Mumsnet Talk

1st baby - went very overdue. Induced.
2nd baby - went very overdue. Induced.
3rd baby - Due in a couple of weeks.

I have absolutely no expectation of going into labour. It simply isn't going to happen, is it. In fact I have made expensive and complicated plans for my due date weekend based on the FACT that I won't be doing anything else. I am not going to have a show. I am not going to have exciting breaking of waters at inopportune moment. I will waddle along until 10 days past my due date and then be induced. Again.

Okay, so don't bother telling me that it might happen. Yeh yeh, I know it might. But I don't believe it will. Technically it could... but I don't have faith.

Here's the question I am asking: Do you think it is possible for my lack of faith in a spontaneous labour happening to actually cause me not to go into spontaneous labour? If not cause then at least influence?

Like when you are pretending to be ill and you end up actually feeling ill?

Could my brain's certainty convince my uterus not to perform?

Nope .

Some of us cook them a bit longer.

DS1 T+15 - induced
(DS2 does not count 31 weeks CS due to placenta praevia)
DS2 T+10

<<drumroll>>

DS4 bang on due date, sudden 'gush' of waters breaking, 3 hrs labour to chord being cut .

It'll happen when baby/your body/constellation of the stars is ready.
I think you can stress yourself into labour, but not relax yourself out of it.

Good luck .

You could try reading the Hypnobirthing book by Marie Mongan - it has stuff about visualisation and I was given (on the course) a picture of an opening rose to look at and imagine my cervix opening etc. Dunno if it had any effect, DD was born at 37 weeks (spontaneous labour) but could all be mumbo jumbo!

The theory is that you can choose the date your baby is born by visualising etc...

The body is a mysterious thing and I guess it must be possible <NB very obviously not a scientist> to think yourself into/out of stuff - maybe as a sort of survival mechanism thing? Where if you sense there is danger etc you may be less likely to go into labour? Or something .

Not very articulate, but trying to say - I wonder if you are right, and if there may actually be some biological reason for it.

What happened in the olden days ie before induction was invented?

Presumably babies came out eventually?

<ignorant non-mother here>

Not all of them. My dd was more than 3 weeks overdue and I had a bastard of an induction to get her out. I do wonder if she would have been born fine and healthy over the next couple of weeks, or if she would have just stayed there until the placenta gave out and then died. And would I have survived with a 9lb+ baby stuck inside me? Scary stuff. Hooray for modern medicine.

<imagines a flower opening>

<needs a wee>

Your DS4 birth is my dream birth Dogwood! Except for the bit where I wouldn't have my hospital bag packed or the crib down from the loft yet...

Wow, 3 weeks over, that is impressive!
I know it does get scary, but I think chances are that eventually you would have gone into labour whatever.
As I had had a CS with DS2 and was keen on a VBAC, I was trying to avoid induction at all cost with DS3. I had acupuncture which did nothing discernible, took Raspberry Leaf Tea capsules and was as physically active as I could bear to be. DH and I had one farcical attempt at SI which may count toward the 'physical activity', but had nothing to with sex or depositing prostaglandins where it mattered .

I still maintain I went into labour after pushing DS2 on his bike - he had just had his stabilisers taken off and I was holding the back of his saddle and running with him most of the afternoon the day before labour started.

But I am with you re the hurray for modern medicine !

My friend has longer gestation periods. The earliest one of hers has come is 40+9. The others all went to over 42 weeks.

I managed it the other way. I knew due to malpositioning that I was likely to have a slight PROM and was adamant that I wanted to wait until at least Sept 1st (school year reasons). My consultant had bet me I wouldn't make the 1st. I was adamant I would make it. My waters popped on the 1st. At 2am. About 1hr 59 minutes after I declared it was fine and my waters could go now...

Oh, cross post.

DS4's arrival was very fast - hospital is 15 min away from our house, I got in the car with contractions I had to breath through and when we arrived I seriously thought he was going to be born in the car. Contractions were one after the other and I just could not get myself out of the seat. He arrived within 10min of us being on the ward. I remember the MW asking me kindly to provice a urine sample and me answering I could only provide her with a baby - RIGHT NOW !!

I guess mine just take a long time to cook.

10 minutes after arriving on the ward is a little close for comfort.

I'm in the opposite boat. I'm trying to convince myself this baby will go to term (DD born at 31 weeks) and trying to believe that positive mental attitude will make a difference. But in reality I imagine it will happen for both of us whenever nature intends, regardless of our respective mental states.

I hope this baby comes around term for you.

Oh 31 weeks must have been worrying.

I hope the same for you KD

Planning something, inparticukar expensive is tge way to get tge baby out