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My first two were unmedicated vaginal deliveries, came on their own. We chose to induce my third and it went super well! There were a few posts around that time about it and the consensus was once you’ve had one vaginal birth an induction is likely to be pretty routine and easy. That was the case for me! I was really anti pitocin if possible and was able to get labor going with water breaking. We induced a little after 39w.

ETA I don’t know what your childcare situation is but it was so awesome to walk in knowing I had care vs panicking about a surprise middle of the night labor like my second.

Me! My water broke and I had a spontaneous fast delivery for my first at 39w6d. I got to the hospital at 9am, baby born at 1pm.

Baby #2, I was concerned about having a very fast delivery and especially if it was the middle of the night or something because our backup childcare situation was not ideal and I would have to either drive myself to the hospital or call an ambulance, because likely there's no way we could get childcare arranged for my 2yo in time. My OB agreed and offered to induce me at 39w when my mom was here with my 2yo.

I was very nervous about getting induced and almost canceled it because it was really an elective induction! But I was extremely favorable, I had a very high bishop score (super effaced, dilated, baby very low, etc) and my OB told me it was going to be very easy.

I got cervidil to ripen my cervix and that was enough to put me into full blown labor. No pitocin necessary! My water broke about 1:45 am and the baby was born at 3:25 am, so.... it was fast!

DD1 was a textbook spontaneous labor at 40+5 that couldn’t have been more smooth and easy. With DD2 I went to 41 weeks and in hindsight sometimes with I’d had scheduled an induction rather than waiting.

I ended up with meconium in my fluid when my water broke at 41 weeks. I was planning for an another unmedicated birth at my practices new birth center so I was really trying to avoid an induction. But then I ended up with a hospital birth and pitocin anyway. If I’d scheduled an induction I could have planned for a time when my primary midwives were available, my preferred OB was on call, and when we had childcare. I literally drove myself to the hospital leaking meconium fluid while trying to phone friends to see who could watch DD1 for a few hours until my in laws drove up.

It all worked out fine and I don’t have regrets necessarily, but it could have been way less hectic and stressful than it was for a (possibly) identical outcome.

My water broke at 38 weeks exactly with kid #1 but I had to be induced at 39 weeks and 5 days with kid #2. I had planned to wait for things to start naturally but my amniotic fluid was measuring low so my doctor insisted that we move things along. The induction was quick and uneventful.

My first came at 40+2 naturally, pretty easy/standard birth. For my second I asked/begged for and was granted an elective induction at 40+0. we had moved to the suburbs but my hospital was in Manhattan, and I was terrified of going into labor and having to labor alone in an uber while stuck in Lincoln tunnel traffic the induction was a DREAM. I got an epidural before they started the pitocin and I literally felt no pain whatsoever the entire time. Checked in at midnight, hooked up at 1am, baby in arms 8am.

@BadgerMom: I was induced at 40w2d after my first son was born pprom at 36w5d. I was not happy about it but it turned out wonderfully. Like you, 1st labor was fast and easy! My 2nd pregnancy I was on progesterone injections to prevent preterm birth and I wonder if they worked too well!
I was electively induced bc baby hadn't grown and I basically had a panic attack.
Unsolicited advice: inductions can be very very rough if your body isn't ready. Try to let your body prepare as much as possible. 2 or 3 days even tho you're so uncomfortable, can make a HUGE difference and you will go quick the 2nd time if your body is primed Iwas 3cm, cervix high and open and had a membrane sweep. I started pitocin at 1245 which was AGONIZING and delivered at 3:30am. So I was induced but bc my body was ready, it was EASY and baby did great.

Oh yeah, just get your epidural early if you're already very favorable (and you want to get an epidural). I did not have time to get one and I was not happy (actually, the anesthesiologist was there and had put the catheter in, but had not given me any meds and baby shot out like a rocket first)