I was booked to be induced on Monday 12 November. That would make me 41+5. I really didnt want to be induced, as had hoped to have a natural birth with no drugs. On Saturday the 10th November. they wanted me to come in for CTG and an ultrasound, just o ensure everything was okay with bubs. So off we went Saturday morning to the hospital.. I was hooked up to the CTG, and then nothing! My little girl was not performing! No movement! They were concerned so booked me into the hospital then and there for the induction.
Overnight they ripened my cervix, and by morning at 6am they broke my waters…at 9am they started me on the Oxytocin drip. It was at this stage i put on my TENS Machine in preparation for the contractions. I was very frightened as I had heard that the contractions were much stronger and more painful when you were induced.
At 11.30 am my contractions started, and I was considered to be in labour. I turned the TENS Machine on low and started to use it… it really helped, and as my contractions got stronger I turned up the intensity on the machine… it really helped me get through each one. When I was about 6 cm dialated I started using the gas in conjuction with the TENS. My labour went very smoothly, and the pain was bearable, I kept waiting for these awful painful contractions to start, but they never did! At 8cm I could feel some pain, and turned the TENS on high, this was the most painful part of my whole labour. I left the TENS on boost from 8 to 10 cm, and sucked on the gas, I also found picturing each contraction as a wave in the ocean helped. As my pain grew, I pictured the wave rising, rising out of the sea, and then as the pain subsided the wave crashed onto the shore. This technique really helped me to manage each contraction.
In total, I was in labour for 12 hours. My beautiful girl was born at 11.46 pm on 11/11/12. Apart from the induction, I had a natural labour, with no tears.
I would highly recommend the TENS Machine to anyone not wanting to use drugs. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to labour without it!
Thanks
Fiona
