Handling pressure to be induced on due date

[Liveinthepresent]

Hospital policy is to induce on due date as I am 40+.

I am very keen to avoid the pressure of induction looming over me before I am even overdue as this marred the end of my last pregnancy too ( due to waters breaking and no contractions).

Have a meeting next week to discuss the plans - and am keen to arm myself with enough facts to know what my options are and how long it is reasonable to stall this intervention for.

I know I can push for monitoring instead - but last time I was put under huge pressure to stay in and be induced - and I just want to agree as much as possible next week rather than having constant negotiations.

I do understand there is a reason for the policy but would be especially interested if anyone has any access to actual stats relating to an increased risk of going overdue at my age. Is this policy standard at all hospitals?

I'm not advocating making any decisions that genuinely put my baby at risk - I just want to unerstan it beyond my midwife telling me they many give me a few days but not much longer...

Thanks in advance if anyone has any information or experience of this.

[steffnexis]

hi purple and live... i hope your lovely chats with your doctors went well for you... i found this with my little one but for a different reason,... my baby was breach and i was 28yrs old.. they after a battle said they would LET me go full term without c section but at exactly 40 weeks i had to have a section... they made me feel like i was putting my baby at risk and i panicked for the last two weeks of my pregnancy... I have already written my birth plan for my next one which is due in 9 weeks as i am refusing to be bullied again xxx good luck and i hope you get everything you want from your births x

[ANJALI777]

If there is nothing else wrong, then why induce? I am high risk and going to be induced next week, so a completely different situation to yours, but I still managed to convince my OB that if there was nothing wrong, then to aim for spontaneous labour.

Maybe tell your doctor that you would like to wait and see. You may go naturally before your due date, and if you don't then maybe a sweep instead of full blown induction??? Or come 40 weeks, you may be begging to be induced.

Make your doc justify how it is safer for you and your baby to be induced. There may be a good reason. It's not unreasonable to ask why. Just in a matter of fact way, say 'i'm sorry, but why exactly does this hospital have this policy??? I don't quite understand why you are planning this if I am fit and well?'

Good luck and let us know how you go xx

[glorious]

Yay, Lucy is a lovely name and I've never met anything other than kind ones . Awh, slightly jealous of newborn cuddles and mine's only 5 months! Well done you

[Purplemonster]

Thanks! Yes the actual birth seems distant already now I've got a baby to distract me! She's a little treasure and I named her Lucy. Thanks for all of your support x

[Liveinthepresent]

Congratulations purple - yes the main thing is you have your baby now - and weirdly the birth that is so all consuming in the run up becomes a moment in time that you will probably remember for all the positive reasons regardless. Hope so anyway.
Enjoy your well deserved newborn snuggles - and hope you recover well.

[glorious]

Hooray congratulations purple Sorry it didn't go as you hoped but I'm glad you're feeling ok. Have you decided on a name?

[Purplemonster]

Little girl was born at 1am, did end up having to have the drip and didn't get water birth or any of the things I was after - it all went a bit wrong! Doesn't really matter now though as it all seems worth it in the end anyway!

[Liveinthepresent]

Very exciting news purple really hope you get the birth you hoped for now .... Ooh a baby on its way!
Look forward to more news.

[Purplemonster]

Thanks!

[glorious]

Ooh exciting purple , hope things get going quickly

[Purplemonster]

Quick update for Live - saw consultant this morning and was booked in for induction Sunday morning when I'd be 38+5 but my waters just broke so fingers crossed I might just get the natural birth I wanted as well!

Hope all is well with your little one.

[Ushy]

Oops - just crossed. Congratulations and glad it all worked out so well.

[Ushy]

Live in There is a ten year old study that has these stats:

"When calculated per 1000 ongoing pregnancies, the overall risk of pregnancy loss (stillbirth + infant mortality) increased eight-fold from 0.7 per 1000 ongoing pregnancies at 37 weeks to 5.8 per 1000 ongoing pregnancies at 43 weeks of gestation."

Age wise, the risk of stillbirth seems to be put at about 1.32 for 35-39 then 1.88 over 40.

So not a huge risk but equally not non-existent.

Personally, if you go for induction, I would not let them do more than one method of induction - if they start ramping up with drugs to speed up labour and then multiple ways of induction you're got a much higher chance of ending up with a long traumatic labour ending in emergency c/s or nasty instrumental or both - not to mention a distressed baby.

I'd go for one attempt and then get them to agree a c/s if that fails. One of my friends did this and it worked out fine for her - they agreed with her plan and she was roughly your age. It did end up as c/s but was quite calm and non-traumatic - everyone was fine and she was up and around in no time.

Good luck

[glorious]

wow well done live , what a shock! Does DS have a name yet?

Good luck purple

[Purplemonster]

Ha yes, all that worrying about induction unnecessarily, what a fabulous bit of luck!

Aww enjoy your newborn snuggles, I'm not due until 2nd July so you might have to wait a week and a bit for my news but hopefully not, I can't wait to have a newborn to cuddle myself! Look after yourself x

[Liveinthepresent]

Thanks purple it wasn't traumatic - just a bit of a shock - am now in newborn snuggly heaven.

The irony that I didn't even make it to my due date after all that is very pleasing!

Good luck and please let me know when you have more news.

[Purplemonster]

Wow! CONGRATULATIONS! hope it wasn't too traumatic, sounds a bit stressful. Fabulous news though, you've made my day

[Liveinthepresent]

purple sounds promising!

I gave birth to a baby boy last night! Unplanned home birth - a bit scary when I realised how quick it was progressing but am feeling very serene now that he is here safe and sound - with no medical stresses.

Hope you have a similarly positive outcome ( without the 999 call!)

[Purplemonster]

Sweep number 2 today and things had improved since last time (which was only tue), next sweep Monday so fingers crossed things get going next week! Any movement Live or is your baby firmly staying put?

[Liveinthepresent]

Purple that's such good news - hope you can relax and enjoy the end of your pregnancy now.
I have no signs but am trying to get into relax and mentally prepare mode - just not thinking about what if he/ she doesn't arrive punctually - it's easier to do that now I don't have a deadline date looming.

Good luck - do report back!

[Purplemonster]

How are you getting on Live? I saw my new consultant at the new hospital today and it was a MUCH more positive experience. They were far more ready to listen to what I wanted and were keen to do everything they can to encourage things along naturally (loads of sweeps) rather than blindly inducing because its 'policy' when my body isn't ready and risk induction failing so all in all feel much happier with my situation now.

Hope you're getting on ok, any signs of baby getting a move on?

[sleepyhead]

There's no official guidance on induction at term aged 40+ as you probably know. The Royal College of Obs & Gyn are looking into it at the moment and I think there's a trial underway.

The summary of the current evidence is here.

I was the opposite to you as I requested induction at term (I'm 40) because I'd read the evidence as part of my work (non-clinical) and although the risks are probably tiny I knew I'd fret about it. I was on a midwife led, low risk pathway though and they'd have been happy to go to term +10 before talking about induction.

Anyway, I went into labour 2 days before my due date, 4 hours start to finish and it was great! I hope you get the birth you want - I found birth and the aftermath at 40 much easier than at 34!

[Liveinthepresent]

Glad you are feeling ok about the situation -and that the waterbirth is achievable.
I am feeling so much more relaxed about the birth now - and instead seem to have reverted to fretting about coping with two and newborn sleep deprivation !
Not happy unless I am worrying about something it seems.

[Purplemonster]

Thanks Live - I'm kind of ok with it all now that I can hopefully at least have the water birth I wanted I just couldn't deal with the total inflexibility!

Feel like I can deal with being induced if I can have the pool - it was the idea of being strapped up to monitors and stuck in a bed that was freaking me out the most. The monitors in the water doesn't seem so intrusive and restrictive somehow. Waiting to hear from new hospital and go and have a look around but feeling quite positive about it all.

Hope you're doing ok, not long to go now!

[Liveinthepresent]

Purple really sorry to hear that. Have you got clear information on why they are recommending it for your condition at least?
As Starlight says you can still decline - as long as you have all the information to make an informed decision.

Hope the new hospital are accommodating - and quick - I found the worst thing is dealing with all this stress in the last few weeks when we should be relaxing!