Being Induced

I was induced with my second child, but not my first so I'm able to actually compare the contractions. I actually found that the contractions were not more painful. They were actually shorter and more regular for me. The thing that was annoying though is being attached to something so I couldn't do all of the "moves" I wanted to. Also, with the high blood pressure, they wanted me to lay on my side and when those contractions came it was brutal being on my side and not in my more comfortable other positions. Also, depending on where you are, they may allow you to still be in the tub if you're on pitocin (but some places will not). It's a good thing to ask them so you're prepared. The induction was nice in a way - very civilized my husband and I joked. There's no crazy car ride to the hospital, etc. Although, I hated the "ticking" sound the inducation machine made as it released the pitocin. It was like a cruel portent. Bring some music or use some sort of viualization to tune that out. Your husband can help with that. Good luck! It sounds like you're in good hands.

Hi N.,

I have 2 children and have been induced for both. The first i was in almost the same position as you i had gotting Toxemia (Preeclampsia)and had to be induce 7 weeks early. it can be scary to think about but it is not a bad thing at all. What they did for me was to start me on pitocin to start labor they than broke my water and the rest just happens on its own. I had epidurals both times i would recommend it with inductons because pitocin makes your contractions harder. I really beleive you will be fine being induced i actually asked to be induced for my second child i was scared to do the whole normal labor thing. for my second child i had the same dr. he came in the room at 1 pm to start mt meds and told me he had a meeting at 5:30 so we needed to get this done!! he was a funny man. i felt almost no pain and had my daughter at 4:53 pm my dr. even made his appt.

Good luck

M.

I was induced on my due date and had been diagnosed with borderline Gestational diabetes a few months before that. I had elevated blood pressure and protein levels. My experience with being induced was ok, but the length of time I was in labor was longer than I was in labor with m other three kids. 16 hours this time. The longest I've ever been in labor. I wouldn't worry too much about it cause you will get through it since you're under a doctor's care and they are watching you clearly. Are you detting an epidural or going completely natural? This is your first baby, right? You'll be fine. If you have any other questions, just private message me.

Hi, I've been induced and I've had a c-section too. What to expect is that either way you will end up with a beautiful baby and it won't matter which way you had the baby later. :) That said being induced results in very intense and painful contractions that last awhile I recommend an epidural unless you are really good with pain. The second child i had a c=section with. If they end up giving you a c-section there is good news and bad news. The good news is that with my c-section the whole first week after baby is born is much easier because you are a lot less worn out physically. I liked that it gave me a nice start bonding with my baby (with my first I was sooooo physically exhausted from the hard labor and lack of sleep) the bad news is that it takes quite a while to recover from it is a MAJOR surgery and you need to take it easy for at least 6 weeks. Hopefully you will not need a c-section. Good luck and congrats.

Hi, I was induced about a week early because I was of 'advanced maternal age' (39 yo) but didn't have any preeclampsia symptoms which you might be having. I was VERY worried about being induced because there is a higher rate of C-section. I had absolutely no problem with induction. I sailed through it with an easy labor until transition, but that only lasted for about 20min then I pushed for 30min and the baby was out. We had a doula and I feel that REALLY helped to keep me calm. My biggest issue came about 4 days after the birth because I had severe edema from all of the fluids that they give you through the IV during the pitocin administration. I think I made the mistake of 'snacking' on chicken broth throughout my labor which of course is very high in sodium and caused my edema to be worse than it would have otherwise been. In general, I think that keeping in mind that you and your baby are a team in their birth helps keep things in perspective and may minimize anxiety and thus pain. I HIGHLY recommend the book "Hypnobirthing". Attitude is everything during birth. Good luck to you and your baby. Congrats!!

I was induced for my second, but not my first. I had a very sudden, unexpected case of preclamsia and was unexpectadly induced. It was really fairly short. They started the pitocin at around 5pm and my son was born at 3am, so only 10 hours from start ot finish. The pitocin took right away and my contractions took over and they were able to turn it off part way through. I will say that the contractions were worse, not because they were harder, but because I had no break in between. They were just one on top of the other for a longer period of time that with my first labor.
It was also more difficult, because I wasn't able to get out of the bed. I was attached to fetal monitors and pitocin and magnesium sulfate. Really the worst part was having to be stationary and the mag. sulfate. That stuff makes you feel awful (so I understand why they don't want you to move around, but that makes the labor harder).
If they will let you get up and move around, it will be a lot easier. Good luck! Being induced does not mean you will have to have a c-section!

I was in the exact situation with my son. He is now 26 months and healthy, energetic very talkative little boy. To make a long story short. I got put on bedrest three months prior to my delivery day. Ugghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hypertension and protein in my urine as well. I wanted the more natural birth and did everything I could to experience it. My due date was Feb 12 but was induced on the 3rd. Talked my doctor into letting my go home because nothing was happening. I had the vaginal induction first. I went home in hopes mother nature would help me out, but I had to return in 24 hrs for the pitocin. Honestly, it was no fun, because I was on the IV and was a pain. I tried to do it as natural as possible until I just couldnt any longer. I got an epidural. Didn't hurt cause my contractions were too intense to care. When the nurse came in a few hrs later, she said I was ready. I told her I wasn't. My doc was on call and sleeping right down the hall. I told her the let the doc sleep. I wanted the epidural to ware off and when it did is when I wanted to push. After it wore off I pushed and he came out wonderfully and naturally. Just stay positive, have a birth plan and make sure the nurses station has a copy, and one is on your door. If unsure how to do a birth plan look it up. It is awesome and give you control of the birth. Good luck sister.

I was induced because my son was two weeks overdue. I was adamantly against it because I've always had natural (drug-free) deliveries and all the horror stories I'd heard assured me that I'd be screaming for an epidural the second the Pitocin drip started, but that wasn't the case. They started the drip at a low concentration and slowly increased it at a rate I was comfortable with. They used wireless fetal monitors so I was free to move around as I pleased and over-all it was a great experience (considering they'd been talking c-section a week before due to his size). Yes, it was more intense than natural labor, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle and I was still able to have the drug-free delivery I wanted, 3 hours and 44 minutes from start to finish.

I believe your delivery is what you make of it. Of course there will be unexpected arisings and things may not go as you planned or wanted, but ultimately it's not HOW you get your baby out, but that he makes it here safe and sound and healthy. Good luck to you and don't let the horror stories scare you. This can go well and you WILL have a happy ending :) Take care.

I was induced because my baby was reaching the "too big to deliver vaginally" range. He was my first so I can totally relate to what your going through not knowing what to expect can be scary! I was given petocin to help get me more dialated.. about 6-7 hours later I wasn't much further a long so the doctor came in and popped my water. Talk about a crazy feeling! All I can remember saying to the doctor in a nervous voice was, "So this is it,.. there's no turning back now?!" He just laughed and said "I think you've been beyond that point for quite some time now!" and him and the nurse left the room. Honestly, it felt like with all that water coming out of me that the baby was going to just shoot right out like he was on a gigantic slip'n'slide.. That was probably around 9pm .. Up until this point I hadn't been feeling any pain from the petocin contractions, an 1/2 hour or so later, I started feeling them and they were coming strong and fast! The nurses brought me in the big ball to bounce on, a rocking chair,etc.. nothing helped,.. All I knew was it was 10pm and I probably had 8 more hours to go and I was dead tired already! There was no way I was going to make it through the night like that if I didnt have to.. So, I decided to have an epidural,.. I hate neddles, but this was cake especially in comparison to the contractions! Let me tell you, that is a different kind of pain, a man could definitely not handle that! So the rest of my story is simple,the pain went away, my husband and I went to sleep, yes I said sleep! about 5am the next morning the nurse came in WOKE ME UP because the head was showing and it was time to push.. 20 minutes later, I was holding my sweet new baby boy in my arms.. If thats not a beautiful birth story I dont know what is! Good luck you'll do great!

First of all I would like to say congratulations on your upcoming baby! I had hypertension through both of my pregnancies, that ended with preeclampsia, and in the end C sections for both...So, I've been where you are and it is a very scary thing. With my son I was on bedrest for a month prior due to the BP issues. Anyhow, being though this the first thing which is really hard to do is try not to worry about it because all worrying does is make the bp numbers higher. However, no matter how many people told me I couldn't just turn it off. With my daughter I was induced and she didn't decend so that's why I had the C-section and with my second they wouldn't induce after a C-section so it was that way for him too. Induction for me wasn't that big of a deal the doctors are they to answer your questions and they monitor you constently so, if there is an emerceny they are there to take care of both of you. I hope this puts you at ease a little. Please let me know if you have any other questions about the process. Looking info up is a good thing to do but don't look up too much info...I found knowing too much info isn't a good thing either.

I was induced because I was a week and a half late. People kept telling me horrible stories about being induced, but luckily, I ignored them! I trusted my Doctor! Anyway, I don't know what it is like to go into labor on my own, nor do I know the difference of sensations, but this is how it went for me....8:00 AM...I was hooked up to all the gear and the induction drugs started flowing. I was already efaced (sp?) and dialated a bit. Apparently, they could tell I was already have contractions and just could not feel them. The meds made them come more. They felt strange at first. I hung out on a birthing ball and walked around as much as possible. Around 1:00 pm they broke my water. Shortly after that...it got painful. They encouraged me to walk around, take a bath....I tried it all and hung in until 8:00 pm and begged for my epidural. I honestly wished I asked earlier. I started pushing at midnight and he popped out at 1:00 am.

I know this might sound like a really long labor...but it really wasn't and I was not all that tired either. Not until the next day. I really am happy I was induced and I am glad I ignored people who kept telling me I would have to have a Section if I was induced. Good luck to you. I hope you let us know what happens.

P.S. Bring something to do...I texted and emailed people a ton. Before the epidural, I got to bounce on the birthing ball. That was fun!

I was induced at 42 weeks with each of my boys. It seemed like as soon as the medicine started, so did the contractions. They were almost instantly 30 seconds apart. It can be hard having no recovering time between contractions, so an epidural does help if induced. On the plus side, the meds work fast. For me it was about 4 hours from start to baby! And they were both healthy. I did experience a lot of added back pain the first couple of weeks due to the epidural, and since your body has less time to prepare for the coming of the baby, taring is more common. If you need stitches and have pain, you can use a condom full of water and frozen, or what I liked was a small diaper or large menstrual pad, soaked with water and frozen. You can put it on the stitches to numb the pain, and it is disposable so less mess due to all the bleeding that occurs the first couple of weeks. In the end, it is all worth it everytime you see your little angel look up at you!!
blessed Be you and your new baby!

I had to be induced with my second for medical reasons and was very dissapointed, since you hear so much about how it is more painful, or not good for the baby. Our experience however, was absolutely fine. Labor went really smoothly, and was definately NOT more painful than the first. The nurses and the doctors were very informative and helped ease our tensions about being induced. Enjoy the epidural, that is a godsend! Good luck with your first and congratulations!

I have had two deliveries. Both were induced, long drawn out process that seem to take forever. But the one thing that I noticed no one else mentioned.. not sure if it will apply to you or not.. but for me, my "magic button" was the breaking of the water. It took me 24-36 hours to dialate to 2cm. the Doc came in and broke my water, and withing 4 hours the baby was born. BUT the big problem is that an epidural can not withstand that intensitive dialation. So have an epidural "on board" before you have your water broken.. (if the doc will let you.. some wont).
Good luck and Congratulations on your new son!!

Hi N.,

I was induced for other reasons (low fluid after 10 weeks on bedrest) and it was a wonderful birth. My only advice would be to get the epidural early on. The contractions get intense and you don't want to wait until you are in a ton of pain because it may take a while before they get to you. I received my epidural when I was dialated to a 3 and was at a 10 in one hour. As soon as I received the epidural, I was able to relax and things became less intense. I had wanted to have a natural birth, it wasn't in my cards, but I had a wonderful experience and wouldn't change it for the world. You can actually take it in instead of focusing on the pain.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

M. :)

I was induced after my water broke without any contractions. It was certainly a surreal way to go into labor, but it worked out just fine in the end. I think that you are right on track in planning on most likely having an epidural. Get that set-up with the anesthesiologist as soon as possible once you are admitted. With petocin, you could feel fine one minute and think that you are going to be ripped in two the next. You don’t want to have to wait for the epidural set-up until you really, really need it.

In my case, the nurses were turning up my petocin two notches every fifteen minutes. By the time I was at level 16, I could definitely feel the contractions. They were by no means pleasant, but I could breathe through them and they were a couple minutes apart so I was able to recover. Then my nurse turned the petocin up again and all hell broke loose. All of a sudden, and I mean all of a sudden, my contractions were about 10 seconds apart. I had no time to recover from the contractions and I started to hyperventilate. The anesthesiologist had been tied up all day with c-sections and hadn’t made it in to see me and I knew my nurse wasn’t scheduled to come in and check on me for another fifteen minutes. I turned to my husband and just said “please” and that man ran out of the room and found my doctor who physically tracked down an anesthesiologist to save me. I had my epidural no more than ten minutes later. I was only 4 centimeters dilated at that point, and had about 4 more hours of labor ahead of me. There was absolutely no way I could have done that without the epidural. I don’t say any of that to scare you at all. Do not be scared. Just make sure that everybody knows how you want to deal with the pain. With petocin, things can get ugly so fast. You need to have your pain relief plan in place at the very beginning.

I chose to turn off the epidural about 15 minutes before it was time to push. I highly recommend doing that so you can feel when the contractions are coming and you can tell when your body wants to push. When my epidural was working, I could not feel a single thing. It was lovely and I got a nice nap in, but it wasn’t really conducive to effective pushing. Even after turning the epidural off, I was still numbed. I was able to feel the contractions, and I certainly felt a great deal of pressure, but there wasn’t any excruciating pain. Every case is different, though. This was my first and only delivery, so I don’t have any other experiences to compare this to.

All in all, things really went quite well. If I had to be induced again today, I would totally feel comfortable doing so. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I had feared it would be. In fact, aside from about 10 minutes of it, it wasn’t bad at all. I hope you have a wonderful delivery. I’ve never been one to be too touchy feely about the “miracle of birth”, but it really was an awesome experience. You will be just fine!

I LOVED being induced. My babies didn't want to cone out. The first two were 7 & 12 days late. The last 2 were scheduled for 3 days after my due date. The pitocin makes for some strong contractions. I would definitely recommend the epidural ( the earlier the better for me). I was nervous about pain with birth and the pitocin took awhile to work. If you can, walk around with the pitocin drip. Have your husband bring cards or an easy game to help distract the hours if waiting. I brought movies I lived for the last kid. That way if the doctor or nurse interupts I wasn't frustrated trying to watch a new movie. Good luck. Everything should be great!

I was induced naturally by my midwife with my 6th child. She pricked the sack to break my water and then I massaged my nipples for about an hour. My reason was not medical and I did show signs that my delivery was not far off. I have babies quick and she wanted an arranged delivery as she lived an hour or so away. The nipple massage brings on the contractions. No medicine was needed. I had the baby in an hour and a half, everything was fine.
Relax, be informed and take part in the decisions. Babies are born every day, be calm.
I now have 5 grandchildren as well.
Good Luck

I was induced and loved it. You are completely in the drivers seat that way. You decide when you want the epidural, etc. Nothing to be afraid of. Good luck!

I had PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension) and preeclampsia with my first and only PIH with the second. I had to be induced at 36 weeks with both due to my blood pressures. The pros to being induced is that labor won't last forever and you know when you will be having the baby. The cons though is that it brings the contractions on very fast, so there is no build up for your body to get used to the pain. I have a very high tolerance for pain and thought I could tough it through but they start and get intense quickly. When they start the drip, I felt my first contraction within minutes. I did get an epidural as well and for those not opposed they are the most wonderful things because it takes the pain of the contractions away and you can rest and enjoy the experience (the positives not the negatives). With teh epidural I didn't feel anything with my first contractions or him coming out which didn't give me any incentive to get him out until I thought the dr was thinking of cutting then I had all the incentive I needed. With teh second, I didn't feel the contractions on my belly but when he was ready to come out, I felt all of that, so he came out even faster. Just keep in mind, no matter what the end result is the same and it doesn't matter how you get there. Your baby will be beautiful and healthy and that is all that matters. Good luck and congrats.

I had pre-toxemia, and was induced by my nurse midwife with Misoprostyl. That way I didn't have to be hooked up to an IV and could still move around and get in the tub at the hospital. This wasn't exactly how I had imagined my labor starting, but once it started (it took about 5 hours and two doses for anything to happen) it went really fast--I woke my husband up to time contractions at 2:30am and our son was born at 7:15 am. I didn't end up needing any intervention after the Misoprostyl. It did really hurt, but given this is my only birthing experience I can't say if it was "worst" or "better" than not having the induction. My midwife was amazing--I don't know what I would have done with out her and my husband with me. I liked being about to move around and get in the water something that you can't do with an IV. You don't have to do the epidural just because you're being induced (if you're interested in going this route). Good luck, you're going to get to meet your baby soon--how exciting!

I was in a very similar situation and had been really hoping to deliver naturally. Bottom line is... healthy mom, healthy baby, that's what is important. So I agreed to the induction and was open to whatever happened though my husband was there to gently remind me what our original (pain med and epidural free) plan was. We went in on a Thursday night and would be induced on Friday (my 39th week) at 9am. I was given 1 dose of Cervadil broken up into two doses throughout the night and at 3:15am my water broke! I was 4 centimeters dialated and was told to try to get some sleep. I didn't sleep at all and had been making frequent trips to the bathroom and was more comfortable in a sitting position. Sometimes I felt like doing a little crunch or sort of pushing down. Well, it turns out that was because I was contracting but didn't really realize it. By 7am the new nurse came in and checked me. I was 7 cm and contracting! I didn't even realize that I had been laboring! But, she too told me to try to relax and that the doctor would be there soon and we could start the pitocin and epidural. The doctor came in right at 9am and said, "you're having a baby! I'm putting my scrubs on!". By that point it was too late to start the pitocin and I was going to do it the natural way! My son was born at exactly 11:00am after 2 hours of pushing. No pitocin, no epidural, no pain meds at all. It was great and I wouldn't change anything about it. My advice to you is to just be open to whatever you need to be to have a healthy baby and stay healthy yourself, but don't give up on a natural delivery either! Just stay true to yourself, you DO know best... it's your body and your baby. Work together. Best of luck to you! Whichever way you deliver remember that you will get to take home your beautiful baby at the end of it all!
*** Also, check out the movie "The Business of Being Born". It's very interesting and you may find it empowering. Good luck!***

There are many ways to be induced with my second child. Some gentle, and some more insistent. I had my water broken and then my labor began instantly. It happened so fast I did not have time for an epidural. But I think I was an exception. (my labor lasted 2 hours--the epidural would not have had time to work) In fact, because the baby was so big (10lbs 2 oz I had a lot of water.

When the water broke, it kept coming and coming. Pretty soon I could hear it dripping on the floor. Then it began splashing. And the doctor had to wade through the water. I was slightly embarrassed and tried to stopped the water but I couldn't. The nurse had to call for it to be mopped up "stat".

Later it was funny, to say the least.--Oh and my daughter was born during the eclipse of Feb 26 1979. There were so many babies being born they were being born in the hallway!

The important point is to not be afraid of the induction. It just makes things happen earlier. Trust your body and your doctor.

Congratulations on your new baby.

I had to be induced, but not for medical reasons - I was 15 days over my due date and there was no end in sight. The morning of the day I was to be induced, my water broke - but I wasnt dialied more than 1 and I started feeling minor contractions. It still took overnight on a piticoin drip for me to dialiate enough and have hard enough contractions to push her out. I wonder now if that was safe or I should have had a C section. She was fine tho. I would def recommend an epidural because when the contractions did come - wow! Very strong - I tried to tough it out - but the nurse told me that they would get worse because of the drug and I took the meds.
I guess the advice is, you will only have one birth per child - no matter how you end up delivering - try to be present in the moment and enjoy it if you can - because it will soon be only a memory

I was induced because of PIH, the dr. that was oncall gave me 3 options, Cervidil, Misoprostyl, or a foley catheter and Pitocin. He wanted me to do one of the first two and not the pitocin. I went with the cervidil and my contractions started a few hours after they inserted it. I didn't need pitocin either, thank god. I wanted a natural birth and didn't do an epidural. This was my first baby so I do not know if the contractions were worse or not. I was only in labor for 6 hours. I have heard that if you have a complication the labor often goes pretty quick. I didn't get an epidural and am having a hard time remembering what the contractions felt like. I would definetly suggest a shower or bath. That really helped. I also limited the number of people that could be in the room, my doula and my husband and of course the medical staff. The doula was really helpful and gave my husband ideas on how to assist me. I am very greatful for having both of them there. You will be great and so will your husband, the end result is the best. Congratulations!

Hi N.,
I was induced for high blood pressure too and I did have an epidural and I am very thankful that I did because I ended up having a C-section. However my advise is to make sure that once you have the epidural that you switch sides periodically because I slept for a while on my right side and all the medicine went to that one side and I was completely numb and things went south very quickly and I could still feel everything on the left side (very painful). Good luck :)

I was induced with my son two years ago, but I understand it's changed it bit even since then. They gave me a full drip of pitocin, which was fine, but I went from barely feeling any pain to full blown labour even though I was only four cm dilated, so I definitely opted for the epidural as they told me it would be like that for six more hours (an hour a cm, they said). Yikes!! I was having contractions a minute and a half apart and nowhere near ready to give birth! Ugh. Anyway, I understand that nowadays they give you more of a pitocin drip and so labour comes on slower, more naturally, so that's good. Just discuss that with your doctor maybe. They also broke my water early on to bring on labour more, but I'm not sure I would do that again. I would discuss it with my doctor, but I have a feeling that I might have been more comfortable if my water had broken naturally. Anyway, I had an uneventful birth and everything was fine. Induced at 8 a.m., epidural at noon, gave birth at 7 p.m. Hope that helps.

Hi N.. I was also induced with my first baby b/c of toxemia. It was definately a longer process b/c my body was not ready for labor. For sure get the epidural and try to get as much rest as possible now if you can before the induction. One thing that really helped me was using the big ball. I couldn't get out of bed b/c of the toxemia but had an awesome nurse that put the ball in bed with me. Totally helped with the horrible back labor I had. As for your husband, he just needs to be in tune with you and know that it's gonna be a long process. I basically did not want my husband to touch me, look at me, or talk to me, but still wanted him there of course. Poor guy, he just did whatever me or the nurses told him to do and it was fine. My daughter is no 5 and half yrs old and such an awesome sweet little girl. I was also induced with my 2nd baby as well but more for personal reasons(my doc was going on vac. and i really wanted him to deliver) That one was much easier b/c my body was already 3cm and kinda knew what was going on. It went much quicker the 2nd time. He is now 3 and a half yrs old and as wild as they come! Good luck to you and everything will work out perfectly.

I was induced the first time and gave birth without an epidural because it went too fast. My second, I went into labor naturally and got my epidural and absolutely loved it. The one thing that happened in both labors was that the pain quadrupled after my water broke so my only recommendation is to get your epidural before they break your water if you have the option.

Hi N.,
I've had 3 kids, all 3 ways you can have them :) My first was with an epidural and pitocin, the second no epidural but with pitocin and my third was a c-section. The end result is all the same, so don't be worried. Even being induced is not bad. I requested pitocin before starting the "internal" part of things and things progressed enough on their own that I didn't need that pill inserted. I do know several people who have had the pill, and their labor seemed no different then mine. I wouldn't worry at all...just get some rest and be excited!! The best is yet to come.

I was induced with both my girls and wanted epidurals each time. I didn't get an epidural either time due to no one being available to give it, then by the time someone was, I was too far along to have it work. I suggest telling the nurses immediately upon arrival at the hospital that you are wanting an epidural so they can get things prepped. Not sure what hospital you will be at, so maybe it won't be an issue for you. They ended up being able to give me a shot in my spine instead, which helped quite a bit. I know it sounds horrible, but it's not at all.

Another thing I would suggest is asking to take a bath. After I was hooked up to the IV for a while and started having regular contractions, they let me sit in a bath. It helps relax you and things seem to progress better. But you have to do that before an epidural or any kind of pain med.

Just be sure to talk to your doctor and get all of your questions answered before hand. You also need to decide if you want to be induced at night or in the morning. First time I was induced at night and actually got to sleep thru the first part of it, which was cool. I woke up when they came in to check me and was already at a 4 or 5. Second time I was induced in the morning and it went really quick (usually is quicker with 2nd child anyway.)

For me, just having my husband with me great. I didn't want the tv on or a bunch of people in my room. Discuss with your husband before hand what you would like, so it doesn't become an issue while you are at the hospital. Also, it's not a bad idea for him to bring some snacks with him. That way if things take longer than anticipated, he doesn't have to leave you in order to go get food. Unless you don't mind. Like I said, just talk about different scenarios with your husband and what kind of support you want from him.

Good luck! Don't worry too much....you will do great!

First of all, early congratulations! I was induced one day before my due date because my baby was very big and they weren't sure she would fit. (She didnt but that is a different story.) I went in at 7 am and got the drop going about an hour later I was having contractions about 2 minutes apart and they pretty much stayed that way. I didn't have any meds until about 4pm. I took demerol just to take the edge off the pain and make it easier for me to cope with. That seemed to help a lot but then my blood pressure sky rocketed and her head got stuck. So, I ended up having a C-section with an epidural being put in just prior to the surgery. Ebery woman's coping ability is different. You already sound like you are flexible, which is important. Just make sure you kow what is important to you and what you are willing to be be flexible on when your body tells you something isnt working.Best wishes to you and your BP and delivery.

Hi, I was induced with my first. The pitocin made the contractions come really hard and fast. They wouldn't give me the epidural until I was dilated to I think a 7. So it was tough going for the first several hours. For my second, I had to have a C-section. I didn't want one either. But when all was said and done the C-section was much easier to recover from. I never had the rigor of the contractions so I wasn't exhausted. The pitocin on the first one made me hemorrhage so I actually lost less blood with the C-section and therefore felt much stronger after that one.
I say if they are the leasst bit concerned about you or your baby go ahead and have the C-section so the baby can be born more quickly.
Good luck!