My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.

Childbirth

Overdue and feeling desperate - any advice gratefully received

15 replies

toomuchribbon · 11/02/2013 20:03

I am 40+5 today with DC1 after straightforward, even enjoyable pregnancy and trying not to feel despondent. I have had two sweeps. My first, last week at 40+1, revealed:

  • head 4/5 engaged
  • cervix 2-3 cm thick and posterior: aghhh
  • 1cm dilated by the end of the sweep


I had another at 40+5 today and barely anything has changed though the midwife did manage to do a proper sweep and stretch the cervical os beyond 1cm - she said maybe 2.

I know sweeps have mixed reviews but I was holding out hope for today - to no avail!
I have been bouncing on the birth ball, walking as much as I can (about an hour a day), braving sex and over the last couple of days (i.e. after the first sweep) I lost my mucus plug and had a bloody show.

Do I have any hope of delivering by 42 weeks without induction? Can things change quickly over the next ten days sufficiently to get my cervix effaced as necessary?!
I'm also fearful of being induced close to 42 weeks and my cervix still not being favourable enough and it ending in induction - aghhh sorry to sound so doom and gloom.

Thanks so much to anyone that can advise : )
OP posts:
Report
youmaycallmeSSP · 11/02/2013 20:47

I can't really help but I can sympathise. DD was born at 40+12 with an induction booked for the next day so it went right to the wire! I amused myself with various attempts to bring on labour but what I did the day before she came was:

  • eat a curry
  • take rather a lot of Evening Primrose oil capsule
  • used an EPO capsule as a pessary :o
  • walked down and back up a very steep hill
  • eat yet more pineapple


Try it if you like.
Report
Marcheline · 11/02/2013 21:22

I feel your pain. DD was born at 40+11 an I'm now 39 weeks pregnant with DD2, so starting to feel very keen for it to be over ASAP!

With DD1, I tried everything, and nothing worked. She came when she was ready. Don't feel too anxious about an induction, you still have a week or so for things to get going naturally. Just try to enjoy this last bit if you can, long walks and lovely baths etc. I know how hard it is, believe me.

Lots of luck, I really hope your lovely baby males an appearance soon.

Report
LimeLeafLizard · 12/02/2013 09:13

I sympathise! I am 40+4 today and feeling pretty fed up myself. I think the problem is, we look forward to the due date for 9 long months, and set so much store by this one date, when chances are it won't actually be our baby's birthday. Meanwhile excited messages from friends and family can pile on the pressure to produce a baby!

This is my DC4 and two of the other 3 were also overdue.

DC1 I had to wait for induction at 40+12, he was born at 40+14 because the induction took two days. It wasn't an easy labour but it ended well with a SVD. I then went on to have two homebirths (DC3 was 11 days over and just avoided another induction).

So, to you I would say - your baby might well come in the next week before you're induced - stay hopeful! But accept there is a strong possibility it might not happen, and do some reading / MN / talk to your MW about what your hospital's protocols are regarding induction, so you are as prepared as possible. My induction is booked for Sat, and though I am also hopeful I'll go naturally before then, I do at least know what I'm facing - what might happen.

IME the only natural induction methods that influence labour at all are sweeps, sex and walking. But even these are unreliable and if your body isn't ready, they won't work (Have tried them all several times in the last two weeks!)

There is a waiting for labour thread on this board - come on there and have a moan if you fancy it!

Good luck. Hope we get to meet our babies very soon! It is so worth the wait!

Report
CailinDana · 12/02/2013 15:13

It might give you hope to know that on 40+5 I was having weak contractions, went to the hospital to be checked and the MW said I wasn't at all dilated (as in, cervix completely closed, she couldn't even do a sweep) and it would be "quite a while yet" until DS arrived. Two hours later I was back in the hospital, 5cms dilated! DS was born 6 hours later.

I'm 38+4 now and entering that really really fed up stage again. It's awful. It will end, honestly, one way or another!

Report
momb · 12/02/2013 15:20

Keep calm. My DM had 4 children all on 40+14, so I refused sweeps and inductions with DC1 and lo, 40+14 I woke up in labour. Your body and your baby know.... Allow the MW to check you regularly so you can be reassured that baby is healthy but then relax...potter but don't do anything too taxing, and all will come goo din it's own time.

Report
Marcheline · 13/02/2013 10:39

Cailin that gives me hope!

I can't remember how I was feeling before going into labour with DD1, though I had been desperately syptom spotting for two weeks, but I'm definitely not feeling as though I'm about to go into labour any time soon and am 39+1 today. Feeling very, very fed up but trying to keep busy.

OP, how are you doing?

Report
toomuchribbon · 13/02/2013 14:47

Ah thanks so much all - very cheering Thanks

Cailin that gives me much hope - perhaps effacement will just rapidly creep up overnight?! 

LLL, how are you doing? Great, I'll join the other impatients-in-waiting thread too!

Marcheline thanks for asking.
I've had on/off period pains over the last 36 hours and a bit more of a show (sorry) though that is to be expected after a sweep I think. Went for a long walk yesterday/did lots of ball bouncing/ DTD. Mission Eviction underway!

I also just vomited out of nowhere a short while ago though could be the raspberry leaf tea I'd just consumed. Was going to wander around British Museum this afternoon, glad I didn't! 
Wondering if vomiting can be a labour precursor in the way that diarrhoea is meant to be... On the clearing out basis and all that. 

I have a MW appointment tonight at which I can have another sweep, will see what she thinks. Figure I may as well. 

So sorry for any brevity but typing on phone - hope you are all doing ok x

OP posts:
Report
CailinDana · 13/02/2013 15:11

I vomited copiously the day before I went into labour with DS. Just sayin'... :)

Report
mayhew · 13/02/2013 16:29

Vomiting is very often related to a surge in labour hormone! MWs love to hear of a good puke.

Report
toomuchribbon · 13/02/2013 20:51

Oh Cailin and mayhew that's great news! Thanks.

Feeling decidedly more cheery now... Especially after a pizza with extra jalapeños and chilli flakes Smile
Just saw a fab MW who did vigorous sweep (sorry) and said I am 2-3cm dilated and cervix now cereal though still not effaced enough at 2cm. Apparently the cramps and tightenings I've been having are contractions, albeit irregular ones - was pathetically excited to hear this!
I'll get back to the long walks and bouncing tomorrow and cross fingers the baby is out before 42 weeks next Wednesday...

Thanks a lot for replying to my rather selfish thread Thanks

OP posts:
Report
clarehk · 25/02/2013 07:08

I live in Hong Kong and the advice all the Chinese give is to eat loads of Papaya! I'm due in 3 weeks or so and am going to start eating papaya soon ... good luck!

Report
CSLewis · 25/02/2013 09:40

Acupuncture! My sister was well overdue with her second, and they thought her waters had broken ( in fact, it was only the hind-waters...) so they were really pressuring her to be induced. She had acupuncture and that evening went into labour. Worth a try, I'd have thought.

Report
StarlightMcKenzie · 25/02/2013 09:54

At 6pm the mw said baby not even engaged (free). The following 3am I was in labour, baby born at 8:15am.

Have a plan for every day and stop trying to force your body to do something earlier than it wants to. It knows what it is doing.

Report
StarlightMcKenzie · 25/02/2013 09:55

If you wanted to eat something, try dates. They contain oxytocin.

Report
utopian99 · 26/02/2013 07:24

I went 12 days over despite every old wives tale in the book, plus accupuncture (which definitely tried to work as i had false alarms after both sessions but my body fought back.)
Hindwaters went on day 11, went for induction day 12 butwent into labour naturally literally hours before they gave me the drugs to start it!

There's no one thing that's a guarantee if you're body's not ready, but I found sex and really epic walks had more of an effect on producing mild contractions. Also DON'T take painkillers if you think you might be in the very early stages - I did this with the seconds false alarm and contractions dies away within 20mins- think the painkillers actually killed them off..

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.