For those who have experience natural labour and induced labour

[Lulu]

I think if you avoid the induction, you avoid the speed of the unnatural labour and one cancels out the other.

I do wonder if you would have had a fairly fast birth anyway. I have fast births and they can do your head in, but they weren't that horribly painful. Well not for long anyway

[Mummato2]

I do wonder if you would have had a fairly fast birth anyway. I have fast births and they can do your head in, but they weren't that horribly painful. Well not for long anyway

Well my first was 5 hours from first contraction til my DS was out.

My OB reckons less this time - but I truly believe it depends on bubs position, your activity level in labour etc that determines it.

I wouldn't mind fast and a bit intense - I am blessed that my OB supports and encourages water birthing and the hospital is equipped for it.

I might just park myself in a bath until it's time and then just deal with it!

[~clover~]

I've never been induced myself, & only really had pain relief in my first labour, but my ob talked about induction the first time around.
I was going to go ahead with it, but my mum refused to let me. She was induced with me, but labour started naturally with her 2 labours after me & there was no way she was letting me go through an induction.
I personally never considered an epidural either. I have a big enough fear of needles. I do know alot of people who've had them & alot of those people have also had problems since.

[MrsFabuloso]

I have also had both and would shoose another natural birth in a heart beat. My induced birth was horrible so I don't know if I could be a good sounding board. I also went from 0-100 with the pain in 10mins and was in that amount of pain for 23hours. I had gas and one shot of pethdine which made me vomit and heave for about an hour afterwards. It truly was horrible and if I wasn't so terrorfied of a c/s I probably would have given in when my ob first suggested it after about 12hrs. But I was too scared of the surgery and pain and I stuck it out til DD was finally born after 3 hours of pushing and a rather large epesiotomy. Afterwards I was so swollen and damaged down there that I had to have a catheter for about 3 days I think.
I would choose my natural birth in an instant over my induced birth. It so much easier and I handled the pain on my own. I didn't even realise it was true labour til I got to the hospital and the mid wife told me I was 8cm dialted!! They artificially broke my waters and DS was born with in the hour, with only 3 pushes! The pain was nothing compared to the pain I had in my induced birth.

[2CheekyMonkeys]

i was induced both times though first time baby was no where near ready to come and had to start the process with prostoglandins. not such a good experience, had epidural after 4hours, vaccum and internal tears. labour was over 12 hours

second baby i was induced again though baby was ready, had a show etc only had waters broken and then that was pretty much it. labour was 4 hours.

i am not sure if it was a better experience second time round due to it being a short one, having done it before, knowing what to expecft, being more knowledgable and experienced, or having less intervention in getting labour established.

but i would 100% want a natural and non induced labour going by first experiences.

just adding that if you are planning on an early epidural anyway then maybe it is better to be induced... since it wont be a pain factor persuading you in that case. i guess it is just a possible complication thing for you to toss up.

[Spring Angel]

This is such an interesting thread. I've been induced twice (once with every drug I could get and once without even having gas) this time I'm going to do my very best to go into spontaneous labour. It is very reassuring to hear that natural labour seems a little more gentle on the body.

Keep the stories coming ladies. I'm enthralled.

[Trillian]

Spring it's amazing. having had the benefit of having two spontaneous ones first I don't think I would have known otherwise just how terrible an induction could be kwim? I would have thought that this is what birth is like. I really hope that you get to have one too so you know how good it can be.

[willow5]

Hi Mummato2 my first labour was natural it was 9 hours start to finish and posterior, the pain built slowly, I was tired towards the end and contractions were coming quickly and had 2 peaks until bub turned to anterior, I was offered an epidural but the thought of the huge needle going in to my spine scared me to death so I declined. I did use the gas and had some pethidine.

My second labour I was induced with a synto drip, it was cruel like the some of the others have said 0 to 100 instantly!! No control whatsoever and no chance to get used to it from a natural build up, I would be terrified if I was to have another induction this time! Although it was very quick, I think if I was left to labour in my own time it would still have been fairly fast once active labour was established, but not so traumatic. ( It was 15yrs ago a public holiday and in the middle of a doctor and nurses strike, they wanted it over with and I interrupted the docs golf game well excuse me!) My waters had broken in the morning just leaking in trickles but back then as soon as your waters broke you had to go in to the hospital and stay there. Even though my waters broke there were no real contractions to speak of that's why they hooked up the drip to get it moving. From start of drip it was 1hr45mins till DS was born, but OMG so painful and out of control, and once he was born it wasn't over the contractions kept coming hard and fast the placenta wouldn't budge so ended in a manual removal which I woke up half way through and was not pleasant at all.

I would definitely go for the natural start to labour any day!
Good luck whichever way you go

[Pinny-mum]

I was induced with my first birth, post dates and it was a painful traumatic birth which ended with a epidural and forceps delivery...I was fine at the time and thought along the same lines as you, I'll just get an epidural next time straight away..but after reading 100's of positive birthing stories I decided I would try for a natural birth with my second but no expectations

I ended up having the most wonderful birth with DS that I said straight away, " I want to do that again!!" T
The pain is so different, it's is hard to even compare the two, the contractions at their worse in my second birth (just before pushing) were not nearly as painful as the with my first and I did it without pain relief the second time around
Honestly I would choose never to be induced again if I go back for a third, to be honest it makes me feel sad to think that I may never give birth again!! And after my first I Never wanted to do it again, so a big difference for me.

Hope that makes sense, feel like I have rambled a bit...Good Luck

[Mummato2]

THANK YOU for everyone for contributing

You've pretty much convinced me to go the natural route with exception if things look hairy towards the end of the pregnancy.

I'll attempt everything as well to bring it on naturally - EPO, RLT, acupuncture etc.