As I approach delivering my 6th baby, thoughts of getting induced are at the forefront! This would be my 4th labor induction, so I’m often asked about my experiences- both good and bad- about getting induced vs. waiting for baby to arrive when he/she is ready. This is such a personal decision, however, there have been experiences that have swayed my decision to get induced as time has gone on- a tricky delivery, more kids at home, etc.
In a nutshell, a labor induction is when doctors use medications or other medical techniques to stimulate the uterus to contract before labor begins on its own.
Now in order to decide if a labor induction is right for you, be sure to go over ALL of the health risks associated with getting induced (and those associated with NOT getting induced) with your doctor, of course. Additionally, consider all personal life factors- your mental health, how many kids you have at home, and any other considerations that may help you make this big decision.
Before I jump into my thoughts on getting induced, here is a little background on each of my deliveries and the reasons that persuaded me to ultimately choose a labor induction!
Labor And Delivery #1: No Induction
Back in 2013 when I was preparing to have a baby in about 3 weeks, I awoke in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and in a dazed state I got out of bed, literally not knowing whether I just peed on our dog’s bed next to ours, or whether my water broke. Well, water broke.
Everyone warned me: “your water rarely breaks at home, that’s just something that happens in the movies”, or “your water definitely won’t break at home for your first baby- those stay put way longer!”. Wrong! Here I was at 37 weeks and 1 day, about to welcome our first baby, and cancelling the baby shower that was being held for us that day at my husband’s old work.
One thing I will say, is that from the time my water broke around 4am, I had TIME. Time to walk the dogs with my husband, eat a bowl of oatmeal, make sure I had everything packed and ready to go to the hospital. Things were breezy. Ah, first delivery. (Just wait until the second delivery- yikes.).
To some up the day, I checked in sometime around 9-11am, I honestly can’t remember, got the epidural at some point and all went well. By the time I was about to deliver, the epidural had worn off (and this was before they had those awesome push-a-button epidural boosters!), and things weren’t as breezy- it’s childbirth after all. Meds fade, pain kicks in.
Overall, I’m glad I had the first time labor and delivery experience that I did and didn’t have to make the decision of “should I get induced or not?”. I will say, it would’ve been much better for me personally, if I didn’t have to feel every ounce of a small human coming out of me, but I guess we can’t have everything we want.
All in all, time was on my side- a mostly controlled labor, painful delivery, delivery around 10pm, and healthy baby.
Labor And Delivery #2: No Induction
If time was on my side for baby delivery #1, the universe must’ve looked at me and said “to hell with time!” AND “to hell with a solid goodnight’s sleep!”. Here I was 5 days before my due date in January of 2015. Now life’s a different story when you’re exhausted from chasing an 18 month old around all day, who wakes up sometime between 5 and 6am, spends the day being a VERY ACTIVE BOY, and leads a super pregnant mom to immense levels of exhaustion by bedtime.
That week before delivery, my husband and I were trying to listen to that Serial podcast and something about that woman’s voice and talking about a crime scene would just knock me out within minutes. That night I was determined to try to stay up a bit later and make some progress with the podcast.
I probably dozed off here and there around 11pm, and just before midnight there was NO QUESTION I was going into labor. Forget the “hmm, did my water break?”, “is this really labor happening”, forget it ALL! This baby was kicking into rip-roaring labor with no time to waste. Within minutes, I was doubled over, in excruciating pain, and wondering if I’m even going to make it to the hospital (which was just around the block!).
I showed up to the hospital 7cm dilated, 100% effaced, with excruciating BACK LABOR. Do you know what that is? I didn’t. And you do NOT want to. Back labor pain can vary from person to person, but if you get it bad like I did, you swear someone is taking a saw up your pelvis and through your spine. Hooray!
Side note- I also had SPD during pregnancy, or symphysis pubis dysfunction, so it ALREADY felt like a saw was rubbing against my pelvis from week 20 onward. So back labor added to the mix was a total recipe for disaster!
Forget the pain of childbirth from my first delivery, this was next level. About 100 levels worse. It was close to midnight, right after the New Year, and they must’ve been short-staffed in the hospital because the one anesthesiologist was “stuck in an operating room” for what felt like an eternity, and I was there being taken over by some demon-of-sorts acting like a total looney-ball screaming for dear life and begging anyone to take this pain away. Again, apologies to the nurses because I have no recollection of what on earth I was saying/screaming- sorry!!
To say it was beyond excruciating was an understatement. I eventually got the epidural, thank goodness, but the doctors said I would’ve delivered in under 20 minutes from that time. It was super traumatic, very scary, not under control whatsoever, and something I swore I would never go through again if I could help it. Not to mention, I was up all night delivering a baby and then caring for my newborn, so the major sleep deprivation starting off with a new baby was not in my favor either.
Labor And Delivery #3: Induction
After the trauma of delivery #2, I was my most nervous during this pregnancy. You’d think third time around I’d be more “go with the flow”, but I was an anxious mess, worrying that what happened during labor and delivery #2 would happen again. At the same time, I had some nerves about getting induced, because it was unknown territory. I’m also very “in my head” about stuff like this… I felt “guilty” for choosing the baby’s birthday. It’s a bizarre concept though, right?! I remember looking up different “if you are born on this day” astrology characteristics just to make sure I didn’t choose one that said “you’re going to be a tough cookie!”. I wanted to know when the baby was “meant” to be born, and not “pick the day”.
But, having SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction) AGAIN during this pregnancy, my body literally couldn’t take any more pain for another day. I decided to get induced the day before my due date. (The doctors said I’d most likely deliver on that day anyhow since I started to get regular contractions, 10 minutes apart, before the Pitocin was administered- so I guess baby was meant to be delivered on that day, tough cookie or not.).
Additionally, the weeks leading up to my induction I was already 2cm dilated and 50% effaced during week 36 (and the baby’s head was the lowest it could be), and by week 38 I was dilated at 3cm with a solid warning that if I go into labor, and things progress as quickly and intensely as they did with baby #2, I’d be delivering the baby in the preschool parking lot.
I was really taking my chances here in the days leading up to my due date, and looking back I think I was lucky that I was able to secure a spot the day before my due date for an induction and not wait until labor started on its own.
I checked into the hospital in the morning, and by early evening baby #3 arrived. During the process, my anxiety was (nearly) gone as I had my body under control and in good hands at the hospital. I spent months agonizing about going through that horrific back labor without an epidural again, and here I was- calm, controlled, and in a much better mental state to welcome a baby into the world. For me, this was 100% worth it. Not to mention, getting a good night’s rest the night before and being able to “prepare” myself for the day of delivery- kids schedules and all, made my decision to get induced so worth it.
Labor And Delivery #4: Induction
With experiencing both sides of the coin previously- going through a traumatic labor and then one that had me at ease, I easily chose induction again for delivery #4. Once you go through something you never want to relive again, and then seeing how much more manageable childbirth can be, and more “enjoyable” (I say that word lightly because yes, you are still pushing a watermelon-sized human out of you), it makes the decision to get induced muuuch easier.
Additionally, given my history of babies coming quickly or the baby being in the “ready-set-go position”, effaced and all, the doctors admitted I was a prime candidate for someone who may strongly consider opting for a labor induction.
At this point in time, we had 3 young kids at home, which is no stroll in the park! The last endeavor I wanted was to have a “surprise arrival” in the middle of the night, or while juggling kids to preschool, or… is there really any good “surprise” hour for a newborn to come when you have 3 little monkeys at home?? Probably not. So having the induction on my calendar, knowing how to prepare for the days leading up to the delivery, and where the kids will be, who will be caring for them, what time my husband could be back with them, etc. was enough to give me peace of mind, and again, have me in a better mental state to take on the not-so-easy task of having another child.
I was able to feel prepared. I was able to feel like the kids were going to be cared for. I was able to sleep the night before. I was able to start my day with an early morning workout and healthy breakfast. I was able to kiss all my kids goodbye. And after checking in around 8 or 9am, I had my Pitocin, eventually an epidural, and by the 9pm hour I had my sweet, 3rd baby boy.
Labor And Delivery #5: Induction
For all of the reasons mentioned in delivery #4, I was again a prime candidate, and a willing candidate, to get induced. Baby #5’s due date was just after Christmas. And if you know how nuts it is to have Christmas with 4 young kids at home on a “normal” year, throw in adding in a potential rush to the hospital on Christmas Eve. Or even worse, not making it to the hospital. Last thing I needed was for my kids to think they hear Santa in the middle of the night, but it’s really their mom screaming in a closet delivering their baby sister. Pass.
Also, sentimentally, I wanted to be home for Christmas. I didn’t want to miss those crazy and sweet memories of my kids on Christmas morning. I didn’t want the added anxiety of not knowing when or how quickly this baby would arrive.
I booked that induction as early as I possibly could. The rule at our hospital is that a regular labor induction can only be scheduled at 39 weeks, no earlier, so I booked that earliest date on December 21st, week 39 on the dot, so I could come home on the 23rd and be a team player with my husband tackling all the Santa-duties together.
I’m definitely NOT saying it was easy pulling off having a newborn and then immediately juggling Christmas Eve and Christmas with 5 young kids, but it was still worth it knowing I could be back home with everyone and not miss those memories. Plus, looking back at our sweet 4-day-old daughter on our Christmas morning pictures is something I’ll treasure forever.
Once again, I was able to feel prepared. I was able to feel like the kids were going to be cared for. I was able to sleep the night before. I was able to start my day with an early morning workout and healthy breakfast. I was able to kiss all my kids goodbye and promise them I’d be home before Christmas Eve. And after checking in around 8 or 9am, I had my Pitocin, epidural, and by 4pm I had my sweet, 2nd baby girl.
This was my easiest labor and delivery out of 5. It was actually enjoyable. It was easy. I barely felt any pain, and to be honest, I loved it. I didn’t need to “feel the pain” of labor and delivery again. I just wanted to happily have a baby girl in the most stress-free way I could. And looking back now, 2 years later, it was one of my best memories of welcoming a child into the world. I’m super grateful I was able to be induced. (And I’m super grateful for that incredible anesthesiologist- I literally saved his name in my notes on my phone so I can try to get this guy next time!).
Here I was before my scheduled induction with baby #5, able to say goodbye to all my kids, give them hugs and tell them I’ll be home before Christmas Eve, feeling good and prepared as I drove myself to the hospital, and feeling calm and ready at the hospital as I prepared to delivery our sweet little girl!
Labor And Delivery #6: TBD
After going through vastly different experiences, I can say that if this baby makes it to week 39, and if I have the choice, I will for sure be getting induced!
Getting Induced: A Personal Choice
As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, consider all personal life factors- your mental health, how many kids you have at home, and any other considerations that may help you make this big decision. Remember that your mental health is so important to consider when facing the question of whether or not to get induced. It helps to answer some of these questions:
- Will I be mentally up for the challenge of going into labor with potentially no sleep?
- Will I feel okay leaving my other kids at home at any unexpected time?
- Will my other kids have someone to watch them if I go into labor in the middle of the night?
- Do I like surprises?!
- Have I had a previous traumatic birth experience?
- Does a “plan”/”schedule” help me feel more at ease and in control?
- Am I at risk for not making it to the hospital? Am I okay if I don’t make it?
- Have I considered risks on both sides of getting induced vs. not?
All of these questions are personal to each mom. There shouldn’t be any judgment and you shouldn’t let others sway you if it goes against what YOU want.
Labor and delivery is your journey. It’s how you experience bringing a sweet baby into the world. We don’t always get to choose when or how this happens (as I learned when my first came 3 weeks early, or when my 2nd came rip-roaringly fast), but if you are considering getting induced I hope this post helped you consider all factors so you can make the best decision for yourself, your family, and for your new little one’s arrival!
Here’s to a happy and healthy delivery! Good luck!
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Honest Pregnancy: Pregnancy is HARD
Pregnancy Must-Haves (From A Mom Of Soon-To-Be 6)
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