I wouldn't say I WANTED to go natural, but I was very open to it. I was in the "wait and see" camp.
My water broke on its own without strong/regular contractions and so I was put on pitocin and labored that way for many hours. I did eventually get an epidural and had a vaginal birth after pushing for 39 minutes.
I was thrilled with my birth experience, and have no regrets at all. I loved my epidural and had no negative side effects, but even so, next time I will also "wait and see." If I can go natural, I will.
I was induced 2x. Once for FTT, the other for convenience. Both went very well and quick (3 hrs and 1.5 hours), but they did break my water. I had an epi for one (by choice) and not the other (not by choice). I certainly don't think getting induced has to cancel out a med free birth, but I never had pictocin. That might change my opinion. ETA: they were both vaginal births.
I tried to go completely natural with #1 but my body did not want to dilate after 4 cm. So I had a wiff of pitocin to help. I was fine getting through my contractions before pit. Not so much after pit. About a hour later I was full dilated and was able to push the baby out. No drugs until post delivery. I was fine with how it worked out. I was worn out but happy with the outcome.
Different story with #2...she was out in two pushes as I had went to a 10 within 2 hours of my water breaking. It was a whirlwind.
I wouldn't say I WANTED to go natural, but I was very open to it. I was in the "wait and see" camp.
My water broke on its own without strong/regular contractions and so I was put on pitocin and labored that way for many hours. I did eventually get an epidural and had a vaginal birth after pushing for 39 minutes.
I was thrilled with my birth experience, and have no regrets at all. I loved my epidural and had no negative side effects, but even so, next time I will also "wait and see." If I can go natural, I will.
Did you get an epidural? Yes, b/c my F-ing (loving) DH was not the coach I hoped he would be. At all. I don't know what your plan is, but I'd get someone who actually wants to help you through the pain, not just stand there and say "don't look at the contraction monitor, just get the epidural." Not helpful.
Did you end up with a vaginal birth? Yes, although I also ended up with baby in distress, a 4th degree tear and a hematoma (think my poor vag swollen to about 8x its size). Horrific.
I'll get over the disappointment, right? Well, I sure haven't and am already planning a different birth for #2 if we are lucky enough to have one.
I'm disappointed by my birth, but honestly, I don't know many FTMs who aren't. I delivered at Cornell. Where are you delivering? What's your induction process going to look like? Have you tried any more "advanced" options to try to go naturally like acupuncture or membrane sweeping?
ETA: Sorry, you got my knee-jerk response, but it does reflect my feelings about my birth. I think I had way too many drugs administered and it caused a host of problems. Obviously, I have DD, she's healthy and happy and that's what matters, but it was not a positive birth and a horrible recovery for me, so my views aren't positive.
Post by Velar Fricative on Sept 29, 2015 9:32:24 GMT -5
Just PMed you but here are more details:
I spent a shitload of money for an amazing doula so I could have a natural birth but alas, it wasn't in the cards. I was induced at 41+3 and while she was very supportive every step of the way, I felt like I didn't get my money's worth because I got all the drugs and was induced, which is just silly because duh, I should have known that having a baby doesn't always go by the book!
I got an epidural and it was the most wonderful thing ever. I found out after DD's birth that the reason I was waiting so long for the anesthesiologist to come give me the epi (I was in no pain at the time though since I wasn't progressing and had no contractions) is because the nurses felt bad for me about my lack of progress and waited until that anesthesiologist came on shift because she's the best one at the hospital and all the nurses have her give them their epidurals lol. They were right, she was amazing! It never wore off and I felt comfortable (and it helped me progress).
I did end up with a vaginal birth. After the epi was placed, they broke my water and gave me pitocin and that combo was essentially what my body needed. I had DD 8 hours after the epi was placed after 24 hours of little to no progress (many hours of Cervadil too in there).
I got over the disappointment very quickly. Holding DD and having an easy recovery helped me not care about my birth plan going out the window. I am in the minority on this I bet, but I came out of this experience realizing that I just don't care about the birth experience. I don't feel the need to do things a certain way anymore. I mean, I'm annoyed that my body didn't want to birth a baby spontaneously as happens for so many other women so easily and I hope that next time it happens spontaneously, but if it doesn't, oh well.
I was induced with DD. Honestly, I was really nervous about it and not happy that I needed an induction, but it went very smoothly and I was happy with how things turned out. I ended up going in at 6am, starting cervical softeners around 8am, pitocin around 2pm, which really got cranked up around 7pm. My water broke on its own at 8:30, I got the epidural at 9:30 (and I LOVED that epidural SO MUCH), and had the baby at 11:15pm after 45 minutes of pushing.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask! I'm so excited for you!
Oh, and I'm not sure what you mean by "go natural" (go into labor on your own? vs. med free?) but a friend of mine just had a med-free vaginal induction last week and it went smoothly, plus that's how my sister was born. An induction doesn't necessarily mean you have to get an epidural, but it does unfortunately limit your mobility during labor (I had an IV, plus fetal monitors, so I couldn't walk around like I imagined). If you're lucky, they'll let you eat during labor--I managed to have a baby without skipping a meal, lol!
I was induced at 41+1 and had a very good experience. I was gbs positive so I knew I'd be hooked up to the antibiotics anyway which kind of changed my mind about trying for med free. But anyway I got there around 1am. Pitocin started about 3:30. My water broke spontaneously around 6am and the contractions really ramped up after that. I got the epidural at 7:30 and progressed pretty quickly afterwards. Pushed for about 25 minutes and she was born at 1:18, just under 10 hours of labor. I'd be happy to be induced again.
Also want to add that I had ~6 weeks of prodromal labor leading up to this so even though I was barely dilated before my induction I guess my body had been working and contracting for a month and a half prior. Not sure if that contributed to my smooth induction or not.
I was induced starting when I was 40.6. I went in wed night and they put in a foley bulb to start (I was at like one centimeter). Around 7 or so in the morning Thursday they started pitocin (they did let me eat first!). I had tiny contractions all morning but nothing serious so they turned up the dose. They broke my water about 1 or 2 pm and contractions started getting quite real. I was having a lot of back labor and the contractions were right on too of each other and I wasn't getting time in between to recover. I called for the epi at 430 and by 5 was quite happy. Although it wasn't working so they had a second dude give me a bolster.
I developed a fever/infection and they backed the pitocin down for some reason and I got put on antibiotics. I was told if labor didn't progress a certain way within a certain time frame id need to get a c section. Thankfully right when they went to check me before taking me to prep I was ready to push. This was about 3 am on Friday. Pushed for less than an hour with barely a first degree tear. I don't think my body ever took over on it's own because when they turned down the pitocin I stalled out and didn't start again until they turned it up again.
I was able to walk around and all that before I got my epi- they put the iv on a rolly thing and had the monitors (my contractions and baby heart rate) on a wireless thing. When I had the epi the put me on my side with a giant peanut shaped yoga ball between my legs which hurt because I had recently thrown out my back. I was somewhat disappointed be star I wanted to use the labor tub and couldn't. I got over it pretty quickly because all the other things that went on - we were both happy and healthy.
I went med-free with DD and wanted to do so again with DS. I was induced with him for reasons I still question and get a little annoyed when I think of the whole thing.
I made it 18 hours before I asked for the epidural. It was 10am, I hadn't slept all night due to the contractions coming 2 minutes apart and I hadn't eaten since noon the day before. The not sleeping was particularly brutal. With my daughter, labor started at 2 am, but contractions didn't start coming too close together until 10 am or so and then she was born at 8pm, so I was fairly well rested to get through labor. Maybe if I'd been induced first thing in the morning, I could have powered through?
Eta: my doula was worth every penny both times. During my induction, she did everything possible to make me comfortable and to help me get through the contractions. While I ended up getting the epidural in the end, 18 hours epi-free on Pitocin isn't nothing. I really wanted to try to do it epi-free despite the induction and I'm satisfied with the effort I made. I had DS vaginally, BTW, no tearing. I tore a lot with DD. My doula thinks my epi allowed for more controlled pushing, but maybe she was just trying to make me feel better.
I told you my story on tttc grads the other day. Hugs and I can't believe you are still here. I keep checking. How many days overdue are you?
Nothing crazy. Tomorrow will be a week. Induction is scheduled for Thursday night.
genet313- I've had my membranes swept twice, sex, acupuncture, castor oil, I'm walking as we speak, yoga ball, evening primrose oil. This kid is cozy. I think I need to work on acceptance.
Almost identical story as SJ. I was a "wait and see" kind of woman.
Started Pitocin, slept through most of the evening/night, the doctor broke my water at 1-2 am when I was at max amount of Pitocin, labored that way for a little while, made my H talk me into the epi around 4:30 am. I found the pain manageable at that point but was scared of getting too far along and then wanting the epi, LOL. I do wonder if I could have kept going, but don't feel hung up on it. I delivered vaginally and only pushed around 20 minutes. DS was a peanut though.
I don't think being induced dooms you to every intervention in the book.
Oh, and I'm not sure what you mean by "go natural" (go into labor on your own? vs. med free?) but a friend of mine just had a med-free vaginal induction last week and it went smoothly, plus that's how my sister was born. An induction doesn't necessarily mean you have to get an epidural, but it does unfortunately limit your mobility during labor (I had an IV, plus fetal monitors, so I couldn't walk around like I imagined). If you're lucky, they'll let you eat during labor--I managed to have a baby without skipping a meal, lol!
I would prefer no intervention whatsoever, even though I needed it to get to this point in the first place.
I was induced at 40w due to pre-e and was able to have a med-free induction. We used a Foley bulb to dilate me to 4cm, broke my water and pumped for nipple stimulation. After 11 hours of active labor, I had a vaginal birth.
I would be happy to share more details or answer questions. J was born at a top ten hospital but even still, my birth was very unusual for them.
I did not have any pain medicine. I did have an incredible doula who spent hours doing counter pressure on my hips while I labored in the shower and a brilliant husband who let me literally lean on him during my contractions.
I am disappointed with some aspects of my birth, mostly the behavior of my medical team, but by and large, I'm extremely grateful that the induction went as it did.
Oh, and I'm not sure what you mean by "go natural" (go into labor on your own? vs. med free?) but a friend of mine just had a med-free vaginal induction last week and it went smoothly, plus that's how my sister was born. An induction doesn't necessarily mean you have to get an epidural, but it does unfortunately limit your mobility during labor (I had an IV, plus fetal monitors, so I couldn't walk around like I imagined). If you're lucky, they'll let you eat during labor--I managed to have a baby without skipping a meal, lol!
I would prefer no intervention whatsoever, even though I needed it to get to this point in the first place.
Given this, definitely at least start with the Foley bulb.
I have been induced with both of my pregnancies. My water just will not break on its own.
With DS1, I labored for 22 hours on pitocin and pushed for 2 hours.
With DS2 I labored on pitocin for 4 hours and pushed 3 times.
I didn't have any pain mess for either delivery. I still consider my births "natural" and wasn't really disappointed at needing the pitocin. My only disappointment was that my first labor was 24 fucking hours. It was miserable and I was exhausted.
I had hoped to try natural, but was not dead set on it. I was induced at 40w due to GD, so I knew that I would be having pitocin contractions and would probably want an epi. I was at a 4 when I went in that morning for my induction. I handled it fine until my water broke on it's own about 2.5 hours later. At that point, the contractions were on top of each other and very intense. I asked for the epi and got it about an hour later. I progressed so fast after it that DD was born about two hours later. I went from a 6 to a 10 in an hour, pushed for an hour and she was born. I believe the epi allowed me to relax and rest and finish dilating. I had a very successful and easy vaginal birth even with induction/epi and had an extremely easy and quick recovery as well. Give natural a shot if you're induced, and if you want the epi go for it. There's nothing wrong, at all, with using the resources available for a positive birth experience. I loved my birth experience, even though I was wrecked at the thought of having to be induced when I was first diagnosed with GD.
Post by Queen Mamadala on Sept 29, 2015 9:48:56 GMT -5
Did you get an epidural? I was induced with all five. I planned homebirths with three of them. Other methods were used to induce in my homebirths (specific protocols of CO and cohoshes with ds2). I was induced via AROM with dd2. Med-free birth went as I hoped or planned.
I wouldn't say I WANTED to go natural, but I was very open to it. I was in the "wait and see" camp.
My water broke on its own without strong/regular contractions and so I was put on pitocin and labored that way for many hours. I did eventually get an epidural and had a vaginal birth after pushing for 39 minutes.
I was thrilled with my birth experience, and have no regrets at all. I loved my epidural and had no negative side effects, but even so, next time I will also "wait and see." If I can go natural, I will.
Very similar to my experience too. I figured I'd give natural a shot, but in all honesty, once the real contractions started, I knew I wanted to get an epi. While "relaxing" really wasn't going to happen no matter what, the pain was just SO overpowering and coming every 2 minutes - I knew it would totally take it out of me if I didn't get an epi.
Post by katiescarlett on Sept 29, 2015 9:55:12 GMT -5
With DS2 I was induced. I was really upset about it and cried a lot. I was induced at 41+3 with a Foley Bulb and a tiny bit of pitocin. I did not get an epidural and it wound up being my fastest and easiest delivery. Best of luck to you! I was basically devastated about it but it wound up working out. I hope the same happens for you.
Nothing crazy. Tomorrow will be a week. Induction is scheduled for Thursday night.
genet313- I've had my membranes swept twice, sex, acupuncture, castor oil, I'm walking as we speak, yoga ball, evening primrose oil. This kid is cozy. I think I need to work on acceptance.
I remember the sex we had to try to get me to go into labor was both the funniest and saddest sex ever. I was HUGE and so uncomfortable and I was alternately trying to be sexually appealing to my H and encouraging him to get the hell away from me.
I won't lie. I've had to bite my tongue a few times. "Can you just come already," never helped anyone.
I told you my story on tttc grads the other day. Hugs and I can't believe you are still here. I keep checking. How many days overdue are you?
Nothing crazy. Tomorrow will be a week. Induction is scheduled for Thursday night.
genet313- I've had my membranes swept twice, sex, acupuncture, castor oil, I'm walking as we speak, yoga ball, evening primrose oil. This kid is cozy. I think I need to work on acceptance.
OK, you're diligent! Yeah, I'd start working on acceptance b/c as you can probably tell from my post, I did not. Eventually, you'll have an outside bump.
I will say the induction part itself was largely uneventful and I was able to sleep and relax through the night, which was nice. And it was so nice to eat a nice "last" meal with DH, drive to the hospital peacefully (especially in NYC, when you never know what's going to happen traffic-wise) and check in calmly. So calm, to the point of people in the waiting room asking if I was "being turned away."
Post by pinkdutchtulips on Sept 29, 2015 10:03:37 GMT -5
I wanted to go on my own ...DD was stubborn so I ended up being induced. I had the epidural and roughly 7 hrs after they started my pictocin drip, I vaginally delivered my DD.