Inducing Labor - Bethlehem, PA

I was induced with my 2nd child who was also a vbac. I don't know how different it was, since I had to have the c-section the first time around, but they started my with cervadil the night before and it put me into labor. I did not need the pitocin at all. But I have a friend who had both and the pit does make the contractions harder.

Hey there. If you had your baby i hope everything went well> if not i will tell you my story. I was determined to have my baby all natural. I had a doula (WHICH WAS THE BEST THING EVER!) i was little upset with my doctors office because I started going there because they had midwifes but then the midwife got pregnant and decided to not come back to work so ended up dealing with doctors and as you might know, they like to intervine. Anyways long story short I was one day past my due date and they wanted to induce.. but i stuck my ground and refused three times. Because due dates are just estimates ya know so after the third time I had to give in. All they did for me was break my water. i did not want any medicine and i heard that if they give you the petocin it makes the contractions worse any ways i had a really good birth plan and stuck to it. i had the most blessed birth and it was amazing!!!!
just have them break the water nothing more..

I have had 2 kids and had nothing to help with the pain for either one. I was induced with my daughter (my youngest). The only difference I felt was that the contractions came on alot harder and faster than naturally and there seemed to be more pressure. Other than those 2 things I didnt have any other complications. Good luck to you.

Inducing makes the contractions more intense. Since every labor is different, you may not even notice if your contractions are naturally less severe (like mine were second time) or more severe this time than they were last time. If the pregnancy is healthy, you could just wait it out too. If you're like me, you may naturally go into labor the day you're scheduled to induce (my first)! Both my babies were about 2 weeks past due date, natural labor, no drugs. The second hurt less and was much faster than the first. Good luck, hope you have a new baby very soon!

Being induced is not a bad thing. I will say that it can make the contractions come harder, faster. I was induced with my first daugther and the medication they use which is pitocin, made my body respond with much harder contractions. If you are considering getting an epidural i suggest you talk to your doctor about this as it is sometimes harder to wait once the induction has started. I will also say, don't worry about waiting to get the epidural if that is your choice until you are so far dilatated (some studies suggest an epidural may slow the dilation process) this is not usually the case with an induction. Well good luck with the new baby, i just had my second daughter 2 weeks ago.

I was induced with my youngest. I was 39 weeks & had some issues with extra fluid. I had the induction scheduled then chickened out, I really wanted him to come on his own. At my last OB visit I had to make a trip over to the hospital due to some heart rate issues w/ the baby. Everything turned out to be fine w/ his heart rate but since I really had to be induced that week anyhow I figured I was already there & my 2 year old was w/ the sitter so we went ahead with it that day. I got the potocin drip around noon, broke my water around 3, epidural around 7:45 & baby at 8:42. No complications & labor wasn't any more intense in my opinion.
I am always for letting things happen naturally, but if there are other risk factors you have to do whats best. You have to weigh the pros & cons of it, but for you there really aren't any. I understand how you feel, but you'll be fine!!! Good luck!!

I was in labor for a little over a week. By the end the contractions were really painful but they kept coming and going. I finally went to the hospital because even though they were considering sending me home my doctor gave me the choice to stay and she would strip my membranes in the morning. At 5am the neext morning they started me on petocin. Finbd out when they can give you an epidural as soon as possible. It is definately more painful and you'll need to be informed of what your options are as being hooked up to an IV may limit you moving capability and what you can have. Personally I'd rather have and epidural than pain medication. Its always worked well for me without any complications or slowed labor.

I was induced with my daughter a yr ago and it was just like any other one. it was no more painful that my other kids. they gave me and iv and gave me meds to bring on the contractions and broke my water. don't worry it is no worse than any other delivery i've had. congrats and plz post after you have her...good luck

I'm surprised they are waiting that long to induce. With my OB, they said they would only let me go one week after my due date before they would induce. Luck for me it happenen only two days after.

I went all natural(no meds) with both my children. With my first, my water broke 8 days before my due date while I was at work. With my second son, he was a bit more stubborn to come out. I started having contractions 2 weeks before my due date and he was born 2 days after. I was having contractions, but things weren't advancing, so they said they would need to induce me. Luckily, all it took was them breaking my water. Within 3 hrs, he was born. I had no meds. and no complications. It didn't seem anymore painful then my first delivery.

Good luck and best wishes!

Hey E.,

My son was two when I was induced with my daughter. Now my water had broken earlier in the day, but no contractions. So they induced me about midnight and she was born just after 4 in the morning. It went very well. I don't think the contractions were more intense. (With my son, I delivered naturally, with no induction.) Her actual birth hurt more, but who knows why. So my experience was a little different than your's will be (unless you go into labor - let's hope!) in that my water had broken. By the way, with my son, I was scheduled to be induced on a Monday as he was a week late. He decided he was ready to make his appearance on the Saturday before my scheduled induction. So have a stern talk with your unborn daughter and tell her you would like to see her before Friday! Best of luck to you :0)

I was induced with my first son (cervadil and then pitocin). I have to say that I think the contractions hit harder and faster, but it isn't anything extra painful than regular contractions. Try not to worry excessively about it! You will be just fine either way! REALLY, it's not that big of a deal and once that sweet little baby girl is in your arms, you won't remember or care anyways!!!!

Good Luck!!!

Mom of 3 boys 11, 9, and 4. Work full time in healthcare and sell southern living at home on the side. Married to my best friend 13+ years.

I had to be induced with 2of 3 kids...My first 2 even though my water broke and the 3rd nope..
With my oldest my water broke around 800pm and i wasn't having contractions or anything so they started me on pit the next day at 1030am and he was born at 149pm(3hours later)no drugs with him.
With my 2nd my water broke again and i went to the hospital.They started me on pit. at 1230pm and she was born at 434pm..no problems.
With my last...i was 1005dilated and ready to start pushing when i finally broke down and went to the hospital,they broke my water and he was born 10mins later...

But i had all 3 of the naturally and w/out drugs.I have heard being induced can cause contractions to be more painful and faster but i never had that.But good luck and hopefully your daughter will be here soon...

I can't really compare to a non-induced labor as I've had 3 children and all were induced because they were late.

My first was 12 days late - I was given pit around 9am and monitor showed contractions immediately, but I felt nothing really. They continued with very slow progress till maybe 730. In fact we were getting pretty bored and called a friend to come visit us around then. Shortly after she arrived, I started feeling contractions intensely. Even with breathing, I was become very tense and cramping in my hands but was still progressing slowly. I ended up getting a dose of Stadol. It worked super in that situation as it relaxed my muscles and while I could feel the pain, I didn't care as much. Immediately I started progressing and my daughter was born by 130am without any problems. I did not do an epidural. She had the cord wrapped around her neck 2 times.

My son was 15 days late. He was tricky though - I went in to be induced the first time (he would have been 12 days late too), but he was breech! SURPRISE! That was the first hint about that. Well, I wasn't ready for a section so we went home. I went to the chiropractor 2 or 3 times a day until delivery and stodd on my head most of the rest of the time. My docs insisted I didn't go past day 15. He had moved from Frank breech to transverse which was good. He still needed some help to turn though. So they had to prep me in case I needed an emergency section. I had to have an epidural for the version just in case. The version was quick but intense with the pressure. She broke my water before they let go of him to make sure he didn't unflip. He engaged and I was 5 and 100% and contracting without any help. I didn't feel too much for a couple hours as the epidural wore off. My water was broken at 12pm. I was rechecked at 345 and was exactly the same so they said we might need to give a little pit to push things along. I REALLY had to pee, but just wasn't able to relax and go (was stuck in bed because of the epidural). I guess between the morning excitement and epidural I didn't realize I needed to go until it was bad. My Dr switched around the bed and sat me up more and turned on water and all that stuff and finally I was able to go. Then things kicked into gear! My son was born at 5:06pm. Turns out he had the cord wrapped around his neck 3 times!

My third was only 9 days late and I think I might have been in labor, but since I was there, they wanted to induce me. I was given a range of hours to go to the hospital between like 2-6am or something crazy so we didn't exactly sleep. I had some contractions that I noticed, but no real pain with them. Since I've never gone into labor without help, I didn't think I was then either. They continued sometimes seeming almost regular - at least not quitting. By the time I was changing in my room and was about to get set up before the induction, I was getting a bit uncomfortable. This time I was careful to make sure I peed any chance I could!! She checked me before doing anything and I was 6cm. So she broke my water - that was our original plan for first round of inducing to see if that was enough without drugs. Contractions instantly intensified to the point I couldn't really talk. My daughter was born 45 minutes later! Everything was good. Really after having her, I felt great...ready to go. Just needed a quick shower to freshen up. I kept thinking I should feel tired or sore.

Crazy how different the experiences can be. In all 3 of my experiences I had some intense contractions, but was able to manage with minimal intervention - just the stadol with my first. I only had the epidural for the version and let it wear off.

I wasn't in a big hurry to rush things along as I do prefer natural as well, but going much past 42 weeks can begin to get dangerous as the placenta is getting old and just isn't as effective in transferring nutrients. You can talk to your dr about your concerns and tell them you want to have the minimal amount of intervention. Ask them what method of induction they want to do and if you have a preference, tell them. Provided it's safe and reasonable with your current status, they should be willing to accomodate you. Perhaps they can just break your water and give you a couple hours to see if you begin contracting. Cervidil is another option you could try before pit. They had planned that with my son, but everything got changed when they discovered he was breech.

Good Luck - I hope you have a wonderful experience.

First of all, according to the American College of Gyn & Obstetrics, you are not technically overdue until 42 weeks. If you are 10 days late, you still have 4 days, which would bring you until Monday, not Friday. Also, there are tests that can be done to monitor the baby's well being past that as well. some moms carry perfectly fine until and past 43 weeks. Natural labor is induced by the baby, so if you are not in labor naturally, the baby is not ready to come. You can do anything short of medical intervention to start labor and it will not work unless the baby is ready.
Induction is an intervention, and all interventions can have complications and can lead to other interventions. It can be a snowball effect, then again it can go off without a problem. What are you willing to allow? If there is no medical indication for induction, it is a question of risk vs benefits. Do the benefits out weigh the risks?
Finally, you are the mother/patient. The final decision is yours. If you don't want to be induced and there is no medical reason for it, you can refuse. You are not required to do anything becasue the doctor says so.

I was induced with my first two. My third was a planned c-section (since the other two ended up being c-sections). I was induced due to gestational diabetes.

From what I understand, (can't say from experience since I didn't have true natural contractions... just some false labor with the last one) the contractions are a little stronger and more consistent with the pitocin. One of the other differences is increase monitoring with the fetal heart monitor. This constricts your movement a lot more than regular labor. Other than this and an IV right away, it is pretty much the same as regular labor.

Good luck. I'm sure everything will go fine for you.

I had a natural birth with my first child. It was awesome by comparison to the induction. Forcing your body into labor is way harder. The contractions were totally different. Just be careful, some doctors try to rush the pitocin (happened to me, unfortunately) and almost force the baby into distress...which then means...c-section...I had friends who were able to do the pitocin thing for 24 hours, but some doctors won't let you take that long, they start to rush things to be done in 3-4 and then want you to have the c-section. Just ask how long the typical induction takes in their practice.

Many inductions end in c-sections, so just be prepared.

Do you have a doula? Just curious...mine was awesome and helped with some of the harder decisions we had to make....

With baby number 3, I tried everything I and my midwife friends suggested...no labor...and once you have had 1 c-section...and you go over...you pretty much have to have another section. (most obgyn's won't do it any other way).

I went over my due date with 2 out of 3 of my kids...hang in there....kind of stinks to be late...soon the baby will be here and all will be well...

L. B

My name is Jen. I had my first (and so far only child) at age 28 and was induced at 39 weeks. So keep in mind I have no other birth experience to compair it to. They were inducung me becuase they didn't think my hips were made to handle a large baby. He ended up being 7 lbs 4 oz. The best thing I can tell you which NO ONE told me is just becasue they are inducing you does NOT mean you will have a baby that day. We went to the hospital at 7 am on a Thursday morning and it was about 8:30 am by the time they got me all hooked up. There was no walking around or anything because you and the baby must be monitored at all times. I laid in bed until 5:50 pm when they decided that nothing was going to happen that day and sent me home. I was DEVASTED...here I was a first time mom all excited that I was going to the hospital to have my baby. Again NO ONE told me it may not happen that day!! They told me not to feel bad it was not a wasted day and maybe I would be back before morning. Went home, nothing happened. So the next morning we did it all over again. This time I started having some contractions and around 10am they broke my water but then I never got to where I could push until around 5 pm. I pushed for almost 4 hours and ended up having to have a C-section anyway. I was dialated to 9 but he just wouldn't come down far enough. But I had absolutely no complications from being induced. My son was a perfect picture of health and is now a wonderful and healthy 2 1/2 yr old. I wish you the best of luck!! Please let us know how it all works out.

I think you should be prepared for anything. But I had to be induced at 37 weeks due to complications I had been having, I had Pitocin, then cervadil, and all went fine. The only thing that bugged me a little was not being able to get up (or move, really) because of the monitors.
But, since you know, you can be prepared. I didn't know I was going to be induced, so neither my boyfriend or I were prepared with books to read or movies to watch. Bring these things with you. Good luck, congratulations, and I'm sure everything will go great!!
T.

I was induced with my son b/c the US was showing him to be over 9lbs (and his due date was still a week away). The induction did not work for me. They gave me cervadil for 12 hours, then I got pitocin for about another 12. In all that time (even after my water was broken in the last hour) I was only dialated 1 cm. The first 23hours were no big deal...I didn't feel strong contractions, just some cramping type contractions. The last hour (after breaking the water) was weird. I had full body shakes (I think all my muscles started contracting). It didn't hurt but it felt weird & freaked my husband out. It was also very tiring. After an hour of that and still no more progression, the doctor decided on a csection. That was GREAT! In less than an hour from the time they decided it was necessary, I was holding my son in my arms. I'm definitely doing a csection for the next one. Though it is unlikely you'll have the same reaction (meaning none) to the drugs that I did (the nurses were very surprised that i didn't have any real contractions), know that it doesn't matter how your child comes into the world, just that they are here. Good Luck.

Congratulations on the coming birth of your daughter. I have had all four of my babies late and understand what you are going through. I was induced on my third.

My advice is to see if you can be induced in the evening. They started inducing at 11:00 am. I started to get where the contractions were hurting at 11:00 pm and didn't have the baby until 3:00 am. I was exhausted. All my labors took about 12 hours from starting to feel the tiny pangs to delivery so the inducement was a little longer but also right on tract. So I would take into considerations how long your last delivery was to make a decision. You should also consider how far dilated you were. I wasn't very far (can't remember exactly) when they started inducing.

I had no complications. It was harder, but I'm not sure how much was being induced or just beyond tired. Also, I hate the monitor they put on you and at my hospital made me have it on the entire time.

I was almost induced with my fourth as well, but she decided to come on her own 16 days late.

Good luck!

A lot about how the induction will work out depends on how it is done. I birthed all 4 of my kids without pain meds, but I was induced with my second because my water broke and labor didn't start.

You might consider asking your care provider to strip your membranes a couple of days before the scheduled induction. this may be just the push you need to put you into labor, and you will be able to start early labor at home.

If you do go the medicinal route, prostaglandin would allow you to avoid being hooked up to an IV and constant monitor. You would get the dose of prostaglandin (Cervidil, Prepidil, or Cytotec--research Cytotec to decide if you are willing to accept the risks of this medication!) and be monitored for about an hour, then you are typically free to do your own thing after that. After a few hours if labor hasn't kicked in, you will get another dose. I was induced with Prepidil, and it worked pretty well. My OB (at St. Luke's Allentown) was going to do doses every 4 hrs. After 4 hrs I had only gone from 3 cms to 5 cms, so they wanted to give me another dose. But I said "no," because I knew that my labor was going just fine. Sure enough, two hours later I gave birth to my daughter.

Pitocin is given via IV, and requires constant fetal monitoring. You can still get up and walk around with this, but you are tethered. At Lehigh Valley Hospital they do have a "telemetry" unit that would allow you to walk around in the halls. The package insert for Pitocin says to raise the dose slowly every 30-60 minutes, but many OB's double it every 15 minutes. Obviously the more aggressive dosing will be more painful. You can discuss dosing protocols with your OB--I reccommend doing it BEFORE you are hooked up to it--and in labor if the Pitocin is getting too intense, you can ask for it to be knocked back a bit. I'm a doula and I've had clients do that. It is always your right to refuse medication.

Hugs & good luck!

Jenn
www.babybodybirth.com

If you had no problems last time, why would your doctor want to have you induce labor this time? It doesn't make sense. You may want to reconsider.

i du nno bout anybody else but they induced my labor with my daughter and i don't think it was any different except i had an iv drip i ended up having a c-section in the end but it had nothing to do with the inducing it was becausing my daughter's face was facing sideways instead of up or down. so i wouldn't worry bout the inducing .

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I was induced w/#3 at 38 weeks (after giving birth to a 9 pound 5 ounce THREE week early girl). I had no pitocin during the labor at all. They started me at 8 a.m. with some tablet and that worked to bring on my contractions. I was already 3 cm at 37 weeks and mostly effaced, too. I got an epidural around 4 after they broke my water (was my first time having one and oh my goodness what was I thinking NOT getting one before?! LOL) and was completely dilated by 6:20. She was born at 6:47 p.m. This was by far my easiest labor. Of course anything would be easier than the 9 pound 5 ounce three week early, 4th degree tear labor and delivery I had. LOL

So, I'm sure you'll hear lots of "horror" stories, but there are some good ones, like mine! If we are blessed w/#4, we WILL be doing another induction.