To try my damnedest to have this baby at 38+3 days as I am so knackered and uncomfortable or wait for this baby to pop as nature intended?

[washingonawednesday]

Am due 21st dec with pfb and am grumpy! Am HUGE, can't sleep at night ( which I know will continue, but at least I will be woken up by a baby crying and needing feeding rather than my own uncomfortableness/ insomnia). I have chronic indigestion which is now making me feel really sick (and i have not had any sickness so far with this pregnacy). I want to lay on my back!!! I want to be able to walk up a short flight of stairs without gasping for breath, to not have to change positions every 30 mins because I get stiff, to not have swollen hippo feet! I could go on and on and on!

In addition to all the grumps, I am too excited and want to finally meet this new person, find out the sex, see if the names we have chosen fit, be a mum!

AIBU to try all the suggestions for bringing on labour now (and do you have any suggestions?) or should I just suck it up and not try to hurry nature along and wait my time? (drs have said they will let me go out until 3rd jan if I am late- aarrgghh, just can't wait that long!!)

thanks!

[washingonawednesday]

Wow that was a long rant! Didn't realise i had all that building up!

[QuizteamBleakley]

Hi Washing,

I'm 40+2 with PFB and have tried pineapple, shagging like bandy, curries, long walks (in the fecking snow) etc etc. All to no avail. I have now resorted to watching back-to-back crap on Sky+ and just waiting. All with 64 strawberry Gaviscon tablets beside me.

Happy days! Good luck - hope all goes well.

(Sorry, pointless post, just hope that knowing I share your 'misery' helps!)

[Millie1206]

I think YAB a bit U, my sis in law is very similar at the moment and driving me mad, you'd think she was the first person to ever have a baby! Pregnancy is uncomfortable and not glamorous in the last few weeks. You'll have the rest of your life with your DC so get a nice hot bath and enjoy the sound of silence while you can!

[Millie1206]

Ps my DS was 40+16!!! so I do know how it feels

[BEAUTlFUL]

I went to 42+3 with DS1, in the middle of a HOT summer. All the symptoms you described and more.

I never thought about trying to induce labour prematurely and think you're BU.

[anonacfr]

I feel you. I was the same but ended up being late with both kids.
Trying to induce just doesn't work really. If the baby doesn't want to come out, he/she won't.

Rest up as much as you can during the day, watch loads of DVDs and chill.
Nothing you can do!

[onceamai]

YANBU but after a planned section was cancelled at 38 weeks (was breech and turned at the last minute) dd arrived at 41.4. Nothing worked - and god Raspberry leaf tea is disgusting - she came when she was ready. BTW had one at 27 weeks and from that perspective you are being a bit U.

[washingonawednesday]

I thought as much. Just have this feeling that I am going to go well over and want to avoid a medical induction if I can. I thouht if I started the tea, sex, pineapple now (although not all at the same time, I think that would be far to much excitement for me at the moment!) i would save myself some distress later.

Thanks for the sympathy from everyone else who is currently/ went over and feels the same. You have my sympathies as well!

[moomaa]

I think they will come when they are ready. Curries, pineapple, raspberry leaf tea, lots of sex, none work IME. I had DS at 41+1 and DD at 41+3, I am currently due and there are no signs yet.

Quizteambleakley - how can you stomach those Gaviscon tablets, they are disgusting! I bought some in the week and spat the first one out. I will just have to carry on drinking the liquid stuff.

[Unrulysun]

Sex worked for me. If by worked you mean waters breaking; threats of induction; contractions finally starting 28hrs later and an emcs?

and you're 38wks pregnant so pretty much whatever you do YANBU :)

[mistletoekisses]

OP - YANBU

DS1 decided to make his appearance at 37 weeks so I had no idea just how uncomfortable the last few weeks were until pregnant with DS2. I got to 38+3 and he made his appearance! I moved two huge bags of wood...did the job methinks!

[soccerwidow]

My sympathies OP both of mine were 2 weeks late! I hate the way the medical professionals are so fixed on edd's! I didnt feel DS1 was "late" and resisted induction but DS2 was well and truely "cooked". DS1 was still covered in vernix & DS2 was dry & wrinkly when they were born!

I was so gutted after being booked in for an induction with DS2 - the midwife suddenly noticed that she had muddled my dates and had to book me in a whole week later (hospital proticol that inductions do not take place before 40+2 weeks) I was distraught for days!

Despite being inductions both of my births were fairly straight forward with no complications. Had syntocin drip with DS1 and labour less than 12 hrs start to finish. Ds2 only needed pessary and my labour was officially 40 mins!!

You could ask for a sweep, although evidence suggests that they are only effective if baby is due to make an appearence anyway. I think it speeded things up second time but made no difference first time around!

I also had chonic heart burn throughout both pregnancies, you can get stronger medication from your GP - I think the one I used begun with an O. I also avoided hot drinks in the evening, drunk lots of milk and munched continuously on sainsburys value popcorn.

If you are aneamic, all the extra calcium from the milk & antacids, will make it difficult to absorve iron however. I used to drink Spatone as it was much better in bringing up my iron levels than the awful tablets with their side effects (can buy in Boots or you might be lucky to get it on prescription))

Anyway try and keep busy and enjoy your last few weeks of having no responsibiites - there is a thread somewhere about things you should do before baby comes...

[MrsLevinson]

I ate a whole pineapple and went into labour two hours later! Probably coincidence though. And I was 40+5. I think the last few weeks are always uncomfortable and tedious. Good luck with everything!

[Hangingbellyofbabylon]

Rasberry leaf capsules rather than the vile tea, Clary Sage oil mixed with body lotion and rubbed copiously into the bump. And dirty bump the baby's head sex, doggy style. I started this protocol at 37.5 weeks and got dd out 2 days later. Good luck

[duchesse]

As a veteran of 4x 41+ week pregnancies I feel for you. However, baby will come when it's ready. Not long now, even though it doesn't feel like that. The longer it stays in, the fewer dirty nappies you have to change...

[ShuffleBallChange]

Ah Washing, I could have written this myself!!I am 38 weeks today, DS was born at 34 weeks and was a very healthy 6lb 7 and was fine, so I was kinda hoping for another earlyish arrival. I did not suffer this discomfort before, I have heartburn, can barely walk and am snappy and irritable. To top it off my DH told me I was becoming a layabout, this is after I had hoovered, sorted the washing and done the weekly shop. TBH he is lucky to still be breathing, although I had to let him live as he has just cooked a scrummy chilli!!

Really, I sympathise, but we must tell our selves that our le darlings will come when they are good and ready!!

Good Luck x

[Firawla]

I really don't think any of those methods are going to work for you unless your baby was going to come earlier anyway
I tried them all but I went 10 and 11 days overdue with mine, they didnt have any effect

[magicmummy1]

The baby will come when it's ready. I tried everything under the sun to induce labour - hot curries, long walks, raspberry leaf tea etc. DD had no intention of being born and they eventually had to induce me. Even then it took another three days.

She was 17 days late.

[ledkrsbellyislikesantas]

Take heart that i feel like that and i have another 7wks
I did have one at 27 wks as well and he was taken from me for 8 wks an still has health probs so i try to remember that.
Try and enjoy the last few weeks without a baby,go for meals with dh or get dvds or go to cinema etc.it will be awhile before you get to do all that again,

[egopostulosomnus]

ahh bless you, those last weeks are horrible arent they. as a mother of fourwho tried it all, not worth stressing over, nothing works, baby will come (or be forced to move out) when baby decides.
my best suggestion for you is to absolutely milk it, particularly over christmas, and get treated like a queen for however long you have got left.
best wishes!

[HelenLG]

Oh it's horrible at the end...by that point I was eating about 2 packs of extra strong mints a day as it was the only thing that would help with the indigestion...

I wouldn't be too keen, you might not be sleeping through the night but at least you don't have to get up and be peed on accidentally every night... it took us a while to learn our lesson.

[ilovesprouts]

i was 40wks plus 12 ,tried all the tricks in the book had a em cs in the end ds is 4 now !!good luck