After being induced with my first baby (which was a positive experience but admittedly I don’t remember a whole lot of it due to taking morphine!) I was hoping to go into labour on my own with my second.
Alas, 42 weeks came and I knew at that point that I was going to need to be induced again. I searched the ‘Positive Induction Birth’ group and filtered stories from mums who were 42 weeks and were induced and I can honestly say it was the best thing I ever did. It totally eased my nerves and made me feel super positive.
I went into the hospital, had my waters broken (I was dilated enough to not need the cook balloon) and I was given some time to see if contractions would start naturally. I walked up and down stairs and bounced on the ball but they weren’t starting so I needed to go onto the Pitocin drip at 10:00am.
Contractions were extremely slow in starting and I was encouraged to walk around the room and bounce on the ball to get things going.
At 4pm I was checked and was 4cm dilated. I had started on gas and air as the contractions were getting stronger. The doctor came to speak to me and said that if by the 8pm check things hadn’t progressed, a c-section would be needed.
I continued to stand and dance to the radio (which gave my partner a laugh) and used gas and air to get me through the contractions.
At 17:45 things were getting intense and I needed to lay down on the bed. I was feeling a lot of pressure and felt like I needed to push. I requested for the midwife to check to see if I had progressed and when she did, I was surprisingly nearly 9cm!
At 18:15 I started pushing and our beautiful baby girl was born at 18:19. The most amazing, positive experience ever.
I absolutely loved my labour and how much freedom I had to move around even though I was on the drip and monitors. My midwife was absolutely fantastic and made sure I was able to mobilise.
I love this group (The Positive Induction Group) and it helped me to stay positive and I hope my story can help others do the same!
