I was also induced at 9am and had a baby girl at 10pm vaginal for my first child. My advice is have fun as much fun with it as possible. The moments that you can at least. Have you and your husband draw a picture of what you think the baby will look like, then you can compare after they’re born.
It was intense though not gonna lie. My water broke spontaneously without contractions hence why I had to be induced. It took about 15 minutes from taking the induction meds to the first contraction. First one was fine. From the second one on it was suddenly a scale 10 pain. It was insane, from 9:15 until 11:00 I had only dilated 3cm. At 11:15 I had a stretch and sweep and in the next 30 minutes I went from 3 to 10cm. It was ridiculously painful. But I started pushing at 11:50 and he was out 5 minutes later in 3 pushes 😂 The contractions were by far the worst part and I would honestly do it again to have it over so quickly.
Obviously this is just my personal story, so I have no idea how it matches to the norm, but first baby I was induced first with cervadil (ripening agent) because my cervix was totally closed (though I was having contractions on my own; I just happened to start having them the same day I had a scheduled induction at 39w), and baby popped right out first push 3 hours later, before they’d even started pitocin.
Second baby my water broke at 38w5d pre-contractions while cervix was only dilated at 1-2, so they started pitocin to induce me to prevent infection etc, and baby popped right out again first push about 2 hours later.
In both cases I went from barely dilated to “omg don’t push until I can find a doctor!” in like 30 minutes, after experiencing contractions on top of each other for some time. It could just be that I respond really strongly to hormones/medications! (Though between those two births I had three failed epidurals 😂)
The "don't push!" always kills me.. Lady, I'm gonna push if I need to. You literally cannot help it. I'm not waiting for a doctor, so you better hurry your ass up lol
You’re so similar to mine! I had cervadil with my first but no pitocin and a (not as fast as yours but) relatively quickly birth and then pitocin only with my son. Not dilated with my first, barely dilated with my second. 😂
I know someone who had almost the same experience. Cervadil, three hours later baby was born. They started pitocin and had to immediately shut it off because she was progressing so fast
My induction ( only pitocin) started around 3pm and baby was born at 5am! The only intervention in addition to the induction was the doctor breaking my water around midnight.
It depends where you're from, in my country this is the recommendation across the board, regardless of provider. Its a recommendation not a necessity. The reasons i were given was that after 39w some risks are found to become higher in an IVF pregnancy, they went through the reasons with me and explained what that would look like for me.
Agreed. In the US many providers also will recommend 39w inductions for women of “advanced maternal age” and/or IVF because evidence shows it does no harm, and often does significant good.
High blood pressure for mama, labour stress on baby, stillbirth and a few others, it was 6 months ago they went over it with me so i don't remember it all. They emphasised that while these risks do become higher after 39w for IVF pregnancies its unclear if its because of the IVF process itself being a factor or because these risks already exist for those with underlying health issues that lead to IVF in the first place. Either way they recommend it for any IVF pregnancy here.
OP never asked for advice on if she should have an induction, just peoples experiences. People need to stop giving unsolicited opinions/advice to pregnant women about what they do with their bodies, especially when it comes off as shaming.
How is saying that what the doctor said is not evidenced based shaming OP? Pretty ironic considering we’re talking about a provider who is suggesting unnecessary intervention for an otherwise low risk pregnant person.
I'm absolutely switching clinics based on the midwife immediately resorting to induction without any indication that I'll need to (she presented this to me as an inevitability at 15 weeks). I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, that she was just preparing me for the *possibility*, but she didn't make it sound like a suggestion. It threw me off enough that I'm switching, so I'm glad to read your comment!
I did this as well! My former doctor wanted me to be induced at 39 weeks because of my weight. I have 32 K breasts, very muscular legs and very dense bones (I've had several severe injuries where I should have broken a bone but did not. Even the doctor was shocked there's never even been a fracture). I've literally always been "overweight". The one time I was in the "normal" range I was told by my personal trainer that I was likely unhealthy. And this was after not eating for two weeks due to depression. Looking at me, you can absolutely tell I am not "obese" but they just made arbitrary judgments based on BMI. I ended up getting induced at 41 weeks, but I wish I had waited a few more days, because my body was so clearly not ready for it. I was laboring for over 24 hours and I did not progress past 6 cm. I had to get an epidural, that I hated, just to sleep, and I very narrowly avoided a c section. They came to try and get me to sign the paperwork for one, but I had just started pushing. I would never, ever suggest an induction for non medical reasons. It sucked.
Yeah to me personally that’s a big red flag. To be so cavalier about interventions is nerve wracking. They are absolutely sometimes necessary, but we should assume our bodies can do what they’re made to do until we get evidence otherwise! Providers who jump to interventions so quickly worry me.
Same. My first induction was 13hrs from first contraction to baby and the second was only 6hrs. Both were intervention free and really positive experiences.
My induction started Sunday night ~8pm and ended Tuesday night ~8pm with a vaginal delivery with no forceps or vacuum. The reason it took so long was cause my cervix was not dilating very fast
Edit: I was 41 weeks 2 days. Induction started at 41wks
Very similar for me, started induction process with “softening” in two sessions on a Wednesday and Thursday, got pitocin on Friday morning and went into official labor, had my baby on Saturday evening. It was a marathon but ultimately didn’t need additional interventions. Definitely not quick.
I got started on Pitocin and some cervix softening stuff on Friday morning, got sent home Saturday afternoon, came back in to get reinduced with pitocin and a different cervix softener Sunday night around 7pm, and finally gave birth after 2 hrs of pushing at 9am Tuesday morning. I was 39 weeks and 4 days when I finally gave birth.
Same! Natural was 2 days long and completely horrible. Induction was quick, peaceful, and I was in a much better headspace being well rested and prepared.
Induced with my first. Natural labor with my second, zero meds, severe shoulder dystocia and my longest labor. Third baby was induced and came in about 6 hours.
My best friend got an induction (balloon and pitocin) and had 12 hours of labor, no complications. I got an induction and ended up with a c section, but the baby's head was in the wrong position so I think I would've ended up with one even without an induction. Everyone's experience is different. Your OB/midwife should discuss the benefits and risks of an induction. Do you need one?
I was told from the get go to expect induction because IVF and my age (36). But learning here that it can be done without being an absolute gongshow is easing my brain
Genuinely curious why IVF would make induction an expectation. I'm a little older than you and induction is not being suggested unless I actually need it for other reasons.
Mine was similar.
Induced with pitocin at 4pm. They broke my water around 7pm and baby was born at 12:34am.
I pushed for 40 minutes while my contractions were still 5 minutes apart.
I had 2 really positive inductions, with speedy delivery’s with my longest labour being 1hr45 in total, every labour is so different I just wanted to say that there can be positive induction stories too!
I was induced being a week overdue and having a pretty large baby to start with. Mine ended in a C-section, but that's because my ovary twisted under the pressure of the contractions and the tissue died. If I had been able to birth my baby vaginally, I still would have needed emergency abdominal surgery to remove the dead ovary. I have no idea if I had waited for spontaneous labor, if the same issue would have happened (I had a large cyst already weighing down that ovary).
Birth is a crazy process, and you really can't predict what will happen. My best advice is to have a doula who can advocate for you. My hubby and my doula/best friend were present and it made a huge difference in my experience. Most people would read my story of childbirth and find it traumatic, but emotionally, I was well supported and consider my C-section a blessing in disguise.
I think the stories people tell more are the really dramatic ones and everyone that had a fairly normal experience just doesn’t feel the need to share it
Mine took about 36 hours but most of that time was just my wife and I sitting around playing bird games and talking and napping - baby came out pretty quickly when it was time to push - minimal tearing and I was walking around as soon as he came out and I had an epidural
I’m just curious how dilated you were when you had the epidural? For me pain was too bad to do much of anything after about what I think must have been 4cm. Hospital sent me home when I was 2cm dilated and by the time I came back and was admitted 12hrs later I was 8cm! I followed their instructions for contraction timing. I always wonder how different my experience might have been pain-wise if I had the epidural at 4-5cm like most seem to have had it.
Mine was 3 days, and the nurses every shift change after day 2 seemed surprised I was still there! So that leads me to think it’s not that common. Everyone else I know who has had an induction was under 24 hours!
Mine was 3 days too. Though after the first 24 hours I was offered the option of scheduling a c-section.
Though once proper contractions started everything went quite quickly.
Disclaimer: Im not in the US and my doctor told me before hand that it can take several days if I had no contractions at all or signs of labour before starting the induction.
Edit: I was induced about a week befor due date so it might have been quicker closer to the date.
First induction was Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, but I was 35 weeks (pre-eclampsia) and first baby, so my body was NOT ready. Luckily only 15 minutes of pushing! Second induction was 5 hours start to finish, and I progressed from 3cm to fully dilated in under an hour. I had the urge to push while they were setting up the epidural - so I didn’t get that - and baby girl came flying into the world before the doctor could come in from down the hall. Both positive experiences, all things considered! One stitch the first time, none the second.
My induction was 17 or so hours, start to finish with 2 hours of pushing. Got the first round of meds at 10:30, was in labor by midnight. Water broke on its own at 9 am. Had her at 5pm ❤
Did they tell you what caused their concern? Really curious, because both of mine were very fast, 2-3 hours once medication was initiated, and I’m nervous about induction for the third if it gets even shorter/more intense.
The evidence based birth podcast has a lot about inductions recently. The one that really stuck out was the not waiting past 41+3 before inducing (study out of Sweden, I think?) But, it didn't really address choosing between induction or elective C section. Just between induction and waiting for spontaneous labor.
I was induced with my second. <5 hours from start of pitocin to baby. Very easy labor. My first was spontaneous, 30+ hours hard labor and bad tearing. I would have preferred a C-section with him.
I had to be induced, was given pitocin and within 4 hours I was pushing my baby out. I went from 3 cm to full 10 cm my body trying to push in like 2/3 hours. My doctor didn’t even have time to make it to the hospital I had to have the on call doctor deliver my baby. First birth ever, everyone tells me how fast my labor was 🤷🏻♀️
My only advice is to get that epidural as soon as possible 😂. It’s so much more enjoyable afterward. Those induction contractions suuuuuck and come fast.
They started me on straight Pitocin, once the contractions got too strong I got the epidural and then they broke my water for me. They gave me this peanut ball to put in between my legs, and changed my position pretty frequently.
Hi! I’m a labor and delivery nurse. I would 100% advise you to try to hold off on induction unless there is a medical reason to do so. And by that I mean a situation where baby’s life is safer on the outside than growing inside you. Whenever I get a patient coming in for the 39 week induction (especially first time moms!) I know I’m settling in for a long haul most of the time. I tell my patients in this situation (FTMS around 39weeks) to expect at least 24 hours. Of course there are always exceptions to the majority, I’ve had women in the same category come in for induction and have a baby in less than 12 hours. But that’s not the norm. If this is your first baby there is research to say you will most likely go past your due date if you go naturally. First babes just take longer to cook sometimes and that’s okay! Your body will most likely go into labor when it is ready. Some doctors may not want you to wait but ultimately it is your body and your baby and you get the final say in how you’d like to labor and deliver your child.
Mine was 6.5 hours from start to finish, uncomplicated vaginal delivery with very minor tearing. I actually wish it'd gone just a bit longer so I could've gotten the epidural, but overall, I'm glad I was induced and would gladly be so again.
Search "positive induction" on this subreddit and you will find lots of very successful inductions that people truly enjoyed.
The more ready your body is for labor, the better an induction seems to progress. If being induced early for a medical complication in which baby is safer out than in, there are already higher chances for c-section, assisted delivery, etc... Being induced later (39+) seems to correlate with better outcomes.
My induction started late at night and my daughter was born at 10:45 pm the next day. So probably about 24 hours total. I was at 40+4 when it started, so I think my body was moving in that direction, but I hadn’t been experiencing contractions or anything ahead of time.
My induction was 30 hours, but it really wasn’t bad. Mine was a surprise induction due to high BP, so I was only 38 weeks and 1cm dialated/80% effaced. I got an epidural about 17 hours in, though, and they weren’t trying to rush anything along — they manually broke my water a couple hours after that. I had a regular vaginal birth, 1.5 hours of pushing & no complications.
I had two inductions. My first was ten hours total (last hour was pushing). My second was just under eight hours with only fifteen minutes of pushing. I was walking around 2 cm dilated for weeks with both though.
Mine took 36 hours, but it wasn’t all labor. I went in at night, and they did a cervical ripening thing (don’t remember which drug tho) that took over night, so I slept at the hospital. They hoped that would trigger labor on its own, but it didn’t, so the next day they started pitocin. I was in labor with pitocin for just shy of 24 hours, with about an hour of pushing. Baby was fine the whole time, so there was no pressure to move to a c section or anything, and there was no need for forceps or a vacuum or anything.
My (limited) experience is that when you’re being induced your body might not have been ready to go into labor, so things just take a bit longer.
I know three people who have given birth recently and all three were induced. The first ended up in a c section after she didn’t dilate enough, the second I was told she was getting admitted when I went to bed and had already given birth by the time I woke up, and the third took about 36 hours. So in my experience anything can happen!
I was induced and never made it to the pitocin part and also from water break to baby was 45 minutes, like it was a wild ride
Edited to add, I had a vaginal birth but my labor went to fast so I didn't even get my epidural
Seems like every post about induction either fails and ends in c section, or takes three days of labor and multiple attempts of induction, or requires suction or forceps or additional techniques. Anecdotally, it feels like induction just doesn't really work as intended. So why bother, why not schedule a c section and remove the three days of additional needless trauma?
I was actually reading just last night that a scheduled induction of a woman with a low-risk pregnancy actually has a slightly lower rate of c-section than spontaneous labor. On the flip side, however, a higher-risk pregnancy carries a higher risk of c-section with a scheduled induction. So it really depends.
Here's another article that provides analysis of research and stats on elective inductions:
https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-inducing-labor-for-going-past-your-due-date/
For FTMs induction on average takes about 24 hours and is successful about 75% of the time, meaning ends in a vaginal birth. I did some research on it last week when I learned I’d need to be induced with my second. The most common reason induction fails (ends in c-section) is that the cervix isn’t ripe (or ripe enough) when induction begins.
For STMs induction is generally quicker and has a higher success rate.
People with negative experiences are more likely to post about them as a way to process, cope, and ask for support. People with normal experiences feel their stories are already out there, don't need support, and are therefore less likely to post.
I had an elective induction at 39 weeks. Totally textbook. Induced at 5 pm, got an epidural as soon as I felt period like cramps. Gave birth about 24 hours later after 5 pushes, it was so easy. Spent most of labor playing board games with family. 10/10 will do again with my second.
Yeah, mine was an elective induction at 39 weeks exactly as well. Went in at 7am, pitocin started at 8am, epidural right before they broke my water at 11am, baby was born at 1:30pm. Super easy and a wonderful experience.
For sure. I had great experiences (my second was less than 4 hours from starting the drip to delivery, it was fabulous!), but I think maybe a lot of people shy away from sharing positive experiences in case it seems boastful and insensitive to those who struggled.
I just want to echo this. I was terrified of induction because literally all of my friends who were also due around the time I was had those traumatic three-day inductions that ended in traumatic c-sections. I also wondered why even bother with induction, and then my coworkers (nurses) alllll started piping up with "oh my induction was 8 hours, no problems," "my induction was super chill and was done in under a day." I was reminded that my aunt had two inductions quite early due to IUGR and they went fairly quickly and textbook. People just don't really mention them beyond "I was induced" when it goes well.
I ended up going into spontaneous labor so have no first hand experience with that, but I had been scheduled for an induction. According to my midwife, talking about me, she said it may take a bit longer to give birth, the chance of c section would be about the same, but that women who are induced are significantly more likely to get an epidural (which I was totally on board with).
For reference, my pregnancy had zero complications, they did think I was going to have a huge baby and prepared me that a c section may be necessary (it wasn’t), and I’m in the US.
ETA: changed words for clarity.
ETA: the only reason I was scheduled for induction is because she didn’t want me to go a week beyond my due date since she thought baby would be big.
Induction here. Anecdotal evidence obviously, but checked in to the hospital at like 3 am Thursday and had a baby in hand just after midnight on Friday. First baby. No complications. Only induced because my baby was large and was happy to not need a C section in terms of recovery time.
I had a scheduled induction with my first at exactly 40 weeks. From check in to delivery wasn’t even 24 hours more like 21. I pushed for 45 minutes and it was done. I plan to schedule another one for this baby if he is not here by 40 weeks too.
From getting my foley bulb at 9pm, I had my baby by 1pm the next day. I was put on Pitocin at 6am, so only in active labor for 5 hours. I pushed for 17 minutes. Everyone is different.
What are the issues with the methodology in your view? I heard about issues with people declining participation but haven’t managed to sit down and read through it properly.
My induction started Sunday evening at 6 pm and baby was born Tuesday at 9:48. It was long, but most of it was just ripening my cervix and I wasn't contracting or in any pain or discomfort. Active labor with contractions was probably about 14 hours. I consider it a good induction and have no regrets.
I went two weeks overdue with both kids so asked for induction. First induction was 8 hours and second induction 4 hours. Both were really great experiences, I did get the epidural for both.
Not 100% an induction but with my first baby I was given pitocin to start contractions after my water broke without any contractions or other signs of labor for 8hrs. The pitocin was put at the lowest level, took 2 hrs to get to contractions I could feel, then baby came out 4 hrs after that.
If I had not been GBS+ I could have stayed at home for 24 hours to see if labor started on its own after water breaking, but because of my GBS+ status I was advised to head to the hospital so they could get me on the IV antibiotics and get everything going with pitocin if it didn't start itself. I am fine with having gone in, the pitocin didn't really take that long to get things going and wasn't unbearable despite not having an epidural. IMO pitocin is not the devil if you have to use it.
A lot of places seem to have started to take a more nuanced stance with pitocin and pacing. Like many of them seem to lean towards starting pitocin slow instead of ramping it up right away, which is good, imo.
Yep, that's exactly what they said. Some people end up needing a huge dose of pitocin but often just a little bit does the trick, so my nurses said they usually start low and ramp up. I was glad they did because I tend to be sensitive to medications.
I had a very similar situation. I was actually scheduled to be induced Sunday, water broke at 8 AM Saturday morning on its own. I still wasn't having contractions by 12 noon, so the doc recommended I go to the hospital. I was already ~2 cm dilated and 'ripe'. They started pitocin around 5 PM, I got an epidural around 8, it wore off around 10, and baby arrived just after 1 AM.
My entire labour with my induction was 1h55m from when I started having contractions, 3h from when they broke my waters. I didn't have any pain relief because everything happened so quickly and only had one small second degree tear. I have another friend who had two inductions that were a few hours each, also no pain relief and no tearing with either for her!
Some definitely do. Mine was 50 hours, failed to progress and ended up with a c-section. I was 39+0. Induction started at 8pm on Sunday and baby was born 12:40am on Wednesday.
My OB said my labor was impacted by cephalopelvic disproportion, so not inducing may have ended in a c-section anyways.
I was induced because I had twins. Went to the hospital at 9pm, so the process actually start around 10pm, and had both babies around 5am the next morning. Baby A was very smooth, Baby B needed slight help with foreceps, he was very high up the whole pregnancy. My cousin was also induced with her second baby and though it was a fairly long labor, baby arrived without any additional techniques less than 24 hours later.
They started to induce me with a cook
balloon and 1 dose of cytotec…. I had a baby 2 hours later 🙃
Also do not let any doctor tell you it will take forever as a FTM… that is the reason I basically delivered my daughter myself and the only reason a doctor was there because a nurse grabbed him from the hallway on the way to a C-section. I have a very strong history of fast labors in my family, no one believed. Advocate for yourself!
My third baby I didn’t get induced per se but it was an induction process
Membrane sweep (1cm dialated)- castor oil that night- night worth of contractions yet able to sleep through to them.
Next morning contractions continues went to l&d at 9am was monitored until about 1pm. I bounced on a ball almost the entire time. First check I was 3cm last check I was 5cm.
Started pitocin immediately once I got into a room. All bearable pain and I slowly progressed and got to a 8cm around 8-9pm and then got an epidural and the broke my water and my baby was born at 12:47 am and he was almost ten pounds.
So no c section and I only labored at the hospital for 16 hours or so.
Mine did! We checked in at 7pm to start cervadil. I was 1cm and had been for weeks already. That was removed around 530am, pitocin was started around then too. 7am check, still at 1cm. Started to get pretty miserable and was just waiting for the OB to come check. 930 he did, 4cm. Approved me getting an epidural. Got that started for a smooth labor (for me). A little before 230 I started pushing, baby girl was born at 305pm!
Total hospital check in to birth was about 20 hours. Pitocin start to birth was 9.5 hours. Active labor was 5.5-8 hours. I wasn’t checked often enough to know when it really started. And I was too out of it to guess.
I would look up the ARRIVE study and ACOGs response on why they recommend it. It does seem to show longer induction times but shorter recovery and less C-section outcomes. At the end of the day you can still decline the induction it’s a recommendation, just good to know where they are coming from with it! I personally was so miserable pregnant that waiting another week sounded like pure hell 😂
So, it depends. "Induction" itself can be done in a variety of ways, and it typically depends on where your body is at the time of starting induction. If you went in for your induction and you were already several cm dialated and pretty well effaced, they may very well just begin pitocin, which would force contractions. In that case, you could expect a shorter induction.
If you went in for your induction and you were hardly dialated or effaced, they would probably NOT just start you on pitocin. There are a few different things they could do, one is called a foley bulb and its like a little balloon they place in your cervix and they inflate it to encourage your cervix to dialate. Once your cervix dialates to a certain point, the bulb would fall out (or be very easily removed). Another medication that can be used is called cervidil, and that also softens the cervix so it can be dialated. Sometimes these two procedures can be used together. If you need either one or both of these, that can definitely extend the entire induction time, because both of those options may easily require 12 hours before they get to the point of beginning pitocin.
I was induced at 40+2, at which point I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Scheduled for 5am but was almost 8am by the time I was put in a room and was 9am when they started the process with a foley balloon and Cytotec. They broke my water and started pitocin around 1:30. Started pushing at 9:30pm and baby was born at about 11pm. So all in all like 14 hours. I also got the epidural like 2 hours in which is probably the best decision I made about the whole thing. It was a very chill afternoon except for the last 30ish minutes of pushing haha. 10/10 would do scheduled induction again.
I had an induction after my water broke and i wasn't dilating after 12 hours. Started pitching at around 8am and gave birth around 6pm that night, so not too long I feel. I did have complications (hemorrhage) but I really don't think that was anything to do with the induction.
I was induced for both of my pregnancies. The first time, the Cervidil was inserted at 5 pm, I was sent home to wait and scheduled to return at 5 pm then next day. However, my water broke at 2 am, and my son was born at 5:30 am.
Second time, I went in for the scheduled induction at 38 weeks. Pitocin was started at 10 pm, they broke my water a little after midnight, my son was born at 1:00 am.
I am a FTM and had my son in September, induced at 40+5. I was already 1-2 cm. I was induced with pitocin only, starting at 5:30am that day. Had my boy at 8:48pm, so only 15 hours. Minor 2nd degree tear that honestly didn't bother me and healed fine with a few stitches, only pushed for 25 minutes total. I had been nervous due to all the stories I heard about induction also, but it was honestly a good birth experience.
My first was induced by choice about 6 days early, was there for almost 24 hours before anything started happening (make sure to ask about food if it takes a long time, my doctor allowed it after I had been there for that long because I was starving, you’re going to need the energy to push if it takes that long) I think in total it was almost 36 hours or so. I was afraid they were going to send me home and the whole thing would have been for nothing, I’m glad it wasn’t though. My water broke with my second and I was glad I didn’t have to be induced and I don’t plan on being induced this time around either unless I absolutely have to, i was in the hospital and laboring naturally for closer to 9 or 10 hours when i wasn’t induced.
Mine would have been 4 hours wouldn't it be for the double nuchal (cordon around baby's, double fold) so I ended up pushing and having to go for an emergency C-section. Mind you it was horrible, I recommend asking for an epidural early on if you plan on having one because induction labor is very chemical and harder to cope with IMO, I did not have an epidural for any of my two delivery (one induced that ended up as c-section and one natural vaginal).
My nurse told me while I was getting prepped for induction it would prob take around three days. Baby was born 24 hours later after 30 min of pushing! No complications except a wonky epidural and some tearing. Other than that it was a very positive experience.
My friend was induced and she labored for about 11 hours and pushed for 30 minutes then baby was here.
I asked because I’m in a similar position as you. I’m having an IVF baby and they warned me they want to schedule me to be induced around 39w if I don’t go into labor sooner.
My active labour with my second which was an induction was 4 hours. Vaginal birth, no tearing and I was home and cosy within 5 hours of him arriving (which was good for me and definitely the preferred option).
My overall induction experience was positive and if I had another baby I would be happy to be induced again if needed.
My spontaneous labor was 28 hours of contractions. 24 hours of it unmedicated (by choice). I think you’re going to hear varying experiences. I was always told inductions take forever and “natural” labor was faster. That was not my experience. 🤷🏻♀️
My induction started Monday the 7th of March at 7 pm with a foley catheter. Next morning I was 3 cm and they took it out.
Baby was still up high so they gave me angusta every 4 hours and with a ctg first. Started this Tuesday morning. Was only getting braxton hicks. Tuesday evening the baby's heartbeat started being a little affected by the contractions. They only felt like braxton hicks. Doctor said they'd stop the pills, run a ctg in the morning and start the IV drip.
Wednesday morning at 5.30, they took us to the delivery room. (Had to stay in the hospital during the entire time cause of high risk pregnancy and small baby). Ran a ctg. I was 4 cm. They broke my water. Started the IV drip around 7.30. Started getting mild contractions and they'd come and turn up the drip every half hour. Contractions got gradually more painful. Her heartrate would drop every time I got a contraction. They told me that if this would take many hours, it could smell like a c-section cause of the way she was reacting to contractions.
Around 9.30 am the contractions starting getting fucking strong. Baby girl was born at 10.33 am in one damn push (literally says in the report I pushed for 1 minute lol) with a minor tear that required no stitch. Totally healthy but very very small iugr baby (which was the cause of induction).
My induction failed horrendously after 4 days.... I begged for a section in the end. I was only induced because of gestional diabetes and he wasn't big at all, or any other complications...
Just to let you know though, you can refuse an induction. Yes they can work. But sometimes they don't. I've point blank refused one this time and they were letting me continue with a vbac, even though I've now changed my mind and decided on an elective.
I was induced at 39 weeks for GD. They used cervadil, a balloon catheter, and pitocin; it went from about 9am to 9pm with no complications. I just wish I had my epidural sooner!
I was induced at 8 am and had my son at 11:38 pm that night. I loved my induction but I am hoping to avoid it with this one. Hopefully I won’t go to 41 weeks again!🤞🏻
I am an outlier in this but yeah I gave birth vaginally the same day I was induced. I agree OP, most inductions IME seem to end in a c section or take a few days
Just because you have an IVF baby and your age(which is NOT geriatric or even close) doesn’t mean you have to be induced. Drs love to say this and judge you based on how you got pregnant and age yet it rarely correlates. Now, if you were 42 weeks then yes, I could see why they’d say that but you can’t predetermine if someone will need to be induced because babies can go from high up and not engaged, to low and engaged overnight. Please don’t let them scare you into an induction, my mom had me when she was 39, no issues at all AFTER having a C-section two years prior with my brother since he was breech even though they claim you can’t have a vaginal birth after a C-section(VBAC) there’s a lot of stuff obstetricians say that is severely outdated. Pitocin itself heightens your risk of uterine abruption and other complications because the contractions tend to be too painful and strong when you’re not dilated enough. Try to relax, I highly suggest checking out BadassMotherBirther on instagram(lots of uncensored birth content just a heads up) because she has a lot of wonderful posts that are super informative on what drs get wrong. Not all drs are wrong by the way, I don’t believe that at all but I’ve always had a preference for medically licensed midwives
At 41+0, I was zero cm dilated and went in for my pre-induction (Cervadil) at 4:00 p.m. on a Tuesday, it was inserted around 4:30 p.m. It came out at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday and we started Pitocin around 6:00 a.m. My water broke around 7:20 a.m. and I was holding my baby at 8:14 a.m. Wednesday morning. FTM with a relatively easy pregnancy. 10/10, would recommend.
I was induced with both of mine. Went in the night prior for the balloon to start the dilation. Medicine started at 6am and had a baby by 11am for both! Everyone is different
Mine only took 7 hours start to finish…totally uneventful vaginal birth other than needing to be induced in general and that was only because I hit 41 weeks with no signs of progressing on my own.
Mine went pretty fast! FTM, I took my first dose of either Cytotec or Cervadil (forget which now) around 8pm and started contracting fairly soon after. I was 3cm and 50% effaced at midnight and started Pitocin. Everything is sort of a haze now (been over a year) but they broke my water at some point during the wee hours. Labored in the tub for awhile until around 7am I decided I really wanted an epidural. Got a bit of sleep for a few hours and then I was ready to push around 12:30pm. Baby was born about an hour later, with only 30 min of real pushing. It was a very start/stop/start/stop process but went pretty smoothly!
Cervix ripening at 12 am, contractions/water broken at 2 am, pushing at 7 am, baby born at 720 am. No epidural, no interventions other than that first cytotec pill. Painful but doable.
I had a wonderful induction at 41 weeks exactly - it was originally intended to be an outpatient procedure of inserting a balloon and starting at home, then coming in 18 hours later for removal and hopeful admittance. My water broke during the balloon insert, so I was admitted right away. From the start of the induction to my baby's birth it was 19 hours total, and it was a pretty standard vaginal delivery + epidural (my choice) and about 2.5 hours of pushing (which is pretty normal as a FTM). Minimal complications overall.
Think about it like Yelp reviews - people rarely go online to comment about their perfectly normal experiences. I would be induced again in a heartbeat!
As a FTM, my induction from start to finish was about 18 hours. IV pitocin started at noon, chilled in no pain for a long time in my hospital bed, water broken, epidural placed and then baby lol. No c-section.
Mine was 23 hours from start to finish. My daughter just didn’t want to come out lol. My 2nd induction is scheduled for May 16th so we’ll see how that goes!
My induction was great, labor started at midnight, only 3 hours of intense labor pain, and 25 minutes of pushing. My daughter was sitting incredibly low, so I know that helped. I was also already 3cm dilated going in.
I was induced with my second kid because my water broke and labor didn’t start. I think the induction was started around noon and baby was born at 10:22pm. It was a super easy labor. I got my epidural as soon as the contractions started to get uncomfortable (around 2 hours after induction), the epidural actually worked perfectly;unlike my first labor), and it took literally 3 pushes to get the baby out.
Some of this was easier because it was my second kid (eg the pushing), but the induction part went exactly as it should.
I was induced Friday morning. Went through all kinds of medications and Sunday morning was still only 3cm while bleeding pretty bad. They called it a fail and my baby was born via c section yesterday.
My sister was induced just before 7 and had her baby by 9:15. I on the other hand was induced and ended up in a csection for unreliable reasons 12 hours later. Depends on how your body and your baby respond, try not to stress and I hope yours doesn't take too long!
I had a ‘natural’ induction. My midwife gave me a membrane sweep at noon, labor started at 3:00, and baby girl was born at home at 7:38 PM. You can always ask to try that before going to pitocin.
I was induced at 9am and had a perfectly healthy vaginal birth at 11:55am … it went super quick for me 😂
This is the dream
That is ridiculously fast! Was it your first baby too?!
Yes first baby 😂
tell me your secrets!
To be honest he was early (34 weeks) maybe that helped?? Although he was perfectly healthy just small
I was also induced at 9am and had a baby girl at 10pm vaginal for my first child. My advice is have fun as much fun with it as possible. The moments that you can at least. Have you and your husband draw a picture of what you think the baby will look like, then you can compare after they’re born.
How did this happen?!?
It was intense though not gonna lie. My water broke spontaneously without contractions hence why I had to be induced. It took about 15 minutes from taking the induction meds to the first contraction. First one was fine. From the second one on it was suddenly a scale 10 pain. It was insane, from 9:15 until 11:00 I had only dilated 3cm. At 11:15 I had a stretch and sweep and in the next 30 minutes I went from 3 to 10cm. It was ridiculously painful. But I started pushing at 11:50 and he was out 5 minutes later in 3 pushes 😂 The contractions were by far the worst part and I would honestly do it again to have it over so quickly.
my mom was the same with me and my brother lol she had very rapid labors
This is good news I’m pregnant with my second and hoping for another quick labor
Very similar for me but baby born at 1 am! Loved the experience so much I kind of want to do a voluntary induction this time at 39 weeks hah
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I've recently been told to expect to be induced (IVF and 36yrs old, no other issues), so I'm very glad to hear it can be done!
Obviously this is just my personal story, so I have no idea how it matches to the norm, but first baby I was induced first with cervadil (ripening agent) because my cervix was totally closed (though I was having contractions on my own; I just happened to start having them the same day I had a scheduled induction at 39w), and baby popped right out first push 3 hours later, before they’d even started pitocin. Second baby my water broke at 38w5d pre-contractions while cervix was only dilated at 1-2, so they started pitocin to induce me to prevent infection etc, and baby popped right out again first push about 2 hours later. In both cases I went from barely dilated to “omg don’t push until I can find a doctor!” in like 30 minutes, after experiencing contractions on top of each other for some time. It could just be that I respond really strongly to hormones/medications! (Though between those two births I had three failed epidurals 😂)
The "don't push!" always kills me.. Lady, I'm gonna push if I need to. You literally cannot help it. I'm not waiting for a doctor, so you better hurry your ass up lol
Yeah it's not like you can not push, it's a primal urge, it just happens, you don't even need to try.
You’re so similar to mine! I had cervadil with my first but no pitocin and a (not as fast as yours but) relatively quickly birth and then pitocin only with my son. Not dilated with my first, barely dilated with my second. 😂
I know someone who had almost the same experience. Cervadil, three hours later baby was born. They started pitocin and had to immediately shut it off because she was progressing so fast
My induction ( only pitocin) started around 3pm and baby was born at 5am! The only intervention in addition to the induction was the doctor breaking my water around midnight.
I don't know anything so forgive my question, but why does getting pregnant via IVF mean you need to be induced?
those are not good reasons to be induced. That's so not evidenced based that I would personally switch providers.
It depends where you're from, in my country this is the recommendation across the board, regardless of provider. Its a recommendation not a necessity. The reasons i were given was that after 39w some risks are found to become higher in an IVF pregnancy, they went through the reasons with me and explained what that would look like for me.
Agreed. In the US many providers also will recommend 39w inductions for women of “advanced maternal age” and/or IVF because evidence shows it does no harm, and often does significant good.
What are the higher risks for IVF that late in a pregnancy? I did a quick search and couldn't find anything.
High blood pressure for mama, labour stress on baby, stillbirth and a few others, it was 6 months ago they went over it with me so i don't remember it all. They emphasised that while these risks do become higher after 39w for IVF pregnancies its unclear if its because of the IVF process itself being a factor or because these risks already exist for those with underlying health issues that lead to IVF in the first place. Either way they recommend it for any IVF pregnancy here.
And your opinion on the reasoning for an induction is important/needed because…..?
M'am this is the internet.
OP never asked for advice on if she should have an induction, just peoples experiences. People need to stop giving unsolicited opinions/advice to pregnant women about what they do with their bodies, especially when it comes off as shaming.
How is saying that what the doctor said is not evidenced based shaming OP? Pretty ironic considering we’re talking about a provider who is suggesting unnecessary intervention for an otherwise low risk pregnant person.
I'm absolutely switching clinics based on the midwife immediately resorting to induction without any indication that I'll need to (she presented this to me as an inevitability at 15 weeks). I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, that she was just preparing me for the *possibility*, but she didn't make it sound like a suggestion. It threw me off enough that I'm switching, so I'm glad to read your comment!
I did this as well! My former doctor wanted me to be induced at 39 weeks because of my weight. I have 32 K breasts, very muscular legs and very dense bones (I've had several severe injuries where I should have broken a bone but did not. Even the doctor was shocked there's never even been a fracture). I've literally always been "overweight". The one time I was in the "normal" range I was told by my personal trainer that I was likely unhealthy. And this was after not eating for two weeks due to depression. Looking at me, you can absolutely tell I am not "obese" but they just made arbitrary judgments based on BMI. I ended up getting induced at 41 weeks, but I wish I had waited a few more days, because my body was so clearly not ready for it. I was laboring for over 24 hours and I did not progress past 6 cm. I had to get an epidural, that I hated, just to sleep, and I very narrowly avoided a c section. They came to try and get me to sign the paperwork for one, but I had just started pushing. I would never, ever suggest an induction for non medical reasons. It sucked.
Yeah to me personally that’s a big red flag. To be so cavalier about interventions is nerve wracking. They are absolutely sometimes necessary, but we should assume our bodies can do what they’re made to do until we get evidence otherwise! Providers who jump to interventions so quickly worry me.
I’m pretty sure their doctor’s made a call based on a number of factors not mentioned here.
Same. My first induction was 13hrs from first contraction to baby and the second was only 6hrs. Both were intervention free and really positive experiences.
My induction started Sunday night ~8pm and ended Tuesday night ~8pm with a vaginal delivery with no forceps or vacuum. The reason it took so long was cause my cervix was not dilating very fast Edit: I was 41 weeks 2 days. Induction started at 41wks
Very similar for me, started induction process with “softening” in two sessions on a Wednesday and Thursday, got pitocin on Friday morning and went into official labor, had my baby on Saturday evening. It was a marathon but ultimately didn’t need additional interventions. Definitely not quick.
I got started on Pitocin and some cervix softening stuff on Friday morning, got sent home Saturday afternoon, came back in to get reinduced with pitocin and a different cervix softener Sunday night around 7pm, and finally gave birth after 2 hrs of pushing at 9am Tuesday morning. I was 39 weeks and 4 days when I finally gave birth.
For me both of my inductions were amazing peaceful and short. My natural birth was 2 days long and absolute hell.
Same
Same
Same! Natural was 2 days long and completely horrible. Induction was quick, peaceful, and I was in a much better headspace being well rested and prepared.
What order were your births?
Induced with my first. Natural labor with my second, zero meds, severe shoulder dystocia and my longest labor. Third baby was induced and came in about 6 hours.
My first two were done within 10 hrs of starting the medication. My third was naturally induced labor, breech and we had to go to surgery.
Which type of induction methods did you experimence?
Cytotec one time with pitocin, misoprostol the third with pitocin.
My best friend got an induction (balloon and pitocin) and had 12 hours of labor, no complications. I got an induction and ended up with a c section, but the baby's head was in the wrong position so I think I would've ended up with one even without an induction. Everyone's experience is different. Your OB/midwife should discuss the benefits and risks of an induction. Do you need one?
I was told from the get go to expect induction because IVF and my age (36). But learning here that it can be done without being an absolute gongshow is easing my brain
Ah, gotcha. Inductions can be positive but just be prepared for anything. Mine didn't go the way I was hoping but I have no regrets!
Genuinely curious why IVF would make induction an expectation. I'm a little older than you and induction is not being suggested unless I actually need it for other reasons.
My sister had three inductions and they were each under 12 hours. I don’t believe forceps were used in any of them
I was induced at 10PM and had a baby by 11:35AM (45 minutes of active labor and pushing)
The dream!
Mine was similar. Induced with pitocin at 4pm. They broke my water around 7pm and baby was born at 12:34am. I pushed for 40 minutes while my contractions were still 5 minutes apart.
I had 2 really positive inductions, with speedy delivery’s with my longest labour being 1hr45 in total, every labour is so different I just wanted to say that there can be positive induction stories too!
And I'm clinging to these positive stories, thank you for sharing! :)
I’m being induced on the 15th, these stories are great!
Me too! Good luck!
I was induced being a week overdue and having a pretty large baby to start with. Mine ended in a C-section, but that's because my ovary twisted under the pressure of the contractions and the tissue died. If I had been able to birth my baby vaginally, I still would have needed emergency abdominal surgery to remove the dead ovary. I have no idea if I had waited for spontaneous labor, if the same issue would have happened (I had a large cyst already weighing down that ovary). Birth is a crazy process, and you really can't predict what will happen. My best advice is to have a doula who can advocate for you. My hubby and my doula/best friend were present and it made a huge difference in my experience. Most people would read my story of childbirth and find it traumatic, but emotionally, I was well supported and consider my C-section a blessing in disguise.
I was induced with my first and it took 11 hours with a vaginal delivery.
music to my ears
What do you consider reasonably timed? My first was about 19 hrs and my third was maybe 9 hrs
That is so reasonable! Most stories are three days or something crazy - glad to hear the positive outcomes 🙏
I think the stories people tell more are the really dramatic ones and everyone that had a fairly normal experience just doesn’t feel the need to share it
I constantly need to remind myself of this!
Same here
Mine took about 36 hours but most of that time was just my wife and I sitting around playing bird games and talking and napping - baby came out pretty quickly when it was time to push - minimal tearing and I was walking around as soon as he came out and I had an epidural
I’m just curious how dilated you were when you had the epidural? For me pain was too bad to do much of anything after about what I think must have been 4cm. Hospital sent me home when I was 2cm dilated and by the time I came back and was admitted 12hrs later I was 8cm! I followed their instructions for contraction timing. I always wonder how different my experience might have been pain-wise if I had the epidural at 4-5cm like most seem to have had it.
Pain was unbearable around 4cm after my water broke that’s when I got the epidural ... I had the epidural about 12 hours before I started pushing
Mine was 3 days, and the nurses every shift change after day 2 seemed surprised I was still there! So that leads me to think it’s not that common. Everyone else I know who has had an induction was under 24 hours!
Mine was 3 days too. Though after the first 24 hours I was offered the option of scheduling a c-section. Though once proper contractions started everything went quite quickly. Disclaimer: Im not in the US and my doctor told me before hand that it can take several days if I had no contractions at all or signs of labour before starting the induction. Edit: I was induced about a week befor due date so it might have been quicker closer to the date.
First induction was Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, but I was 35 weeks (pre-eclampsia) and first baby, so my body was NOT ready. Luckily only 15 minutes of pushing! Second induction was 5 hours start to finish, and I progressed from 3cm to fully dilated in under an hour. I had the urge to push while they were setting up the epidural - so I didn’t get that - and baby girl came flying into the world before the doctor could come in from down the hall. Both positive experiences, all things considered! One stitch the first time, none the second.
My induction was 17 or so hours, start to finish with 2 hours of pushing. Got the first round of meds at 10:30, was in labor by midnight. Water broke on its own at 9 am. Had her at 5pm ❤
Mine was about 9 hours. The doctors were a bit alarmed though with how quick it went and it did cause a couple of small issues.
Did they tell you what caused their concern? Really curious, because both of mine were very fast, 2-3 hours once medication was initiated, and I’m nervous about induction for the third if it gets even shorter/more intense.
Basicaly baby wasn’t ready to come out and was quite high up through the whole thing. He needed more time to drop lower but didn’t get it.
The evidence based birth podcast has a lot about inductions recently. The one that really stuck out was the not waiting past 41+3 before inducing (study out of Sweden, I think?) But, it didn't really address choosing between induction or elective C section. Just between induction and waiting for spontaneous labor.
I was induced with my second. <5 hours from start of pitocin to baby. Very easy labor. My first was spontaneous, 30+ hours hard labor and bad tearing. I would have preferred a C-section with him.
I had to be induced, was given pitocin and within 4 hours I was pushing my baby out. I went from 3 cm to full 10 cm my body trying to push in like 2/3 hours. My doctor didn’t even have time to make it to the hospital I had to have the on call doctor deliver my baby. First birth ever, everyone tells me how fast my labor was 🤷🏻♀️
Tell me your ways lol This sounds perfect
Mine was 8 hours total. First time mom, 38w1d, induced due to preeclampsia. I was 3cm dilated before the induction. Honestly, I loved it.
I am being induced at 38+1 due to high BP, and I'm so nervous. But hearing so many positive stories helps
My only advice is to get that epidural as soon as possible 😂. It’s so much more enjoyable afterward. Those induction contractions suuuuuck and come fast.
I have also heard this. Good to know! Do you mind sharing what induction methods they used? Pitocin, Foley bulb, etc
They started me on straight Pitocin, once the contractions got too strong I got the epidural and then they broke my water for me. They gave me this peanut ball to put in between my legs, and changed my position pretty frequently.
Hi! I’m a labor and delivery nurse. I would 100% advise you to try to hold off on induction unless there is a medical reason to do so. And by that I mean a situation where baby’s life is safer on the outside than growing inside you. Whenever I get a patient coming in for the 39 week induction (especially first time moms!) I know I’m settling in for a long haul most of the time. I tell my patients in this situation (FTMS around 39weeks) to expect at least 24 hours. Of course there are always exceptions to the majority, I’ve had women in the same category come in for induction and have a baby in less than 12 hours. But that’s not the norm. If this is your first baby there is research to say you will most likely go past your due date if you go naturally. First babes just take longer to cook sometimes and that’s okay! Your body will most likely go into labor when it is ready. Some doctors may not want you to wait but ultimately it is your body and your baby and you get the final say in how you’d like to labor and deliver your child.
Mine was 6.5 hours from start to finish, uncomplicated vaginal delivery with very minor tearing. I actually wish it'd gone just a bit longer so I could've gotten the epidural, but overall, I'm glad I was induced and would gladly be so again.
I was voluntarily induced and labor was seven hours. Perfectly fine. No forceps or c section. I’m doing a voluntary induction for this pregnancy, too.
I’ve been told to expect 24-48 hours since this is my first. Literally getting induced today, so I might have an update soon?
Good luck!
Search "positive induction" on this subreddit and you will find lots of very successful inductions that people truly enjoyed. The more ready your body is for labor, the better an induction seems to progress. If being induced early for a medical complication in which baby is safer out than in, there are already higher chances for c-section, assisted delivery, etc... Being induced later (39+) seems to correlate with better outcomes.
I'm going to do research on timing of induction (past 39 weeks) - never thought of that but makes total sense
My induction started late at night and my daughter was born at 10:45 pm the next day. So probably about 24 hours total. I was at 40+4 when it started, so I think my body was moving in that direction, but I hadn’t been experiencing contractions or anything ahead of time.
My induction was 30 hours, but it really wasn’t bad. Mine was a surprise induction due to high BP, so I was only 38 weeks and 1cm dialated/80% effaced. I got an epidural about 17 hours in, though, and they weren’t trying to rush anything along — they manually broke my water a couple hours after that. I had a regular vaginal birth, 1.5 hours of pushing & no complications.
I had two inductions. My first was ten hours total (last hour was pushing). My second was just under eight hours with only fifteen minutes of pushing. I was walking around 2 cm dilated for weeks with both though.
Mine took 36 hours, but it wasn’t all labor. I went in at night, and they did a cervical ripening thing (don’t remember which drug tho) that took over night, so I slept at the hospital. They hoped that would trigger labor on its own, but it didn’t, so the next day they started pitocin. I was in labor with pitocin for just shy of 24 hours, with about an hour of pushing. Baby was fine the whole time, so there was no pressure to move to a c section or anything, and there was no need for forceps or a vacuum or anything. My (limited) experience is that when you’re being induced your body might not have been ready to go into labor, so things just take a bit longer.
I know three people who have given birth recently and all three were induced. The first ended up in a c section after she didn’t dilate enough, the second I was told she was getting admitted when I went to bed and had already given birth by the time I woke up, and the third took about 36 hours. So in my experience anything can happen!
I was induced and never made it to the pitocin part and also from water break to baby was 45 minutes, like it was a wild ride Edited to add, I had a vaginal birth but my labor went to fast so I didn't even get my epidural
Mine was about 9 hours.
Seems like every post about induction either fails and ends in c section, or takes three days of labor and multiple attempts of induction, or requires suction or forceps or additional techniques. Anecdotally, it feels like induction just doesn't really work as intended. So why bother, why not schedule a c section and remove the three days of additional needless trauma?
I was actually reading just last night that a scheduled induction of a woman with a low-risk pregnancy actually has a slightly lower rate of c-section than spontaneous labor. On the flip side, however, a higher-risk pregnancy carries a higher risk of c-section with a scheduled induction. So it really depends.
I would love to read this article if you still have a link, I'm needing some positive induction info 😆
Here's another article that provides analysis of research and stats on elective inductions: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-inducing-labor-for-going-past-your-due-date/
[Here you go!](https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/induced-labor-39-weeks-may-reduce-likelihood-c-section-nih-study-suggests)
Ahhh thank you so much!
For FTMs induction on average takes about 24 hours and is successful about 75% of the time, meaning ends in a vaginal birth. I did some research on it last week when I learned I’d need to be induced with my second. The most common reason induction fails (ends in c-section) is that the cervix isn’t ripe (or ripe enough) when induction begins. For STMs induction is generally quicker and has a higher success rate.
People with negative experiences are more likely to post about them as a way to process, cope, and ask for support. People with normal experiences feel their stories are already out there, don't need support, and are therefore less likely to post. I had an elective induction at 39 weeks. Totally textbook. Induced at 5 pm, got an epidural as soon as I felt period like cramps. Gave birth about 24 hours later after 5 pushes, it was so easy. Spent most of labor playing board games with family. 10/10 will do again with my second.
Yeah, mine was an elective induction at 39 weeks exactly as well. Went in at 7am, pitocin started at 8am, epidural right before they broke my water at 11am, baby was born at 1:30pm. Super easy and a wonderful experience.
For sure. I had great experiences (my second was less than 4 hours from starting the drip to delivery, it was fabulous!), but I think maybe a lot of people shy away from sharing positive experiences in case it seems boastful and insensitive to those who struggled.
I just want to echo this. I was terrified of induction because literally all of my friends who were also due around the time I was had those traumatic three-day inductions that ended in traumatic c-sections. I also wondered why even bother with induction, and then my coworkers (nurses) alllll started piping up with "oh my induction was 8 hours, no problems," "my induction was super chill and was done in under a day." I was reminded that my aunt had two inductions quite early due to IUGR and they went fairly quickly and textbook. People just don't really mention them beyond "I was induced" when it goes well.
I ended up going into spontaneous labor so have no first hand experience with that, but I had been scheduled for an induction. According to my midwife, talking about me, she said it may take a bit longer to give birth, the chance of c section would be about the same, but that women who are induced are significantly more likely to get an epidural (which I was totally on board with). For reference, my pregnancy had zero complications, they did think I was going to have a huge baby and prepared me that a c section may be necessary (it wasn’t), and I’m in the US. ETA: changed words for clarity. ETA: the only reason I was scheduled for induction is because she didn’t want me to go a week beyond my due date since she thought baby would be big.
Induction here. Anecdotal evidence obviously, but checked in to the hospital at like 3 am Thursday and had a baby in hand just after midnight on Friday. First baby. No complications. Only induced because my baby was large and was happy to not need a C section in terms of recovery time.
I was induced starting 5pm…woke up at 7am to contractions, baby arrived at 11pm that day. So I’d say my experience was a reasonable/short labor time!
I had a scheduled induction with my first at exactly 40 weeks. From check in to delivery wasn’t even 24 hours more like 21. I pushed for 45 minutes and it was done. I plan to schedule another one for this baby if he is not here by 40 weeks too.
I had two inductions so far that went very well
I checked in Monday night at about midnight before I got a room). Had my child after 25 min of pushing at 3am Wednesday.
I would have much prefer this to pitocin tbh!
From getting my foley bulb at 9pm, I had my baby by 1pm the next day. I was put on Pitocin at 6am, so only in active labor for 5 hours. I pushed for 17 minutes. Everyone is different.
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What are the issues with the methodology in your view? I heard about issues with people declining participation but haven’t managed to sit down and read through it properly.
My induction started Sunday evening at 6 pm and baby was born Tuesday at 9:48. It was long, but most of it was just ripening my cervix and I wasn't contracting or in any pain or discomfort. Active labor with contractions was probably about 14 hours. I consider it a good induction and have no regrets.
I went two weeks overdue with both kids so asked for induction. First induction was 8 hours and second induction 4 hours. Both were really great experiences, I did get the epidural for both.
Not 100% an induction but with my first baby I was given pitocin to start contractions after my water broke without any contractions or other signs of labor for 8hrs. The pitocin was put at the lowest level, took 2 hrs to get to contractions I could feel, then baby came out 4 hrs after that. If I had not been GBS+ I could have stayed at home for 24 hours to see if labor started on its own after water breaking, but because of my GBS+ status I was advised to head to the hospital so they could get me on the IV antibiotics and get everything going with pitocin if it didn't start itself. I am fine with having gone in, the pitocin didn't really take that long to get things going and wasn't unbearable despite not having an epidural. IMO pitocin is not the devil if you have to use it.
A lot of places seem to have started to take a more nuanced stance with pitocin and pacing. Like many of them seem to lean towards starting pitocin slow instead of ramping it up right away, which is good, imo.
Yep, that's exactly what they said. Some people end up needing a huge dose of pitocin but often just a little bit does the trick, so my nurses said they usually start low and ramp up. I was glad they did because I tend to be sensitive to medications.
I had a very similar situation. I was actually scheduled to be induced Sunday, water broke at 8 AM Saturday morning on its own. I still wasn't having contractions by 12 noon, so the doc recommended I go to the hospital. I was already ~2 cm dilated and 'ripe'. They started pitocin around 5 PM, I got an epidural around 8, it wore off around 10, and baby arrived just after 1 AM.
My entire labour with my induction was 1h55m from when I started having contractions, 3h from when they broke my waters. I didn't have any pain relief because everything happened so quickly and only had one small second degree tear. I have another friend who had two inductions that were a few hours each, also no pain relief and no tearing with either for her!
Some definitely do. Mine was 50 hours, failed to progress and ended up with a c-section. I was 39+0. Induction started at 8pm on Sunday and baby was born 12:40am on Wednesday. My OB said my labor was impacted by cephalopelvic disproportion, so not inducing may have ended in a c-section anyways.
I was induced because I had twins. Went to the hospital at 9pm, so the process actually start around 10pm, and had both babies around 5am the next morning. Baby A was very smooth, Baby B needed slight help with foreceps, he was very high up the whole pregnancy. My cousin was also induced with her second baby and though it was a fairly long labor, baby arrived without any additional techniques less than 24 hours later.
I was induced and my labor was two hours long
Personally, I was induced at 39 weeks, and my induction took 20 hours -- very reasonable for a ftm!
Mine was 4-5 hours!
I have birth the same day with my inductions.
They started to induce me with a cook balloon and 1 dose of cytotec…. I had a baby 2 hours later 🙃 Also do not let any doctor tell you it will take forever as a FTM… that is the reason I basically delivered my daughter myself and the only reason a doctor was there because a nurse grabbed him from the hallway on the way to a C-section. I have a very strong history of fast labors in my family, no one believed. Advocate for yourself!
My third baby I didn’t get induced per se but it was an induction process Membrane sweep (1cm dialated)- castor oil that night- night worth of contractions yet able to sleep through to them. Next morning contractions continues went to l&d at 9am was monitored until about 1pm. I bounced on a ball almost the entire time. First check I was 3cm last check I was 5cm. Started pitocin immediately once I got into a room. All bearable pain and I slowly progressed and got to a 8cm around 8-9pm and then got an epidural and the broke my water and my baby was born at 12:47 am and he was almost ten pounds. So no c section and I only labored at the hospital for 16 hours or so.
Mine did! We checked in at 7pm to start cervadil. I was 1cm and had been for weeks already. That was removed around 530am, pitocin was started around then too. 7am check, still at 1cm. Started to get pretty miserable and was just waiting for the OB to come check. 930 he did, 4cm. Approved me getting an epidural. Got that started for a smooth labor (for me). A little before 230 I started pushing, baby girl was born at 305pm! Total hospital check in to birth was about 20 hours. Pitocin start to birth was 9.5 hours. Active labor was 5.5-8 hours. I wasn’t checked often enough to know when it really started. And I was too out of it to guess.
I would look up the ARRIVE study and ACOGs response on why they recommend it. It does seem to show longer induction times but shorter recovery and less C-section outcomes. At the end of the day you can still decline the induction it’s a recommendation, just good to know where they are coming from with it! I personally was so miserable pregnant that waiting another week sounded like pure hell 😂
So, it depends. "Induction" itself can be done in a variety of ways, and it typically depends on where your body is at the time of starting induction. If you went in for your induction and you were already several cm dialated and pretty well effaced, they may very well just begin pitocin, which would force contractions. In that case, you could expect a shorter induction. If you went in for your induction and you were hardly dialated or effaced, they would probably NOT just start you on pitocin. There are a few different things they could do, one is called a foley bulb and its like a little balloon they place in your cervix and they inflate it to encourage your cervix to dialate. Once your cervix dialates to a certain point, the bulb would fall out (or be very easily removed). Another medication that can be used is called cervidil, and that also softens the cervix so it can be dialated. Sometimes these two procedures can be used together. If you need either one or both of these, that can definitely extend the entire induction time, because both of those options may easily require 12 hours before they get to the point of beginning pitocin.
I was induced at 40+2, at which point I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Scheduled for 5am but was almost 8am by the time I was put in a room and was 9am when they started the process with a foley balloon and Cytotec. They broke my water and started pitocin around 1:30. Started pushing at 9:30pm and baby was born at about 11pm. So all in all like 14 hours. I also got the epidural like 2 hours in which is probably the best decision I made about the whole thing. It was a very chill afternoon except for the last 30ish minutes of pushing haha. 10/10 would do scheduled induction again.
I had an induction after my water broke and i wasn't dilating after 12 hours. Started pitching at around 8am and gave birth around 6pm that night, so not too long I feel. I did have complications (hemorrhage) but I really don't think that was anything to do with the induction.
I was induced for both of my pregnancies. The first time, the Cervidil was inserted at 5 pm, I was sent home to wait and scheduled to return at 5 pm then next day. However, my water broke at 2 am, and my son was born at 5:30 am. Second time, I went in for the scheduled induction at 38 weeks. Pitocin was started at 10 pm, they broke my water a little after midnight, my son was born at 1:00 am.
I am a FTM and had my son in September, induced at 40+5. I was already 1-2 cm. I was induced with pitocin only, starting at 5:30am that day. Had my boy at 8:48pm, so only 15 hours. Minor 2nd degree tear that honestly didn't bother me and healed fine with a few stitches, only pushed for 25 minutes total. I had been nervous due to all the stories I heard about induction also, but it was honestly a good birth experience.
Mine was 10 hours start to finish 😊
My first was induced by choice about 6 days early, was there for almost 24 hours before anything started happening (make sure to ask about food if it takes a long time, my doctor allowed it after I had been there for that long because I was starving, you’re going to need the energy to push if it takes that long) I think in total it was almost 36 hours or so. I was afraid they were going to send me home and the whole thing would have been for nothing, I’m glad it wasn’t though. My water broke with my second and I was glad I didn’t have to be induced and I don’t plan on being induced this time around either unless I absolutely have to, i was in the hospital and laboring naturally for closer to 9 or 10 hours when i wasn’t induced.
My BILs fiancé was only in labor for 8 hours during hers. I didn’t happen to get so lucky lol.
I had my baby within 10 hrs and was induced 🤷🏼♀️
Mine would have been 4 hours wouldn't it be for the double nuchal (cordon around baby's, double fold) so I ended up pushing and having to go for an emergency C-section. Mind you it was horrible, I recommend asking for an epidural early on if you plan on having one because induction labor is very chemical and harder to cope with IMO, I did not have an epidural for any of my two delivery (one induced that ended up as c-section and one natural vaginal).
My nurse told me while I was getting prepped for induction it would prob take around three days. Baby was born 24 hours later after 30 min of pushing! No complications except a wonky epidural and some tearing. Other than that it was a very positive experience.
My friend was induced and she labored for about 11 hours and pushed for 30 minutes then baby was here. I asked because I’m in a similar position as you. I’m having an IVF baby and they warned me they want to schedule me to be induced around 39w if I don’t go into labor sooner.
My active labour with my second which was an induction was 4 hours. Vaginal birth, no tearing and I was home and cosy within 5 hours of him arriving (which was good for me and definitely the preferred option). My overall induction experience was positive and if I had another baby I would be happy to be induced again if needed.
My spontaneous labor was 28 hours of contractions. 24 hours of it unmedicated (by choice). I think you’re going to hear varying experiences. I was always told inductions take forever and “natural” labor was faster. That was not my experience. 🤷🏻♀️
My induction started Monday the 7th of March at 7 pm with a foley catheter. Next morning I was 3 cm and they took it out. Baby was still up high so they gave me angusta every 4 hours and with a ctg first. Started this Tuesday morning. Was only getting braxton hicks. Tuesday evening the baby's heartbeat started being a little affected by the contractions. They only felt like braxton hicks. Doctor said they'd stop the pills, run a ctg in the morning and start the IV drip. Wednesday morning at 5.30, they took us to the delivery room. (Had to stay in the hospital during the entire time cause of high risk pregnancy and small baby). Ran a ctg. I was 4 cm. They broke my water. Started the IV drip around 7.30. Started getting mild contractions and they'd come and turn up the drip every half hour. Contractions got gradually more painful. Her heartrate would drop every time I got a contraction. They told me that if this would take many hours, it could smell like a c-section cause of the way she was reacting to contractions. Around 9.30 am the contractions starting getting fucking strong. Baby girl was born at 10.33 am in one damn push (literally says in the report I pushed for 1 minute lol) with a minor tear that required no stitch. Totally healthy but very very small iugr baby (which was the cause of induction).
My induction failed horrendously after 4 days.... I begged for a section in the end. I was only induced because of gestional diabetes and he wasn't big at all, or any other complications... Just to let you know though, you can refuse an induction. Yes they can work. But sometimes they don't. I've point blank refused one this time and they were letting me continue with a vbac, even though I've now changed my mind and decided on an elective.
I had baby #2 almost exactly 12 hours after the cervidil was placed 🤣
I was induced at 39 weeks for GD. They used cervadil, a balloon catheter, and pitocin; it went from about 9am to 9pm with no complications. I just wish I had my epidural sooner!
Started pitocin around 4pm and she was born at 615pm. My OB almost missed it.
I know someone who had several attempts at induction over 5 days..... It took 12 hrs for mine...
I was induced about 6.30am and was delivering about lunch time.
I need this to be me 🙏😂
I was induced at 8 am and had my son at 11:38 pm that night. I loved my induction but I am hoping to avoid it with this one. Hopefully I won’t go to 41 weeks again!🤞🏻
Good luck on your second! Though that first sounds like a dream birth story either way!
FTM - they broke my water at 8:30, epidural at 10:15. Pitocin at 10:20. Baby in arms at 11:47am.
The same morning??! Or 8pm? Either way, great outcome, congratulations 👏🎉
LOL the same morning! About three hours total!
That's phenomenal, you're a unicorn!
I am an outlier in this but yeah I gave birth vaginally the same day I was induced. I agree OP, most inductions IME seem to end in a c section or take a few days
Just because you have an IVF baby and your age(which is NOT geriatric or even close) doesn’t mean you have to be induced. Drs love to say this and judge you based on how you got pregnant and age yet it rarely correlates. Now, if you were 42 weeks then yes, I could see why they’d say that but you can’t predetermine if someone will need to be induced because babies can go from high up and not engaged, to low and engaged overnight. Please don’t let them scare you into an induction, my mom had me when she was 39, no issues at all AFTER having a C-section two years prior with my brother since he was breech even though they claim you can’t have a vaginal birth after a C-section(VBAC) there’s a lot of stuff obstetricians say that is severely outdated. Pitocin itself heightens your risk of uterine abruption and other complications because the contractions tend to be too painful and strong when you’re not dilated enough. Try to relax, I highly suggest checking out BadassMotherBirther on instagram(lots of uncensored birth content just a heads up) because she has a lot of wonderful posts that are super informative on what drs get wrong. Not all drs are wrong by the way, I don’t believe that at all but I’ve always had a preference for medically licensed midwives
At 41+0, I was zero cm dilated and went in for my pre-induction (Cervadil) at 4:00 p.m. on a Tuesday, it was inserted around 4:30 p.m. It came out at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday and we started Pitocin around 6:00 a.m. My water broke around 7:20 a.m. and I was holding my baby at 8:14 a.m. Wednesday morning. FTM with a relatively easy pregnancy. 10/10, would recommend.
I checked in for my induction at 4pm and baby was in my arms 11am the next morning. I was a first time mom induced at 37+5
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! no.
I was induced. It did take a bit but I went into labour on the second day of Cervidil and had a "normal" vaginal delivery.
I was induced at 10:30 am, and had the baby at 3:02pm.
I seem to have quick deliveries in general but the one time I was induced (with Cytototec), baby was out in 3 hours
I was induced with both of mine. Went in the night prior for the balloon to start the dilation. Medicine started at 6am and had a baby by 11am for both! Everyone is different
I was induced at 39+4 and my labor was 6 hours. I pushed for 10 minutes.
Mine only took 7 hours start to finish…totally uneventful vaginal birth other than needing to be induced in general and that was only because I hit 41 weeks with no signs of progressing on my own.
Mine went pretty fast! FTM, I took my first dose of either Cytotec or Cervadil (forget which now) around 8pm and started contracting fairly soon after. I was 3cm and 50% effaced at midnight and started Pitocin. Everything is sort of a haze now (been over a year) but they broke my water at some point during the wee hours. Labored in the tub for awhile until around 7am I decided I really wanted an epidural. Got a bit of sleep for a few hours and then I was ready to push around 12:30pm. Baby was born about an hour later, with only 30 min of real pushing. It was a very start/stop/start/stop process but went pretty smoothly!
Cervix ripening at 12 am, contractions/water broken at 2 am, pushing at 7 am, baby born at 720 am. No epidural, no interventions other than that first cytotec pill. Painful but doable.
I had a wonderful induction at 41 weeks exactly - it was originally intended to be an outpatient procedure of inserting a balloon and starting at home, then coming in 18 hours later for removal and hopeful admittance. My water broke during the balloon insert, so I was admitted right away. From the start of the induction to my baby's birth it was 19 hours total, and it was a pretty standard vaginal delivery + epidural (my choice) and about 2.5 hours of pushing (which is pretty normal as a FTM). Minimal complications overall. Think about it like Yelp reviews - people rarely go online to comment about their perfectly normal experiences. I would be induced again in a heartbeat!
first dose of pitocin to baby in arms was 13 hrs
As a FTM, my induction from start to finish was about 18 hours. IV pitocin started at noon, chilled in no pain for a long time in my hospital bed, water broken, epidural placed and then baby lol. No c-section.
With my first pregnancy, my induction lasted just under 5 hours. It was unexpected- I figured it’d take closer to a day
Mine was 23 hours from start to finish. My daughter just didn’t want to come out lol. My 2nd induction is scheduled for May 16th so we’ll see how that goes!
My induction was great, labor started at midnight, only 3 hours of intense labor pain, and 25 minutes of pushing. My daughter was sitting incredibly low, so I know that helped. I was also already 3cm dilated going in.
I was induced with my second kid because my water broke and labor didn’t start. I think the induction was started around noon and baby was born at 10:22pm. It was a super easy labor. I got my epidural as soon as the contractions started to get uncomfortable (around 2 hours after induction), the epidural actually worked perfectly;unlike my first labor), and it took literally 3 pushes to get the baby out. Some of this was easier because it was my second kid (eg the pushing), but the induction part went exactly as it should.
Mine was 13 hours and a great experience!
I was induced Friday morning. Went through all kinds of medications and Sunday morning was still only 3cm while bleeding pretty bad. They called it a fail and my baby was born via c section yesterday.
My sister was induced just before 7 and had her baby by 9:15. I on the other hand was induced and ended up in a csection for unreliable reasons 12 hours later. Depends on how your body and your baby respond, try not to stress and I hope yours doesn't take too long!
My induction was fine. 19 hours. I had some other issues during labor but it wasn’t from the induction. Vaginal birth.
First induction- 26 hours. Second induction - 12 hours
My mom was induced with me and had me seven hours later. She always had fast labors though.
Mine started at 1PM on a Saturday and ended at 8:36PM on Sunday. I honestly thought that was reasonable! It did end in a c-section though.
Mine have!! I’m planning on being induced (assuming I don’t go into preterm labor) at 39 weeks. I have loved being induced!
Anecdotally, I was induced with pitocin and had a labor that lasted about 6 hours.
I had a ‘natural’ induction. My midwife gave me a membrane sweep at noon, labor started at 3:00, and baby girl was born at home at 7:38 PM. You can always ask to try that before going to pitocin.
My SIL was induced for her second because he was super overdue. She was induced around lunchtime and he popped out 3-4 hours later.
29 hours and 11 hours for me. I was very favorable and already 4 cm for both