How long would you be willing to go overdue? **Content warning - title edited by MNHQ**

[rachiro]

41+5 and since baby is doing well I'll be waiting for another few days at least. My baby just doesn't seem ready yet. I wonder why some babies just don't come on their own/why some of our bodies do this 🙄

@BreadInCaptivity

"The placenta has a shelf life and it's already deteriorating towards the end of a normal gestation because it's theoretically done it's job."

As I said in my post last night (23.08), I think the aging placenta theory is a myth, but would be interested in any evidence about it (I don't think there is any?)

"What's especially sad is that it's perfectly possible to feel fine and not understand that deterioration because in the U.K. it's not routinely screened for."

Absolutely. It should be screened for because it can happen at any time for various reasons.

@NameChange30

Have you ever worked in emergency gynae theatre? I think the aging placenta theory is a myth. At 43 weeks (my sister said the operation she needed counselling after) the placenta had gone. Stillbirth is very real.

I was actually part of a study on the aging of the placenta during my first pregnancy. I had regular scans towards the end. The results haven’t been published (delayed because of covid) but I was told there is a huge range of how the placenta ages, which I guess explains why it’s no big deal for some women to go overdue and can be disastrous for others. My placenta with my first baby was apparently the same as an 18-20 week placenta when I gave birth at 40+12, which might also explain why I was so overdue.

@JanuaryPinks

I was actually part of a study on the aging of the placenta during my first pregnancy. I had regular scans towards the end. The results haven’t been published (delayed because of covid) but I was told there is a huge range of how the placenta ages, which I guess explains why it’s no big deal for some women to go overdue and can be disastrous for others. My placenta with my first baby was apparently the same as an 18-20 week placenta when I gave birth at 40+12, which might also explain why I was so overdue.

That's really interesting, thank you.

I went over during my second pregnancy, 42 and 5 I believe. She didn't want to make an appearance, I had two pessaries, a sweep and pictocin, nothing worked. They had to ramp up the pictocin to a level that my midwife said she hadn't seen before. Baby was on my back and got stuck and was showing signs of distress, the pain was unreal, I couldn't stop vomiting. I narrowly avoided the forceps by the grace of God. Baby was nearly 5kg (11lbs)

When you know what going overdue really entails you don't mess around, your body can play tricks on you, hopefully it won't but it might. I'm going until 38 weeks for my third, and then I want them out.

"She didn't want to make an appearance, I had two pessaries, a sweep and pictocin, nothing worked. They had to ramp up the pictocin to a level that my midwife said she hadn't seen before."

With all due respect, I would have demanded a c-section at that point. No judgement for choosing differently as it was your choice (and sounds like a very challenging situation). I'm just saying there are more choices and not just awful induction at 42+5 versus induction at 38 weeks.

@BigotSpigot

Privately a friend who is a consultant obstetrician told me not to go over 40 weeks at all as it was just heartbreaking delivering stillborn babies who would have survived if they had been born at term.

This. DSis is a paediatrician, she was planning an induction at 40 weeks if DN hadn't made an appearance by then.

@NameChange30 Unfortunately I wasn't really in a position to advocate for myself at that point, I couldn't speak because of the pain.

The reason I shared my story was that sometimes we think we are doing a good thing by "letting the baby decide when they're born" but sometimes they just don't come. I wanted a natural, easy birth like my first, I genuinely believed that c sections or earlier inductions were unnecessary, brutal interventions and that "I wouldn't be pregnant forever". The cold hard reality is that a baby that big (with no GD by the way) wouldn't have had the room to birth itself naturally and that is quite terrifying.

A mother should choose what happens to her body and her baby, but women need to have the real stories and experiences of other women to help inform their decisions and not just statistics.

@AlwaysLatte

I wanted to leave things to nature but I knew the risks so was induced at 40 weeks. I don't think induction is very nice so in retrospect I wish I had waited a couple of days, at least. My husband's grandfather was a month overdue (no they didn't get the dates wrong) and he was a HUGE baby. All was fine but I expect this was an exception.

I'm so glad you wrote this. I was 4 weeks overdue. My Mum didn't get her dates wrong either.

I was tiny though, 5lbs 6 ozs. My DS was exactly double that when he was born!

No one has ever believed me so it remains a family story.

I pushed and pushed to be induced with my second by my due date at the absolute latest but they wouldn’t do it. They forced me to go 5 days over at which point I went into labour but those 5 days were hell and I barely relaxed for a second.
I think maternal request should be a consideration but apparently it wasn’t.

DC1 was born early and my placenta was rotten. I was terrified the same would happen to DC2

I was 42 weeks exactly when I went into labour. I was in another country at the time, and was having a home birth. No one mentioned to me anything about induction and I had no idea about deteriorating placentas.

After my Son arrived, the midwife realised that my placenta had ruptured inside me. She initially thought I was haemorrhaging due to the amount of blood, but no, it was my placenta.

We were both incredibly lucky that I went into labour when I did, and that my son was born super quickly (I was only in labour about two hours). I don't dwell on it very often, but threads like this make me realise it could have been a very different outcome.

To counteract these horror stories, I was 18 days overdue with my third and they were born healthy and placenta looked perfect. I chose additional monitoring at hospital as well as obviously monitoring movements etc. Homebirth and extremely straightforward, baby was 4.3kg. Family history of going ‘post dates’ (ie past 42 weeks). I didn’t define a cut off

@Narwhalsh

To counteract these horror stories, I was 18 days overdue with my third and they were born healthy and placenta looked perfect. I chose additional monitoring at hospital as well as obviously monitoring movements etc. Homebirth and extremely straightforward, baby was 4.3kg. Family history of going ‘post dates’ (ie past 42 weeks). I didn’t define a cut off

I'll be 18 days overdue when I get induced also. I'm 42+1 as of today and have an induction booked for Friday.

@rachiro in all probability you will go into labour before that! Something like 99% of all babies are born by 43 weeks and so many stories of labours starting hours before booked inductions! How are you feeling about the induction?

[quote Narwhalsh]@rachiro in all probability you will go into labour before that! Something like 99% of all babies are born by 43 weeks and so many stories of labours starting hours before booked inductions! How are you feeling about the induction?[/quote]
Im just reluctant for induction. I was from the beginning. Of course it looks like it'll be required now, so I'll have one but I would have loved for baby to come naturally 😔 I don't feel like baby is going to come on their own at all in the next two days. I have literally zero signs of labour. Wish I could give her until Monday. But I'd be 43 weeks on the dot by then 🙄

Have as much sex as you can. There is some evidence to show that it can work (and it makes sense - it releases the same hormones that are needed in labour).

This is just anecdote of course, but it worked for me (gave birth naturally to DC1 at 41+4, labour started within hours of having sex).

@NameChange30

Have as much sex as you can. There is some evidence to show that it can work (and it makes sense - it releases the same hormones that are needed in labour).

This is just anecdote of course, but it worked for me (gave birth naturally to DC1 at 41+4, labour started within hours of having sex).

I have literally tried everything from sex, to acupuncture and every other old wives tale. She just doesn't want to come on her own 😭

Is this your first baby OP?

rachiro 😩 Hope she gets a move on, and if not hope the induction works well!

@rachiro you don’t have to do anything. If you want to leave til Monday then leave til Monday. Have a relaxing last weekend. Are you having additional monitoring-CTG and scans? There’s a fb group called ten month mamas you might like to look at

Hope this is a promising silence!

@Cheekypeach

Hope this is a promising silence!

Nope, still pregnant 😩

[quote Narwhalsh]@rachiro you don’t have to do anything. If you want to leave til Monday then leave til Monday. Have a relaxing last weekend. Are you having additional monitoring-CTG and scans? There’s a fb group called ten month mamas you might like to look at[/quote]
I have decided to change induction day to Monday. Yup I'm getting NSTS every other day. Her scans and everything else that they've checked are all good. She's super active and moving normally and seems happy and healthy. I'm actually not on Facebook anymore, do you know of any forums or anywhere similar I could check out instead?

I was ready to present for induction at 42+4. Local hospital policy was to admit for induction at 41+3. To avoid health professional hassle & automatic booking for induction I avoided 3rd trimester appointment with consultant at 36 weeks or any extra monitoring .. skipped some MW apts too. So that's what all this pressure achieved. Baby was born spontaneously at 41+5, MWs said placenta looked fine.

There’s every chance that just a pessary or ARM would tip you into labour at this point. Is this something you would consider? 43 weeks is quite risky and scans can only give you a snapshot of the moment.