Are inductions as bad as people make them out to be?

Question

I am eight months pregnant and I will be getting induced a week before my due date. This is due to the fact that I am having a big baby. I've been getting some bad feedback about this. Mostly along the lines of the birthing process being a lot more strenous, harder and painful.

Okay based on some of these answers I'm going to have do some research. I didn't know there were many different ways to be induced. With that being said, what seems to be the best way?

Answer 1

Inductions for "big baby" result in twice as many cesareans as allowing the baby to grow as big as it wants and come on its natural time table. Why? If your body isn't ready, the induction won't work well - even if they use every medical induction method available - and you'll have a cesarean for "failure to progress". Or, the pitocin could cause your uterus to contract too strongly or not take enough breaks, putting your baby into distress and in need of a cesarean. (And even if that doesn't happen, the too-strong pitocin contractions can tire your uterus out, making it lazy after birth so that you lose too much blood.) Or, you can be in so much pain so early in labor that you need an epidural when you are not very dilated - another risk factor for cesarean (among other things). Why is pitocin more painful? Because unlike oxytocin, the natural hormone that pit mimics, it doesn't get into your brain. That means your brain can't help regulate it so that an appropriate amount for your body is being produced, and it also means that you can't feel the positive effects of oxytocin (which is a love hormone) and that your brain doesn't respond to to the oxytocin by making endorphins (your body's own internal morphine).

As far as "big baby" - even large babies can be born vaginally to small women (I am quite petite and have had 8.5 and 9 lb babies myself) and there is no accurate way to gauge how big a baby is - even ultrasounds can be a pound off!

I've had one baby with pitocin and an epidural and one baby with no meds at all. I love them both equally! But I had complications after the first one's birth that I now know were due to the drugs. Also after having the second one I knew that I had a stronger instantaneous bond with her than I did with my first, and the most incredible high after she was born, whereas I just felt relieved to be done and exhausted after the first one was born.

One more thing - if you induce, you always run the risk that your baby isn't quite ready to be born, even though you will be 39 weeks and full-term. Lungs do their last-minute preparations to breathe air simultaneously to your body's last-minute preparations to give birth.

Anyway, best wishes for a positive and healthy birth experience, regardless of what you and your doctor decide.

Answer 2

I had an induction a couple months ago with my first baby who was a week and 2 days past due. I was dialated from a 4 to a 10 in an hour and he was out in 5 hours. I only pushed for 30 minutes. it was super awesome. Some people do have problems with being induced but if you're going before your due date you probably have less of a chance for problems. Anyways i was a little nervous too but it really went fast and I'm so glad I was induced now. Good luck

Answer 3

If it's your first baby, getting induced is bad. Pitocin (the drug they give you) sort of thrusts you into hard labor without giving you a chance to get used to the pain gradually. If you've never felt a labor pain, pitocin induced contractions are so intense, you might get scared. If your not opposed to pain medication, I wouldn't worry too much. Just make sure they start slow with the pitocinand check you for dilation frequently so you can get the epidural asap.

If this isn't your first, you know what labor pains feel like and will be better able to cope with the sudden pain. 2nd and subsequent births are usually faster so pitocin can actually be a good thing.

I have 2 kids and was induced both times. The first one sucked, the second one was a breeze!

Answer 4

I was induced and yes it was painful but I don't think any more painful that normal labor. I have heard that it does carry a higher risk of putting you in a situation where you would need a C-Section. This did happen to me. I was in labor for 14 hours, I did request pain medication after 10 hours (what a wise wise choice that was!! :-) My baby went into distress and they had to preform an immediate C-Section because her heart rate had dropped. She was born healthy and I was fine but I just thought I'd share my experience to give you an idea as to what could happen. Every person is different so you really can't judge one to another but hopefully yours will go well.

On a side note, the C-Section wasn't scary and the recovery went well. I am due in 2 weeks with my second and will be having a C-Section again to reduce complications otherwise. I'm actually looking forward to a relaxing scheduled birth this time!!

Best of luck to you and congrats!

Answer 5

I have had three kids and have been induced with all of them. My first one was different though. I started the normal process of labor and was in labor for 14 hours. I wasn't dilating, so they induced me. I had my baby 3 hours after that. So my last 2 babies were induced because I don't dialate. I didn't think it was bad at all. The 2nd child I was in labor for 4 hours and pushed for 1/2 hour and my 3rd one I was in labor for 3 hours and pushed for 15 mins. I didn't have any pain meds except for Nubian (SP?) which is a narcotic, so it was like I was high, it just took the edge off is about all. Don't worry. You will get Thur it and I didn't think it was that bad and I'm a chicken S___t when it comes to pain. Good Luck to you.

Answer 6

I was induced because my baby was a week past due. We went into the hospital at 7 pm at 10 they gave me the medicine, by 2 am I started to have contractions, at 4 my water broke and at 9:06am by baby was born. The whole process did not hurt. At first the medicine felt uncomfortable, then the discomfort went away. It was my first baby so I don’t know if the contractions are different without induction, but it was not that painful. I did not cry or scream the whole time. Don’t listen to other people, talk to your OB he knows what’s best. I was told many different things none of which happened. You might also want to consider Epidural if you are afraid. Good luck.

Answer 7

Yes, _do_ do some research. Doctors are a little too induction-happy.

For a start:

http://parenting.ivillage.com/pregnancy/plabor/0,,8nbq,00.html

"Why doesn’t inducing labor help?

Whether a woman carrying a big baby has a cesarean depends largely on her caregiver’s management, not her pelvis. In proof of this, the cesarean rate for babies weighing 4,000 grams or more was three percent in 1958 in Great Britain (4). These days, U.S. obstetricians may perform cesareans on as many as half of women with babies of this size (11,16).

See also:

http://www.hencigoer.com/articles/elective_induction/

Answer 8

I was induced with my first baby it was horrible as you go from feeling nothing to full blown labour and also because you are on a drip you can move around as much as you might like to my second which was natural and not induced although i was in labour just as long as the first wasnt as bad as I could move and have a bath or shower to ease the pain, the scary part with being induced is knowing the exact date you are going to have the baby

Answer 9

I was induced three days before my due date. I only have one child so I have nothing to compare my induced labor with, but I was able to go through labor without any pain relief. When the nurse starts the pitocin you will definitely be able to tell when it starts to take effect. Just look at as you are skipping the earliest phase of labor. Good luck! It always helps to keep in mind that nobody stays in labor forever...so it will end eventually!

Answer 10

i have never been induced, but from what i hear they are harder and more painful. it's probably because with a regular induced birth, your body has the chance to get used to the pain because it a process that take a while. when i had my first, i was having contractions for about 2 weeks prior, so i got the chance to get used to them. when you are induced, it hits your body all at once and i think that would be more painful.