Has anyone gone into week FORTY THREE of pregnancy?What are the risks?

[TwoPeasOnePod]

Hello everyone, just a few questions about going overdue..Im 40+11 today, booked in for induction on wednesday which I am cancelling because I dont like the odds of EMCS/forceps/ventouse plus higher levels of pain being a probability. Also I was getting myself so worked up about it that I find it hard to believe it would go at all well...Feel a lot better having decided to cancel.

BUT... has anyone gone into week 43 of pregnancy and been ok? What are the risks for the baby compared to the risks of induction? Im currently thinking I should trust in my body, Ive given birth nine days overdue before, and there have been no problems with me or the babys health up to this point. But crossing the threshold into week 43 feels scary, any advice or statistics or personal experiences would be very appreciated to help me assess if I'm doing the correct thing, thankyou folks!

have you been offered daily monitoring to check the baby? I think there's a test they can do on your cervix too (Bishop's score?) that indicates ripeness

I never went past 40+11 and don't have any stats, but can understand where you're at. I refused induction with all of mine too as wanted homebirths

hope you don't have much longer to wait :)

midwifes just rang to discuss it with me, they actually are not offering daily monitoring to check the baby she just said if the babys movements reduce I should get in touch with them, and someone is getting in touch to hopefully do a sweep later today. So I guess I just wait and see.. which has made me feel nervous again as I thought they would offer monitoring! FFS...On the phone she said going overdue risks stillbirth and a higher risk of caesarian section, which I knew about, its all so scary not knowing if im doing the right thing

Blimey - this is something I hope I never experience, because I genuinely wouldn't know what to do either!

Apart from nipple tweaking obviously...that's got to be worth a shot.

can't answer ur original question but just wanted to say i think risk of intervention with induction is less if it is not first birth. i was induced at 40+14 with dd2. so i really understand ur dilema and i was very scared about it, but actually i had a lovely, lovely labour and the birth was great. obviously personal choice but just wanted to let u know.

I was induced at 42+1 but took 4 days for baby to be delivered by emergency section.. turned out he was too big to get don far enough into my pelvis to agitate the cervix and would never therefor have brought on labour himself.

I believe the placenta is far more likely to start to fail - hence increasing the stillbirth stats. It is hard to know though as some people naturally have longer or shorter average pregnancies. No research to link to though, sorry.

I pushed my potential induction with DC1 to 40+12 (went into labour that morning so never induced), but I was scanned at 40+10 to check amniotic fluid levels and placental blood flow.

I had decided the induction was the lesser of two evils once I got to 42 weeks as I would have felt any stillbirth then was my fault for not wanting an induced labour experience (as opposed to waiting because I thought the baby needed more time IYSWIM?).

Despite my natural start I ended up with a traumatic emergency forceps birth in theatre after an awful labour as DD was stuck head side on and unbirthable - and I know others who had lovely induced labours. I'd think with your second it wouldn't take much to get you going as your body has been there before?

Hope you get clarity for yourself - perhaps think what the worst case scenario is with both options and what you would find hardest to live with?

I'm concerned that the midwives are not offering monitoring. Monitoring should be offered daily, after 42 weeks. It is simply not good enough for you to monitor the baby;s kicks.

You need to speak to them again and a doctor and insist on monitoring.

Is there any way you could pay for a private scan to assess the placenta etc? Think they are quite expensice, though.

The monitoring should be provided on the NHS. I'm sure the guidelines state that daily monitoring is necessary past 42 weeks.

It is unfair for you to be forced into making a decision because they are not providing you with the monitoring that you need.

DS was born 42+2. Undiagnosed pre-eclampsia and early stages of placental failure meant he was only 5lb 3 born by EMCS after a failed induction which nearly killed us both. With dd I had a planned section at 39 weeks partly because I was so concerned that I didn't go overdue again.

I would be making sure I got the monitoring at the very least, but I think my point of view might be prejudiced!

They are not following nice guidelines on expectant management which state, I believe, that you should be asked to come into hospital twice a week after 41 weeks to have EFM to check the baby's heart beat. You could also ask for doppler testing to check the blood flow along the cord (this is a far more useful test) and also a scan to check the levels of amniotic fluid.

It is blood flow to the placenta that they are worried about after 42 weeks and the risk does rise after 42 weeks BUT it rises from a very low base line.

It has been shown that in order to save one baby a hopsital has to carry out 500 inductions. I also cannot understand why going 42 weeks overdue raises the chance of a C/S although induction may raise the chances of an C/S is an oxytocin drip is used.

Watching with interest, I'm only 39 weeks today, but not feeling like this baby is going to make a move any time soon, so I could be in your boat in a few weeks.

Would you consider 'alternative' things like acupuncture/acupressure/reflexology/chiropractice/hypnobirthing ideas etc? I've also heard that having an enema can help sometimes! As well as the usual hot curry/spicy food/pineapple/sex/nipple tweaking/walking/going up and down the stairs/warm bath tips?

Good luck!

Hello all, thankyou for all the very useful and relevant replies. I've been to the midwifes at 6pm and she attempted a sweep, but couldn't do it because my cervix was entirely closed! She couldnt access it at all..But she had a "good rummage" as she termed it (eewww!) so it may do some good I suppose, at least its bolstered my belief that not inducing so soon is the right decision, as right now my body doesnt seem ready.

Ive been researching and apparently the risk of still birth goes up from approx 1 in 3000 to 4 in 3000 after 42wks, which is a scary but largely acceptable risk from my personal point of view, and to be honest I prefer the thought of a CS to a forceps/ventouse delivery, so Im ok with the increased risk of CS too..

Interestingly, the midwife has never said a peep about letting my body decide events a bit more up until I took the step of cancelling the induction, yet she is happy I've decided this and was very vocal about it being a positive thing, which is JUST what I needed to hear because despite researching, I'm still feeling wobbly about it all!

Midwife also said she is not happy with me not being monitored more satisfactorily so shes ringing hospital tomorrow to get me appointment with consultant, during which i will strongly voice that I need monitoring of the baby/placenta/cord flow, and expect to get it, midwife told me to stay as assertive as I have been over refusing induction, so clearly theres an issue of the hospital perhaps being a bit sneaky and trying to get me to change my mind re induction

oh and abfabt, I am going to look into acupuncture, on a bit of a budget though so I'm not sure about any of those kind of treatments? Will definitely be looking into most of them though

Glad you got to speak to a good midwife. Good luck! I hope it won;t be long now.

You might find this helpful "A timely Birth"
www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/timely.asp

Personally I would be worried about the risk of damage to the baby/still birth but I am naturally very risk averse. Plus I changed from a fervent active birther to having an induction and ultimately my whole focus was no longer what type of birth but having a healthy dd.
However, this article suggests that the risks only slightly increase, not massively.

Good luck with whatever you decide, both to you and baby.

Glad you spoke with a mw who was more supportive than whoever you spoke with previously! Sounds positive. Let's hope things start happening for you soon.

I just emailed someone about acupuncture (have never had it) to get an idea of prices, so I am armed and ready for if my time comes (or doesn't come!). I have been having reflexology (twice so far), the reflexologist did say she could start upping the pressure to help get things moving, I'm happy right now being 39 weeks and not interfering, but next week I might go along with it - this costs me £50 an hour (I'm in London), but it's soooo lovely, and if it helps, great.

I also agree with the points raised in LadyintheRadiator's link re the accuracy of our dates in the first place. I know for a fact that we didn't conceive for at least three days after they have me as conceiving, so I think there is some leeway there too.

I would be concerned about the increased risk of stillbirth though, and as long as they assured me all the monitoring would pick up any dangers, then I'd try to go as natural as possible - just never at risk to my baby.

Are you bouncing on the bouncy ball?

Very good luck, and please keep us posted.

There are risks and you seem to be aware of them but as other posters said, daily monitoring is a must but even with that I think I would go with induction. It isnt always a nightmare.

OP is this your 1st baby ? Ventuose delivery can be fine, I had one and had minimal stitching and recovered well.

My client recently had a happy healthy homebirth at 42+6.
Good luck.
Selina

Regarding monitoring this is taken from NICE (2008) guidelines

Recommendation
From 42 weeks, women who decline induction of labour should be offered increased antenatal
monitoring consisting of at least twice-weekly cardiotocography and ultrasound estimation of
maximum amniotic pool depth. [Good practice point]