I was diagnosed with cholestasis in my second trimester of pregnancy, and labor induction was encouraged. We chose an induction date after talking with my doctor and a specialist. From my own induction experience, I found the following true.

Five things you should know about being induced:

1. Fewer surprises: There is a specific date for labor induction. You are less likely to encounter surprises when monitored at the hospital. In other words, no having the baby in the car on the way to the hospital. I was able to clean and prep my house for the new baby. I also packed my hospital bag on time for this birth. My husband and I felt way more prepared for this birth than our first.

2. Pitocin: I read a lot about how pitocin can increase the pain of contractions. My contractions didn’t feel bad, and I was four centimeters after I had my cervix ripened (not Pitocin). However, the contractions started increasing in intensity and frequency. I was a hundred percent effaced but remained four centimeters dilated. 

Contraction & Labor pain while being induced:

My body was getting ready to give birth, and the contractions were not something to brush off. However, as the contractions came, I noticed it was a mental game. I was aware of the contractions and being in labor, which for my first child, I was not. 

The contractions also happened faster than usual as we encouraged them to come instead of letting them happen naturally. Labor induction gives you less time to mentally and physically brace yourself as your contractions increase. 

I want to be careful with saying Pitocin makes contractions more intense or has no change because I don’t know if that is necessarily true for every woman. I also had no desire to go natural, so I got an epidural. Only after I got the epidural did I get Pitocin.

3. Surrounded by help: You have lots of help when induced. You also get to plan in more depth who you want in the room. It is a long process, so we considered that. As this was our second child, we didn’t care who was in the room when I gave birth. As long as both our moms were there, we were good. 

Because labor induction can take so long, consider the wait time for the people you invite. Our moms messaged our siblings when l was closer to ten centimeters dilated. My doctor told us it is common for women to give birth the next day with labor induction. 

My husband met another dad whose wife was also induced and had been in the hospital for a few days, and the baby still had not come yet. Although we were open with people coming to the hospital, it was A LOT of sitting. I also did not want to feel the need to host or entertain anyone because it was so dull.

4.  Relief of symptoms: I felt like a stuffed turkey at thirty-five weeks and couldn’t wait to have my baby. I was very uncomfortable and wanted to sleep through the night and be active again. Labor induction gave me relief quicker than waiting until the due date. Not that I would encourage labor induction for that reason alone.

5.  No stretch Marks: If I had made it to my son’s due date, I would have had stretch marks. I gained more weight during this pregnancy, which did not last long. My second son was only a couple of ounces short of my firstborn, and he came quicker. My body already felt like it reached its peak and was starting to gain a couple of pounds a week.

I’m not sharing this to say get induced, but I hope to encourage a scared mother who has decided to. Labor induction is scary when you and your baby’s life could be in danger. 

Remember, you always have a choice, but if you decide to get induced, there can be some benefits. My aim is that my experience would relieve stress or anxiety for mothers who might experience scenarios similar to mine.

I hope you don’t panic or stress too much; being induced can be a positive experience!