What's it like to go into labour naturally?

[Cupcakemummy85]

I'm 37 weeks and I was induced with my first. So I don't actually know what it is like to go into labour naturally. I'm looking forward to a gradual build up rather than thrown in at the deep end kind of pain u get with an induction. I'm so scared I will have to b induced, it was awful and I can't go through that again. It wasn't a very nice labour, 3rd degree tear, awful pain with stitches and hate catheters!!!! Horrible things. Everyone keeps telling me with their second they nearly had their baby in the car and nearly don't make it to the hospital. It's making me not able to sleep at night lol. What r everyone's experiences with the second birth and how can I ensure a naturally labour this time?

[Spiderwebb85]

Hope you don't mind me watching with interest as I'm in a similar situation!

[Tommy]

I had an induction with DS1 - very painful as you say.
With DS2 and 3, I had a show in the morning and labour pains started as a dull period pain which came, stayed for a moment and then went away. I knew it was definitely labour starting but there was no screaming an clutching my tummy like they do on TV

[Cupcakemummy85]

Ha ha. I'm worried this time as I had what can only b described as a Hollywood gush for my waters breaking. It just didnt stop coming and it was so unbelievably painful. Is normal labour that painful? I don't really want an epidural again tbh. I feel like I'm ready to have the baby now as I'm massive and quite uncomfortable and I still have to take my 18 month old to all the groups and soft play places and climb all the ladders and go down all the slides and it's getting a bit difficult lol.

[MB34]

I don't have any experience with second labours but I did go into labour naturally with my DS.

I was woken at 2.30am by a contraction so not an entirely 'gradual' build up, but as I've never been induced I can't really compare.
If I remember correctly the first 5 hours, the contractions were painful but sort of bearable - couldn't stand/walk but could, to some extent, talk. The following four hours, couldn't/didn't want to move/talk/be touched during a contraction as it made it more painful. The final hour of pushing was probably like pushing after being induced, I'm guessing and I was asking for anything just to get him out!

Unfortunately, I don't think there's any way you can ensure going into labour naturally, the baby will come when it's ready.

[MB34]

PS Sorry to say this too, but not to get your hopes up - I had to have a catheter before I started to push as I had a full bladder and couldn't empty it myself!

[PacificDogwood]

I had an induction, emCS, then 2x 'natural' labours.

I have never had a gush of waters breaking.
With my last 2 labours I had a gradual build up of stronger and stronger contrations, I almost did not get out of the bath with DS3 - DH had to dry and dress me. DS4 I did truly think I would have him in the car...
I really enjoyed my labours and deliveries - all of them, but the VBACs the most; I cannot say that my induction was awful but I did need an epidural for which I felt no need at all for the vaginal deliveries.

Why were you induced at 37 weeks? That's early enought that your body may well not have been ready for labour yet and hence made it harder to make it happen IYKWIM.

What can you do to make a normal labour and delivery more likely?
Be as active as you can be.
Lots of bum up/hip wiggling - I hear cleaning skirting boards can be good.
Take raspberry leaf capsules - they don't induce labour, but make labour more effective and easier. I think they worked for me
Do not be frightened - easier said than done, I know - trust your body and embrace every contraction. It helped me to think 'that one will never come back and has done its job'

V best of luck when the time comes .

[PacificDogwood]

Sorry, I misread your OP: you are 37 weeks now. Just ignore me...

[Doretaball]

I could've written your post myself. Was desperate not to be induced again but was convinced that I would. So I buried my head in the sand about it and didn't even try to do anything to bring it one. (Except for one fairly brutal sweep by the mw on my due date.

Contractions started about 8pm when I was 9 days over and were like the contractions I got from the pessary in my first labour (which with dd1 were pretty ineffective, took hours to get to 3cm) not the contractions I got on the drip, which were hell. So it was fairly manageable until about 3am when I decided to go to hospital.

Was 5cm by that stage and contractions stayed totally manageable until I got to 9cm when they got really bad. Whole thing felt so much better than with dd1, was much more in control and didn't feel the need for any drugs except gas and air. I got stuck at 9cm so they broke my waters and then dd2 came quickly after that at about 2pm.

So not a quick 2nd labour for me at all but totally manageable and so much better than dd1 as I really felt "present" at the birth, rather than drugged up.

As MB34 says, what will be, will be. Just enjoy your remaining time with just one little one, 2 is great but quite full on! Dd2 is 14 weeks now, so I'm just starting to feel in control again now!

Good luck.

[NaturalBaby]

Ds2 - I had a few niggles at bedtime so sat up for a bit and after a few hours realised that labour had started. It was really strange sitting around wondering if I would get another contraction or not. Eventually in the middle of the night things got more intense so I woke DH up and the last bit flew by. Same thing happened with my 3rd but had on/off labour for 3 days! The very last bit of active labour was only 1/2hr till baby arrived.

[Tommy]

I had DS2 and 3 with just a TENS after having an epidural with DS1 so, yes of course it's painful but I found it manageable. Everyone's different aren't they?!

[VisualiseAHorse]

It's VERY exciting when your waters break (if they do break early, mine did, and that was the 'start' of labour.)

[Gracefulbirth]

I think it feels different for everyone!
A lot depends on if your waters go early on.
Your waters act as a bit of a "buffer" for the pain, so many mums find that their contractions are more painful if their waters go early.
I had the "period pain" type contractions for both my labours, and I was blessed to never have pain in my back. My waters were broken for me at 8.5 cm with my first and boy did everything pick up after that (also transition). With my second, I don't think my waters broke till the end as I was in the pool at home, and it was a 2.5 hour labour where I was only examined once and was 9.5 cm!
All the best!

[lostlenore]

I went into labour naturally both times, but had my waters broken both times. I feel the pains in my back, and it hurts, but I've managed on paracetamol both times. All you can do is take it as it comes, it will most likely be more of a build up than with your induction but eventually the pain is likely to be similar. Once I got into 'established' labour it was much quicker - on paper my second labour lasted 45 minutes, but I had been having back pain for about twelve hours and it started off with a fairly heavy bleed about seven hours before (thought it was my waters breaking but no!). As above, everyone's experience is different and every labour is different. Try not to stress, it will be what it will be. Good luck!

[jinglesticks]

I was induced first time, natural labour second. The difference was so huge that I didn't realise I was in labour for ages. A friend even said "are you sure you're not having a contraction?" And I insisted it was just a bh. The contractions were like mild period pain really. I accepted it was probably labour when they were every 6 mins, went into hosp when 3 mins apart, baby born 30 mins later. Much more civilised than with the induction.

[GingerDoodle]

For me my DD was a my first and a week early. I had terrible hip pain in the morning, saw my midwife who said baby was engaged and sent me on my way.

Lunchtime I felt better so decided to meet my husband and his work colleagues for dinner in London (based near Gatwick and was booked at Chichester!).

Started getting regular tightenings on the way up, felt a bit light headed when I got to Victoria (around 5pm) so got Ribena and Malteser's.

By the time we sat down and ordered I was having to contractions. After 3 contractions in a trip to the loo I decided we needed to go home. This was 19:00.

My main memory is the pressure rather than actual pain.

By the time we got moving on the train at 19:30 I was having contractions lasting 40 seconds every 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Packed commuter train! We had done hypnobirthing and coped quite well.

Had a bloody show when we got home around 20:30, left for the hospital at 21:00 got there just before 22:00.

40 min car journey was by far the worse but given I now know I was in well advanced labour it was unsurprising!

Waters exploded at 22:15 (after Midwife helpfully chirped 'Lets see if you are in labour - no shit'). I was 7cm and ready to push - DD was born at 23:24 on my two hastily grabbed paratomol and gas n air which served more for something to bite on!

My one memory of what labour feels like was that it felt distinctly like having a massive poo - the only variation was crowning!