Has anyone else been thrown this line as a reason for induction?

[OldieButGoldie]

Was at hospital today for monitoring, currently 40+10, and myself and baby are both absolutely fine. When cervix was checked it had softened a little from last check 6 days ago but was still unfavourable for a sweep.

I asked to wait to 42 weeks (Monday) and see how things were. However I was told that it could take several days of prostin gel to kick start my labour (as I am in my 40s, first child and unfavourable cervix) and by that stage I would be well past my dates and.....the "baby's reserves would be depleted" by this stage making him less able to cope with labour and likely to become distressed, resulting in a CS. She advised me the best way for me to avoid a section was to be admitted for induction tonight. I refused, it sounded like gobble-di-gook to me, and I needed time to think (and ask mnet ),

Any opinions on this one?

i need to get my facts sorted for an app next week when will be term plus 14, (hoping to go into labour before then) but the last two were 15 and 17 days late, i went in and had my waters broken both times (i am allergic to the prostin gel they use to induce)

anyway i had a sweep today and my cerivx is ripe, the midwife said she could have broken my waters so my body is getting ready for labour, lots of niggly back ache and tightenings but not good at getting going

like i said the previous two times i went in at just over two weeks overdue but i REALLY want a home birth, so need facts etc to help me with app with consultants, i know the risk of still birth is tiny and i will have monitering and an extra scan to check fluid levels etc, as i did the last two times, but i just wonder what else it would be helpful to know/ask?

also they go on about the risks of being overdue, but i was wondering about the figures for the risks of being induced, having waters broken etc, cascade of intervention etc?

I am normally of the view that I would prefer to err on the side of caution and would want that baby out at 41 weeks. But, what strikes me in the OP is that her cervix has begun to soften and that suggests to me that her body is working as it should.

I went in for induction at 42 weeks when my cervix was not at all ready. It ended in a crash section. I don't really mind that it ended in section. It gave me a good excuse to get another section two years later. But., some people really do mind the thought of having a section. And if you are one of them then I think you might be happier waiting until Monday when things might either happen on their own or be more favorable to the induction.

My midwife was very relaxed about going overdue, and said that at my next appointment (40 + 10) she would perhaps do a sweep if things looked right for that. She was off and I had to see my GP who almost went pale when she found out I wasn't booked in for an induction, got straight on the phone nd booked me in for the next morning (she'd have had me in that day if she could have).

Fortunately my contractions started on the walk home from the surgery .

Can I just add that the due date is actually just an educated guess and not precise. I was given two very different ones.

I think many people have probably said as much, but an induction before your body is ready is more likely to end in a CS than waiting til you feel it necessary.
As long as baby is checked often during the last few weeks then things can be picked up on pretty quickly.

I was bullied into it too against my better judgement I wish I had had access to mumsnet at the time

When I went over 40 weeks I was given CTG montoring every two days (I live in belgium). I found that very reassuring, as I know the risks of going overdue.

Good luck Oldie, hope it happens soon for you!

Haven't read the whole thread, but thought I would give you my personal experience.

Ds1 - induced at 40+12. Fairly straightforward labour, but he was distressed and had to have a lot of blood samples taken from his head before he was born to check O2 levels.

Dd - homebirth at 40+14. She was large (10lb) but appeared slightly 'early' for dates - vernix etc.

Ds2 - homebirth at 40+8. at 10lb 2 Appeared very post-mature - wrinkly, flaky skin, he had obviously lost a little bit of weight as he had shrunk away from his skin, and it appeared too 'big' for him.

What I'm saying is that unless you know EXACTLY the day you ovulated, then the number of days over is not exactly known, so the difference between 12 and 14 days over is possibly nothing, or could even be the other way round - as with ds2 - I'm sure he was more 'over' than the other two, even though he was technically only 8 days over.

I have a friend who lost a baby - possibly through placenta failure - at 39 weeks. You just can't tell.

3madboys (& anyone else): when you went over 42 wks before, did the MWs say anything about the condition of the baby/placenta looking very overdue?

I went 11 days over. Local hospital policy is to induce at 40+10, but I skipped out of getting that appointment. Anyway, at the birth the MWs said that the baby did not 'look' that over, nor did the placenta (wasn't gritty, for instance).

So either my dates were wrong (I thought they were right), or my placenta and the baby's skin(?!) had aged unusually well. Do some people have pregnancies that tend to age better than others, I wonder?

my midwifes said exactly the same lifeishell, that neither the baby nor the placenta looked overdue again, infact the midwife who delivered ds3 was most impressed with his placenta, and tho the babies were large, both over 9lb they still had vernix etc and showed NO signs of being overdue at all.

i had accupuncture today in a bid to get this one moving and its def doing something, niggly back ache period type pains etc.

i am going to the hospital for monitering on monday when i will be ten days over and then again on day 14, but hoping baby turns up before then. i feel more positive after the accupuncture, i could really feel it working and the baby is as wriggly as ever so no concerns there

No posting from OldieButGoldiesince last evening,...wonder if she managed to get Mother Nature on side or whether she decided to have induction. Anybody heard?

Neither as yet. I'm still here rocking about on my birthing ball and pondering.....

Both of my labours were induced.

DD 40 +14. Very gently induced, gel then IV. After several hours of contractions they decided to increase the dose and offered me an epidural. DD was whisked away immediately after the birth as the fluid was green, they cleaned out her lungs (I think) and she was fine.

DS 40 +7. Waters broke, about 18 hours later still no contractions, was induced, IV again, but the midwife kept upping the dose. Within 3 hours I was exhausted, and DS's heartbeat was dipping. A crash section followed.

Basically, my opinion is that a good induction, well managed can be fine. DD's birth was lovely, DS's not. My gynae (who was not in the hospital when I gave birth) told me later that she was very angry with the midwife, she felt that the CS could have been avoided if the MW had been more careful about upping the dose.

Wishing you all the best.

Hello, I feel for you, it is soo stressful being overdue and wondering what is the best course of action. I was induced at 42 weeks and felt very confident waiting til that point and ambivalent to say the least about induction. It sort of went the way I had heard- actually gave birth 3 days after admission, after gel, stop start contractions, drip, very slow progression, epidural and then a long 2nd stage too!
No CS though, which I was pleased about.
However, it was far from the water home birth on my birth plan! Maybe a good lesson for motherhood. The whole experience in retrospect was amazing (post delivery experience), but I often debate with myself what I would do if I was over again. I feel my son wasn't ready to come out...not sure if I had gone down the monitoring route when would labour have started?

BY the way, I also felt the consultant tried to frighten me by saying that there is 3 times the chance of still birth after 42 weeks (or whatever the statistic was, wasn't thinking straight at the time). Apparently the risk is very small, as mears says. Also after the birth, my placenta was absolutely fine, according to the midwife.

Being a VBACer I did a lot of reading on induction after I sailed past 40wks scan edd....

Not an option I was willing to take without a valid medical reason! As the edd was result of scan and my LMP dates were totally disregarded, I had something to keep me strong.

I cancelled induction booked for 42wks (scan), arranged for Expectant Management, accepted a sweep as I was about to leave after speaking to a registrar and found I was 2cm dilated and very favourable. 2 days previously they could barely reach my cervix

My baby arrived the next day at 42+1 scan (or 41+6 lmp).

I always say to listen to your instincts and your body, if anything worries you get it checked out, but if you and baby are currently fine it would seem acceptable to wait till Monday before considering your options further. If you have an internal exam ask what your Bishop's Score is, this informations might help you in considerng your options.

You can think about Natural Induction methods but do not labour the point (wink] as you could just start contractions that tail off leaving you exhausted. In my personal opinion relaxation, walking, sex and nipple stimulation are the only things worth trying as they use the benefits of your own hormones.

Plan something nice to do for the next few days, lunch with a friend, massage from dh, a lovely bouyant swim, gentle window shopping with a generous parent... you get my drift?

Stay warm, relaxed, eat regular, keep fluid intake up, pee often, get plenty of rest but also some brisk walks (helps shouggle baby down)

Stay strong

Great advice Klaw. Wish I had tried to make the most of those last infuriating days. I really didn't know what hit me!

Btw, something that has bothered me for the past few years is that I did not have any proper contractions prior to my inductions.

Is it possible to just not be able to start labour naturally? Even with the induction it took ages for me to dilate with DD.

Klaw - that is interesting about how much your cervix changed in 2 days. Its something I have been trying to find out about but there seems to be little information. The impression I was given on Thursday was that as my cervix was unfavourable there was no great benefit in waiting till Monday as there would be little change.

I didn't ask for my Bishops Score but had tried to calculate it myself based on what I was told and estimate at 2 or 3 (head partially engaged and cervix slightly softened, posterior and closed)

I think if I was younger I would be more confident in holding out but because I am 46 this seems to be another grey area as to levels of risk. Some midwives seem unconcerned but one sat tapping the bit where my age was mentioned in my notes with her pen the whole time she was talking to me!

I remember asking the gynae who examined me a few days before DD was born if she could give me an idea when I would go into labour.

She answered that if she was able to do that then she would not still be a gynae in a hospital, she would be a lottery millionaire. She said that noone, no matter how experienced they are can forsee when labour might start.

So I cannot see how the doc could guess that your cervix would not change by Monday.

Exactly, Kindersurprise! Your cervix could change within an hour for al we know! And as I can vouch for it all completely changing within 48 hours, I'd be hanging in for Monday and BEYOND!

I do appreciate that OldiebutGoldie is a little more mature than most (I am only 41) but it doesn't help that some mw seem to have foisted their agenda and insecurities on her, No matter what their doubts they have no right to undermine her confidence and risk creating a self-fullfilling prophecy. Women need and deserve to feel confident and in tune with themselves as that fosters the kind of self belief that makes for an easier and more enjoyable birth. If we doubt ourselves, our sub conscience believes it.

Also read some of the articles on Dr Sarah Buckley's site as she explains how our bodies work in a very easy to understand way.

You CAN do this, have faith in yourself and as I said if you have any worries get checked out.

Being 40 I have been told they do not want me to go over 41 weeks either. I am hoping it will not come to being induced but I still have 20 weeks to go

I have just bookmarked the links on starting labour just in case

My DS was a week later than his official due dates, which in retrospect should not have surprised me as I knew the exact date he was concieved. I was induced at 40+6 but that was due to hypertension (not eclampsia, I have a general tendency to hypertension) but DS, when he arrived, had very dry peely skin...