Had my pessary inserted at 12:30 Wednesday night, was monitored until 2am so that’s when I went to bed…contractions started at 4am! I thought wow that’s good stuff, working fast. (There were girls next to me who didn’t have a single contraction the whole 24 hours so I thought I’d be having baby sooner than expected). I was timing them on my app, first of all thet were 5 mins apart. Then they were 3 mins appart. Then from 9am onwards they were 2 mins apart, lasting 1 min and getting more intense. I was constantly counting down the hours for my next check thinking I’d be decently dilated….I got checked after the 24 hours and they said I am only 2cm !!!!! Disappointed isn’t even the word! They said it’s enough to break my waters & I don’t need the next stage of the induction, but I’m seeing people on here go for SWEEPS and being told they’re 4cm without any pain ?? Its REALLY made me doubt myself, If I’m not coping now, how am i actually going to do this ?? Like what on earth does even 4 or 5cm feel like…I don’t even want to know. I’m trying so hard to think of a way out🤣 Im currently keeping myself constantly dosed up on pain relief. (Coedine, oramorph + paracetamol) but i want the epidural already.
Did anyone find that this first stage was super long & hard, and then the second stage was faster & a better experience? Or does it just continue going downhill🤣
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I went in to be induced but was already 4cm dilated (sorry) so they went straight to breaking my waters. However, my baby’s head was big and blocked the area and they hadn’t actually broken my waters properly. We didn’t know this until 6 hours later after I’d been contracting continuously and I was still 4cm! It was so disheartening, and I found that news broke my endurance and broke me down mentally. They did a sweep and planned the oxytocin but I was so down that it hadn’t progressed I think my ability to manage the pain went out the window. The sweep was agony and my contractions after were too. So I very quickly called for the epidural which was the best decision. Things went more smoothly from there with the oxytocin drip too.
Keep going, every step is getting you closer to meeting your baby. Don’t doubt yourself, your body is doing amazing things, and it’s keeping both you and your baby going.

I was at 2cm when I was induced and it took me hours and hours to get to 5cm, but then I went from 5cm to 10cm and my baby being born in just 10 minutes - including pushing. My midwife said the first 4cm is the hardest, and then most women should dilate roughly 1cm every hour. Having your waters broken should help as it increases pressure on your cervix. Remember everyone is different

I’ve never had a pessary but I can tell you how slowly my body naturally dilated last time. It was sloooow. 2 nights of painful contractions at home to get to a 4/5.
I did eventually ask for epidural as I needed a rest and in that moment it was the best thing as I could sleep 🙌🏽
Good luck mama 🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽

I was in severe pain at 2cm dialated, like I was screaming in pain I couldn’t help it, but as I went into labour naturally there was no pain relief they would give me until I was in active labour, I went from 2cm to 6cm in 3hrs and the pain didn’t get worse, it stayed unbearable from 2cm to 6cm lmao, not sure if that’s any consolation but it may not get much worse
I did also consider the epidural but had told my partner not to let me get it so I ended up just on gas and air and honestly, that was enough
I go to get induced Sunday night with my baby girl! What are your induction stories? Anything I should know?

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Hi, I have pink spotting after sex, it’s only when I wipe. I’m 8 weeks on Sunday but I also went though a misscarrige in Feb at this stage but wasn’t ever pink. Also have a toddler who’s 2.5 so can’t remember spotting pink when I had him. Anyone else have this?
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Hi, I’m 11 weeks it’s 1am and I went to the toilet and wiped pink, I’m also having cramping. I had a miscarriage in May. Baby was healthy at an 8 week scan. I’m on the phone to NHS 24 but sitting on hold. Does anyone have a reassurance about this?

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Hey guys, has anyone had a keloid scar develop from their c-section scar?
The drs have only given me different steroid creams which haven’t helped and have actually made it even more sensitive and irritated.
Has anyone had a steroid injection? If so, did it help?
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My husband and I have talked extensively about possibly having our kids 18 months apart or 22 months apart. We want them close in age. I’m 6 months post partum so if we wanted them 18 months apart I’d have to conceive at 10 months post partum and if 22 months I’d have to conceive in march of 2027. I am wondering what are peoples opinions on having two under 2 and if you’ve done it would you do it again? I was c-section for my first due to hip pain as I had prior hip surgeries so my hips had limited range of motion but even when they went and delivered my first they said due to the size of head and how tightly wedged and engaged he was I wouldn’t have been able to deliver him naturally. So I’d likely need another c section which I’m fine with if it gets the baby here safely.
Side note: due to trauma with anesthesia team I am looking for a different provider and have an appointment set up to meet one. For context I was poked 7 times with an IV needle even after the 3rd time when I asked for them to call the IV team and then I was subjected to 3 spinal pokes because they missed twice. And my partner got separated from me while the anesthesia placement happened even though I was told weeks before I could have him there and then they didn’t update him at all when those failed spinal happened he didn’t find out till a day later when I was able to talk about it.

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Hiya ladies,
I got a good idea of what to pack for hospital bag for the most part but you know the actual labour- what do you pack/wear? Go as you are In the moment of course but has anyone packed a hospital gown or is it more so wireless comfortable bras? Etc. (During labour)
Xx

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