C section or Induction?

I had induction and all good here :) personally I'd avoid big surgery if I could x

I had 3 sweeps & was induced and resulted in emergency c section. I was 41+6 in the end. I heard that inductions can end in c sections. But what are you meant to do when you are going so far over due. Do what you feel comfortable doing. Have an open mind is all I will say. The C section recovery is really hard. Being induced was ok. I had the pessary & the drip. The drip was horrendous personal experience though. Happy to answer any other questions you might have x

@Sara yeah the drip is what I am most worried about, I was thinking of going for the pessary and then if it doesn’t work maybe go for a c section, idk if I will cope with the pain from the drip!

Ultimately, listen to your instincts. Whatever your instincts tell you to do. Go for it.

@Amie I had the drip after the pessary too & omg it was like 0-100. It was so horrible. Pessary was honestly fine. I had that put in & was allowed to come home aswell & went back 24 hours later & then had to stay in.

C sections are very hard to recover from and so so painful in my experience. Risk of hemorrhage for mom is there with surgery as well. I don’t know your history however c section is a major surgery.

@Sara what is pessary ?

I had 2 sweeps and then just had gas and air for labour, c sections are very hard to recover from x

I had an induction at 39+3 I had the pessary. I was worried after hearing so many bad stories but honestly it couldn’t have gone better for me and I’d 100% do it again! I would try not to let other peoples experiences scare you because everyone’s experience is different but just go with what you feel is right!x

I was induced at 41 weeks as little one didn't feel like making a move for the exit. I had one lot of hormone gel and got to 2cm before my waters were broken. I was in labour naturally until I got to 5cm and things stalled. The pain was unbelievable but I think that was because I was forcing my body to do something it wasn't ready to do. I then had the hormone drip, and the pain really amped up and I had an epidural which I unfortunately had a bad reaction to and it had to be turned down. I got to 7cm and stalled again, and it had been 24 hours since my waters were broken so we were whisked off for a c section. While it doesn't sound like a positive experience, I am actually pleased that I gave a vaginal birth a good try. I'm glad I had the experience and while I didn't want a c section I'm just glad my boy is here. Would do it all again in a heartbeat. My c section recovery was straight forward although I did need a blood transfusion and it isn't much fun not being able to move or lift anything for a while.

I would advice wait as long as you possibly can, this is what ladies did in the past/still do in developing countries. I waited till 42 weeks and 3 days to give birth. After 41 weeks, the hospital was pressuring me to induce , I had a meeting with the consultant obstetrician and told them to back off and I'd come if I had any problems.

LOVED my planned section

Listen to your gut! I booked an induction and had a feeling I wasn’t doing the right thing so I went anyway and I was told they couldn’t do it as baby wasn’t in the correct position. I rebooked had the induction in for 12 hours until it had to be taken out as I was getting too many contractions but my cervix hadn’t opened. They wanted to force my cervix open so I opted for a c section and I don’t regret it

My induction was fine in terms of getting it going. I was 37+1 though and my body just wasn’t ready and couldn’t dilate past 5cm. So ended in an emergency c section. But the process itself was absolutely fine and hasn’t put me off future ones if I was nearer to term. The drip was what I expected labour to feel like as I have no other comparison as it was my first baby 😂 it’s intense but isn’t labour intense?? You have plenty of pain relief options too. And you can still get into a bath with the drip you just can’t give birth in them. There’s a high percentage of inductions that end in c sections but many successfully birth their babies vaginally! C section is big surgery and then has the thing of no driving for 6 weeks and no lifting of anything heavier than your baby. And having injection for around 10 days after too that you have to do. I was up and showering myself 12 hours after but getting in and out of bed was painful!! The recovery is very different x

I was induced at 39 weeks + 3 days. Was induced for 3.5 days before seeing any dilation progress. Did cytotec, pitocin and then cervidal before I started to open up. Ended up having vaginal birth, pushed for 3.5 hours and honestly I’m so glad I stuck it out! I wish someone would’ve warned me it can take a while because I was expecting to be in and out in a day, but it was so worth it and I am glad I didn’t do c section. Ultimately it’s your choice and what feels right for you though!

My emergency c section recovery wasn’t that bad at all! Way better than I expected it would be, I’m planning on an elective this time round. Everyone I know who has had an elective has said it was a nice experience and hasn’t regretted it. Of course recovery is likely to be longer and harder than vaginal birth but I also know people who have had terrible tears and took longer to recover than I did with my section! Xx

I've had both, the pessary and drip to be induced and a C-section with my second. I'm all for an elective C-section! Best decision I ever made! X

inductions usually go better when overdue because your body and baby are more ready. my labour was spontaneous at 41+2 and it still turned into a horror story that horror story being a c-section. it made the newborn stage hell and i couldn’t do anything but feed her in the first 2 weeks

@Clare your birth story literally sounds like mine!!

@Honey it’s a hormone that they insert into your vagina to try & bring on labour

I didn’t have a c-section but I was induced. I was 39 +1 when I had my son, I had some health problems at the time and didn’t want to risk not being able to deliver naturally. My OB scheduled it for a Wednesday but I had him that Thursday. I will say it was pretty rough for me, I was stuck in active labor at 5cm for about 2 hours and couldn’t take it anymore so I asked for the epidural (I signed the papers in advance) when the epidural kicked in I fell asleep for about an hour and then when I woke up my OB checked me and I was fully dilated. Within the next hour and a half I welcomed my little guy into this world on my father-in-laws birthday! He was very healthy and measured 7lb 11.1oz he’s almost two now and I love him more and more each day, excited to welcome his little sister into this world in a week. I’m getting induced next Tuesday if she doesn’t make her arrival this week

Listen to your gut. I was also 40 plus 3 days and given the choice. I decided to go for C-section based on family history. It gave me a peace of mind.

I was induced because my waters leaked on my due date. 6 hours of walking about the hospital and relaxing on the bed. I stood up at 6 hours and my waters went and straight into 3 contraction within 10 minutes. I'd say they were mild period cramps for me. 8 hours of good contractions and I only progressed 1cm. I wish I'd asked for another pessery to soften my cervix instead of the drip. The drip I didn't mind too much, they made them quiet punchy but not that bad (gas and air made them not bother me) but my baby didn't like the drip and I had a CAT 2 emergency c section. Which was super calm. I was told I might not see baby as she had pooped if she didn't cry. I just stared at the blue screen till she was brought over to me all wrapped up

Emergency c-sections are hard to recover from, elective c-sections are a breeze. My best friend had one 2 years ago and she recovered within days and you can barely see the scar. She is now pregnant woth her second and will have the elective cs again. She is basically an ambassador for it 😂

@Marija I always say I’m a C section advocate now 😂

I chose a c section over induction as statistically you’re more likely to require surgical intervention after induction, and I didn’t wanna be in labour for 4 days for it to end in a section anyway

I had an elective c section at 39 weeks due to baby being transverse. I had a really positive experience and would recommend. I was hesitant as first birth but it was a really calm experience. Recovery has also been a lot easier and better than I had ever imagined (although appreciate everyone is very different!) xx

I got to 41 weeks and they wanted to induce me, but I had zero signs that baby was coming any time soon. I didn’t want to be induced because I believed it would be more painful and force something that was not ready (rightly or wrongly- you know your body!) I opted for elective c section at 41+5 days and before the op the doctor confirmed that baby was still so comfy and wasn’t coming out anytime soon 😆. The whole op was under an hour and they played my Spotify playlist. I was not in pain and home the next day walking up my stairs. Everyone is of course different but I was surprised how amazing the planned c section was. Go with your gut x

C section all the way x