Women's experiences of induction & what happens to your baby during inductions

[BellyBelly]

This is a clip from the documentary, 'The Business of Being Born.'

It contains comments from mothers (including Ricki Lake) who have been induced and what they thought of it. It then shows a cartoon of what happens when you get induced, what effect this has on the baby and why inductions all too often end up in emergency caesareans... and I hear/see this all the time happening right here, because induction of labour is known to increase the rate of emergency caesarean sections.



Note: Pitocin is what we call Syntocinon here in Australia, it's the same drug - so although they are in the US, doesn't mean this doesn't apply to us here, it's the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fPauJEy7fc

[MrsFabuloso]

Wow!!! That's amazing.
I have had both a natural birth without any drugs and an induced birth, with gas and pethadine and by far the induced birth was harder and more traumatic! But I did have a vaginal birth (with the induction) even though the ob was pressuring me into having a C/S. After 20-odd hours of horrible induced labour, I was getting tempted, but still had enough resolve and determination (and fear of C/S) to birth my DD vaginally. It still took me 3-ish hours to push her out though! I'm feeling pretty proud of myself for persisting!

[mrsmac]

I have had 2 inductions and 1 naturally occurring birth and I know I'd choose to not have an induction everytime!! I didn't have a c/s nor was i pressured into having one but DD1 was forceps.

[Floweryfields]

Very interesting! I have always been anti induction (from my early 20's - I haven't had a baby personally) - not because I was educated by anyone why it was not a good idea, but simply because I observed, the majority of women that I knew who were induced, ended up with bad deliveries - and csections.
Since I've been visiting here and getting educated lol, I learned that my observations were right.

[Erin_25]

I had an induction with DS & actually requested it on his due date....something I really regret. The contractions came on at 2mins apart from the word go!!! I had extreme trouble at the pushing stage getting him out, he was suctioned out, had his head around the wrong way. I often wonder now had he come on his own steam if his head wouldn't have been the right way around?? guess I'll never know. I pushed for a very, very long time & he came out distressed & was not given to me right away.
Now each day nothing happens...I've just over a week til EDD...I'm starting to stress "what if I go over"....I do not want an induction so I hope this baby comes some time soon.

[nattyfred]

My baby was induced and only with the gel. I have nothing to compare it to but Vs birth was extremely quick which noone expected so I believe I was not treated like a labouring woman but as a bit of a wuss in the early stages...She was born in 3.5 hours active labour naturally with the exception of the induction and me pretending to use the gas as it made me feel sick lol..She needed to come out due to complications so I was grateful not to need a csection.

[Mummato2]

.....

[BellyBelly]

Who is scaring? I don't think anyone is scaring people in here. Information is power.

[Amber4]

I agree, information IS power! It's when we stop thinking and talking that fear and misinformation gets a grip. Thanks Kelly for posting the info about the Ricky Lake clip. I also had a read of the induction article on the BB site and found it really informative.

Unfortunately I seem to be in a bit of an induction tug-of-war with my OB and suspect I'm losing ground now. When I got diagnosed with GD at 28 wks he pointed out I may well need an early induction at 38 wks due to macrosomia.. but I've managed to diet control the GD really well so that's now not necessary. Then during my 37 and 38wk appointments he's asked me quite a few times if I'm keen on having a 'social induction' because of being 'over it'. ?#[email protected]?! DH and I have continued to say no thanks, having hoped and prepared for months for a drug-free and intervention-free birth.

Today, am feeling a bit disheartened after discovering my BP has gone up quite a bit and OB feels it's an indicator of developing PE. To the OB's credit, I know this condition could become serious and he's willing to let me be re-tested in a few days before inducing, BUT if the tests show my BP is still high and/or protein in my urine then apparently I'll be induced right away. Two OBs that I've consulted this pregnancy have acknowledged that inductions performed prior to 40 weeks have a higher chance of resulting in emergency c/s.

Whilst I can try to accept my own situation (not the OBs fault that my BP has increased and I am, ultimately, paying him to keep me and bub safe), what concerns me most is the way intervention now is considered all so routine. It's taken for granted as being the norm. Prior to my BP being an issue I was repeatedly offered a social induction. Numerous friends have opted to have an induction right on 40 wks because they've been filled with anxiety about something going wrong if they leave it any longer. Even in my case, the OB's opinion was final: "you will be induced if x happens". Not "we can discuss the benefits, risks and alternatives if that's the case". I find it all really concerning... particularly when women are often not informed of the risks and hey, it's not like we're talking about getting your teeth whitened here!

So, thanks again for your efforts to help women become empowered and informed. I am working hard to accept that whatever will happen with bub's arrival will happen and I will, after all, survive no matter how it unfolds or how difficult it may be. I just hope like nothing else that she turns up of her own accord in the next 48 hours!!

[Mummato2]

Amber4, sorry to hear about your BP

Inductions are fantastic when they are medically necessary - and I know that in a LOT of cases inductions are not medically necessary.

Trust in your gut instinct - if there is protein in your urine or your BP raises to a really high lever, you can still have a good induction experience - just know what your OB's plans are - is he willing to break your water (if cervix favourable) and leave you so you're not on the clock etc? Is he willing to limit monitoring or provide you with portable monitors so you can still plan to move around etc?

It sounds as though your OB is prepared to work within your birth plan - I am crossing my fingers that it was just a once off higher reading

[BellyBelly]

PE can be a really serious condition and something you wouldn't argue. But sometimes your BP can go up randomly, especially with white coat syndrome If you're feeling anxious or stressed, just having it taken by your doc can make it go up. I know women being monitored where the doc got a high BP then later the couple went downstairs to the midwife clinic and BP was normal! So unless there are more ongoing signs I would be wary.

Also with GD, the cochrane database has done a review of all studies and found that there is no benefit in inducing women early with GD, it only increases the risk of c/s without improving incomes. There were no reduced instances of things like nicu admissions, shoulder dystocia or other issues related to the baby being supposedly 'big'.

Here's some good articles. You don't have to DO anything. There is such thing as informed consent and doing something against your will or decision is ILLEGAL.

http://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums/...enci-goer.html

http://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums/...induction.html

http://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums/...om-brewer.html

[~me~]

Interesting article and links Kelly...quite right, information is power and it is great to have all facts on hand when you need to make a difficult decision. Also good to have other peoples experiences too. Great thread!

Amber, wishing all the best with whatever path you take.

Just thought I let you know that I have had inductions with all three of my babies. The first time with two lots of gel and waters broken (10days over) and the second with waters broken (10days over) and the third with waters broken and again over. Funnily enough my OB said while breaking my waters they were as tough as old boot leather
All healthy and delivered vaginally. I did have an epidural with all three as well.
My third was delivered with just me, with DH and OB and encouraging me to push and out she come with no forceps or suction.
I have not experienced going into labour naturally but from what I hear and read inductions are more intense and quicker and that has been my experience.
Good research doesn't lie so trust your instincts as I am aware and have read that inductions can have a high C section rate so use the information to make an informed decision, nothing scary about that..that has just not been my experience. Whether this was down to just good monitoring by my OB who knows. My GF also was induced (same OB) with a very small baby due to a non functioniong placenta and she also delivered vaginally and I believe these usually result in a C Section too.

Take care Amber..will be thinking of you

x Heather

[BellyBelly]

Miss Heather - gels are a bit different to synthetic oxytocics (syntocinon in Aus or Pitocin in the USA) which is intravenous and doesn't stop being pumped into you until well after the labour (unless you're confident enough to tell them to take it out/stop if it gets too much or not what you want - have helped a couple of women achieve this in their labours - and no it didnt make their labour stop as much as they will tell you, which is the reason most object to stopping it in the first place). Gels just ripen the cervix - yes it can still hyperstimulate but its different to the drip. If your labour didn't start with the gels and/or waters breaking, they would have put you on the drip since all other avenues are exhausted. Some women are given gels and just get niggles and it doesn't take... so they need the drip.

A drip will highly likely prevent you from having a natural third stage also. Because your uterus is under the pump from the synto, they want to keep it going so you don't bleed. Its truly a cascade as they describe it, one thing leads to so many others.

[Sequoia]

A drip will highly likely prevent you from having a natural third stage also. Because your uterus is under the pump from the synto, they want to keep it going so you don't bleed. Its truly a cascade as they describe it, one thing leads to so many others.

My third stage of my very fast first labour consisted of my OB asking me to cough, and the placenta came out easily.

I was induced (due to PE and low fetal movement), first contraction at 9.00am, yelling for epi at 10.30am, OB came back at 11.00am (to check if my waters had indeed broken), I rested for an hour, pushed for close to an hour with my OB and MW and DS popped out at 1.02pm.

[*TripleJ*]

one of my friends had a horrible experience with induction with her second bubba from strt to finish in 9 hours and dilated from 5 to 10cm i less than an hour and pushing the bubba out while they were trying to do an epidural and her having to yell at the guy doing it to stop after him trying 5 times to get it in

which made me all the more nervous when i went into labour and the ob said if hes not here by 10am we'll have to induce u i only got there at 5pm lucky he was born at 3am

[BellyBelly]

Sequoia, by natural third stage I mean no syntocinon or syntometrine. If you're already on the drip (syntocinon) you wont have the shot of syntometrine, which is often just given without asking into the woman's leg to expel the placenta quicker and prevent bleeding (as they will tell you, if you've had a normal birth then your risk of bleeding out is low, higher with inductions). A natural, physiological third stage is allowing the placenta to come naturally without immediate clamping and injection of synthetic oxytocin - a natural third stage is one without interference. Its like saying a natural birth is a birth where the baby comes out of the vagina - when we know there can be so many unnatural (and sometimes necessary of course) factors than that

[sloane]

i agree that information is power. i knew there was a good chance of me being induced - high BP diagnosed (and treated) at 6wks PG & GD. i was offered an induction at 38 weeks but refused until i was at term. i had done a lot of reading & watched the business of being born to prepare myself for the eventuality.

i really wanted to avoid the induction & am angry that i didn't fight harder to give DS more chance to come naturally but in the end gave in to medical pressure but felt somewhat empowered by the knowledge i had - it meant i was able to question the hospital staff as to whether i would just be taken for a c/s if i didn't dilate/respond within certain time limits etc & found out a bit about their policies.

i feel my experience was horribly medical - i did not envisage my labour to involve my waters being broken with a rubber glove or having a drip in my arm or monitors internally attached to DS's head. after being relieved as i dilated within time frames, DS's heart rate dropped when i got to the pushing stage & all of a sudden the whole situation was even more out of my control. while i am thankful that my DS was born safely & that it was just an assisted birth & not a c/s, i can't help feeling that the situation would not have occurred if he wasn't put in the position of being forced to come before he was ready! the induction/contractions were incredibly intense & there was a stage when they had to turn the drip off completely because i'd basically been having contractions on top of each other for about an hour.

sorry - in my verbose way, i am trying to say that information helped to empower me to a certain point but could not change the outcome, which is supported by statistics that say you are far more likely to have an assisted birth or c/s if you are induced. oh - and while it may seem that it was a medical necessity, it wasn't really. there was no protein in my urine, by BP wasn't too high & the GD was well controlled with insulin & weekly CTG monitoring showed that DS was just fine - not over-sized or in any distress.

[Sequoia]

Sequoia, by natural third stage I mean no syntocinon or syntometrine. If you're already on the drip (syntocinon) you wont have the shot of syntometrine, which is often just given without asking into the woman's leg to expel the placenta quicker and prevent bleeding (as they will tell you, if you've had a normal birth then your risk of bleeding out is low, higher with inductions)

I did not know that, had never even read it, am truly enlightened!

What are the benefits of a natural third stage if I managed a drug free labour next time? TIA.