Ask for waters to be broken or not?

[PeppaPigStinks]

I think I need some positive thinking or a reality check!

With DD i planned a homebirth , however after four sweeps, the first three resulting in nothing I ended up being induced by having my waters broken as I wasn't progressing. Waters were clear but then dd got distressed and ended up in a drip. . I ended up on my back tied to a machine to monitor dd.

Cue DC2- now I'm 11 days over and planned home birth. I've had 3 sweeps. I had one yesterday and it did something with regular contractions but these have now fizzled out. Midwife said she could have broken my waters. By this one I was 3 cm and bishops score has gone from 6 to 8.

The plan is for another sweep Friday and go in the weekend to have my waters broken.

Shall i justjust give up gracefully on a homebirth and accept nothing will happen until my waters are broken!? and to just suggest they do this today/Friday!?

Can't they break your waters at home?

No toby they can't because it counts as intervention/induction and baby needs more closely monitoring

I can still have a water birth if the pool is free and waters are clear/baby isn't distressed

Oh that was what I was going to suggest. My midwife did exactly that (but I'm not in the UK).

Depends what you want to do, I guess. 11 days "over" is miserable for you but not necessarily risky. Would you rather try and stick it out? Babies do always come out eventually.

I wouldn't unless in advanced labour (7+cm dilated). Some babies used them to rotate into the right position for birth. Once they have gone they give you 24 hours to go naturally then it can become a cascade of intervention due to the risk of infection. You can opt for daily monitoring if overdue past 42 weeks. You are not considered overdue until then. Some women/babies naturally gestate longer and date estimates and scans are not 100% accurate. Nickelbabe (well known OP on here) decided to do this and had a successful homebirth. I will see if I can search out her threads.

Here is one of them, she posts about her monitoring visit on the first page.

The birth story.

My mw would have broken my waters at home, too. The only reason she didn't was that the baby's head wasn't engaged and she was worried about cord prolapse.

She said it didn't really count as intervention which would stop a hb. But maybe different trusts have different rules...

Agree with another stitch increases infection risk and evidence shows it makes little difference to length of labour . Sounds like you have a long gestation with your babies. Normal is up to 42 weeks so technically you are still within normal range. You don't need to hand yourself over to interventions yet if you don't want to.

They won't break your waters at home, but if you have your waters broken in hospital there is nothing to stop you discharging yourself and the going home too wait for lab our to start. I wasn't brave enough to do this but I know people who have.

However you are not even at term plus 14 yet, I would wait till then and see how you feel, you could then ask for expectant management if you want to wait a few more days. It sounds like your body is getting ready for lab our, it just needs a bit more time. If you are fine and baby is fine waiting would be my plan with appropriate monitering.

Sounds like your body is almost ready OP, why not have that final sweep today and see what happens? I know how frustrating it is to be so overdue but hopefully if you give it just a little bit longer then it will all happen naturally and you'll get your homebirth. Really hope that it happens soon for you x

Thank you everyone! I think I was feeling a bit despondent - in that Number one needed help so why prolong it with this one!

Given the niggles I had last night my midwife has said she will do another sweep today.

I agree with the other posters. You don't have to agree to induction on a specific date and the risks to baby of being overdue obviously don't suddenly increase greatly at the stroke of midnight. Look up the statistics to make sure you are informed and reassure yourself. Relax..take the time pressure off..have the sweep if you wish....your body is already brewing up for labour and will birth your baby soon.

No I wouldn't. Contractions are meant to be more painful with ruptured waters for a start. Just be patient and let it happen on its own.

Thank you. I think I am going to wait it out and keep moving. I seem to get 'contractions' or strong BH when I move!

After a sweep yesterday I got more 'contractions' most of yesterday and last night but this had tailed off now.

I am booked to go in on Sunday so have managed to buy two days!

Due dates really are arbitrary. Dont be pushed into anything just because of a date plucked from the air ( well based on average size of bones at a certain point in gestation). Babies do come when they are ready.