heparin/aspirin & induction - help!

[MrsMcJnr]

Ladies I am 40+1, am happy and well and not too impatient but I am scared as I have an appointment with my Consultant tomorrow because I am now overdue. She has told me before that a lot of OBs like to induce at 38 weeks in my situation but she wanted to give me a chance to go naturally which is absolutley what I want.

Can anyone help me prepare for the appointment? my thoughts currently are that if my drugs/condition don't put my baby at any more risk than a normal pregnancy at this stage then I will be asking for another week before a sweep and would be happy to go in for monitoring in the meantime.

Anything else I should be considering/asking?

Any thoughts or advice greatly appreciated

No advice I'm afraid but bumping for you.

My doc wanted me induced at 40 weeks due to Clexane injections, but didnt get that far.
Good luck

Hi MrsMcJnr, no help either but I wanted to wish you all the best. I have to admit that I found the last two weeks (from 40 to 42) very hard. Well, this might not be helpful either, but in hindsight it would have been better for me to be induced, because I would not have developed severe pre-eclampsia. In any case, it might be that your consultant will want to induce you and you might have to stand firm. But I very much like your reasoning. Will be thinking of you!

MrsMcJ -- I am Glimmer BTW...

I avoided the induction question by having a section at 38 weeks. I stopped the aspirin 48 hours before and the clexane 12 hours before (& restarted it 12 hours afterwards). the obstetricians weren't that bothered about the clexane but wanted me off the aspirin in good time (and platelets within the normal range), the anaesthetist was also more woried about the aspirin.

I went into to labour naturally at 39+6. I was still injecting with heparin at that point, and phoned the hospital to ask whether I should take my next injection (had been having regular contractions for 5 hours) and they said yes because it probably wasn't 'real labour and would proably stop .

Unsurprisingly it didn't stop, but it meant that I wasn't allowed an epidural (not that I'd specifically wanted one, but it would have been nice to have had the choice). My labour was fine in spite of the heparin, with no serious complications.

Hey ladies thanks for all your responses. We saw the consultant today and she seemed pretty relaxed which was great. She basically said that my risks in being overdue are in her opinion the same as anyone else?s and therefore she is in no great hurry to induce in spite of the heparin which is now for my benefit (the placenta should be as good as anyone else?s now). I personally have always felt that my EDD was actually 17th or 18th rather than the 15th because of when I ovulate anyway. So, we have an appointment to see her again next Thursday if the baby hasn?t arrived by then. A CTG told us all was fine today so that was a relief. She did check me too and things seem to be softening and dilating so that was positive her parting shot was that she was on call Friday and Sunday if I could manage one of those dates

One thing she did say was that the anesthetists will want me to have a precautionary venflon just in case I need fluids in the 3rd stage. She confessed that this probably was not needed and that I would be a victim of the system in having it but she thinks that it?s a battle I might not win and that it might not be worth fighting at the expense of other things (hoping for a water birth). Hey ho, will keep stum and hope no one suggests it.

Hey Glimmer/Wish2babywear ? how are you hon?

Notmyrtle ? interesting what you say about the aspirin, the anesthetists didn?t seem too bothered about that when we spoke but I will remember to make a note of when I last took it when I do go into labour. I normally take it at 7pm.

Gumbo ? that?s interesting too, DH and I have already decided that as soon as I think I am in labour, I?ll do my jag (if it is early hours of the morning for example) to give me as much chance of having those 12 hours clear in case they are needed.

It sounds like your situation is slightly better than mine from a timing point of view. I was injecting twice daily, with the result that no aneasthetist (sp?) would touch me for either an epidural or spinal block for a minumum of 18 hours after my last shot. I had big orange stickers all over my notes issuing warnings about it!

But hopefully if yours is a 12-hour window after your last injection you'll at least have some options by the time you need them! Good luck!

Thanks