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.

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

Good luck purple

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

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

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.

Ooh exciting purple , hope things get going quickly

Thanks!

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.

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!

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?

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.

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

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

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

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