Induction Doesn’t Mean You’ve Failed

It Means You’re About to Step Into Your Power

You didn’t spend your pregnancy dreaming of a cannula in your hand. You didn’t pin a hormone drip on your vision board. You pictured low lights, calm environment, homely scents, strength in your breath and a birth that felt like you are in control!

So if the word induction is sitting in your chest like a weight, let me tell you something:

This is not the end of your dream.

It’s just the beginning of a different kind of power.

I’ve Been Where You Are – My induction at Grimsby hospital

I’ve had three babies and three very different births. My first was an induction at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital. It was fast, it was clinical and it felt like something was happening to me, not with me. I cried. I panicked. I grieved the birth I thought I’d have. But then I remembered what I’d practised – the breathing, the mindset, the tools I had built with hypnobirthing.

That work saved me.

It gave me something solid to stand on when the ground felt shaky. It reminded me that I still had choices. Hypnobirthing isn’t just for water births and affirmations in fairy lights. It’s for the real, raw, unexpected stuff too. And that is what changed everything.

Does Being Induced Mean I’ve Failed?

An induction doesn’t strip you of your power, it calls you into it and gives you a real chance to shine, to take back control the path that you are on. This is your chance to ask questions, to get informed and to prepare your body and mind in a way that makes you feel unshakable.

You are still the one giving birth.

You are still allowed to want calm, connection and control. You’re allowed to want to feel like you in the room. And I want you to know that’s absolutely possible — even with an induction. I still had my choice of music through my headphones, I still used water in the bath to ease contractions and I was still very mobile during labour – all things that I wanted from the start.

What Induction Actually Looks Like in Grimsby

If you’re facing induction at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, here’s what might happen:

• Membrane Sweep — Usually offered before official induction. Might help labour start naturally. Often done at a midwife appointment.
  
• Prostaglandin (Pessary or Gel) — Softens the cervix to kickstart labour. You might stay in or be sent home while it works.
  
• Balloon Catheter — A drug-free option to open the cervix. Can feel gentler.
  
• Artificial Rupture of Membranes (ARM) — Waters are broken manually, if your cervix is ready.
  
• Oxytocin Drip — A synthetic hormone used to intensify contractions. Often comes with continuous monitoring.

But listen closely:

Every step is a conversation.

You get to ask what your options are, you get to say yes, no, or not just yet and you are still in control. Remember, when you are offered any form of induction, you can use your BRAIN:

• Benefits – What are the benefits of being induced?
• Risks – Are there any risks involved?
• Alternatives – Do I have any alternative options?
• Intuition – What’s my gut instinct telling me?
• Nothing – what happens if we wait? (This could be as short as 20 minutes whilst you think about it or a few days)

Common Challenges with Induction of Labour (and How to Prepare)

Inductions can be intense. Especially if you weren’t prepared for it. You might face:

• Contractions that come on quicker or feel more powerful
  
• Needing to stay on the bed for monitoring
  
• Fewer options for movement or water
  
• A longer journey from start to active labour
  
• More decisions about pain relief or interventions
  

But when you’re ready for it?

You meet the moment like the warrior you are.

Here’s how to prepare:

• Create your environment — Bring your music, lights, oils, affirmations. This is your space.
  
• Use your hypnobirthing tools — Breathing, visualisations, relaxation. It’s not just fluff, it’s fuel.
  
• Know your rights — Ask for wireless monitors, request time to make the right choices for you.
  
• Train your birth partner — Their job is to protect your peace and speak your preferences.
  
• Stay connected to your power — You might be in a hospital on an unexpected path, but you are still in charge.

Can You Still Have a Positive Birth with Induction?

Induction doesn’t mean disempowerment. It doesn’t mean disappointment. It means taking a different path, and owning every step of it.

This is your story. Your baby. Your birth.

You can still walk out of that hospital with fire in your chest and tears of pride in your eyes. I know this because I’ve done it! I walked out of that hospital with my new baby and a huge sense of pride – pride that I had still managed to have so many of the things that I wanted and pride that I was able to let go of the things that I could not control.

Prepare for Induction with Hypnobirthing in Grimsby

If you’re pregnant and want to feel calm, confident, and powerful — no matter how your baby is born — I’d love to support you.

My luxury hypnobirthing group course at Manor Farm in Laceby (or 1:1 from your home) is more than just a class. It’s mindset work, it’s emotional preparation and it’s real, honest tools.

It’s birth prep that actually changes how you feel. So when the unexpected happens, you rise.

Let’s get you ready to walk into that birth room like you own it.