Is It Common to Be Induced and Go Without a Epi?

I can't advise you on what to do, but I just saw the movie The Business of Being Born and I think you might find it very interesting. Maybe it will help you make a decision. Best of luck to you!!

Studies show it is best to wait and let the baby decide when is the right time to be born. The baby is the one that initiates the labor in his or her own time. The brain in utero develops in stages and the last 3-4 weeks of his or her time in the utero is the last stage that occurs in utero. Inducing for non medical reasons could be cutting into the all important brain development. Remember just because your due date has passed you actually have a due month and are not considered post date until 42 weeks. Again this is presuming there is no medical indication and a big baby is not a reason to induce. It is known that the average pregnancy for a first time mom is 41 weeks and 1 day. Although you want her to be here another week is not so long to wait especially when it is in her and your best interest. Being induced increases your chance of needing a c-section if your body and baby are not at already yet. Ask your care provider how you rate on the Bishops scale. This is a number from 0-10 given to a mom to estimate how successful an induction would be 8 or above there is a good chance. Google it and you will see what is assessed. A vaginal exam is usually needed to do this assessment and tell your provider to be gentle and not to sweep the membranes if you are undecided about induction. I have known of providers who have done this with out consent and that can send a mom into labor as well without her body and baby being ready.

Best of luck and I wish you a happy birthing day.

I wasn't induced but I was given pitocin while in labor with my first. They broke my water as well. I was in labor a total of 46 hours. I did end up getting an epidural. My only regret is that the labor lasted so long that I was totally exhausted by the time I had to push...and ended up with an episiotomy anyway. It was all ok in the end though, and that is the most important thing!

I don't see any problem with being induced, especially if you are over a week overdue. Just know that Pitocin will make the contractions come faster and more intensely, so you may end up opting for pain relief. That's not a failure...

The best advice I can give is to not have your heart set on any course of action, no matter what it is. State your preferences clearly to the dr and nurses, but know that anything can happen, so don't be disappointed if things don't go exactly as planned. As long as the end result is a healthy baby and mom...that is all that matters!

Good luck! Please let us know how it works out!

Chemical induction has a lot of risks, one being increased use of epidural. The artificial chemicals cause contractions to be more painful, hence the increased need for epidural. Another big risk of being induced before your baby is ready to be born is increased risk of c-section, because if your baby really isn't ready to come, you will be labeled "failure to progress" and sent to the OR before you know what happened. Its not a coincidence that as the induction and epidural rates rise, the c-section rate rises too. Its all connected, and its a domino effect.
I would exhaust all other options before being chemically induced. Ask them to strip your membrane, or try sex as long as your waters haven't broken. I know you are anxious for your baby to be born, but she may not be ready. Due dates are just a guess, as a normal pregnancy ranges anywhere from 38-42 weeks. Most 1st babies are at least a week "late" (unless the Drs scare the mum into induction). My son was 8 days late, but I had a homebirth and my midwife allows her mothers to go as long as they need.
If your doctor is really concerned (which there really is no need for, you are less than a week "past due"), ask them to monitor you more closely, do an ultrasound, things like that.
I see some people told you to trust your doctor and do whatever they say, but I would actually recommend the opposite. Take whatever your doctor tells you with a grain of salt, and trust YOURSELF. Listen to your body and trust it, and trust that your baby knows what to do.

My suggestion to you is you take advantage of modern medicine. If they tell you it is best to be induced just do it. All natural is nice, being induced does not take away from that. If you wait too long the baby may get too big and you will end up with a c-section.

My midwife was 1 month past her due date for both of her daughters who are now 15 and 18 and perfectly healthy. Dr's don't like to wait because of liability but your baby will come when she is ready. If you get induced it will be so painful you will have to have an epi... this is what I heard... I had my baby at home all natural. I read some of the other advice and it is really good. Go for a long walk, drink lots of water and just relax. Good Luck!!1

R.,
I am thinking of you this wonderful monday. I hope you are able to do things you want and follow your heart & body. I have had 3 children, all w/ no pain meds, 2 were induced. The contraction are harder, but you won't know the difference. My first was induced and I had nothing to compair it 2.
Just know you can do it!!!!!!!
Wishing you a speedy delivery and healthy new little one.
M.

I hope that by the time that you are reading this you've been able to go naturally without induction. I was induced when my daughter was born. Everything I had read said that induction can lead to complications both for the mother and the baby and a much higher rate of c-section. This is exactly what happened to me. I was ten days over due and had been really pushed for the induction at 41 weeks. Ridiculous. I had intended to not get an epi but the pain was so harsh and the contractions for me were constant that I did get one. I had not progressed very far at the time of the epidural-dilated maybe two inches and the epidural slowed it down even further. I ended up with a c-section on Thursday evening (after induction started Wednesday night!) and it was due to my daughter's heart rate going way up. Again, from everything I've read this often happens with induction. I know doctor's are there to help out, but please don't follow their orders blindly. Good luck!

You know, before induction those babies used to be born when they were ready to be born. The "due date" was considered the docs best guesstimate.
Induction hurts. Or it sure did in my day when they first started using it. It is probably a lot easier these days.
I birthed seven children...all naturally, they came when they came...one seven weeks early, one two weeks "late". But they all came out.
Its a personal choice honey...wether you want to go with the induction or not. Or the pain meds or not.
We used to have a little can with a mask on it, I think it was called Trilene. We could choose to use it or not for those last few contractions. Sometimes I did, sometimes I did not. Supposedly it would not affect the infant one bit. And it did not stop the pain but sorta helped one drift away from it.
A labor contraction builds up and then lets off...if you can hold out for the crescendo, then you are all set. They do not come on fierce, stay fierce, and then stop. They slowly intensify..I used to count by seconds until I could feel them begin to lessen.
Tension increases the pain..take yourself to a lovely place..go there when the contraction starts...disassociate from the contraction..trust me, it helps. Think of that beautiful little girl you will soon be holding to your breast.
That being said, there is no shame in asking for pain meds.
My personal choice would be to wait on God's timing for the birth and you cannot tell me one thing about how hard it is to wait those last couple weeks !!!
Best wishes and God bless
Grandmother Lowell

Have you tried acupuncture/acupressure to induce labor? Evening primrose oil? I would try everything before being induced - it seriously increases the chances of needing other interventions and often leads to C-section in the end. The baby will come when he/she is ready - why force it?

I don't know how common it is.... but I was induced and I didn't have an epi. I was afraid it would make me immobile. I do know that being induced (getting the pitosin -or whatever it was called) did make the contractions very intense for me --I was very sensitive to it. I had intended to go natural but it was just too much. I took a short acting narcotic called stadol. I was not able to take it until I was at 5 cm --so getting there was pretty rough. The stadol really helped me relax and have a little fun getting from 5-10 cm... and it wore off just in time to push, so I was be completely aware and involved. So that is what I would recommend from a personal perspective. I also had practiced hypno birthing -so I was able to use that when the drug wore off. I was 10 days past my due date --so I hear you about wanting her to be here already. Hang in there :) I remember someone telling me to try and enjoy being pregnant still because soon I wouldn't have that anymore...and that helped a little. It is pretty cool to have the little one so close inside you. Best of luck! Enjoy the experience as much as you can. It is incredible and very empowering :)

Hello R.,
I really wanted a fully natural childbirth as well but was induced with my first child. I did not have an epidural with her or with my second daughter, with whom I went into labor naturally. My first was 13 days late when I was induced so I feel for you. It's a long wait! The decision on induction is up to you and your doctor. The most important thing is to do whatever is necessary to keep both you and your child safe.

I also think you won't really know about an epidural until you are in labor. It's painful. There is no shame in getting an epidural to help get you through it.

Keep an open mind about the whole birthing experience. Chances are that no matter how much you plan it will go a little differently than you expected. In the end it really doesn't matter whether you have a fully natural birth or a fully helped along one. Good luck!
S.

I had to be induced because my water broke before any contractions began. It was pretty horrible being induced. I have quite a high pain tolerance, but the way they crank this pitocin, I didn't stand much of a chance. I resolved to get an epi, since I was so miserable, but then it was really too late. I got the epi in fact, but never got any more drug from the automated dispenser, and I never felt any benefit of it. And it was really scary to have the epi. But by then I felt like I couldn't handle any more pain without it.
A friend from my same birthing class also had her water break before contractions began, and she was much more resolved against the nurses' insistence that she needed to be induced. She said, give me 2 hours, and she did stairs until her contractions began. Then her labor was pretty manageable. She was lucky because she didn't have any back or leg pain keeping her from doing all that exercise.
So my advice would be to try to bring on the labor yourself, naturally. You probably know the secrets: spicy food, exercise, sex.
Good luck. I hope you don't have to go through what I did!

is this your first? I was induced with oth of my children due to complications with the pregnancy and you dod not have to decide now. Contrary to what others have said, the window to request an epidual is not tha small. I did get an epidural but not until the very end, I wanted to wait as long as I could without it and possibly even go natural. In addition they have other options tha are not as strong as an epidural but do take the edge off of the pain. If you have never had a baby before than you cannot possibly imagine how it might go, my suggestion is wait and see. Tell your doctor tha you would like to go natural but for him/her to please let you know if you will be moving past teh "win dow" for the epidural and you can make a decision based on how you are feeling then.
By the way, induction and pitocin are not tha bad and if your doc thinks the baby should come out than it probably should. The longer you wait the more likley to have complications.
Good Luck

I wanted to go natural to but I was 11 days past my due date and not progressing at all, my midwives wanted to wait but I insisted on being induced (I was huge & my in-laws where in town 3 more days and I wanted them to see the baby). Once you start the induction process a lot of your natural options are no longer possible. First you have this tape thing inserted to thin your membranes, then stay hooked up to the monitors and pretty much in bed, then they give you pitocin though an IV, once that starts working you begin to have some light contractions, they start to increase the dose and your contractions get worse, but that doesn't mean your getting any closer. You can't labor in the tub and don't get to walk around. You can get nubain once the contractions begin to get really bad, I chose to use the birthing ball and breath through my first couple of strong ones. Once the pressure of the contraction where really bad and frequent I could only lay in the bed, breath through it and pray for it to be over quickly. When the pitocin was maxed out and I still had not progressed I was given the option to continue with labor for a couple more hours. After an hour and some ultrasounds we decided for the safety of the baby to have a C-section. I had already been in the hospital with IV, wires, and monitors for 24 hours, I was on pitocin for 11hrs(the last 2 hrs the pain was horrible)and I just really wanted my baby and to stop having contractions. I was prepped and given the spinal and everything went well from then on. My Midwife told me after the surgery not to be sad about not getting to have the birth plan we originally had planned on. I would have needed the C-section regardless because he was huge, I am only 5'1" and I had a 10lb 2oz. 22in baby boy! I'm not trying to deter you or scare you from being induced but this was how it went with us. I still enjoyed my birthing experience even though it was not what I though it would be. Don't get hung up on what other people think, it is your body and your experience, once the contractions start hitting, you have to judge for yourself if you can handle it or need help getting through it. Everything may not go the way you think it will issues may come up. You don't have to stick to the plan, it is just a plan of what you think you want, do what feels right to you and go with it. If I had not had the c-section I may have ended up getting an epi but it never came to that for me. What ever you choose Good Luck and enjoy your sweet baby!

As long as you or your baby aren't having any problems it is safe to wait 2 weeks past your due date which is the normal it will only have been a week so pass and get closely monitored by your doctor go for some nice long walks and you will be fine. I was supposed to be induced w/ my first but I told them no but it was because I was dilated to 6cm and not having contractions so instead they broke my water and things went real fast after that they had to broke it.

It might be too late for this, but have you thought about hiring a doula? My friend needed pitocin but did not ask for epidural because she felt the doula helped her remain relaxed enough where she didn't feel she needed it. I think that the more common scenario is that women who receive pit are more likely to require epidural. I agree with the others that you should share your concerns with your birth team and take a wait and see approach. It might not be as bad as you think; then again, it might be quite difficult. For me, transition was the hardest part, but once I started pushing I got my second wind. The sensations changed just when I NEEDED them to! Everyone's birth experience is different. Good luck to you and congratulations!

I think it is fine to be induced. I scheduled to be induced with my first, and it turned out I was already dilated and all the doctor did to get me going was break my water. I used most of the alternative ways to help reduce pain, like the tub, birthing ball, massage, etc. They also have pain medicine that just takes the edge off, and isn't as strong as an epidural. But, then again, every pregnancy is different, and there is nothing wrong with some pain relief. Epidurals have even shown to help some women dilate faster because it relaxes the muscles. I would say just go with it, and know that the nurses are there for you the whole time. But no matter how it goes, it will all be worth it when you hold your baby for the first time. Best of luck...

I had my son almost a year ago and was induced due on the day after my due date due to some ongoing complications. (I had some bleeding issues and they figured since I was at my due date, it would be safer to just induce instead of waiting around to see what would happen with the bleeding.) I did not have an epidural and was just fine. The only caveat was that I had just taken a hypnobirthing class so I was fully prepared. My point is this - if you are going to be induced and do not want an epidural, you CAN do it. It is TOTALLY do-able. By the way, if there's no medical reason to be induced now perhaps you can talk to your doctor about waiting if that's your preference? I had asked my doc about that BUT in my case she said she would recommend against the 'wait and see' approach because of the bleeding.

I had all three natural 2 were induced and i did it natural

I didn't go past my due date but I did go natural. Pain killers were not an option because I had my son in a birthing center with midwives, and they don't administer pain killers. You "own" that your body can and will do it; and your baby knows what to do too and going to 42 weeks if just fine. Do what feels right in your heart and you can never go wrong. I stayed home till I was 8cm dilated and was at the birthing center for about 4 hours before my son was born...... Contractions started around 9am, by 3pm I needed to lay down, by 6pm my water broke, 9:30pm decided to go to Birth center and found we were 8cm. Baby came just after 2am. He was my first. Hurt? Yes. Worth it? EVERY MINUTE!!!

Hi R.,

I needed (accepted) Pitocin with both my deliveries (water broke and contractions took over 24 hours to start). I wanted to avoid pain meds, however, the Pitocin made the contractions stronger, so I had an epidural each time. Also, my second delivery ended up being a C-section, so I would have needed an epidural anyway.

That being said, based on the suggestions you got, if they are inducing you other ways, or if there are other options, you might be better off and better able to avoid pain meds.

Good luck!

Hi R.

I have 4 children ALL born natural without any drugs at all and two were induced. The contractions were stronger with the two being induced but I knew there was a beautiful baby at the end of the tunnel and worked through it. It can be done just stay focused! Good luck!

S.

i was over due as well and i know exactly how you feel i just wanted him to come out already but the doctors wont let you wait as long as you want for her to come because it starts to become unsafe for the baby to stay pregnant longer than 42 weeks the amniotic fluid starts to get reabsorbed into your body then theres less fluid for the baby. As for the epi i assume your talking about getting an epidural if your induced you dont have to have an epidural if you dont want one. i was induced and i had one and my sister was induced and she didnt have one its really your preference the doctors cant force you to use medicine if you dont want to. also if they're inducing you using pitocin or some other labor inducing drug you still dont have to get an epidural if you dont want one. good luck.

Hi R., I was induced with both of my deliveries and had no pain meds. I think you know your body best, for me it was a mind over matter decision and I knew I was ready for a natuarl birth. Use your intuition, as things progress in your delivery, don't be ashamed/nervous to ask for pain medication. There are others besides an epidural. Good Luck! M.

R.,

You have a small window on when they will give you a epidural. If there are no problems with your baby, they may say you can wait. I was induced with my last child, I had an epidural, best thing I ever did. I did go Natural with my others just to what it was like. Its all up to you what you want and whats good for your baby. Good Luck!

Dear R., I had a little boy about 8 weeks ago. I was induced due to him being very big (9lb,12oz a week early). I wanted to go all natural myself and I made it all the way. My nurses were very understanding and supported me all the way. I didn't think that labor was harder than going in labor by yourself as many people say (have a 4 year old daughter). I would say if it is still your goal to go all natural try it and if you change your mind its okay too, at least you don't have regrets for not trying after.I wish you good luck, just keep thinking of that precious little one that you can hold after it is all over, Y. H. Let me know how you made out when you get a minute.

Being induced and having the epi are two very separate things. I had both but that is because I was a wimp BUT to defend myself I went into the hospital and got the dilating medicine (which didn't work on me) on Wednesday evening and had the pitocine on Thursday morning (which REALLY worked) and did not have him until Fri morning so I am glad I got the epi b/c 24 hours of hard contractions is not so fun but it is a totally personal decision as to if and when you get the epi on your part. Inducing is so you have your baby before your placenta gets too old and is not efficient at getting oxygen to the baby so whether to induce of not is also a personal decision that only you and your partner with the doctors input can decide.

The one cool thing about getting induced is that you know when the baby is coming (within reason) I got a pedicure before I went to the hospital and it was kinda nice to look at my great toes as I was pushing and feeling not so elegant.

Best of luck to you on this grand adventure!

nat