Trial Induction

Labor is labor....more or less painful...neither. All births are different. I've had 2 inductions and one on my own. Inductions just get everything started faster which is a plus! Inductions weren't much different, except fotr the fact that there was less waiting!
The contractions were gradual with the induction and contrary to people's beliefs who have never had one or have "heard", they don't start off strong.
My first induction was one day before my due date because my doc was going out of town and my last was scheduled so my husband, who is in the military, could be home for the birth. My water broke on my own but my contractions didn't start so I was helped along with Pitocin.

E.,

It's great that you are helping your sister this way! I hope she will be receptive to the advice you have to offer.

I am pregnant with my third son and I am giving birth naturally this time. (I hope you detect the determination in my typing...) My first son was only three days late when they induced me. It was hell on earth! I went from very little pain to mind-blowing pain in a matter of an hour. I didn't want pain meds but ended up with epidural when I was 5 cent. and was throwing up in the middle of contractions. I believe it took 12 hours from start to finish with 2 hours of pushing included in that.

Intervention is not helpful when having a baby!

I did not want induction with my second son because of the horrible experience with my first. I went into labor the night before my due date. I was so afraid of the pain (because I thought it would be the same) that I went into the hospital asking for drugs. I wish I hadn't done that. As they gave me the epidural, I remember thinking that I didn't really need it. I took it anyway, though. Shortly after that, my contractions all but stopped. They said epidural can do that sometimes. What did they do next....why, they started me on pitocin, of course! One intervention almost always leads to many others! They struggled to keep my labor going but I did finally have my son. His birth took about 18 hours from start to finish with about 1 hour of pushing.

This time I read Birthing From Within and I am prepaired! I don't want any intervention. I have a mid wife. I don't want any shots for the baby including the vitamin K shot because it has side effects like all the rest. My second son has Autism due to vaccine injury so this child will not be vaccinated....for anything.

I'm so sorry that I had to learn the hard way but maybe someone else can be spared because of my experiences.

Best wishes and good luck! Contact me with any questions.

C. B

Hi E.,
The only time I have heard induction referred to as "trial" induction is when the doctor feels a c-section may be necessary, but will "try" to get a vaginal delivery going via induction, but if it doesn't work, they will go for a c-section.

I was induced with Pitocin with my first delivery. My water broke two weeks early, and my doc gave me 18 hours to go into labor on my own. When that didn't happen , I was induced to avoid the risk of infection. With my second delivery, I went into labor on my own. There was very little difference. When I was induced, my pitocin levels were started off low and then gradually increased. contractions started normally and gradually got stronger. Really, the only difference was that I had to be on the monitors during my entire labor, so I couldn't roam the hospital, and had to unplug the monitors every time I went to the bathroom. My first labor (induced) lasted eight hours. They started the pitocin at 6 p.m., I was in active labor by midnight, and my son was born at 2 a.m. My natural labor was almost identical. I started having contractions at 10 p.m., arrived at the hospital at midnight, and my son was born at 5 a.m. (7 hours).

Contractions are painful, so to say that they are "worse" with an induction really doesn't mean much. Either way, it hurts.

Keep in mind that labor and delivery is not the same for all women, induction or not. Your sister's situation may be very different, if the doc is already thinking she may need a c-section anyway. But IMHO, it can't hurt to "try." If her only options are c-section or induction, I would definitely choose induction.

Inducing labor is never a sure thing. I had unmedicated natural childbirth with mine, but from what I understand from others and my doctor {my first child was 10 days "late" and we were scheduled for induction on Monday morning, if he didn't come on his own that weekend) it is more painful and there is more of an "out of control" feeling for the mother. Which makes sense to me, because her body isn't instigating the labor/delivery process, it is a direct result of the drugs they will give her. And her body is reacting to the drugs, not to its own internal signals. I understand that the contractions, assuming they start, are stronger right away. With natural childbirth, they gradually increase in strength and length while decreasing the time in between; not so with induced labor, so I have been told.

Not trying to be meddlesome, but is there a medical reason they want to induce her? I would not be excited about inducing... many times it doesn't work like they want and due to lack of progress, they will end up having a C-section. I'm not sure the stats on it, but you can check out more specific info about the process at : http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/inducing-labor/PR00117

Good luck to your sister... And congrats on the new niece/nephew on the way!

Trial induction simply means they are going to attempt to force the baby to come on the doctor's schedule and your sister is likely to end up with a c-section for convenience.

Having been a patient that was induced to suit the doctor, then progressed slowly and my son had fetal distress, ended up in an emergency c-section....it could have all been avoided by insisting my doctor allow labor to start naturally. I would never allow such an intervention again, especially since it is generally not medically necessary. I had eclampsia, but even so I could have been better managed to prevent the need for induction in such a manner.

Encourage your sister to talk to her doctor further and ask to wait. Unless she is very much overdue (past 42-43 weeks) or suffering from some major medical complications, or the baby is suffering from some major medical complications, she is just going to put herself in a position where everything that can go wrong, will. As a birth coach, I assume part of your role is to advocate for her....please do so. A delivery should be done when the baby is ready, not when it's convenient for everyone else.

At the very least, she should ask her doctor why this is "medically necessary." It likely isn't but rather is just some random policy that is applied in a one-size fits all manner rather than pertinent to your sister specifically.

Good luck and God bless.

Hi,
Donita, Mandy and Victoria gave good perspectives here. I was induced with my first child and it did start off slow, but once it got going, I thought I was dieing when the contractions became closer. With the first pregnancy I did not know enough, with the second, I read everything and the knowledge I gained was power in that situation. Why? Because this time I really knew and understood what was going on inside my body and alot of fears were removed. I had a natural second birth, on the first one, My doctor broke my sac. It's wonderful that you are gaining knowledge and educating yourself on the facts on what would, should and can happen. You get 10 stars and 5 Angels!!! (smile) What a great sister you are, and a loving one to boot. Every woman should have a sister like you! If you don't know what else to do, just hold her hand and reassure her that you and God are there with her and that is a winning combination.

Lotsa Love and good wishes

J.

I was induced with my first child and the contractions seemed to come on faster and stronger. I can't give you more info as I opted to get an epidural because I couldn't handle the pain. I wanted to do it naturally but I wimped out when the contractions got real intense. Also, I delivered my daughter in 5-1/2 hours and from what I understand that is pretty quick with a first child.

A trial induction may mean that her doctor/midwife will attempt to induce labor, but if it is not successful she may be allowed to go home and try another day. there are a variety of ways to medically induce labor - cervidil, pitocin, rupturing the membranes (she probably wouldn't be allowed to leave after that). Your sister should be able to ask her caregiver why she is being induced, what methods will be used and what the next step is if it isn't successful. Unless it is a true medical concern affecting the health of mother or baby she has the right to refuse the induction. Inductions for convenience are associated with a higher c-section rate. Many women experience induced labors as more difficult because you have less freedom of movement - tied to machines - and the pitocin-induced contractions tend to be harder to handle. Your sister is fortunate to have you as her labor partner - she will need you for encouragement and support. Hope everything goes well. T. - childbirth educator, doula, and mom to 3

I've heard of induction, but what is "trial induction"? I was induced with my son because I was borderline pre-eclampsia & I will tell you it is HORRIBLE. They broke my water first, then gave pitocin. I was in absolute agony...the nurse told me it was like having end of labor contractions right from the very start. I wanted to go natural, but after 3 hrs, I gave in & got the epidural. My friend had a similar experience. Pitocin is EVIL. And in the end, I ended up with an emergency c-section (as did my friend), after 12 hrs on pitocin & hard labor...he got stuck as I tried to push. Not to scare you or anything, but I would not do it unless it was absolutely medically necessary. So not worth it. GL!

E.,

I have never heard the exact term "trial induction." I agree with some of the other women on here that I wouldn't allow an induction unless it was medically necessary. My second child was 10 days late and my OB's were trying to force me into an induction. I stood my ground and I went into labor naturally and delivered a very healthy baby in 2 1/2 hours!

I especially wouldn't do an induction if it was my first baby. Your body has never been through the process before and it can take longer. Whether or not pitocin-induced contractions "feel" stronger, they are stronger in terms of how much they cause the uterus to contract. So, they are more likely to distress the baby than a natural contraction. In a first-time mom, this prolonged time of intense contractions puts her at higher risk of a Csection. I know the doctors will say differently, but I have to take into account anecdotal evidence...all my friends who had induced labors their first time around either ended up with Csections or complicated labors (fetal distress, vacum extraction, blue baby etc).

With all that being said, *if* this is a last-ditch effort to avoid a Csection; then I would try it. Almost anything beats having MAJOR surgery and then having to care for a newborn.

Good luck to you and your sister. You are a great sister to be there for her like this!

Pitocin is known for making contractions stronger than usual. The other thing is that you can cruise along and then all of a sudden the contractions are killer. There isn't much of a gradual increase. This is what happened with me, as they gave me pitocin when my water broke and I wasn't initially having contractions. I did end up with a C-section, but in my case the bony structure of my pelvis is too narrow, so I would have had one in any case.

Also, my friend was just induced, and sometimes if they break your water the natural hormones kick in and that on top of the pitocin can be too much, so be aware that you might need to ask the nurses to back off the pitocin if her water breaks. If she is planning on an epidural it probably doesn't matter much. She will probably want an epidural more with pitocin contractions than with natural contractions, due to their typically increased intensity.

i was induced on my first one to help speed things up a little bit, however i ended up having a c-section. from everything that i've heard (and felt until surgery) it's more painful to be induced. the contractions are stronger. it doesn't really make labor any quicker because your body still has to fully dialate and that just depends on the woman. the induction just stimulates the uterus to begin contractions. but it is definitely more painful from everything that i've ever seen on tv and heard from others and my own experience

I'm slow in giving responses this week! I had an induction with my second child. It was over in 6 hours instead of the 12, which was great. As for a difference in pain, I can't be sure. I had an epidural with my first one and regretted it because it made it hard to push, so I went natural the second time. So it was of course, more painful for me. But pushing was actually over very quickly and I felt normal afterwards, whereas after my first son I felt awful and beat up.

I was induced because my fluid was quite low with my first pregnancy, and I had my son almost exactly 12 hours after I walked in the hospital door. My biggest issue with it was with most inductions they make you wear one of those monitors to record your contractions and the baby's heart rate. It was just frustrating because every time I moved to get more comfortable at least one nurse would rush in to fuss at me about the monitors not being in the right place anymore. I ended up getting some IV pain meds, which I felt like I might not have needed if I had been allowed to move around. All this just adds to why I am going through my current pregnancy with a midwife at a birthing center. In my case, they started my induction around 10:30, but I really didn't get uncomfortable until around 5:00 in the evening. I did think the really painful part came on pretty suddenly, but I don't have anything to compare it to yet. Then I had the baby at 10:00 at night. I was terrified of having a c-section, so I was glad that it all progressed pretty quickly.

I am against induction unless medically needed. Just my personal experience. IE they wanted to induced me because my son was due on thanksgiving. I said no he came when he was ready Dec 2.

Induction is painful since the contractions are not natural. The only advice I can give you is to tell her to NOT let them break her waters. After that she will be on a clock. And if the baby is not ready to come it will not come . Most inductions fail because the stress it puts on the baby that is why they have "low heart rate" issues. That is why so many inductions end up with a c-section.

Now with that said my first two children were induced (low/no fluids). With my last son I declined the induction I went all natural (no pain meds or interventions)and he was the fastest birth. (3 hrs active labor, 5 mins of pushing)

Good luck to you and your sister.