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

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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'. ?#!@?! 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!! :pray:

Amber4, sorry to hear about your BP :hug:

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

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.

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

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

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

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 :lol:
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

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.

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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.

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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.

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 :o i only got there at 5pm lucky he was born at 3am :)

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 ;)

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.

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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)

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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.

Sequoia, maybe a better question is: what is the benefit of a managed third stage if not medically indicated?

Sloane, your experience sounds so very similar to mine. I had no complications - induced at 42 weeks and ended up with forceps delivery as DS went into distress. One thing I feel good about is delaying the synto to give AROM a chance first.
I long to experience a natural labour and actually birth my baby - hopefully next time.

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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

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Hey there,
just thought I'd drop by and mention that I tried acupressure as a means of inducing my labor since when my last pregnancy was induced medically I found it painful and also that I was being made to fit in with their timetable. My husband tried acupressure on pressure points near my ankles and kept repeating this over the next day and I started labor soon after than. Now I can't say for sure whether the acupressure started my labor but it was well worth a try.

Hospitals make me so angry! :wall:
I am almost 38 weeks with my first baby and I have gestational diabetes. I've had to go on insulin (one injection at dinner time) because my fasting levels were up each morning.
Last week I was told I would be induced at 39 weeks. Every fibre of being is screaming at me that it is the wrong thing to do. I've been told that she is slightly big for dates but still within average size, my BP is fine and I've been keeping my blood sugar under control. The only problem the Dr could find was that she thought the babys heartrate was "too fast". After being strapped to a monitor for 3 hours a senior Dr came in to check my readings and couldn't understand why I was being monitored at all as the heartrate is normal for a healthy, active baby!
The next day I called the Labour ward to talk to someone about why I needed the induction. I'd been having panic attacks about it since they booked me in (I wasn't told I have a choice). All they could tell me was that it's "standard procedure" for gestational diabetes.
If that hasn't been stressful enough, a midwife from the hospital told my mother that if I went over 39 weeks my baby would have diabetes or be stillborn! What is wrong with these people?!
I have an appointment with my diabetes specialist on Wednesday and plan to arm myself with information for my antenatal appointment on Thursday.
If they refuse to give me a choice in the whole induction matter my husband has vowed to call up and cancel the induction on the day as he's concerned by how anxious and depressed I've been since they told me I'd "have" to be induced.
All we want is at least to get to 40 weeks to give her a chance to come out on her own not go through all this stress for the sake of 1 weeks difference and "standard procedure". :pray:

This is quite an info. Im just so glad I had a good induction experience. I was given a gel first (the night before I went to labor) and then was induced. 6 hours later I started to push, another 2 hours and I've given birth.

This is the only experience I have so I have nothing to compare it with. But since we are still undecided if we'll have another child, Im happy to come across such info. Thanks.

I agree. Some of these Dr's are using induction just to fit their schedule!

An update on my induction experience. I was booked in at 39 weeks. I had three gels - nothing! I was told that technically I have three weeks up my sleeve because a lot of women go to 42 weeks! After all the dramas of being guilt tripped into it! Then they said she was normal size and then sent me home for one night to "relax" after doing "a quick internal examination", which was in fact the doctor sweeping the membranes. She didn't tell me that's what she was doing and I freaked out when I went to the bathroom and found brown stuff in my underwear.
When I returned to the hospital (believe me, I didn't want to go back) I had two more gels. I needed the gas for these as I was getting very sensitive down there and it was very painful. Still nothing! Then they said they might need to use a catheter(?) and break my water. No way was anything else going up there! So eventually they decided to book me in for ceasarean. When explaining the risks the doctor kept saying "but that's only really a problem when it's an emergency ceasarean". Gee, and they wondered why I was so freaked about the induction!
I am so glad we have decided to stick to one child only (due to my age and a previous miscarriage). During the ceasar the anesthetic started to wear off and it felt like someone was standing on my heart. I got to see my daughter for about two minutes but couldn't cuddle her because of the drips etc in my arms. In recovery I had itching on my chest area and severe shivers. Apparently they were supposed to take me past the nursery when taking me to my room but they didn't, so I didn't get to see her until hours after. Not a great experience at all. At least my girl is healthy (she weighed 3.5 kilos at birth) and she's 4 months old now and a very beautiful baby.

Thanks for coming back and letting us know how you got on. I'm sorry you had a bad experience :hug:
Glad to hear that she's beautiful - I hope you're settling into motherhood ok despite the rough start.
All the best

*bump*

I was given synthetic oxytocin to augment my labour, despite being nearly fully dilated. After only one hour it caused uterine hyperstimulation, despite the fact that I was only given a low dose. I delivered my baby very quickly and tore badly. For those who are interested, or facing a similar situation, I have written my story in detail below. I want other women to know that even if your labour is not following the 'typical' pattern, it doesn't mean it is dysfunctional. Our bodies are all different. Resist the pressure to be induced and trust that your body is doing the work it is meant to do. I wish I had.

The first sign that my baby was on her way came when my waters broke on the evening of Wednesday 28th August. I started having light contractions within a couple of hours. Steadily they got stronger and stronger, although they were quite far apart and irregular in spacing. By the next day, the midwives were already urging me to have an induction, due to "prolonged rupture of membranes" and the (rather overstated) risk of an infection. However, I was armed with the facts, and managed to buy myself some more time, but as a compromise agreed to come in to the hospital regularly for monitoring (this scourge on labouring women is deserving of a separate rant some other time). My contractions, despite being irregular and far apart, were quite strong by the Thursday night. There was no possible way I could sleep through them. I had to focus and control my breathing. My TENS and Swiss ball were a godsend. I felt that I was progressing, so on Friday I begged for yet more time, and eventually was given a deadline of Saturday morning before the dreaded intervention would start. This caused me a lot of anxiety. I was made to feel like I was not even in labour and that I was making a big fuss over my contractions for nothing. I was filled with so much doubt, and on Friday I remember I told my husband, "I'm so ashamed of myself. Why doesn't my body know what to do to get the baby out?" If this wasn't labour, I couldn't even imagine how it was going to be once I actually started dilating.

So finally I was admitted on the morning of Saturday 31st August, after more than 50 hours of irregular (but strong) contractions, averaging ten minutes apart (ranging between six and 15 minutes apart). By this stage I was very relieved to have access to the gas. A doctor was called to give an internal examination and approve my 'induction'. The midwives were genuinely shocked when she reported that I was 8cm dilated (10 minutely contractions, remember!). She told the midwives that there was no need to induce, and I could continue on.

Despite this, three hours later they put me on the synthetic oxytocin drip to augment my labour, because in their words, "it's not possible to push a baby out with contractions ten minutes apart", and it was going to take me "dozens and dozens more contractions" before I was ready to push. It was never phrased as though I had a choice. They never asked me, and I never said yes. I wish I had memorised the phrase, "you do not have my consent", but I was not prepared for the fact that my medical treatment would be presented as opt out, rather than opt in. Before I knew it the IV had been inserted and the drip connected up.

They were aiming to get me to four contractions in ten minutes. As per standard procedure, they started the drip at 2 milliunits / min, then upped it to 4 after half an hour, and up to 6 after another half hour (it goes up as high as 32). Despite assuring me it would increase the frequency of my contractions, the only difference to my labour was that the contractions became exhaustingly painful.

They had me lying on the bed while they tried to attach an internal monitor to my baby's scalp (which was a hugely uncomfortable position to be stuck in during contractions) when the drip was turned up to 6. Suddenly, I was screaming in pain with a contraction that lasted several minutes; it just went on and on and wouldn't let up. My HR was ridiculously high, and the machine was urgently beeping a warning. I was vaguely aware of the word "hyperstimulated" spoken in urgent tones, and they turned the drip down straight away. At some point they turned it off altogether, though I'm not sure exactly when this happened.

Still contracting, I ran (somehow!) into the bathroom, as I felt a desperate need to get something 'out'. I was screaming for morphine, and one of the midwives had gone to fetch some. Before I knew it I was holding onto the sink in a deep squat. Another midwife was yelling "Don't push! Don't push! You're not fully dilated." I yelled back that I could feel the baby's head slipping down, and they finally understood that I was having my baby and ran to put a mattress down on the floor for me.

My baby girl was in my arms 18 minutes later. I pushed her out in three contractions, still coming a bit less than ten minutes apart (despite this being an apparently impossible feat). Even though this part of the labour was an amazing experience, I think that due to the oxytocin, she came a little too fast. I sustained a deep tear to the perineum, and completely tore one of my labia. It took an hour and a half to have my stitches done. I know that tears are common for first time mums, and I was willing to accept that as a consequence of a natural vaginal birth, but because I was put on the oxytocin 'against my will', I can't help but feel that these injuries were done *to* me. It's a distressing feeling.

On the face of it, I achieved what I set out to - I laboured using only the gas for pain relief, and had an unassisted vaginal birth. But the feeling that decisions were not in my hands and that I'll never know what my body would have done on its own leaves me with deep regret that I did not fight harder against the augmentation.