cheerleaders needed for a glum overdue woman. come tell me some happy endings that happened to you....

[swottybetty]

.... if you were induced first time but not second time

.... if you went into labour between 41 and 42 weeks

.... if you went post 42 weeks and it was all fine. anyone have a homebirth post 42?

tia

[Claire2009]

Sorry not much use here.

Induced at 41 + 4 - 3cms at 10am - 6cms at 3pm, took the epi, then emerg section 2hrs later, Dd born at 5.57pm.

Ds, Planned section, 41 + 6.

Best of Luck!

[norksinmywaistband]

not me but One of my close friends was due to be induced 42+1, but desperately wanted a home birth, was told that no chance as inducement was required.

went into labour during the night, rang midwife who said she would come out and check if really in active labour, baby arrived before the midwife

[phdlife]

i went into labour spontraneously with #2 at 41+1 (ok not rrea;lly spontaneous as was nipple-twiddling at the time!) and was in transition 45mins later, does that help?

[swottybetty]

ty all.

phdlife - how much nipple tweaking did you have to do? i heard they need a good hour or so and that a breast pump isnt a bad idea. ugh, my poor boobs. they used to be so lovely and now even before dc2 makes an appearance they might be forced to get to work.

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

My sister had a hb with her 2nd, she was 3 weeks overdue.

[phdlife]

7 minutes

but I'd been having BH contractions off and on for a full week; drinking vile RL tea for a couple of weeks; we'd had lots of sex (though not that night); I'd eaten half a pineapple that day; I really really really didn't want to be induced!

[swottybetty]

i like to move it - did she have a private midwife?

phdlife - ugh to the sex . i too really really really do not want to be induced, i thought i was ok with it but am a bit of a mess now its been booked. last time i was induced at 40 plus 10 - was just so glad to be getting on with it.

i think what frustrates me so much is that so much is thrown into the chemical side of induction that the hospitals forget to sort out the other things that can help bring a baby. my main fear is that i will not be able to handle pain and my labour will be stalled because i will not be able to settle in the place where i will give birth. does that sounds bonkers?

last time my waters were broken and i was held in a temporary room and told that if i was contracting well enough in a couple of hours i could go to MWLU to finish labour. i managed well with strong regular cx for those two hours, but struggled for the two hours after before dh finally got someone to check on me. because i was only 3cm (had dilated 1cm from 2cm) they said they would have to use drip.

i really think that if i had been allowed to settle in a fixed place and not given a deadline then i would have been able to avoid the drip (which was when it all got nasty).

i am at a dif hospital this time and they say that i have no chance of going to the MWLU if i am induced - even if its only waters broken or pessary. also, after induction i will be in the triage area til i am far enough along. this is even worse than before.

i know that a lot of this is to do with resources, but that still doesnt make me feel better.

[charleymouse]

Swotty
My due date for PFB by date was 12 November, then changed to 19 November after dating scan.
I was scanned in the final weeks to check DD was okay due to being overdue and also not breech to enable homebirth.

I was booked in for induction on the 29th November but DH and I had decided we would not go in but would ring and explain we would prefer to be monitored to ensure placenta still functioning but I would not agree to induction.
The evening of the 28th saw copius amounts of pineapple, walking, sex and a curry. Contractions started late that night and DD arrived 20 minutes before I was due to be in hospital the following morning.

She still had some vernix on her so MW said she wasn't actually that late. So by date she was 17 days late by scan she was 10 days late. HTH good luck with your homebirth.

[twinklegreen]

swottybetty Hi!

I'm sorry to say that I went into labour naturally with dd at 40+3 (1st child) however was induced at 42wks with ds (2nd child), not what you wanted to hear I know!

However I can offer you hope... my induced birth was so much better than my natural birth, I had a very low dose pessary to get me started and that was all it took, I was far more in control and used a birthing ball most of the way through. I didn't find the contractions any more painful than my natural labour (which was also quite quick and intense) I managed the whole thing on G&A and TENS. Gave birth to 10lb6oz son 1hr50min later, didn't need any stiches. I hope that doesn't sound boastful, just trying to give you hope that if you do end up with an induction it doesn't neccessarily mean you won't get a 'natural' birth experience. In fact my induced birth is the one I class as being 'natural', (first time I had monitoring throughout so couldn't move from the bed and ended up with a ventouse and episiostomy). I think second time births are generally easier regardless of how they start, as your body has done it all before.

You do have my sympathy, going so far overdue was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do (only people who have been there REALLY understand!) I was completely emotionally and physically drained when I finally reached induction. Fortunately for me it had a very positive ending. I'm wishing you the same x

[merryberry]

tick to 1) and 2)

ds2 at 40+11, 19 days of pre-labour (contractions irregular, needed breathing through). Three days and nights of no sleep from 40+8, so i shelved HB plans and agreed to go in for induction at 40+12 as getting distressed with weariness.

Cried my heart out about the induction at lunchtime. Had a nap at tea time. Woke up in labour at dinner time. Had my homebirth, in water, a few hours later. Vast baby, excellent midwife, I was so happy to be in labour I'd have done it all over again then and there. Transferred to hospital to check him over post shoulder dystocia.

I really think giving up on things helped somehow. Good luck!

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

No she didn't have an Ind MW. She agreed to be monitored at the hospital every other day and had a very experienced and unflappable community MW.

Have faith in yourself and your baby. Take the time to visualise how you want this birth to go - at home, with your loved ones around you. Shut out the world and connect with your baby, tell them you are ready when they are.

Good luck xxx

[becktay]

DS1 - induction at 41 weeks (pre eclampsia) born by em c sec 41 +3, arrgh!

DS2 - spontaneous labour 41 + 3, lovely 12 hr labour and birth narrowly missing planned section by hours - hurrah!

[AnathemaDevice]

I really, really didn't want to be induced- went into labour naturally 12 hours before I was due to phone the hospital to book my induction. DS was born exactly 2 weeks overdue, after a 7 hour complication free labour. I didn't get to go to the birthing centre as I'd planned, but the hospital was fine, I had a lovely midwife and I'm already planning when to start trying for baby number 2, even though DS is only 9 weeks old!
Hope everything goes well for you and you and baby have a good birth.

[blinder]

I was due to be induced at 42 weeks at 10.00 am but labour began naturally the previous night and DS was born at 10.30 am, 14 days overdue.

In fact, they must have been a bit confused on the ward because just as I was pushing a nurse came in with the prostaglandin drip they had booked for my induction. She looked completely baffled at the sight of me on the bed, crowning!

Anyway, the good news is he was absolutely tickety boo! Longish fingernails and a bit wrinkly I suppose, but alert, peaceful and wonderfully healthy (despite all the scare stories my consultant had tried to bully me with).

He is now 12yo and a charming young man - still the picture of health.

[blinder]

PS I had the hottest curry of my life, a cup of raspberry leaf tea and an orgasm two hours before cx's started! Good luck

[changer22]

I was due to be induced too (waters broken because of a previous c-section) at 10am at 42 weeks. DD2 arrived at 8am that morning.

I'm now 41 plus 5 over... I've had a sweep today and am now 'uncomfortable'.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for both of us this weekend!

[swottybetty]

ty all. these really help. i would love an "unflappable CMW" but everyone just seemed to close up at the possibility of going post 42.

i am surprised cause i guess i have indoctrinated myself to think that consultants are the induction and intervention happy bods, and the mws are only following protocol and in their hearts would be happy to let me go over. i have seen a lot of dif cmw's tho - maybe i just got unlucky with the two who did my 41wk check.

good luck changer - was your due date the 30th? mine was the 29th and i had my sweep on thursday. just had sex and curry. i dont believe the curry thing anymore, but gosh i love them and i am never allowed as many as when i am overdue

[MissHairspray]

Yep, I went to 42 weeks, had 3 sweeps and absolutely no sign whatsoever. Due to go in to large hospital at 8am the next day to be induced rather than nice local MLU where I really wanted to go. 11pm - went to bed - nothing, 1.am - show, 3am, first contraction, 3.06 am, 2nd contraction and so on. DS delivered in nice MLU at 1am the next morning, long labour but no complications . Good luck it could still happen!

[Tangle]

Have you come across the homebirthUK yahoo mail group? There are women on there that have had a homebirth under nearly every set of circumstances under the sun and they're a pretty supportive lot that could give you advice. There are some very experienced IMs on there that are used to dealing with the NHS, and women that have been against the brick wall and got the birth they knew felt right for them (often by putting things in writing to the senior MW at which point they often seemed to become "misunderstandings"...).

I went to 41+3 with DD, who was my first and born at home. It was pretty spontaneous in the end, and there was very little angst - but that was mainly because I was using IMs by then (my CMW had destroyed my confidence in her and then DD decided to stay breech to boot).

Fingers crossed you go into labour soon and can avoid too much stress in the meantime

[CarGirl]

All 4 of mine have been induced - I just don't do spontaneous labour before 42+3 it would seem (the longest I held out).

My induced labour with #4 was wonderful although in hospital because I couldn't have my homebirth.

6 hours of pain after the first pessary I still had a bishops score of 1 - I was NOT impressed but about an hour or so after the 2nd pessary it all started going and I managed with my tens and gas & air. my official labour was 2 mins - it was wonderful, coped fine and would have done it all again the next day!!!

I really think being relaxed was the key. With my 4th I accepted I wouldn't go into labour before 42+~1 so I wouldn't get my homebirth, would be induced etc etc and somehow all that acceptance made it wonderful unlike my previous 3 labours!

[swottybetty]

hiya - cargirl i do understand what you mean about acceptance of the situation. a large part of the reason i am so upset is that i have huge expectations of the birth. i would do a lot better just to be happy that i live in a time and place in which me and my baby have best chance for good medical outcomes.

tangle - i use the homebirth.org website a lot but havent tried the yahoo group. i will log on now. my new mission is not to moan or feel low ... except online

[CarGirl]

My 3rd dc had undiagnosed silent reflux until she started treatment at 6 months - before that she screamed when awake and slept about 10 hours out of 24, it was hell! Suddenly having my much desired homebirth for number 4 just wasn't as important. Being induced gave me the advantage of arranging childcare for the other 3 more easily.

I also did all sorts of thing when overdue - 250 mile round trip to ikea because I knew I wouldn't be going into labour! Also my birth plan - no constant monitoring (just the 45 mins after they inserted the pessary), no catheter if I had an epidural and I wanted the midwives to be my birthing partners as my dh was just there to carry the bags!

If only I had been that chilled with the first 3 births.

[swottybetty]

lol cargirl at dh just there to carry bags . a large part of my motivation for hb was to find a role for dh - standing around looking terrified really didnt help last time. at least at home he can be in charge of dd and making tea. how did MWs respond to you writing that about them being birthing partners? i really would rather be on my own than draft in a mate, mum etc but i do feel a bit of a freak for not having a 'birthing partner". i also worry that i may be putting MWs in awkward position by asking a bit more of them that if i had someone else to support me

[FrannyandZooey]

i had homebirth at 42 weeks precisely
was fabulous experience

[CarGirl]

They were absolutely fine, they did laugh though!! Dh was there reading his book, carried the bags from room to room and I had 2 midwives with me from once things got going until I delivered.

It was different to my previous births where I felt they abandoned us to have time together, which resulted in us arguing tbh!