Induction pain

I am already nervous about delivery and now I worry that induction will be painful?

If necessary the procedure will start with painless insertion of a gel onto the cervix to ripen it. Unless it is soft the uterus will be unable to dilate. Softening may take several hours and will be monitored. If the cervix is already soft then labour will be induced, usually with a drip. This allows the nurse or doctor to monitor the contractions very closely and adjust the drip very accurately. While some women feel that induced labour is overwhelming in its strength, this is not necessarily the case. This is the right time to use all the skills you have learnt in order to cope with labour. The contractions should start approximately half an hour after the drip is in place and will be more regular and stronger than those of natural labour. Your doctor may also decide to rupture your membranes, and again this should be a painless procedure which may assist the progress of labour.