Overdue and induction

OK - so here it is.
Please bring on your induction stories and let me know what I'm in for.

I'll be 11 days late, and I've had prelabour for about 2 weeks. I have had my show over the last 3 days, and contractions most nights for little stretches (no trip to the hossy yet.....)
My back pains have been fierce, tummy is rock hard for most of the day and night. I'm pretty sure I'm fully engaged and have been for a week or so. I was 3/5 3 weeks ago, but I have dropped even more since then.

I'm getting gel at 9am in the morning after an internal from about 8am, and I'm allowed to go home until labour hits. A second dose of gel, if required, will be administered at about 3-4pm.

I was planning to go drug free, but I'm at the stage now where I dont give a rats bum, and the epidural option seems pretty sensible. I wont have to feel it all I guess - but in saying that, I've been breathing through really painful contractions for 2 weeks - so I'm not sure what painful is anymore. Maybe I'll be immune to some of the pain?

Thanks for your help - if you had a gel induction and you have a birth story - let me know and I'll check it out. Probably at 3am this morning when I can't sleep!!!!!

Fi

Sweetie i havent got any story for you but i did just want to wish you luck. im thinking of you.xx PS i no what pre labor is i had it for 2 weeks as well not fun hey! xx :smt023

Fi,

All the best for your induction tomorrow sweety.

Pre-labour is generally anything up to 4cms and can sometimes take 2-3 weeks to happen - it's a horrible time as it can be exhausting and frusrating, so it's the most important time to rest (I know it's hard to do that too). Keep upright and active to help encourage bubs during the day but rest at night.

The pain you are feeling is not all for nothing, they are working hard in preparing your cervix to dilate or dilating already - your body is doing what it's meant to be doing and is not wasting all that energy! Active /established labour is 4-7cms and transition (which is the hardest and where you want to give up and go home, but also shortest stage) is 7cms - 10cms.

In most cases, people have pain relief for inductions / augmentations, as the drugs make the uterus work overtime. If you want to know what sort of effect an induction has on your uterus (which is pretty much a muscle), clench your hand tight and release it flat. There's a contraction. Now clench your fist and open slightly, clench again, open slightly, clench again several times quickly... tired/sore fist? That's what it will probably be like.

I had gas with my induction, it didn't do anything for me. I had an epidural and there is no way I could have coped otherwise. Contractions were on top of each other and wouldn't stop. I had no break in between them. So needless to say I went straight to an epidural.

Do what feels right by you, it's important you follow your instincts and all the best for a wonderful labour. Will be thinking of you!

ps. I edited this a few times because I didn't know how much you wanted to know. The induction was very hard, for me the natural birth was less painful. If you want to know more email me and I will give you all you want to know in more detail!

Fi -

Both my birth stories can be found under birth stories on this forum or you can click on the boys names in my signature to read them. both of the boys were induced with gels, but I was early with both of them as well.

Goodluck !!

Love

Fi

I feel for you so much you are in EXACTLY the same sitution I was almost a year ago..

I was 13 days over by the time I was induced and it all went well..I will look for my birth story for you.

Please dont be scared, it can go anyway just like spontanious labour, I really enjoyed my labour in the end, but I wish like you that I had been able to go into spontanious labour..

I really think there should be a support group for overdue women..it's hell!!! I wish I'd known you were so overdue before I would have dropped by and given you some words of support!

Best of luck tomorrow!!

here it is Fi
Felix's Entrance to the world[/url]

hi fi

i had a gel induction with lani and it was a positive experience only needed 1 lot of gels and i can honestly say i only had really around a dozen really painful contractions - i was only having mild type contractions (which midwives told me were prostin pains) from time of insertion at 4pm till my waters broke on their on at 10pm lani was born at 11.03 or 11.06 pm (golly gosh forgotten already) between 4 and 10 was really just what like i was having at home a few days before nothing really bad and i could talk through them and not have to breathe - the worst ones i feel are the ones you need to concentrate and breathe. lani's labour was totally drug free (although i did ask for an epidural and the midwife told me that lani was crowning lol)

the one piece of advise i remember is kathryn saying to just walk and walk and walk (gravity does help).

GOOD LUCK

:

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the one piece of advise i remember is kathryn saying to just walk and walk and walk

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yeah I remembered that too but I walked for 2 days round and round with gels in and it did NOTHING except bring on artificial contractions!

But still do it because it worked for others~!

Thanks guys - here's hoping it will all work out.
As for the walking - I've been walking for the last few weeks, and I'm not at all convinced it does anything at all!!
However - it is a good distraction, so if nothing else, I'll be doing it for that reason!

I'm crapping myself - but Mum and Shane think its all awfully exciting..... You can tell its not them doing it huh?

Fi

Fi- I know that it must be making your nervous, but just remember this your objective is to come out with a healthy baby and be healthy and happy yourself..I'm sure it will go well for you

We'll be waiting with baited breath to see how things went!

Fi I don't want to scare you with our story, but as you know we were REALLY overdue... and they weren't willing to let me go any longer, and besides induction the only other option I had was a c/s. So I was induced with gel in the afternoon, around 11pm I had a leak, which was apparently my hind waters and after that I started feeling regular contractions. Around 2am I had some pethadine because I hadn't slept and I wanted too before the "real thing" started. I dozed for an hour and then they started getting stronger. At 3.30am I called in DH & Mum for support. We all then went to sleep again as they died off for an hour. At 6am I was pacing the halls, more with anxiety than pain, it was uncomfortable but in hind sight nothing compared to what was about to come. I had two juices and a piece of toast and went off to the birthing suite. once their the midwife broke my waters and things got moving. I asked to shower before they stuck the drip in so I could move around before I was attached to everything. In the shower I was on my hands & knees because it hit me hard.... to make a longer story short, I had the drip placed and two hours later an epidural. Labour went for 10 or so more hours and ended in an emergency c/s. Like Kelly has said, once they interfer, its hard not to stop the process because it hits really hard. I'm hoping the gels are enough for you and you have a safe labour. I have everything crossed for you!

Oh just wanted to add that I had the drip and not gels - I hope that's enough for you too Fi!!! Fingers crossed!!!

fi

sorry i meant walking heaps after having the gel inserted (from memory i think you have to lay down for a little while) - i too walked everyday for 10 days around 3kms a day and did all the other things to - the rumpy pumpy, curry, nipple stimulation you name it (except cod liver oil) and i still needed a bit of help - you will be fine, you are so close to meeting your little spud and once he/she is in your arms nothing else in the world will matter.

Fi sweetie,
I'm just popping to wish you loads and loads of luck and *easy labour vibes* for tomorrow.
I hope everything goes well, and that the gels do their job!

I was induced, but it was at 39 weeks due to my waters breaking, plus I was put straight onto the syntocin drip, no gels for me, and I was stuck on the bloody bed too...
Within in an hour it was hitting me really hard, and within an hour after that I was begging for an epidural.
The epidural was a god-send, and the rest of Aidyn's birth was complication free...

I truly can sympathise with how nervous you are, but try not to worry too much... you will get through it just fine, and at the end will have darling little spud in your arms... thats what counts the most :)

Fi, you can have a look at my birth story in the birth stories section...

Many people have said they hated being induced but i didnt find it all that bad. Though i havent had a natural labor so i cant really waigh up the pros and cons properly.

My labor hit pretty fast(within an hr after i got the drip) and i did find it a bit restricting having the drip but i was so damn tired from lack of sleep all i wanted to do was lay on the bed anyways.

Might i suggest, when youre up to the pushing stage, try doing it on your side, apparently its really easy this way. Otherwise standing/squating is the way to go as gravity makes it easier for baby to come out obviously.

I only had a 5hr labor, which I think it pretty quick for a first bub after hearing everyone else having over 24hr labors. But maybe it was because i was induced? I dunno.

I did it without an epidural, which i am so proud of! I don't know how i did though. But i got a congratz for the doctor who delivered Lily for it and apparently it was his hardest ever delivery, so must have been impressive. The gas was my best friend though. I felt a lot calmer so i was able to just go with what my body is doing and apparently if your less up tight and more relaxed labor will generaly be a lot quicker and progress easier.

Anyways, goodluck for tomorrow. You are going to do great. If you want to try a drug free labor then use the shower and/or bath. Hot water is the BEST thing for the pain IMO!

Thanks again for all the info. Good and bad..... There is no point kidding myself that things may go pretty pear shaped in a hurry, but i guess thats why the epi's are there.

Now if I can just stop crying this morning, wipe my nose and my eyes, and get on with this business of having a baby, we will all be better off!!! Easier said than done!

I'm gunna look totally daggy cause I want to be comfy, but I want to wear sneakers too - so I'm pulling out all my comfy pieces of maternity clothes and none of them match. Ask me if I care???

Hopefully I wont be posting for a day or two!

Fi

Awww Fi! You'll be fine and will do a wonderful job of bring spud into the world! Good luck!

*huge hugs* Fi... you'll find strength and energy in yourself which you never knew you had honey... You'll do a fantastic job I just know it.

I'm home for a couple of hours - and then I go back in at 3pm for more gel.
They have told me if I haven't gone by tomorrow am, they will break my waters, but have agreed not to put me on a drip for the first little while. This is good I think!!

So it'll all just keep ticking along. Thanks for the good wishes guys - it means a heap to me.

Fi

I'm sending you lots of speedy labour vibes Fi! Come on out spud, it's time to meet Mummy & Daddy!!!

I've just read this one - I had the gel thing - thursday night - no action. friday morning - no action. Go back friday arvo and they tell me to come back on sunday night. More gel sunday - no action sunday night.

Monday morning, waters broken with a crochet hook looking thing and put on drip at 9am. NOTHING happened until about 7pm and it all went a bit weird and ended up have a c/s. Cait was 13 days overdue by this time. I had a pelvic scan as well, she was not even engaged and the doc told me after that she had no plans on going anywhere !

Hope you have better luck.

Barb.