Questions about induction and epidural

Hey! I had my waters broken which kick started everything but didn’t need the induction drip in the end. But things ramped up real quick because of the sudden pressure on the cervix

If my labour was shorter I think I may have been able to do it without an epidural but my labour was 29hrs long and 23hrs into it I definitely needed one. I actually never thought about time after labour when I initially wanted to go the pain-med free route. Literally straight away you need to be alert and ready to take full responsibility of caring for your baby and I would not have been able to safely manage feeds and changes etc etc for baby if I had not had an epidural (firstly because of the fatigue, but also because I needed pain relief from a tear and an assisted birth)

I don’t know if many people at all who can manage the induction pain if it’s a first baby. Maybe if it’s like their 3rd or 4th and it’s a quick labour but not if it’s a long first time mum

I used a tens machine for the first 23hrs though which worked really well

You went 23hrs that’s heroic! ❤️

I have a 33 hr labor with 2 hrs of pushing and ended up with an episiotomy. My water broke but was not dilating so got pitocin and later an epidural. The epidural only worked for a little while for me and never fully worked. The pitocin really kicked up contractions and they really fucking hurt. If you want to go pain medication free you Have to start practicing breathing techniques now. I did a few because I had a feeling I would need them and man was I right. I remember yelling at the l&d nurse asking why people get an epidural if it still hurt this bad lol.

Practice breathing techniques from now. I thought it was stupid but in the moment I regretted not doing it and ultimately I think that led me to getting the epidural. Pitocin contractions SUCK I felt them all in my back I couldn’t put any pressure on my butt or back it felt like my hips and back were breaking, and my baby was sunny side up 🥲 but I asked the nurse how much longer she thought I had and she told me ~10-15 hours so I said give me the drugs, I had my baby 2 hours later. If I would’ve known it was only gonna be 2 hours I probably could’ve held off. Don’t listen to the time estimates they give you that really discouraged me

My labour was 13 hours from start of pitocin to delivery. I had hypnobirthing meditation in my AirPods the whole time and didn’t feel anything but a mild tightness the first 7 hours. Once I started progressing more my contractions were back to back so it because pretty difficult but it wasn’t excruciating. I used a comb to squeeze and kept breathing through. I honestly didn’t think about getting an epidural once until I made a joke about getting it while pushing lol once they turned the pitocin off so I could push it was so much more bearable and relaxing to have a break

I was a week from my due date and went in to the Hospital on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, to get my spotting checked out. We waited hours, on the end I was offered a bed due to no available doctors to see me only until 11pm, the doctor then told me since they couldn't really tell the reason of the bleeding and there wasn't much amniotic fluid, she thought it was best to induce.
So we decided to do that, they said it wouldn't happen until the morning anyway, so I was all excited, and restless and surely was up till about 1am when I finally fell asleep.
Then the midwife came woke me at 2am🙈 announcing with a beeming smila that we're going to give birth Sweetheart:) and off we went to the maternity ward.
By 3am I had the drips in, membrane pierced, when I realised I had to use the toilet..which I wasn't allowed to anymore, since the baby needed constant monitoring once the drips were going..it was a few undignified moments with a bedpan..but soon we were back in business of waiting.
TBC

I remember I didn't feel much for a while, apart from tiredness and the midwife kept asking if I called my partner yet, but I thought I'd just let him sleep as long as possible:)) and then nearing 6am contractions were getting more serious and I finally called my partner a d he was in in about 20 mins.
I had gas and air and morphine in a couple of hours, and my dear baby dada to squeeze his hand:)
We had our Baby in the birth canal by about 11am and finally delivered him at 12.21pm,
They had to cut and had some 2nd degree tears as well, but it really is nothing on the scale of things that happens to you right then and there. And apart from the enormous exhaustion due to the lack of sleep the past 30+hours prior, I would do it again the same way, oh and I did practice controlled breathing prior and during as well, it halps heaps, if I could, you can do it!:) (I faint from a dental procedure even):)