Is induced labor more painful than natural labor?

This momma says yes. This is the post I wish I had read before agreeing to be induced at 41 weeks pregnant. Not everyone has the same experience with induction, but if I had known that this was a potential outcome, I would’ve skipped it. So if you find yourself in a place where you need to decide whether or not to have an induction, this post is not to scare you. However, it is to inform you of my experience with induction and that the things I experienced are a possible outcome of induction.

Why induce labor?

As I was nearing the end of my pregnancy the topic of induction came up. My doctor said we needed to pick an induction date in the event that I didn’t go into labor on my own. My due date was a week before Thanksgiving and none of us wanted to be in the hospital for that. I was dreaming of eating my weight in turkey and stuffing with a newborn in my arms. When a resident told me my induction date would actually be my due date I was surprised, but as a first-time-mom I did not really know any better.

There are medical reasons you can induce labor. Baby size is often a reason. If baby is growing too large for the birth canal, induction may be necessary. There are also conditions such as pre-eclampsia, placental failure, and more. However, I did not have any medically necessary reason for induction.

Question it

The night before I could not sleep to save my life. I tossed and turned, riddled with anxiety. I had so many questions, mainly, why are we doing this?! So when my doctor called me that morning and asked how I was feeling I blurted out that exact question. Luckily she laughed and agreed that she was also not sure we should be doing an induction on my actual due date, especially considering this was my first baby. We were able to get the induction pushed back 5 days later. Every day I prayed that I would go into labor on my own and not have to go in for an induction. However, my attempt at avoiding this life event was a failure because I started my induction at 9am that Tuesday.

How induction is started

I was started on a dose of misoprostol to begin softening my cervix for labor. This essentially did nothing for my progress, except drop my baby’s heart rate causing the staff to rush in and have me switch positions until baby’s heartbeat was back at an acceptable rate. My doctor skipped the second dose of misoprostol to avoid another drop in baby’s heart rate. Instead they gave me cervidil which works as a vaginal insert which while not painful was uncomfortable and kind of gross. I slept that night in the hospital.

I woke up the following morning and had the cervidil removed. I was then started on Pitocin, the brand name for the love hormone oxytocin. The contractions began and we moved slowing and painfully through the day. I made it to 5cms dilated about noon. The contractions did not stop. There was no pause between contractions like there is with natural labor. My mother, who had had five children, told me that when in labor naturally there are breaks between contractions. Today, I know this to be true as my second child was born naturally, and what a miraculous difference that little break does. However, in this case I was not so lucky. This was my first time giving birth to a child. I was scared, and this was going on for what felt like forever.

Lack of progress in induction

Mid afternoon, I was still at 5cms. I was not progressing anymore. My doctor had to bypass the system to give me the highest dose of pitocin possible, and yet, I was still contracting back to back with no further dilation. When my doctor came in, she was clearly beginning to feel a little bit disheartened, and I just burst into tears. As scary as the idea of vaginal birth was, I was even more scared to have to undergo a cesarean section. My doctor hugged me and unconvincingly told me that I would not need a c-section. Instead she recommended having my water broken as she believed this would get things moving again. She also warned that once my water broke, the labor was going to get far more intense. I agreed to have my water broken and had a shot of nubain. While the nubain gave me the first bit of relief from contractions I had had all day, breaking my water did nothing for my progress. Now there was a clock ticking as babies should be born within 24-48 hours. The contractions came back, and I was disconnected from Pitocin for the night since it was not helping my progression.

When the pitocin kicks in

I woke up on Thanksgiving morning and was hooked back up to pitocin. The contractions amped way up and did not let up. However, I was now finally making progress. Mid-afternoon, a resident came in, checked my cervix, informed me I was 10cms dilated, and told me he would get my doctor so that I could push. I was relieved that there was an end in sight. When my doctor appeared I could almost taste victory. She wanted to check me herself and to my absolute horror, she announced that I was more like 8cms dilated and that it was too soon to push. At this point I broke down. My entire body was shaking under the painful waves of contrations that were crashing through me. At this point I asked for an epidural. I had originally wanted to go without one, but I figured this was already a very unnatural labor so why be in all this agony?

That sweet epidural

My mom and husband who were in the room with me were relieved that I had chosen to get the epidural. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for them to watch me going through all I had in the past couple of days. Getting my epidural is actually a very sweet memory for me. My father worked at the hospital as a nurse and was well acquainted with the particular anesthesiologist on for the evening. When I saw my dad come in with the anesthesia team, I felt this weight begin to lift off of my shoulders. My Dad held me as I sat on the bed, leaning into him. I continued contracting as they placed the epidural and the pain stopped mid-contraction. It was the greatest relief I could ever imagine. The pain was completely gone. I cherish the image of my dad smiling comfortingly at me while I was so scared and unsure of myself. As I mentioned above, I hadn’t planned to get an epidural. I was terrified of them and the idea of that giant needle going into my back. However, I did not feel it at all going in. I suppose that’s a good example of just how painful labor is. You will beg for a massive needle in your back, and when it’s inserted, you will only know because of the relief you feel.

Finally, I slept- really, peacefully slept. My mom, dad, husband, and sister (who had been waiting in the waiting room) were gone when I woke up. They had gone down to the cafeteria for some dinner, and I was so knocked out I did not even notice. They came back into the room shortly after I woke up,and around 7:30pm it was finally- no kidding now- time to push this baby out.

The hour and 45 minute push

We learned that my baby was sitting sunny-side-up which means she was in the birthing canal face up. This actually makes baby’s head wider than 10cm, causing it to take longer and be more difficult to push baby out. While this is not directly related to the induction, who knows? Maybe with more time incubating she would have turned herself over. After an hour and forty-five minutes of pushing our beautiful baby girl was finally here. She was a Thanksgiving baby after all! She had a slight temperature from my water having been broken for so long, but she was otherwise healthy and finally in my arms.

Conclusion

Fom the beginning of my induction to the end, I was in the hospital for 60 hours before having my baby. If you’re down for a 60 hour labor, be my guest. For me? Never again.

…..

OR SO I THOUGHT!!! With my second daughter, there were complications with the placenta. I almost cried real tears when my doctor told me I would need to be induced at 39 weeks. I had such a terrible labor being induced at 41 weeks, I could not even fathom how awful it would be at 39. When I told you I prayed to go into labor naturally with my firstborn I was lying. NOW I was praying! I was begging and pleading with God each time I thought about the induction that by some miracle, I would go into labor on my own before the day of my induction came. No such luck.

I went into the hospital the evening of the induction with my husband, our firstborn all set up to have a sleepover with her grandparents. We got checked in and were ready to begin the induction. We looked rather ridiculous coming in with giant bags, planning to be there for five days. We came prepared baby! However, the hospital suddenly got flooded with women naturally going into active labor. We were blessed to be told to go to bed, and the induction would begin at 3am. I woke up at exactly 3am from a dream that I was in labor. My brother, who is a personal trainer, was comically coaching me through contractions. Upon waking up, my brother was gone, but my contractions were not. I had gone into labor on my own! My second daughter was born only 12 hours later (5 times shorter than my induced labor). It was an actual miracle. I can now confirm first hand that there is a noticeable pause between contractions in natural labor. It does wonders for helping you through. You have far more freedom to move without being hooked up to Pitocin. I was able to shower, dance, and walk my contractions off. It was an almost blissful experience compared to my induction. Labor hurts, but boy was natural labor a million times easier for me personally.

All in all, I cannot caution any more against unnecessary induction. When there is no medical purpose and you have not already begun labor on your own, I would seriously opt out and wait for that sweet baby to make his or her grand arrival on their own time. You are the momma, and you know best. Trust those instincts because they are powerful.