Induction

[1220LilMama]

Hello ladies! I went to the doctor today and she will induce my labor next Friday 12/14. I was wondering, what should I expect?

[Kackie4]

They brought me in the night before my induction to insert a balloon & dilate me. She was big, so they induced me at 39w3d. The next morning they broke my water & started pitocin. It was very intense, very fast. I had wanted to go natural, but the piton made it impossible. I couldn't get out of bed to do any of the techniques that I learned. I got an epidural @ 6 cm. I pushed for 2 hours & she didn't drop & her heartrate was dropping. They put me on oxygen. Then, they took her via c-section. Good luck, I hope everything goes well for you! Be prepared for things not to go as planned & be open to what's best for you & your baby. The induction & c-section did not affect my ability to breastfeed. You seemed determined to breastfeed like I was, so you'll do what you have to & be fine!!

[1220LilMama]

Thank you for helping me! My heart is set on breastfeeding.

[AHP84]

No, it did not affect my ability either time.

[1220LilMama]

Thank you ladies! Also, did being induced affect your ability to breastfeed???

[Varney2009]

I was induced REALLY late - 42 weeks - and to top it off, i was walking around @ 3 cm for 3 weeks -  when I got to the hospital, everything was calm - they started me off with pitocin - they check you every hour or so to see if you are dialating any further - if you havent dialated enough after a certain amount of time, depending on your OB they may break your water manually, if it hasnt already broken by itself - you will be administered a pain med via iv or through a shot - i was given nubane - it makes you feel on top of the world and kind of boozy- and very good ;) - i started to have SEVERE contractions within 10 minutes after they broke my water - NO ONE HAD ADMINISTERED THE EPIDURAL AT THIS POINT - but it was tooooo late!!! It was so quick, she was crowning before the doctors even got into the room, my husband had to run to the nurses station - it was VERY painful but so quick i didnt even realize it was happening...and delivered a very healthy baby. BUT NEVER expect anything...always expect a VERY long labor b/c if its not quick, and you have expectations, it will be an eternity!!! That's just how it went down for me - it was also my first :)

[AHP84]

The OB will probably offer to break your water when you're between 3-5 cm dilated. This is done by inserting a plastic hook into the vagina and up through the cervix, where it snags the amniotic bag and breaks it. The pressure of the baby's head directly on the cervix is supposed to increase and intensify contractions along with the pitocin.

I've had two births, both induced. The contractions get very, very intense. You will most likely be required to be on the monitors for fetal heart rate at all times because induction is well-known in causing much more intense contractions earlier in the labor than if labor occurs naturally, in which case the contractions increase in their intensity closer to the transition of labor. I have not personally experienced any labors other than induced labors, so I can't compare between naturally occurring labor and induction, but I am speaking from the knowledge I've gained from my own research, others on these forums, and my medical providers.
An induced labor can put you at a higher chance of needing a c-section due to fetal distress from the intense contractions that pitocin can cause. Both my induced labors went very well and had no complications, but the risk for c-section from fetal distress does increase with induction. I'm mentioning this because neither of my OBs told me this with either of my inductions (two different OBs); I found this out months after I gave birth. So I'm just offering that information to you in case your OB has not, like mine did not.
I hope all goes just as smoothly for you as my induced labors did for me, and good luck to you next Friday!

[NicoleW09]

Depending on I'd you're dilated/effaced, you will be given cervadil which is a drug to thin the cervix. Then once it's thinned out, they'll start pitocin to give you contractions. Pitocin can give you intense contractions so you'll be monitored closely.