to feel like a complete bloody failure?

[Nagoo]

WHY can't I get a baby out?

I am a week 'over' now, and the midwife is going to come today to discuss induction.

What pisses me off is that if it were my job to predict something happening, and I was only right about it 5% of the time, then I'd be a bit less bloody pushy about it.

Why do they start trying to push you into intervention as soon as you hit 40 weeks?

It makes me feel like there is something wrong with me because I haven't gone into labour naturally yet.

And they are all bloody stunned when I say that I don't want them to touch me until I'm 42 weeks. Am I abnormal? Do most people wait with bated breath for a stretch and sweep?

I'm so sad and I am supposed to be excited!

Induction isn't always the horror story you seem to hear on birthing forums.

I was induced with DD1 at term+10...I was already at 4cms dilated so no pessaries but had syntocinon (SP?) drip. The labour did go pretty fast (just under 3 hours-but 2 of those were pushing) but I had no need for epidural, was fine with just gas and air. It wasn't as easy as my natural 2nd labour but it wasn't horrific.

I refused to have a stretch and sweep too. MW was taken aback. I would never have one done!

YANBU to want to avoid intervention as long as oyu can (while keeping the baby safe). Hopefully baby will arrive before then anyway, but if not, you can still have a 'good' labour after induction.

I was induced with DD - it was fine! I think it is fair to say that most women who have the drip do end up with an epidural and with the increased likelihood of intervention that brings with it. I had epidural, episiotomy and forceps.

That said it was fine - I think the main factor in how you experience a birth is actually not the mechanics of how it happens but rather the midwives and the environment around you - I had a sainted angel (lord bless her) who stayed FOUR hours after the end of her night shift to see DD born, and who told the consultant that no, I would not be going for a caesarean just yet thank you, I still had a bit of push left in me!

TBH you sound heavily pregnant, pissed off and hormonal in your post - remember it well! Just keep an open mind and remember its all about the baby in the end - the birth is the means to the end.

I had a sweep, don't mean to alarm anyone overdue, but I was 41 weeks, spent a month or so telling people there was something wrong and could I have another scan just to see (got told nothings wrong all the time and no scan for you), after the sweep, spent 2 days in extreme pain pleading with doctors to do something and telling them there was a gentle drip of something that looked like that baby poo in the waters stuff, (got ignored) then I started bleeding and they finally sat up and took notice, my contractions where off the scale, my heart beat was racing, his was dropping, had an emergency C-Section (I don't think it took any longer then half an hour I don't know I'd had so much Morphine stuffed in me I didn't sleep for 4 days anyway).

He was tangled up in the umbilical chord and couldn't drop into position to be born, the blood was from the umbilical chord cos he was clawing at it. got told it was a close call for both of us (well it wouldn't have been if they had taken any notice of what I'd been saying for weeks .

stand up for what you want but do please drop everything and be induced at the moment YOU or a PROFESSIONAL feel nervous. baby's health can change in an instant post 42 weeks.
i have had 4 babies now
1, hospital, on time, no issues
2 and 3, home birth, 11 and 16 days over, no issues
4, 18 days over, induced for medical reasons, 10 days scbu
with the last, yes, induction was unpleasant, but my constant upset is the sick baby. thankfully she is a gorgeous and healthy 24 weeks now
i wish you well, and a happy healthy birth and baby.
let us all know how you get on

Hi everyone, thank you for the responses, I feel much better hearing that it's not always bloody horrendous after an induction, I just seemed to read every post that said that the paid of an induced labour was unbearable.

I've had my mum round today to make me stop being such a misery.

The main thing is that I did agree to a sweep and the MW said I am 3 cm dilated, so something might be happening!

She was super pushy about making me go in to the hospital. I refused to be booked for an induction but I will be going to monitoring on Wednesday and the registrar is apparently going to try to coax me into induction discuss my options while I'm there.

Hopefully I will have got it out by them though.

Also, theunmentioned I would never think that someone else had 'failed', so fair point, I shouldn't have this attitude about myself... it's a lot easier to be rational when it's not your hormonal self.. sorry

Oh I remember this - you are at an awful stage. I remember crying down the phone at the midwives because they wouldn't do a sweep - I was desperate to try for a natural birth as dd1 was breach/planned c-section and I already knew I didn't want/couldn't be induced with no 2. In the end I went about 10 days over and had another planned section. Best birth ever, very happy but if your original post was to be believed a total failure!

PS just be excited - you're going to have a new baby soon - woo hoo!

YANBU to feel unnecessarily pressured. If there are no medical indications to cause worry then I agree that waiting till 42 weeks to be induced is sensible. It gives you the best chance of having a birth without intervention. In your shoes, I would consent to sweeps though. They only make it more likely that you will go into labour and imo they are not particulary uncomfortable. Mine were no worse than a smear test.

Good luck and hope that baby is out soon!

Sweep none invasive??? Do I live in a different universe?

An older, more accurate way of dating pregnancy puts it 15 days longer than our modern method. You also need to add into it that they could be a week or two out. Every baby (and even every mother) has it's own gestation, just like when you're baking and some cakes are ready sooner than others. When baby's lungs are ready they release a hormone that starts off labour.

It's not dangerous to continue pregnancy, your body will know when the baby is ready. You can be monitored easily to know if there is a change in circumstances.

I'm an NNU mummy and the amount of premature babies born past 40 weeks is crazy!

YANBU. DD1 was 2 weks late and I wasn't induced. I was induced with DD3 but that was only after she was 18 days late.

I went to 12 days over, refused induction and went into labour naturally.

Don't worry, it's perfectly normal - and a normal, full term human pregnancy is 38-42 weeks.

I went 12 days over, and had a normal delivery. I had a sweep at 41+8, show at 41+9, labour started naturally at 41+10, DD born 41+12.

Sweep was no problem as I was already 2cm, just a bit umcomfortable. I think it just kicked started everything. Hope it works for you too

DOH, sorry meant 40+xxxx not 41

If they want to put the syntocynon drip up, you can ask for the epidural first. I did and had a 9lb dd in 2 and a half hours with no stitches at 41 weeks. Everything was very controlled and a blessed relief after posterior ds1 born at 36/3 with the cord wrapped around his neck.

Because of the planned induction (that didn't happen in the end)and the epidural I think I had a more experienced m/w on hand to help me.

I should have added that waters broke whilst waiting for the epidural and by the time the epidural was up (about an hour later) I had cracked on at such a pace the m/w said not to bother with the syntocynon (check sp)