction (effacement/dilation)?: 4cm 85% effaced

2. What interventions were used to try to get you into labor? How effective were they?: Pitocin & Breaking my water. It kicked in contractions big time but I only got to 6cm before my body stopped dilating.

3. How long before you were in active labor?: 4 hours

4. How long was your labor overall?: 13.5 hours

5. How did you end up delivering (vag/CS)?: CS. DS was too big and got stuck. My cervix started to swell around his head, hence why I stopped dilating at 6cm.

6. Anything else worth sharing about your experience?: Everything up until the CS was fine. The CS itself was a nightmare so I'll spare the details.

[mrskblack11]

Thank you for sharing ladies. My induction starts on Monday and I am currently at no dilation, no effacement and baby hasn't dropped. This gives me hope that I will still give birth vaginally.

[ladysif]

Pertaining to DS1:

1. What was your cervical situation prior to induction (effacement/dilation)? 1 cm and 40% effaced. Started at 40 weeks 5 days, delivered at 40 and 6.

2. What interventions were used to try to get you into labor? How effective were they? Foley bulb, it was effective. Previous scraping of membranes, walking, etc. were ineffective.

3. How long before you were in active labor? Foley bulb was placed and contractions started right away. We went back in to the hospital 7 hours later following the 5-1-1 rule and the bulb had dilated me to 5-6 cm, just never fell out on its own.

4. How long was your labor overall? 16 hours. Grateful for that.

5. How did you end up delivering (vag/CS)? Vaginal, but partially prepped for emergency c-section and given 10 minutes to push before they did a c-section. (cord was wrapped around his neck.) Also had the vacuum/forceps available but ended up not needing them. Had an episiotomy.

6. Anything else worth sharing about your experience? I really liked that the foley bulb was a mechanical form of induction and it really helped. I was trying to do it without meds (though I succumbed at 5 a.m.) and knew pitocin's reputation for making contractions worse, so wanted to avoid that if it was an option (which it often isn't, I know). I was lucky in that I had dilated a teensy bit because otherwise they wouldn't have been able to place the bulb. I was actually supposed to have the foley bulb overnight and come back in to triage in the a.m. for pitocin but didn't need to.

[ktbear]

1. What was your cervical situation prior to induction (effacement/dilation)?
3cm since my 36w appt. I was 41w4d at induction date.
2. What interventions were used to try to get you into labor? How effective were they?
Skipped right to pitocin since I was already a bit dilated
3. How long before you were in active labor?
After about 4 non-eventful hours, they broke my water and things really started to amp up. It was about 7 hours to birth from that point.
4. How long was your labor overall?
11 hours total, but the first 4 didn't really feel like labor to me.
5. How did you end up delivering (vag/CS)?
Vaginal. Only assistance needed was an episiotomy, which I am still not thrilled with, but his HR was dropping and they wanted him OUT.
6. Anything else worth sharing about your experience?
I really didn't want to be induced, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Once they broke my water, my body took over and they actually scaled back the pitocin. It was completely off by the time I was ready to push.
Also, all the things I thought I would care about (along the lines of "birth plan") really didn't end up mattering at all. So don't stress yourself out!

[silv3rlining]

With DS at 40+2

1. What was your cervical situation prior to induction (effacement/dilation)? I think it was 2cm and 75%
2. What interventions were used to try to get you into labor? How effective were they? Pitocin and OB broke my water
3. How long before you were in active labor?
4. How long was your labor overall? I got Pitocin around 630am and DS was born at 544 om that day
5. How did you end up delivering (vag/CS)? Vaginal (~1 hr 45 mins pushing)
6. Anything else worth sharing about your experience? Supposedly I was already in labor (contrax registered 3 min apart) when I checked into the hospital the night before (when I was supposed to get cervidil). So they kept me to let me labor on my own overnight without any intervention. There was no progress the next morning.

[maddib]

I put this in another thread but

1. With DD I was about a three or four when they started pitocin. Maybe an hr later they broke my water and an hr after that ( went from a 5-10 in less then an hour) I was ready to push. Pushed maybe five times and out she came. The doctor said he thinks it went so fast because I couldn't have an epidural. Which was total agony by the way. Worse pain then with DS.

2. Just the pitocin, some walking, and breaking my water.

3. Maybe a total if three hours.

4. About the same. I was having contractions before they induced but not as bad as during.

5. I delivered vag.

6. Being induced with no epidural was just terrible.

[sugarkissed]

1. What was your cervical situation prior to induction (effacement/dilation)? 0.5 cm dilated, not sure about effacement. I was 41 weeks, 5 days.
2. What interventions were used to try to get you into labor? How effective were they? Cervidil followed by Pitocin. Both were pretty effective.
3. How long before you were in active labor? Shortly after starting the Pitocin.
4. How long was your labor overall? Pitocin started around 10 pm, DD was born at 8:30 the next morning.
5. How did you end up delivering (vag/CS)? Emergency c-section. Failure to progress and her heart rate was dropping.
6. Anything else worth sharing about your experience? I was really nervous about the entire process, but at nearly 42 weeks pregnant I was just ready to get her out. Overall, the experience wasn't as traumatic as I'd expected, even with a c-section.