Overdue choices

[Laurasanford111]

Hi all,
Baby was due 12th Nov, I've refused a sweep this is baby no 2 i didn't have a great experience with my sweep with ds1. I have as always gone to google after midwife told me about inducing , read so many horror stories put me in a panic, saw her yday and was told as I had a straightforward vaginal birth first time the chances of needing lots of intervention are unlikely if i was to be induced this time, nothing is guaranteed I guess I just have to go with it, I read online that if you're induced it can slow milk supply etc I really want to bf again this time, did anyone found this happened to them? Also apart from birthing ball and walking any tips for bringing labour on?! I am very uncomfortable this pregnancy and a lot more anxious

Thanks all

Dr Sara Wickham has a really good book about inductions she lays everything out very clearly and the book isn’t very long, I think I read it in a morning.

Inducing Labour: Making Informed Decisions

It was recommended to me by my midwife.

If you were due on the 12th you still have plenty of time. I’d wait a bit longer before thinking of doing something.

Hi 👋

I know you say you had a bad experience with a sweep last time and not trying to minimise that.... BUT a well done sweep when you're over due you're 2nd preg is likely to work and would be much more pleasant than being induced.

I'm not classing myself as overdue until I'm 2 weeks over and won't engage in any talks about sweeps or inductions until then (currently 38 weeks so got a few weeks yet). Can you give yourself a bit more time? Just take the pressure off and you may find you go into labour naturally?

You can ask for extra monitoring instead of induction!

I was induced when I was 14 days over, pessary was all that was needed. It did not affect my milk supply at all (and he was 10lb at birth so needed a lot of milk!).
Do not try clary sage oil to induce contractions, gave me the worst braxton hicks contractions imaginable and did nothing to help actual labour. None of the old wives tales actually work (I have 8 dc and have tried them all multiple times) I completely get the need to try them though. I found the birthing ball most helpful when in labour, bouncing through the contractions helped distract from the pain.

Had an induction 2 weeks over after straightforward 1st birth. Pessary was all that was needed, contractions started after 5 hours. Baby born 6 hours later with a bit of gas and air. I did have milk supply issues but I had a haemorrhage of just under 8L shortly after birth - so this was probably a bigger factor.

You’ve still got time, try not to worry.

I had an induction booked for when I was 12 days overdue but ended up going into labour before then. I felt more relaxed knowing I had a plan in place.

There’s not much evidence that sweeps actually do anything. I had one, mainly out of curiosity because I wanted to find out what my cervix was doing/how close I was to going into labour.

There is evidence that the risk of still birth increases around 2 weeks over due, which is why I was prepared to have an induction before 2 weeks over.

I’ve had two inductions with pessary and one with drip, I didn’t find any a big deal or concerning to be honest.
I don’t like the increased risks to the baby that come from being overdue. So always happy to be induced

I hated sweeps with baby one it was traumatising. Baby two as I got further overdue than you k asked for a sweep with gas and air! Got it all started perfectly!!

@Smogtopia ah i never knew you could have gas and air with it! Thats something for me to concider

I had to plan it a little in advance as they wanted me to do it in triage rather than main normal rooms. But I think they wanted to get me moving along so they found a suitable time for me to pop in!