POSITIVE Induction Birth Story-longish

Hi Ladies,

Have read with interest the number of "traumatic" inductions and thought i would post my story. - I had what can only be called a VERY positive Induction.

I had insulin dependant Gest Diabetes from 29 weeks and my OB had told me that he would not let me go to full term and that i would be induced around 38-39 weeks. - After reading many scary stories about the trauma of induction i was not a happy camper and very anxious as to what was going to happen. Anyway below is my encounter with induction...

My ob had told me i would have gels inserted then waters broken the following morning - so I was admitted to hospital on Tuesday 20 Jan at 2pm - first lot of gels were inserted at 3pm and i was put on CTG monitoring for 1 hr - mild contractions had started nothing to write home about :) - At 9pm another lot of gels were inserted and i was told by the midwife to get some rest, so DH and i slept from about 10pm. At 12.55am my waters broke on their own!!!! (i couldnt believe it i was so prepared for being put on the drip the following morning at 8am!) - so from 12.55am i was in active labour - the contractions were painful, but bearable, and i laboured in my hospital room until 6.55am when the midwife told me it was time to move to the birth suite - by now the pain was bad but i had an active labour and was coping well (thanks to my DH and my Doula) - got to the birth suite and immediately got in the shower and could already feel the urge to start pushing but was told i was 9cm dilated and had to wait. was in the shower for about 15mins before i couldnt stand anymore from the pain and moved to the bed on all fours - by this stage the contractions were on top of each other but i just kept using my visualisation techiques learned and also a bit of gas (the gas did NOTHING to help the pain!) -my OB arrived at 7.50am and my beautiful daughter Ella Grace was born at 8.00am on Wednesday 21st January 2009 weighing 7 pounds, 14ounces (3.6kgs) and 50.5cm long, with no drugs, no tears, cuts or other medical intervention as is so often portrayed with inductions!

I understand that many inductions do not go like mine and i count myself very lucky to have had such a positive experience and i now feel if i go for bub number two and have to be induced again, gels for me were the best way.

I hope my story helps to alay the fears of at least one woman and show her that induction doesnt necessarily mean a "cascade of medical intervention" will follow....

Thank you for sharing your story! It really is lovely to read such a positive induction experience. :hug:

Thanks for adding you're story, it was great to hear of one going so well.

Congratulations!

thanks for sharing, i will be back to read it again and again. good to read a positive story.

i too am Insulin dep. and looking at an almost inevitable induction. hope it goes just as well for me.

Thank you for posting that - sometimes inductions *are* necessary and it is troubling when all women hear are the horror stories.

My third labour, an induction, was in some ways my best labour.

I had to travel in to a major hospital the night before, and the OB did a stretch and sweep at about 4pm. I had a bloody show, and was quite uncomfortable, but nothing really happened.

In the morning when they woke me at 5am for an early breakfast, I was feeling quite uncomfortable and crampy. A couple of hours later when I had my waters broken, I was about 4cm already, and it felt like I was in gentle labour.

I had a wonderful midwife then come and look after me. They put in the drip, with "the tiniest sniff of syntocinon" and labour began in earnest, but it wasn't painful. In fact it felt downright pleasurable. I spent most of it swaying and holding on to my dh - we must have looked like we were doing an odd sort of a dance around the birth suite :)

When contractions started to get much more intense a couple of hours later, the midwife suggested she do an internal to see where I was, as she suspected I was going to have the baby soon. I laughed at that and said, no way, I'm not in anywhere near enough pain yet.

She did an exam and I was about 8, with a bit of a cevical lip. I remembered what I'd read and got on my hands and knees with my bum in the air to get the pressure of the baby's head off my cervix.

Then all of a sudden I had two or three quite painful contractions, and without pushing, the baby just came out, surprising the heck out of all of us!!! The OB didn't have time to get in and see what was going on, he arrived when the baby was put to my breast and the midwife was cleaning me up :D

I must admit I was in a little shock afterwards because of how sudden the actual delivery was. The whole labour was about five hours from my waters breaking.

Thank you for sharing your positive induction experiences gill77 and Toomanytoomany!!! It's so nice to hear a good story for once! :)

I had a great induction birth too!

My waters broke and I was induced after 24 hours because labour didn't start on its own.

Syntocinon drip went in at about 9.30am.... baby was born at 11.18am... no drugs, no tears, no dramas!

It was my 2nd baby and a fabulous fabulous empowering day. I give hypnobirthing a lot of the credit too.

Great story Gill and im glad it was a positive induction :)

Thanks for the positive feedback ladies :)

I too had a very positive induction with my first - Active Labour 5.5 hrs. Only a shot pethadine (which in hindsight was asked for during transition) and 5 mins of pushing.

I am now booked in for a induction in 2 days time with my 2nd - actually looking forward to it. This time I am already 3cm dilated and a very favourable cervix so it will only being an ARM and that's all. I have a very understanding OB who agrees with my 'as little intervention as possible' approach and will do as I ask. Im sure that only add to the positive experience, when your listened too and feel empowered.

I agree that both sides of the story needs to be told. With my first, I could only find 'horror' stories and was sooooo surprised when things went so well.

It certainly can happen..........

Thanks Gill,

Mine was positive too.

I was 10 days overdue.

They tried Cervadil twice and then the gel, (Over 2 days) and then broke my waters on the 3rd day and she was born 2hrs and 50 minutes later, weighing 9lb 12oz. Did tear but healed well and was no drama. I was leaning over a beanbag on the bed when she came out.

Thanks for sharing your positive induction story.
I too had a positive induction, so they don't all end in horror stories.
My labour was only 2 hours and 5 minutes!