Induced labour VS natural labour - experiences?

My first two labours were induced (just drip on lowest dose to kickstart contractions and ARM, already dialated 1cm with #1 and 3-4cm with #2) but for this baby I am delivering at a birth centre so we are planning on it being spontaneous natural labour.

Im a bit worried that its going to feel different from an induced labour and that I wont know Im in labour until its too late to get to the hospital, as I didnt find my labours super painful until transition and they were VERY short (3hrs/90min).

For those who've had both induced and spontaneous, was there a difference in pain/contractions etc? How did you know it was time? Did your waters break first?

Hi Anna
I was in a similar situation to you with my first two labours being induced , I also was booked into a birthing centre for my third. I was panicking as my labours are very short with my first being 4 hrs and my second being 40 minutes.

I was overdue at home when my waters broke for my third, well they didnt gush they just sort of started to leak, i would just get little gushes at a time, after several of these i called the hospital and went in. I was not having any contractions at the time, i was monitored for a while and was about to get sent home when all of a sudden i went into full swing labour, my DS was born in 55 minutes.

Dont stress to much, you will know when its time. If your waters break and u r worried try to get closer to the hospital, plus dont forget you can call in and get checked or monitored like i did at any time.

1st baby 6hrs: Gel and ARM....
2nd baby 2hrs: waters broke 2hrs before contractions started so i knew it was going to happen sometime soon...
3rd: Contrations first....waters didnt break til head was about to birth...

So i guess i have had all three.... you'll know, and there was no difference between comfort levels (none of mine were painful)..... But i hear that the drip is not so nice so am guessing this time will be better for you!

I was induced first time, natural the second time.

I found the contractions started very small, and followed a very logical progression, in my second labour. So they slowly got harder and longer and closer together. Whereas being induced it all just HIT me very quickly and was hard and close together right from the start :(

I was induced with drip with my first baby and had a planned homebirth with my second, so I didn't need to worry about getting to hospital for my second. The pain was very different in the latter stages of labour, contractions were much stronger and closer together whereas normal labour was gentler. My waters didn't break until second stage with my second unlike my first that ruptured 2 weeks before my induction, so every labour is different and unfolds in a unique way. Technically your labours were actually augmented not induced as you had already started labour (dialating is actually labour), your care providers decided for whatever reason that your labours needed to be 'sped up' with a drip or rupturing your membranes. Augmented and induced labours are often short and because your labours were both augmented then it is difficult to determine how long you will labour natually this time around. Sounds to me like you are making a really good choice to birth at a birth centre and my suggestion to you would be to educate yourself about the signs of pre-labour/early labour and active labour so that you are very self aware of where things are at. I would suggest that you stay at home until you feel you need to go into the birth centre, if you are self aware then you will intuitively get this timing right. If you are concerned about missing the timing then make plans for an 'unplanned homebirth' so that you don't panic. You are better to birth at home with an ambulance on the way than in the back seat of your car or the birth centres steps.
I am sure everthing will be fine.

With Jazz I was in spontaneous/natural labour until the hospital and then had to be augmented because my cervix wasn't dilating fast enough for the midwives.

With the drip it was fast and furious, well the contractions were anyway (I was on the drip for 10 hours, and I was already 4cm when they started).

Before then they hurt but it wasn't so fast and unpredictable (the contractions on the drip folowed no rhyme or reason, for me anyway), things pregressed one step at a time. Just not fast enough apparently.

You *may* find (fortunately or unfortunately?) that without the drip things won't go as fast... It more than likely won't start as fast anyway, so you'll have time to realise that its labour and get to the birth centre.

Hi Anna,

I had similar worries to you - I was induced with my first three girls for various reasons, and then with #4 went naturally. I was really nervous because I go from quite comfortable to 2nd stage very, very quickly, and I was terrified of making it on to the nightly news!

I read somewhere, possibly my favourite Sheila Kitsinger book, that when your contractions are five minutes apart, regular and strong, you are in good labour but you can't possibly deliver at that point - seems like me a good point to go in to the hospital. That was the time line we followed with dd4 - I got to hospital, and then she was born two hours later. I got to do all the early labour at home, and then be in hospital at the time when things were intense and I didn't want to be having to go anywhere!

That labour itself was very similar to the others, even though it started differently. If anything, it was a bit more intense than the others, and shorter. I'd suspect that a spontaneous labour would be faster because your body is ready to go on its own, rather than needing a little coaxing.

So I'd suggest reflecting on how your labours went last time - did you go from say 5cm to complete quickly? Do you feel you need a hospital setting in early labour? (Some women do, and that's fine!) Does the hospital have a threshhold of how established your contractions need to be before admitting you (length, regularity, strength, etc).

Most of all I'd have a good long talk with your midwife/doctor and see what they advise - they'll have dealt with a lot of women in your situation.

Good luck!!

Oh, and after four inductions and one spontaneous, I really *really* want this one to be spontaneous, just for the fun of it!!!

I had 2 induced, then my 3rd was natural, spontaneous labour. It was heaps, heaps better. Not necessarily in terms of pain, but it was just altogether a much better experience. The contractions started off small and gradually built in intensity, so I knew exactly what was happening, unlike when I was induced where I went from nothing to full on contractions. My labour didn't go longer either, it was on a par with my previous births, lasting 4 hours.

If you dont know you're in labour then you're not!!! You'll know. The great thing is after an induuced labour you expect the worst in terms of pain, I stayed home til 9cms thinking I was about 4cms lol, with my birth after an augmentation on synt.

If you search in the forums too you will read lots of experiences about labours after inductions. A great person to ask is Relle actually ;) I supported her through her birth after her first two were induced and she had similar fears but did an amaaaaazing job!!! You'll have to hear her story :)

I have to agree

My first labour was induced it was the worst thing i have ever been through, we would not come down the pain was the worst thing and i ended up having an epidural

Mt second was great i went into labour naturally and had him natural and honestly sooooo much better

Mt third i went into labour naturally too and heaps better but had a few complications with her but it all turned out good in the end.

I honestly tried everything with my second two to go into labour because i did not want to go through be induced again, just because it is so much easier when you go into labour yourself.

HTH Nikki

Hun don't worry!! If he is coming fast your Mid will be there in 2 minutes!!! whereas if it was me I would be waiting about 15 minutes for her to arrive ;) You have felt contractions before, you will recognise them. If you are worried about the boys being there then call me!!! I can pick them up and or keep them distracted for you. Chances are he might be a slightly longer labour than you expect because you will be doing it without the augmentation, so I really think you will be fine.

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If you dont know you're in labour then you're not!!! You'll know. The great thing is after an induuced labour you expect the worst in terms of pain, I stayed home til 9cms thinking I was about 4cms lol, with my birth after an augmentation on synt.

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Not necessarily! :D I certainly didn't realise I was in labour with dd#4 until I had my OB appt that afternoon and was at 5cm when he checked me. I'd been very uncomfortable all day but having an irritable uterus I'd been very uncomfortable for months.

I went in to the hospital when the contractions were five minutes apart, even though they weren't painful, because he'd told me I needed to do that, because I'd had quick, easy labours previously. If I hadn't seen him that day, I wouldn't have really realised I was in labour until about two hours before the birth - still time enough to get to the hospital, but not the sort of time I'd like to be moving around on the roads. When I got to the hospital, the midwives didn't believe me that I was in labour - I had to insist that the doctor had said to come in at the point I was cmoing in and that things would happen quite quickly. That's why I think it's important to discuss these things carefully with whoever will be attending the birth.

I also had very easy labours with inductions, so didn't have the same pain expectation that you are describing. Perhaps I'm just lucky :)

Okay technicality there, but you didnt have your baby at home and its only a tiny majority that do, in VIC 0.4% of babies are born before arrival - so very remote risk your labour will go too fast for you to get in. Labour will get tough enough eventually to go in. I was 5cms with my first too, which is why I ended up on the dreadded drip cos my labour stopped.

If your labour is fast, get on your hands and knees and call your mid.