Well i was induced with Lily because i had pre eclampsia. I only had a 5 hour labor but she was only my first. Would induction make labor shorter, or is it just that i have short labors?
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Well i was induced with Lily because i had pre eclampsia. I only had a 5 hour labor but she was only my first. Would induction make labor shorter, or is it just that i have short labors?
I'd have to say inductions don't make labour quicker as I was induced(gel) and went for 23 hours!I'd say yo have quick labours(lucky thing!)
Hi Tegan
If you was induced using an IV drip then yes it would make labour shorter and more painful
Yeah i was given syntoconin(sp) but i really thought that the pain part was a breeze and i have 0 pain tolerence!
I was induced with my first as well due to pre eclampsia. I had a 5 hr labour which started a few hours after the 1st lot of gel.
I was worried at first about being induced as I had heard all the horror stories about being fast & really painful. But really I'd rather fast & painful than loooooooong & painful anyday!!
My Mum had a 4hr, a 2hr & a 45 min labour for her 3, so I am hoping I get the quick labour gene from her :lol:
Skye
Normally the gel is a lot slower than the drip they both work in different ways. The gel is also less painful. (if there is such a thing as less painful).
i had a 12hr labour with the drip
a 7hr labour on my own
then a 1hr labour with the gel :shock:
so i am a bix mixed up there lol. i would say you would be in for short labours
I am very anti-routine induction for reasons other than the mother's or baby's health. Just my own opinion though, no offence intended. I think it's important and healthy for the baby to choose it's own birth date where there are no problems, as the medicines used in induction effect the baby. The contractions are harder and more frequent, sometimes on top of each other in an induction. Just hypothetically, imagine being dunked underwater where there is no oxygen. It would be okay for a short time. Imagine being continually dunked under there and for longer with no or little breaks. The contractions of the uterus reduce the blood supply hence the oxygen to the baby. For some this will result in fetal distress. This will often result in medical carers suggesting an emergency caesar or other things like that. Once you are on the drip, they will tell you you can't get off it because there is the chance the labour will stop. That's what they will say.
Yes, many inductions go on without an apparent hitch, but like Shannon, I was augmented and would NEVER go through that again not on the basis of the knoweldge I have now, but I vowed that as soon as I had birthed Marisa. The pain was constant, intense and I don't want to go there again. There are natural things you can do to help, I think these should be the only port of call unless something happens which requires intervention. Every labour is also different and pain can be from all sorts of things, baby's position, mum's position... my convenience will always come second to my baby's needs - I would just hope for my baby's entrance into the world to be as gentle and welcoming as possible.
Just my 2c - but we are all entitled to our own choices and decisions of course.
I'm sorry, i don't mean to sound rude but to me it sounded like you are saying i had a choice whether to be induced or not. Which i didn't because i had pre eclampsia. Unless you weren't talking to me at all, then never mind, lol.
Definitely not for pre-eclampsia, I made a general comment about routine induction :)
Yep that is fine.
So looks like i am not going to know if my labors are shorter until next time because it's half and half at the moment lol.
I am with Kelly on this. I have been induced twice, once with pre-eclampsia and a possible IUGR (intra-uterine growth restriction) the 2nd just for possible IUGR. Both of the boys were born above the IUGR threshold (only just for Kam mind you but he was in the world 2wks early).
If I happened to fall pregnant again I don't wish to be induced again (even if they threw IUGR at me) unless the life of either myself or my unborn child was at risk. They have worked out why I have small kids so hopefully IUGR wouldn't be a factor for a 3rd time as they know the reasoning behind it.
Labour wise. Kam was 3hrs 20 mins. Lach was 4hrs 6 mins. Kam I had the drip and gel done twice, Lach I only had the gel done once
Love
I was induced for the first time with the twins. My first 3 kids were 12 to 13 hours, and the twins labour was exactly the same. I was initially induced by ARM only though, the sytocinon drip being put up in the last 2 hours.
They always say it's medically necessary, and of course for some it really is. No-one wants to put their baby in any danger.
For anyone who's considering induction though & they're not convinced it's really necessary, I'd think long & hard about it & avoid it if possible.
In hindsight I would never agree to the ARM or the drip again (in my circumstances). It made such a huge difference to the pain & my ability to cope with it.
OH I had ARM in both of mine as well. One at 2cm the other at 7cm, I think a couple of more contractions and the 7cm would have gone themselves cause it was feeling like all my insides were about to fall out lmao.
Love
I suppose the ARM affects people differently. My waters don't break naturally til very close to the birth, & babies heads don't engage til well into labour, so maybe it was more of a big deal for me, or maybe it was because of twins. Even the more natural birth thinking of the midwives didn't seem to think ARM was a big deal, but it was to me. I'm sure it affected me psychologically as well as physically.
It seems the mentality with ARM is if it's not broken, break it... but you can refuse it. From memory at the National Doula Conference, someone said that there is no study with proof to show that having the waters broken makes a labour shorter. It might do, but it might not, there is no proof. It also introduces more opportunity for infection and puts you on the clock - they wont allow waters to be broken for a certain amount of time before moving things along even more with other intervention due to infection risk. Waters left to break on their own normally break at second stage (pushing). Also if broken and baby has the cord tightly around it's neck, the pressure is only going to be even more without the waters there for the cord to 'float' in.
I had my waters broken at 5cms with Marisa with a drip put up also due to a slow labour and with Elijah, they broke it when I got in at 9cms. When a woman is doing beautifully, why interfere? I also hear more and more so many women are given epidurals and the like when they are so close, even 9cms - where has the care gone? This woman is so close, yet some doctors think they have to just 'fix' it or 'save' the woman so she thinks he / she is their hero. When she has done it all herself.
I once and only once had a baby born without the waters breaking. I had to remove the membranes from the baby after the head was born. With hindsight I wish now that I had let the mother remove the membranes after birth.
Kelly I have to disagree with you on one point. And this will be the first time that I have not agreed with everything that you have said. The problem with the cord being tightly around the neck is pressure on the cord caused by contractions and thus cutting the blood supply to the baby. If the cord is tight enough to do this then no amount of fluid will make any difference because the cord would not be able to float. I think that this would be more of a problem if the cord was loosely around the neck as then with fluid the cord could float but without fluid then there is more potential for the cord not to move away from not only the neck but form the limbs also.
I do agree however re the medical interventions. Once you start down this path then it can often cascade into more and more interventions.
LOL Alan it's okay I happily welcome any other comments or wake-ups LOL! There was a point one of the speakers made at the National Doula conference, in regards to the cons of having waters broken, and she mentioned that if you already have a baby with a tight cord around the neck, then it could make it worse. I know it is very common for the cord to be there anyway. I'd better re-read my posts LOL I think this 42C heat is going to my head :) I guess she was wrong then because what you say makes more sense to me! 8-[ :-k
I have been induced 3 times now, twice I was induced with only ARM and the gel and my labours were reasonably quick and easy and not as painful. With my last pg the doctors ruptured my membranes, gave me the gel and I thought that was it, but then the decided to put me on the drip as well..NEVER AGAIN! The drip made things 100% worse and slowed everything down. Instead of having a quick, easy and less painful birth, I went through the most tremendous amount of pain and I am blaming it all on the drip.
This time I am going to exercise my right and NOT have the drip.
Hi Shannon
Read my post. I had a baby born without the waters breaking. I had to do it after the head was born.
My brother was also born in the bag, she calls him her moon baby :)
Yes I agree with you Shannon. We should keep these men away from normal pregnancy and birth. (oops I should say OB's) some man are OK :lol: )
Breaking tradition is a hard thing to do ;) Especially when its good for the ego's ;) Oh and I forgot to add the cha ching too LOL! Do you think the drug companies would mind if we all had natural labours (through either no drug relief or no augmentations)? My guess is they'd not be too happy... besides they've got their cruises to pay for!
Ooooo I am nasty :cryinglaugh:
*hugs*
Cailin
Good point Cailin. Especially when you consider that the gel costs somewhere between $80 and $90 for each dose.
Shannon
Again you are right. So before I get in any deeper I think I will find a nice big rock to crawl under
Actually I'm going to bed. I have to work tonight :(
Well it seems everyone hated their induction lol. I must be really weird then because i didn't mind it at all, i thought the contractions were quite blissful compared to what i was expecting. I pretty much made no noise except the pushing part at the end and i used gas and hot water for most of it.
Although my waters broke naturally after the second dose of gel so maybe thats why it didnt seem bad? But then i had to contractions after that which is why i had the drip lol Feel like i am arguing with myself here LOL
Alan I've read of babies being born with the membranes intact! It must have been amazing to see it!
Thats seriously weird!I never knew that could even happen!Its like being born into a bubble!
Tegan its not a problem sweets. You enjoyed your augmentation thats fine! Don't stress, I'm just over the politics of intervention. And unfortunately it can cloud situations like yours that definitley ARE necessary. SO don't fret, we aren't anti augmentation, just when its used unnecessarily ;)
OH and how cool is this: (I found it on wikipedia)
:
When the amniotic sac has not ruptured during labour or pushing, the infant can be born with the membranes intact. This is referred to as "being born in the caul." The caul is harmless and its membranes are easily broken and wiped away by the doctor or midwife assisting with the childbirth. In medieval times, and in some cultures still today, a caul was seen as a sign of good fortune for the baby, in some cultures was seen as protection against drowning. The caul was often impressed onto paper and stored away as an heirloom for the child. With the advent of modern interventive obstetrics, premature artificial rupture of the membranes has become common, so babies are rarely born in the caul.
Who knows if induction really makes your labours shorter. I was induced on my due date with my 2nd due to Sciatica, I was only given the gel once and had a 2.5hour labour, BUT I was already 3cm, soft and favourable as they say!!!
I didn't even think about my whether my waters had broken when having DS, the midwife did not intervene there so it mustn't be an absolute necessity to break your waters otherwise she would have done it I guess. She told me I could start pushing and 5 minutes before DS was born my waters broke. It was the most unbelievable sound and feeling. My 2nd labour was alot quicker than my 1st, but was that b/c it was my 2nd labour or was it b/c I was induced.... who knows! One thing for sure it did happen quickly and I wasn't allowed any drugs as I was too dilated. Was it more painful, I don't know as I had ALL the drugs with my 1st as she was posterior (9hr labour), my guess is the pain would have been the same.
I have a friend that swears by induction, she demands her OB induces her as she loves the quick labours. She gets the Drip staright away and has her babies very quickly. I don't agree with doing it just b/c you want to get it over and done with.
I've just had a SIL be induced (41+wks) and she went through 20 hours of agony. They gave her gel, broke her waters, gave her the drip, epi, it ended up a forceps delivery, so in her case it was not quick at all.
For me I'd prefer not to toy with nature, I loved going into labour naturally with my 1st, but I liked the quick labour with my 2nd.
Jaggard, many women who's waters have broken normally have said this too, about it being a totally amazing sensation. I would love to experience it but I plan on a home waterbirth next time, so I don't know if I will get to! Oh well, if DH works less maybe there will be #4 LOL ;) But I think I am really going to enjoy waterbirth.:
I thought it was pretty amazing. Took a load of pressure off too!
Kelly,
I still think back at that feeling along with the shocked look on DH's face when we heard the waters break and that's probably the highlight (if there is one) with that labour. The pressure in my stomach just dropped, the sensation I got was incredilble and the feeling that everything (bar getting the gel) was going so naturally was calming for me as painful and as intense as it all was.
I had DS on all 4's whether that was more natural (my midwife seemed to think so). She really was a wonderful midwife, I was very lucky as I went public as we moved towns half way through my pregnancy and had to go public.
Looking forward to your water birth story (when it happens)! I always said I'd like to try a home birth in water, funny thing is both my labours I've attempted a bath and hated it, slumping over a bean bag on the floor has done me the world of good.
;)