The Induction tale of Willow Averline
Having heard many a horror story about inductions, thought I'd post mine and tell it like it is ... not a horror story, just a birth story that I am sure was as unpredictable and labour intensive as any other type of labour ...
I had hit 41 weeks and was well and truly OVER being pregnant.
I had convinced myself that I would deliver early, so holding out to 41 weeks was really difficult for me. I had bad back pain, leg pain, little sleep and was just generally uncomfortable and wanted my baby out. I had also done a bit of reading about post-term babies and some of the possible complications, so when my OB suggested we could induce I jumped at the chance.
I had the first lot of gel administered on the Wednesday evening, around 5pm.
The administering of the gel was not that unpleasant, bit like a savage pap smear, but nothing too bad. I then had to remain at the hospital for an hour while they monitored bubs. As we live so close to the hospital I was going to deliver at, we were allowed to go home. I went home with two panadiene forte tablets (to take for the period like pain that started shortly after the gel was administered) and two sleeping tablets (to get some rest in preparation for labour - however, if labour started, the sleeping tablets would not keep the contractions at bay).
I had a very uneventful night.
The sleeping tablets meant that I had a dream sleep and was very well rested for the events of Thursday.
Thursday morning DH, my Mum and I went back up to the hospital where my OB did an internal exam and found that the gel had done very little to get labour started.
So a second, higher dosage of gel was administered at 8am.
Period like pains started once again.
By 11am I was getting fairly regular, recognisable contractions.
At midday I was in the bath to help relieve the discomfort, however contractions were quite unpredictable. I stayed in the bath for probably close to an hour, by which time I said to DH that I wanted to investigate my pain relief options.
The midwives hooked up the gas and told me that I had to experience 4 contractions using the gas before I could tell them that the gas didn't work.
The gas worked wonders for me.
I did not feel dizzy, light headed or 'out of my own body' as so many women say the gas makes them feel. I didn't feel sick either. This all surprised me as I am a migraine sufferer and I often suffer vertigo, so I was a sure bet that the gas would play up with me. I actually remember saying to DH "This gas is fabulous, I'll just use this to birth our baby". Aha. Famous last words.
At one point I hyperventilated on the gas, my whole face went numb and my speech became really slurred. DH ran out and got the midwife, I had to stop sucking on the gas and take a few big breaths of oxygen to clear the gas from my system. Once I got my breathing right again, I was fine.
My contractions never settled into a pattern.
I would have what they call 'rolling contractions' where two or three contractions piggy back one another (one just finishes and the next one starts) and then I'd have a break of 3 minutes and then get another solo contraction and then maybe another minute or two break and then two piggy back contractions.
This was really hard as I couldn't get into a groove of pacing myself.
At around 1:30pm my OB came and checked on me, I had finally dilated and was at 7cm.
He then broke my water - didn't hurt at all.
Things ramped up quite quickly from there and by about 2:30pm I asked for an epidural.
The epidural was fabulous.
I was at the point prior to the epi where I could not open my eyes or speak with the pain.
Once the epi was in and taking effect, I began to gain my self confidence back and started to think "Hey, I can do this".
I still felt a 'senstation' with the epi, the midwives told me these 'sensations' were actually contractions. They were not painful, felt like a bit of pressure, but nothing bad.
The 'sensations' were good, as when it came to the pushing stage, I knew when to push.
When it was pushing time, I pushed and pushed for almost an hour but to no avail.
Our little one, although in the 'perfect labour position' did not want to come out.
Our OB then said I could keep pushing for another 30 minutes if I really wanted to try, however as bubs had started to show signs of distress, he would not let me just keep pushing. He suggested we use the vacuum extraction thingo and if that didn't work, we may have to use forceps.
Three contractions using the vacuum extraction thingo and at 6:47pm Willow was born.
I had a little tear, only requiring a couple of stitches.
I obviously don't have a natural labour to compare an induced labour to, and yes, while my labour was hard and a lot of people say an induction results in a harder labour, I don't doubt that natural labour is just as hard.
Like my Nanna used to say, "It's not called labour because it's easy".
Given the option, I would probably prefer to have a natural, spontanious labour next time. I think all the pre-labour or early labour you experience with a natural labour would help get your body used to what contractions feel like, however at the end of the day an induced labour was what I had and what got my little girl safely into the world.
So in my book, a healthy bub and a healthy Mum was all that I wanted at the end of my labour.
