It being allowed go past due date

[imsolosthere]

I’m 37 weeks with my 5th baby and at my appointment yesterday they told me I will have a sweep at 39 weeks and if that doesn’t work I will have to be induced 40 weeks as they are not letting me go over my due date.

3 of my babies were 40+ 2/3
and one was 39+6

i know I should have asked but never thought at the time. But is there a reason they won’t let me go past my due date

After 41-42 weeks the risk of the placenta basically dying and this can result in stillbirths. Plus other complications of being very over due

They can't 'not allow' you to do anything. It's your health, your pregnancy, your body.

You do not HAVE to have a sweep at 39 weeks, they should have said they were offering you one, not giving you one.

Suggest you have a read of Sarah Wickham 'In their own time' and think about how to advocate for yourself especially if you have already had two 'Post dates' babies with no issues, although I disagree that a baby can be 'late' ....they are born when they're ready and 37-42 weeks is considered normal term.

You will be classed as high risk, that could be a number of reasons eg age or previous c sections.

You need to ask about Brain
Benifits
Risk
Intution - how do you feel about it?
Alternatives
Nothing

They won’t be suggesting it for shits and giggles.

I suggest if you really don’t know why your pregnancy is deemed as higher risk then you open your mouth and ask.

Are you a high risk pregnancy? Though to be honest there were so many women being induced when I had mine at 37 weeks who really probably could have waited. It's like they want you in and out and never mind if it's not the right time for baby. That's just my opinion obviously

I had a sweep each time at 41 weeks, community midwives ok with this, and DDs were born within 24 hours, normal vaginal births, 6 hour active labour each time, had epidural with DD1 and just gas and air with DD2. Depends on if there are any specific risks, but I really did not want to be induced unless it was absolutely necessary.

I was born at 42 weeks by caesarian section.

Risks of stillbirth increase quite rapidly after 42 weeks. It's still your choice in case they didn't make that clear, but statisctally inducing or a c section is safer after a certain point.

Sorry yes they did offer, I accepted. Iv had sweeps on my last 3 and all worked within 24 hours but I was over due at that point.

It’s not Gilead, there’s no ‘not letting you’ do anything. You need to find out why they would encourage a sweep at 39 weeks (my trust won’t even perform a sweep before 40 weeks unless there’s a good reason to consider early delivery) and why they are keen for you to deliver by 40 week. The placenta deterioration is something like a 1% to 2% increase in occurrences between 41 & 42 weeks (or 42 & 43 I can’t remember exactly) so while it’s often stated as ‘doubling’ the risk is still generally low. This is why actual facts are important to make an informed decision.

My consultant was eager to get me going with sweeps at 37 weeks, which was ridiculous because as well as not being physically ready, I wasn't emotionally ready to induce a pregnancy that didn't need inducing.

(And as I was likely to have a precipitate birth, it was bloody dangerous to suggest a high risk pregnancy was kicked off at home - my son was born in 90m flat in hospital during a thunderstorm and flooding.)

They can't make you do or have anything and its frankly absolutely disgusting they even say shit like that. Sweeps carry risks and you should be informed of all the statistics and information before making a decision thats right for you. The NHS is well known for coercing pregnant mothers into unnecessary inductions for statistics. They are also known to lie about the severity of risks.

@UncharteredWatersspot on. I love the idea of professionals recommending something for shits and giggles…. Maybe as a practice because they need to do more sweeps.

Just echoing the other posters here - they can’t make you do anything. They will tell you any additional risks, but it is also worth asking what the actual risk is, you can request additional monitoring etc.

Has your pregnancy been low risk?

don’t be pressured into doing something you don’t want to do, especially when you won’t be overdue technically until 42 weeks

How old are you OP? It's often to do with increased risk of stillbirth in older mothers who go overdue:

www.rcog.org.uk/media/lp4n13jn/sip_34.pdf

I’m 37.

I have Crohn’s disease but havnt had any issues for flare up during pregnancy

You didn't ask why? That's essential. You can't make a decision without knowing why they recommend this, and what the risks are if you choose to refuse.

Could it be because it's your fifth? From baby #5 onwards you are at increased risk of PPH, so perhaps they don't want to risk you delivering spontaneously outwith a hospital?

I didn’t ask I was flustered with getting home for school runs. Iv had sweeps before so I know what’s involved and iv never had any issues

Of course they can be both early and late, and both ends of the spectrum can pose risk, which can be a small risk but very severe if it happens. I can't imagine you'd suggest that a baby born at 25 weeks came because it was "ready"?

Well no, if you actually read my post you can see I disagree about labelling babies 'late' simply because they've gone beyond 40 weeks. I am not talking about babies being early and that's not what this post was about.

I disagree that forcing a baby out at 40 weeks is a good idea especially when the mother has a history of babies being born at 40+

It goes without saying that every pregnancy has its own set of risks and circumstances, which might mean that it IS a good idea, and every mother has her own instincts and acceptable level of risk. So really the OP can do what she wants as long as she knows it's HER informed choice, and not feeling pressured by the system.

@Whaleadthesnail
Obviously neither of us is in a position to advise OP about the risks in her case, and I totally agree that this is a matter she needs to speak to her drs/MW about again and get informed, but I'm afraid that your suggestions that (1) babies "are born when they're ready" and (2) that you "disagree that a baby can be 'late'" are both incorrect. Unfortunately I know this - from close experience with placental insufficiency and neonatal death at 41 and a bit weeks. It's also well recognised in the literature. Read the new NICE guidelines re induction. It is a small increased risk from 41 weeks but it's an increased risk still. Babies don't always do what's good for them!

I’m 39+6 today and it’s my first pregnancy, been told low risk the whole time. I was quite surprised when the midwives started talking induction this week as I’ve not even got to my due date and as a first time mum was expecting to go overdue. No signs of labour yet but talking about induction has started me feeling rushed or that I’m never going to go into labour which is silly because more babies are born after the due date than before.

they seem very keen on induction- I know there are risks with baby staying in too long of course
it has put my head in a bit of a spin though too

I wasn't allowed to go over my due date as I had gestational diabetes, am 43 and my baby was in breach

Happy due date! Hope all is well.

Most likely they started talking to you about it now because it gives you time to make a properly informed decision if you do go over. You'll have had time to do your own research if you want to, talk to friends, get a second option etc. If they instead brought it up for the first time at 41 weeks and said "risks go up from now so you should consider having IOL today" you might, quite rightly, feel rushed into making a decision you're not prepared for.

You need to talk with them clearly and understand why. I refused my sweeps and wanted to leave it to happen naturally but my scan at 6 days overdue was showing rapidly declining readings that they induced me right away and was quite scary. If their reasons make sense I would go with their suggestion.