Overdue

[starlight125]

Any other mums out there who are overdue?

Im 40+4 with my 2nd. Only went 2 days over with my DD. Had loads of twinges and braxton hicks last week which have now settled. Feeling like I just need a moan! lol

[manhowdy]

Good morning overdue ladies! 5am on 40+6 and all's well.

Mild contractions off and on yest, then a couple of hum-dingers in the supermarket that went right down my legs made me think SHIT THIS IS IT. Then it all stopped. Woken up feeling well today - no pains.

Plans today are to visit town for a wander about. Grab a few last bits for baby. Coffee and lunch. Then back home to veg out and watch DVDs.

JackandBump ~ all the best for today. Don't be terrified, everything's going to be OK and you get to hold your baby soon. Am jealous!

[sj257]

I'm still here, 40+4 now....really thought something was happening last night!

[manhowdy]

sj257

How come you are being induced on Weds? Is it policy in your area to do it at 41 weeks?

[sj257]

No, my other two babies were over 10lbs

[Mumchatting]

I'm 40+5 with my second baby. My first was EMCS and I'm trying for a vbac this time. I'm really stressed out as the hospital booked me in for a C-section at 40+9 which I really don't want. I have no signs of labour and only 4 days left till cesarean :-( I'm scared this baby won't come spontaneously.

Anyone in the same boat?

[Wonderflonium]

4 days is bags of time for things to get started. Hope you get your vbac x

[manhowdy]

Wonderflonium I was hoping we hadn't heard from you today as you'd gone into labour!

sj257 ah, gotcha.

[Wonderflonium]

Nope: loads of little contractions, lower back pain and a major nesting compulsion... but no baby yet.

[Mumchatting]

Yes I hope so Wonderflonium. It's actually 3 days left because I'm not counting today.
If nothing happens by Wednesday I will be trying to postpone my ELCS for until I'm 40+13. I hope the hospital will accept that. As long as baby is well, would they allow me to wait another couple of days?
I wouldn't wait longer that 42 weeks. But 40+9 is quite early in my opinion.

[Wonderflonium]

I would have thought they'd give it a try if all was well in scans (but then I don't know much/anything about complications from previous c-sections).
Apparently we have to be all about the BRA in consultations... As in
What are the:
Benefits
Risks
Alternatives
so we can come to the right solution together with the docs.

[manhowdy]

I couldn't tolerate my sweep this morning ladies, what a wimp

Not that I was convinced it would be worthwhile anyway.

Induction booked for 30th Jan at 40+14. They wouldn't book me in any earlier unless I have problems.

If I start before then I am OK for the MLU. If not, I need to travel to a different town to give birth on a labour ward. Bah.

[AButterflyLightsBesideUs]

Signing in to join you ladies. I'm 40 weeks today and consider this baby to be overstaying his welcome now!

My DD was born at 40+1 but after a LONG (about 4 day) latent labour and then a long actual labour so by this point with her things were well underway and like an idiot I assumed this pg wouldn't last longer.

I feel totally cheated to still be so utterly pregnant. I had 6 hours of contractions set off by sex (desperate times, desperate measures!) on Friday and then nothing through Saturday. Then contracted/period pains for 6-8 hours yesterday after a 2nd attempt, followed by fuck all. I'm tired, sore and hugely emotional. Sobbed yesterday evening at how utterly fed up I am. It's been a hard pregnancy for a variety of reasons (hyperemesis in first tri, pelvic problems since 20 weeks, needed mental health support, history of 2nd tri loss) and I am just DONE. Please come out little boy!

Sorry the sweep was too much manhowdy. I'm going to ask my MW to try one on Thurs when I see her but I'm scared, am crap at smears. Was she able to give an indictation of how "ready" or otherwise your cervix seemed?

[manhowdy]

AButterflyLightsBesideUs didn't sound too favourable at all to be honest: high, back and only 1cm open. She tried carefully pulling it forward and I made her stop. I get very anxious with vaginal exams (last labour I didn't let them check me once - during or after!), if I had been able to relax my muscles it might well have been much less unpleasant.

Blood when I wipe now which I will keep an eye on. Old blood is to be expected apparently but not fresh (I think it's old).

Sorry to read you're so fed up. I am getting there too. I am going to try and focus on my induction date as my EDD now and forget about these days in between. I've just signed up to Netflix to keep myself occupied

[Wonderflonium]

Went to see the midwife today. Had a bunch of checks, everything fine. Even got three contractions on the CTG trace. She tried to do a sweep but the cervix was too high.

I've been cramping all day and having loads of little contractions that don't go anywhere. And I just threw up! But this has happened so many times before and gone nowhere.

Induction on Wednesday. I'm caught between wanting to cry because I've lost hope and I might have to have an induction the day after tomorrow despite being in prodromal labour for nearly a month, and wanting to save my tears because Maybe Tonight Could Be the Night (like it has been every night for weeks and weeks)

[sj257]

Ahh Wonder, I'm the same, induction Wednesday too. Still hoping he comes naturally but I doubt it 😔

[manhowdy]

I really hope it all kicks off for you both before Weds and look forward to reading your announcements!

[Mumchatting]

I refused all the sweeps which they kept offering me since week 38. Apparently they aren't that effective.
For me it's either spontaneous labour or ELCS so we'll see what will happen. 40+6 today. Don't mind to wait longer. I'm feeling well apart from lower back pain and legs muscles pain but that's OK.
Hope our babies will appear soon :-)
With my first the water broke at 40+4 so at least something was going on. This time nothing yet.

[Wonderflonium]

I ended up going with "crying" last night and have been crying this morning. I feel so selfish for dreading this induction.

Like, I already know WHATEVER happens to me: trauma, permanent injury, etc all my friends will say "at least you and the baby are alive, that's the only thing that matters" and I feel like such a fucking shit for not feeling that way. Obviously safety is the main priority but there are other things I value too, like my mental health, you know?

I have vulvodynia so I've had a lot of traumatic things happen to me in hospitals and I wanted to avoid birth being one of them. Just the tour of the labour ward in antenatal classes was enough to send me into a stressy meltdown. I know I am catastrophising but it feels like I'm on a conveyor belt to birth trauma now.

Do you have vulvodynia too manhowdy?

I needed IVF to make this baby and I feel like such an arrogant idiot that I thought I could at least give birth to this baby without needing medicine to make it happen. I planned a homebirth, I had faith in my body... and I've been in early labour for WEEKS and still I'm going to need the doctors to get this baby out.

Sorry, I feel like such a dick for feeling this way.

[manhowdy]

Wonderflonium ~ my issues stem from a lot of painful colposcopy investigations and treatment when I was younger. I can have sex no problem, but fingers, speculums, implements etc cause me all sorts of misery. I mean I know they are not pleasant for anyone, but I really struggle as I tense without control. I get through smears with a valium from my lovely GP!

I am sorry you've been crying. Something to think about: this is my third child and I have never been this overdue. Generally I give birth close to my EDD as do all the women in my immediate family.

The difference with this baby is she has a different dad to the previous two. I was doing some reading yesterday and there is evidence that the father's genetics play a role in when you labour. So I spoke to my MIL and SIL and sure enough both of them went over 42 weeks with all of their pregnancies.

I guess with IVF you know your conception date, so it could well be your other half is the reason for this wait, and it's nothing at all to do with you! Or it could just be that you're a 42+ carrier naturally.

Whatever the reason, it will be interesting to see whether our babies are over-cooked when they come out. Or if they look to be bang on time or even early.

Re induction and trauma my views are this: if I do need inducing I am not being kept in bed, I will at least stand at the side and stay mobile while being monitored. I will try very very hard to avoid an epidural or indeed any pain relief other than TENS and G&A. I understand this will be hell with the drip and I'm not trying to be a hero, but I know from experience the less drugs I put into my body, the quicker this process moves.

I will also make clear from the start that there is zero consent to a high (keillands) forceps delivery - if baby is not descending then I opt for a c-section instead.

But all this may be moot for you and I and the other ladies on this thread, because so many women out there have great induced labours without any lasting trauma.

[manhowdy]

Oh and welcome Mumchatting!

[Wonderflonium]

Ahh, that makes sense, manhowdy. Colposcopies are the worst.

I had a conisation a few years ago, and I can't help but think this is why I keep stalling out even when literally every MHP I've asked has said "er, no, it's not that! Your cervix is not that scarred and anyway, scarring doesn't stall out contractions." All the same, I keep thinking it.

I will be VERY interested to see how cooked/over cooked this baby is! My husband doesn't know if he was overdue when he was born. I know I was bang on time, so it must be him, right?!

You're right, not everyone has a horrible induction and there are definitely things people can do to make things run more smoothly. I need to get over my disappointment and just get this baby out, really.

Good for you Mumchatting with letting them know your limits. I thought there'd be more of a discussion if I got to this stage but it's been more "and now, this is the next thing we do" without any talk of pros/cons/alternatives. I need to advocate for myself but I've found myself being waaaaaaay more easygoing than my usual self. I'm going to go ahead and blame the hormones because otherwise, what gives.

[AButterflyLightsBesideUs]

Not selfish at all wonder, I hope you felt a bit better for a cry. I completely know what you mean re "oh it's all fine as long as the baby is ok"... obv we will and would put up with a lot to ensure our babies are ok but I do have a fairly major vested interest in my mental and physical health too and don't plan to ride roughshod over it!
I don't know if it helps but I have been induced twice with the 2 babies I lost in the 2nd trimester and I was given the option of inserting the pessaries myself. If you need starting off like that you could ask whether you or your DP could do that part to save one internal and help you feel more in control?

Forgive me if I'm overstepping, but your post also made me think of some of the stuff my therapist has been trying to do with me (CBT for anxiety & PTSD). She says that trauma and anxiety are the most effective form of time travel - trauma takes you right back to a past event/period and anxiety speeds you forward to hypothetical/possible things that are not happening now. She talks a lot about "grounding" and when you can feel your brain zooming away from the present to really make an effort to stay in the here and now: focus on your senses, ask yourself "what can I see right now, what can I hear, what can I touch/feel, what can I smell?" She gets me to work through these methodically and slowly and it really helps to reduce my panic & adrenaline. I'm using it to try and keep my stress in check approaching the birth and I'm really hoping it will keep me in a less fearful & panicky state in labour than I was with my DD.

Please ignore if that's no help at all though! Wishing you a trauma free birth, whether it's induction or spontaneous.

[AButterflyLightsBesideUs]

I put clean white sheets on my bed yesterday to tempt those waters to go in the night.... no luck.

[ArialAnna]

I'm 41+2 and starting to worry about induction. Had a first sweep last Saturday but it doesn't seem to have worked. Got another appoinment tomorrow to check how the baby is doing and discuss the options going forward. I just really want to avoid it all leading to a ceasarean as I do not like the thought of being cut open one little bit!! I've never had any kind of surgery before 😔. Totally understand what you mean Wonder about people saying the important thing is the baby being safe - of course it is! But it makes you feel selfish for worrying about your pain and a slow & difficult recovery when it's perfectly understandable!

[Wonderflonium]

Butterfly Sorry the clean-sheets gambit didn't work. Maybe it only works on the second night? I love the time travel metaphor, that's a really good tip for keeping my head. The way the midwife was talking yesterday, I think I have to take something orally and if that doesn't work after a few days, they'll break my waters. Was surprised she didn't mention pessaries. Let's see. They're a bit "need to know basis" here, for some reason and hand out information piecemeal.

How's it going sj? Any more twinges? Stars coffee? Doing ok?

Jack how was it?

Hello Arial! I find the idea of surgery is way worse than the reality of surgery.... but recovery is not predictable and that is enough to throw me into a tailspin. Good luck at your appointment tomorrow, hope they can get you started.