Latest after due date your baby came naturally

[mia8]

Having second thoughts about the induction booked for Sunday morning. Feel that (apart from my strong feelings on natural birth) if he's just not ready why should I drag him out.

What is the latest that someone has had a baby naturally, i.e., no induction besides a sweep? I'm 41+2

I was two weeks over. Due for induction at 41+5 but I was already in labour so they didn't bother. Unfortunately labour continued for another couple of days before I had an EMCS at 42 weeks.

I should also say that as I was due for induction they kept me in the hospital for monitoring.

41+ 6

I was 40+14 and was in the hospital for monitoring (I couldn't be induced as wanted to try for a vbac) when my waters went spontaneously. DD2 born 5 hours later.
All the best

dc#2 Waited until 42+2 and still didn't go into labour! Only took 1 lot of gel.

dc#4 waited until 42 weeks and then it took 2 lots of gel.

I've never gone into labour without being induced!

i was 2 weeks over and DS came naturally. Was so relieved to avoid induction!

DD came naturally at 40+11. I'd had an induction at 40+10 with DS2 and wanted to try and avoid that again (although it was okay, and there were other medical reasons for doing it than just being overdue) I would definitely have gone to at least 40+14 with her, and then gone on a day-by-day basis - hospital would have been happy with that provided I came in for regular scans iirc.

OP, I think you need to ask older people this as induction is so common these days.

I was something like 2 and a half weeks late and came totally naturally, and healthily, no sweep or anything. And in those days no scans offered at any point... despite mum being warned that I was so wriggly by then they thought I might be (co-joined) twins because they could feel so many limbs!

I'm giving birth under the care of the same hospital later this summer and know I'd probably be offered induction sooner than that now.

Perhaps a quick survey of your mum's friends?

Thanks for sharing ladies... last night and tonight felt more crampy and twinge than usual but nothing that made me think "contraction" so I think it'll be Sunday induction... oh well!

Hi there. I understand your anxiety about this. I recently gave birth at 40 + 20. People are agog when I tell them this. I was massively into idea of normal natural birth (thank you ina may!) and had a much longed for home birth. An induction would have meant hospital for me so dh and and I were keen to wait. Edd's are so dodgy in my opinion as well. We had a sweep at 42 weeks and another a few days later. My induction was originally booked for 42 weeks and when we went in the consultant was initially sceptical about our wishing to wait longer. We think they're not used to being challenged at 42 weeks. But after discussion (and it has to be said quite a lot of pressure) they agreed to monitor us and let up go to 43 weeks. I am 37 and had been well throughout pregnancy, I didn't feel desperate, scans showed dd had lots of fluid around her and traces showed she was happy too. These factors, combined with question mark over given due date and lots of research led us to be content with waiting (although it was a hard decision to make in face of pressure and 'prevailing wisdom'. In the end my waters broke at 42 +5 and I had dd at home on 40 + 6. Midwives said due to extent of vermix and health of placenta dd looked to be born at term not 3 weeks overdue. I'm glad we waited.
Everyone is different. Trust your instincts. And know whether you go for induction or not you'll have a baby soon :-) Go well!

40+10. We weren't against induction and were getting impatient ourselves but my amazing gyne said to keep waiting... I was monitored every other day from 40w so we were confident all was well. Policy to induce at 40+10, but contractions started naturally in hospital before they gave me the first pessary. DD1 born 8 hours later after a straightforward labour. V positive all round!

DS born at 40+13, DN born at 40+20, both perfectly healthy. Like ecofreckle's baby, DN didn't look at qll overdue

ecofreckle and "marzipananimal* those are amazing stories, especially the fact that they didn't look overdue! Thanks also for the non-judgment if I decide to go with induction. Big fan of Ina May as well. A few factors I'm considering. When we booked induction we had ten days for him to come naturally and the MW was going to give me at least two more sweeps...then mysteriously went on holiday so I didn't get anything. Been having period cramps and general stomach twinges since around 10pm last night. My mum says exactly the same timing as her first born. Trying not to get up my hopes but really hope we go into labour before induction.

40+13 here, that was in 2011 so not long ago. Was in hospital waiting for induction to be started when the whole thing started naturally.

You're wise to keep an open mind I think. My LO was discovered to be small for dates at birth and the placenta was not doing a great job- if I'd have opted to delay the induction, things could have ended very differently. Induction is certainly not the worst case scenario, so don't feel it's to be avoided at all costs!

That said, I don't think I'd have wanted to be railroaded into anything only a couple of days after my due date. You are entitled to ask for regular monitoring as an alternative to induction if you would prefer.

Oops, sorry, misread- you are 41+2 not 40+2! Ignore last bit above!

40+11. Like you I would have held off induction unless there was a real medical reason, not just EDD, which is always a bit of a guess anyway. Like ecofreckle the midwife said vernix and placenta showed he was born exactly when he should be, not late at all. I do think the natal hypnotherapy CDs helped me relax enough to go into labour naturally at the right time.

DD1 40+13 came naturally the day before due to be induced (obviously realised if she didn't get a move on she would be an April Fools baby).
DD2 40+15 induced - I actually think she would have stayed in there forever.
Hence there is no DC3 as who knows when it would arrive

40+20 here - but sadly did not go in to labour. I laboured at 40+13 with my first, so had assumed similar would happen.

Didn't consent to induction, and just waited it out. But at 40+19 the movements reduced, I wasn't too happy with the CTG trace that I had (I'm a midwife, so obviously able to interpret). I went with my gut feeling, and had an induction.

When I say induction, it wasn't really much of an induction. I agreed to have a CTG prior to my waters being broken. This was done, and immediately contractions ramped up (I'd been having them on and off since 40 weeks) and 6 hours later DS arrived. I didn't need any other induction agents.

I insisted, much to the horror of those caring for me, in using the pool, and not being on the CTG in labour. I had planned a home birth (VBAC) so I wanted to retain some normality on things.

I would have waited longer (you should have seen my facebook comments from colleagues wondering why on earth this baby was not yet out!) but I had a feeling - and I was right.

He was completely wrapped up in his cord, and his placenta was gritty and the cord thin. He was a small baby too - at that gestation he was just 6lb12. It was time for him to come out.

It's a hard decision to make - but it is your decision alone. No one can force anything on you. Hope your baby decides to make his or her appearance soon!

40+14 a just in time birth!

42 weeks, perfect pregnancy, not even so much as a sniff of a braxton hick even......booked in for an induction on what would have been the Monday, had a sweep on the Friday and it all kicked off in the small hours of saturday morning. I laboured for 36 hours, he was back to back, it was mind numbingly slow. Ended up with every intervention to move things along and in the end needed forceps. I don't think he was ready to come. He was big, 9,2 and perfect, but with no medical insight to back this up at all, just my gut, I secretly think he wasn't ready and that's why it was all so slow, and hideous.

If I get a next time, I'll wait it out.

18 days over. This was 1988.

Labour started spontaneously but I don't think they'd have let me go more than a day or two longer.

He was a fairly big baby, nearly 9lbs and long, looked like a 2 month old and his head touched the top of the plastic cot and his feet touched the bottom. I was a bit upset that he looked like a monster next to all the other tiny little things.

Hope it's going well OP, let us know!