Introduction

I like to follow along I'm also curious about the difference between an induced labor and a natural one.

I also love following along, I'm probably going to be induced in about 4 weeks too!

My first birth was induced, the second started spontaneously, but both ended up being C-sections, so I have no experience with a completely natural birth.
When the second one did start on its own, I remember thinking "okay, these are real contractions." I always felt like all the contractions during my induction were artificial, that my body never took over on its own (the contractions even stopped when the labor-inducing drugs were turned off for the C-section), so I don't have the experience that induction was more painful. I had an epidural for the C-section during both births, but I was also ready for it both times because I was just so tired and it still seemed like I had a while to go. What does make induction often feel more painful is that you're hooked up to a monitor in the hospital from week 1, so you see the contractions coming. If it starts spontaneously, you can definitely try to distract yourself for the first few cm.
For many women, induction is just the little nudge the body needed to continue on its own, so my experience is more the exception than the rule . But since no one else had replied with their experience yet, I wanted to share mine anyway
Tip for induction: often you're allowed to get out of bed and move around, do that as much as possible! Also, showering is often possible!
And don't fixate on whether or not you have pain relief! Sometimes it's better (to catch your breath or relax, for example) to have pain relief, so be it!

Suuske, it's nice that you're sharing your story here. Hopefully, more women will share too! It's getting quite exciting!

I've experienced two spontaneous births and two with induction.
The two normal births went like this. First, the contractions started and then I went to the hospital. On the delivery ward with contractions, for the first one it took from afternoon until the next afternoon, so about 12 hours in total. For the second one, from 11 pm to 6 am. I found it very intense and the pain was unbearable.
Back then, I hadn't written a birth plan either.
For the last two, I had induction for my son as follows. This time I did have a birth plan. First, wait until 4 cm dilation before getting the epidural. Then the nurses adjusted the contractions, and within 9 hours, my son was there. A relief.
For my daughter (birth plan written), in the evening the balloon was placed, but it fell out at 5 am with 3 cm dilation. In the morning, I got the epidural right away, so I didn't feel anything during dilation. I ate and slept, but by afternoon, the contractions needed to be stronger, so then it went very fast. Around 4:30 pm, my daughter was there. Truly an easy birth, if I may say so myself..
Good luck with your choice

I'm pregnant with my second now and really hope this time I'll have a natural birth.
With my son, I was induced at 38+1 due to high blood pressure. The induction itself took forever since I hadn't dilated at all. It wasn't until the third day that my waters could be broken. Then the oxytocin drip was hooked up right away. Something I should have refused afterwards. Because right after my waters broke, I felt my body starting on its own. With the oxytocin, I ended up in a hellish storm of contractions within 10 minutes. I didn't get a single second of breathing room for 5 hours. I was completely exhausted and only then got an epidural. Because of the immense pain, I couldn't relax anymore, which made me hold back the dilation. After 5 hours of a contraction storm, I only had 4 cm dilation (while I had already started with a good 2 cm). After the epidural, I could finally relax, have some soup, and chat. After an hour, I got the urge to push through the epidural and it turned out I was already fully dilated. After 10 minutes of pushing, our son was here. For me, the epidural was truly a heavenly invention and I'd recommend it to anyone having an induction. Of course, this is entirely personal.

I hope to have a normal course this pregnancy and therefore hopefully not end up in a contraction storm. Then I'd also like to give birth without an epidural. But time will tell if that's possible. For now, I still have to wait a while ;-) Good luck with the final stretch!