What should I expect during my induced labor?
I was admitted yesterday to the hospital due to low amniotic fluid. They induced me this morning at 6 am with Cervidil. So far I’ve had some contractions and a little cramping but nothing too eventful. What am I in for? When I came in I wasn’t dialated and my cervix was still not ripe and baby boy was still very high up (-3). Will inducing help at this point or is a c-section likely? Anyone have a similar experience (good or bad) they’d like to share?
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I was induced with a bit of Pitocin. I was having contractions and knew I’d be giving birth that day. Once my contractions weren’t producing a change, they began inducing.
It worked well, but the process took time. I went in at 9am-ish and produced my son just prior to midnight. My son had turned out of breech late in my pregnancy. When he turned, he wasn’t in the best birthing position. My doctor team waited until the very end maybe 10:30 or 11pm to make the decision as to whether the birth would be vaginal or a C-section.
Since you have low amniotic fluid, they’ll monitor you and the baby well. If the baby seems to be in distress, you’ll be having a C-section. My bet would be that you will be further induced before they make any decision.
My ex had high blood pressure at 35 weeks, but because of a death in her family they held off on inducing for a week. The doctor did an amnio for lung development, and then we went to the hospital where at 4 p.m. they put her on pitocin to induce.
Since her body was not at all prepared for delivery, it took a while, like ten hours or so, before really strong contractions started, and the doctor waited until 8 a.m. to have her start pushing.
She never went to full sleep, but did doze. She had an epidural at about 3 or 4 in the morning.
After a lot of pushing (almost 4 hours) my son wouldn’t turn his head, and was stick, so he ended up being delivered by c-section.
Hang in there Princess, we’ve all been waiting for your little fluther jellie!
I too was induced at about 6 am, after my water broke at 11pm the night before and no contractions started by the next morning.
My labor was 15 hours total with the induction, including 2 hours of pushing and a threat of a C-section as I was becoming exhausted and both my daughter and myself were oxygen deprived and her heartbeat was becoming irregular.
The hardest contractions will not occur until you are within a few hours of the birth.
The threat of a C-section made me gain strength and keep pushing and….
FINALLY, she was born!
Hang in there, you’ve got hours and hours to go…..how exciting…. you’ll have your baby in your arms by midnight!
I spoke too soon! The contractions have picked up a lot and are much stronger than before. Yikes. Hopefully I’m making progress and not just having contractions! Cross your fingers :)
@ItalianPrincess1217
Yes, you did speak too soon, haha..same here, I remember thinking ” Oh, this is no big deal, piece of cake…yeah, just wait. lol ;-)
Are you in the hospital now?
Do you have help around, I am hoping!
Do not walk around too much without someone near you, I remember getting up to use the bathroom and having a contraction that brought me to my knees, good thing my ex and a nurse were there to catch me, I was going down! lol
I was induced with my son for the same reason. I was given a round a Cervadil to start. Then when it was time that I could either have another round of Cervadil or Pitocin, they started me on Pitocin. For me, the Cervadil did a good job at first, but then started to wear off, so that’s why they went with the Pitocin instead of a second round of Cervadil.
As far as your actual labor progression, it’s hard to say because it varies so much from person to person and pregnancy to pregnancy. For me, from the time I got the first round of Cervadil (about 2pm) until I had my son (9:02am), it took 19 hours. I was actually ready to start pushing a bit after 8am, but it took them a little while to get the team in there and get everything ready, so I didn’t start pushing until almost 9am. Have you talked to them about pain relief options (if you should want them)?
As far as a c section is concerned, it will depend completely on how your progress goes and how your little boy handles the induction. As long as you are both stable and you continue to make progress, they shouldn’t push for a c section any time soon.
I hope things go well for you and you are holding your little boy soon!! Good luck!! Rest as much as you can in between contractions, you will need your strength for pushing when the time comes.
If you’re being induced, plan on an epidural. It’s awful without it.
@snowberry ^ I completely agree…And, I had an awful side effect and still would choose the epidural. I’d have passed out without it toward the end of my pushing.
Also, if you have an epidural, usually they turn it off right before you are ready to push, the contractions come on like a freight train again.
They turn it off because the epidural inhibits the desire to push.
This is the final leg of the journey and it’s intense, be prepared!
@Coloma They didn’t do that to me…I was in pain even with the epidural, so they gave me two bolus doses. My the pressure on one hip was so bad…just typing this makes it hurt
@SpatzieLover
Yes everyones experience is different.
I know my back hurt for dayys, but my labor was mostly back labor as it was…eeee!
Yes, I recal remembering exactly where the epi was for a good week afterwards. I didn’t get much sleep so, my healing was slow :(
I pray our @ItalianPrincess1217 has no back labor and make it through with smooooooooth sailing. 3 or 4 pushes & out comes the sweet boy!
This Q talks about the gel not being so painful. Hopefully, since you are moving along you won’t need the petocin.
I am guessing she’s very busy now and not looking at Fluther!
@jca I hope she’s nearing the good part! :)
I would tell you that the epidural is pretty important. The contractions from pitocin are way worse than regular delivery. (I had both, although the most recent was 27 years ago.)
From the facts you are giving, my guess is, that you probably have a 60–75% chance of ending ip with a C-section. Malpractice insurance is to high and doctors feel more in control with a c section. I’m assuming you’re in the US. Have you asked your doctor what percentage of his births are C sections?
I’ll pray you get through this in good shape and you’ll have a healthy kid.
All the best wishes ^^
First off, yay! How exciting!
I was induced early, all three times, and I never had an epidural. Each labor was different, but all were manageable. The first took 7 hours, start to finish. The second was 5 hours, and the third was 12 hours. All 3 were induced in this order: Break the water, put gel on the cervix, and in only one case did we have to proceed to pitocin (the third one). All three were vaginal births.
Best of luck to you!
Edit: I may have the order wrong… it’s been a long time! I think it may have been: Gel, then break water.
Well, it’s been four hours now. My guess is that by this time you are singing soprano and cursing the day that the father of your little bundle of joy was born.
Hope all goes well, and congratulations on the new arrival.
Yeah, well, pitocin sucks but you’ll get to take home a baby after, makes it all worthwhile somehow! Good luck, @ItalianPrincess1217 ! Have a healthy baby!
Hey y’all last we heard from her here she was not given petocin, she was given the cervical gel and waiting to see what happens. That’s when we lost contact. Unless I missed something somewhere in the posts here.
@JLeslie Pitocin is the next step…and I was PMing her until her contractions took off.
@SpatzieLover I thought she only gets the petocin if the gel doesn’t do enough.
Often the gel looses it’s effectiveness. One strip dosage is supposed to last 12hrs…but often peters out well before then.
@SpatzieLover Oh, I was hoping she would not need the petocin. I thought tranquilsea said on that other Q that she did a delivery with just the gel.
@JLeslie Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Often you need the Pitocin if you weren’t having contractions in the first place as is the case here or if you’re a first time mom as is the case here.
We’ll all have to play the wait & see game here. Hopefully @ItalianPrincess1217 is doing well and is coming along fine without too much intervention.
I hope she didn’t end up needing the Pitocin either. Hopefully the Cervadil did the trick for her.
Her water just broke, hopefully she will check back in here. I’m not sure if they gave her the petocin or not.
Being wheeled into surgery for a c-section.
@JLeslie Ohhh…I will say a prayer for her safety & for the babe.
Anyone else creeped about technology’s intrusion into our lives? Reading this question weirds me out. But who am I to talk? I facebooked through labor.
I told her I let fluther know. I would not have said anything without telling her.
Since she can’t be contacted to ask permission, I’m going to assume she’d be ok with me moving this question on over to Social.
Yes, baby! Very very early this morning. Really more like the middle of the night last night.
Everyone is well. Baby boy.
Yay, BabyBoy 1217! I would’ve said “BabyBoy Princess”, but I thought it would sound funny.
ConGoRats to you and the Babe @ItalianPrincess & Family!
Congratulations indeed. All the best wishes from all of us.
Great news and happy news!
What happy news! Congratulations @ItalianPrincess1217!
@JLeslie you’re right I did go from a gel induction to baby in 6 hours. Labour only lasted two hours though.
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