Would you go over 42 weeks?

[stephie_corin]

Hi there,

Just seeking some opinions on my situation.

I was due 12 october by LMP but my doctor has agreed to adjust my due date to 15 october because my cycle was 31 days. Tomorrow I will be 42 weeks on my new due date. My hospital want to induce me on tuesday night, which will be 42 + 1. My doula has suggested if I am feeling well and baby is moving well I could push this back even further.

Part of me feels like I've waited this long and it would be a shame to give into an Induction now. I really really wanted to go into labour naturally and I am still hoping for a drug free birth. But it's hard not to be scared by words like 'stillbirth' and 'placental failure' which are being thrown around by my hospital.

What would you do?

Thanks in advance....

 

[quin]

I am not pregnant yet and don't know your personal story so please take this as my personal opinion. I believe that no pregnancy is the same and due dates are only based on 'approximates' gathered from pregnancies over the years. I think that (most) babies will come when they are ready. I would insist on close monitoring for my baby and if everything is still running smoothly with no complications and the baby & you are both healthy then i would rather let my pregnancy run its course & have my baby arrive when it is ready. Who is to say that your baby doesnt need a little longer than others? There are not many babies that arrive on their estimated due date due to the fact the the date is just that, estimated. Some babies arrive a week early as they are ready, others later as that is when they are ready. If your baby begins to get destressed then maybe a helping hand is required, or perhaps your conception date is not quite where the doctors predict. Good luck!

 

[Odd Socks]

i would ask for monitoring & a placenta scan. if either of those showed problems, i'd have an induction, if not, i'd push to go to 43 weeks & have further monitoring (i believe those are the NICE guidelines).
xx

https://publications.nice.org.uk/induction-of-labour-cg70/guidance
(as per 1.2.1.4 - no mention of 43 weeks, i have no idea where that's come from).
xx

Sorry, I think they may be for the UK only...just realised you're in the middle east.

 

[gryphongrl]

Yes, what OddSocks said... get checked out w/ ultrasound and monitoring and if everything is looking good, I would not get induced.

 

[rory83coyotes]

I have a different outlook. I think that for safety's sake you should go be induced. I wouldn't have gone to 42 weeks so certainly not over 42 weeks. I say that you were so careful all pregnancy to eat the right things, see the dr, and not do anything that is harmful that I wouldn't want to chance something being wrong just for the birth I wanted. Again this is just how I feel. Placental failure is real and does happen the longer you go after 40 weeks. Its starts to calcify and doesn't nurish the baby as well. I know that you would like the birh plan that you picked but is that the most important thing or would you rather decrease the risk and have a healthy baby.

To add I have heard some women never go into labor as their bodies just don't recognise when the time comes and they have to be induced. You just have to do what you feel is best for your family. But come update us and let us know

 

[aliss]

You have to go with how you feel and I personally would go over 42 weeks with monitoring.

Yes, I am careful in pregnancy. Which is why I would go over 42 weeks - having been through a horrible induction that contributed to a birth injury, I am more than happy to pick my poison by continued monitoring. But I can completely understand why others would choose the other option.

I am not confident in dates - my LMP was Oct 21 and my ultrasound was Oct 29th. If it were not for suspected twins (an ultrasound I had to fight for to confirm my suspicion as this is Canada and dating ultrasounds are not common), I would be "8 days overdue" right now. I am simply 1 day overdue in reality.

 

[MindUtopia]

Me personally, with monitoring, yes I'd definitely go over 42 weeks. I do trust my body to do what it's supposed to do. I think it's also a rather vague 'deadline' for me as I technically have 3 EDDs that are nearly a week apart in spread, so how to really define 'overdue' anyway?

Here's some interesting stuff that was posted recently on so-called 'placental failure' and induction. Sorry it's just a Facebook post, but it's basically from a blog and that's how it comes up.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/one-...a-will-stop-workingor-will-it/391081840964632

 

[fionar]

I agree with all the ladies here saying they'd go past 42 and just make sure they're being monitored and baby's moving and seeming good and all that. 40 weeks is a guess anyhow, and maybe your body just needs a little extra time to cook the baby.

Good luck, mama!

 

[amjon]

I plan to ask for induction around 38 weeks if I don't go before then. I had a stillbirth in December, so I don't want to take any chances. I had to be induced to deliver her and it really wasn't bad. I would ask them to just use the suppositories though and no pitocin.

 

[Sommerfugl]

I refused induction at 40+12 and finally had a natural home water birth at 40+17.

I had monitoring and scans after 12 days overdue. I was confident that baby was fine and really didn't want to force her out just because of the hospital's policy.
I faced a lot of pressure, and in my opinion, scare mongering to induce. The hospital was so quick to point out the risks of going overdue, but not once did anyone inform me of the risks of induction.
They also used phrases like "the placenta does stop working after 42 weeks" when something along the lines of "there's more chance that the placenta might work less effectively after 42 weeks" would have probably been more accurate.
It doesn't automatically stop working when you hit that magical number, nor is it going to suddenly start to calcify, my placenta was totally fine.

I'd do your own research, weight up the risks of induction vs risks of going overdue, and do what you feel is best.

Anyway, rambling. I went over the 42 weeks and I'm really happy that I did. I had a wonderful birth and my baby was totally fine and healthy, she just wasn't ready to come out when a doctor demanded she must.

 

[Sam Pearson]

Absolutely. Many Mums (and indeed all the women in their family) naturally birth at 10 months (do a search for tem-month-mamas).

The latest research suggests that a baby initiates labour when their lungs are ready - to induce is to force a baby to be born and use their lungs before they are mature,

Here is an article that explains it better than I could.

 

[stephie_corin]

I just wanted to update and let you know I went into labour naturally at 42 +2 and baby is perfect and healthy xxx

 

[gryphongrl]

I just wanted to update and let you know I went into labour naturally at 42 +2 and baby is perfect and healthy xxx

Good job! You should get one medal for refusing the induction and should get another extra medal for carrying it the extra two weeks

 

[fionar]

Thanks for the update, and congrats on your little one!

 

[Eleanor ace]

Congratulations . I would wait to be induced. I had DS at 42 weeks, I started induction at 41+6. I would have liked to wait but DS had tachycardia so it was best to get him out sooner. This time I hope I'll be allowed to wait until 42 weeks and then, all being well, I'll see how we go with monitoring.

 

[patch2006uk]

My LO was born by EMCS at 42+1 by scan date and 42+4 by LMP date. Breaking my waters sent him into distress and his heartrate kept slowing down dangerously low. I have agreed this time with the hospital that they won't even start to talk to me about induction or interfering until 42 weeks. My placenta was fine, and LO was doing fine too until they tried to induce me. He'd passed his meconium, which I've been told is pretty common in a longer pregnancy. It's just something to be aware of, rather than panic about.

So to answer your question, yes, I would go beyond 42 weeks, even though my son's birth was not nice. As long as LO was still moving ok and there was nothing worrying on the monitor, then I'd leave well alone.

 

[Sam Pearson]

Congratulations.

For everybody's future information...here is the link I forgot to add in my post above:

https://www.drmomma.org/2008/01/fetal-lungs-protein-release-triggers.html