So what actually happens if you are overdue and refuse to be induced?

[MrsMerryHenry]

Say you walk into the hospital, get checked out (BP, placenta, amnio fluid, baby's heartbeat, etc etc - all vital signs are a-ok) and then your OB says 'well, Mrs UpTheDuff, you've now reached our arbitrary cut-off point of 10 days' overdue so we'll have to induce you.'

Then you say: 'Over my dead body. That baby's fine and so am I. I'll let nature take its course, thank you very much Dr Overcautious.'

What happens then? Do they rugby tackle you onto the nearest bed, superglue your arms to your sides, stick your legs in stirrups and cry 'Mwa hahaharrr! Hospital policy rules ok!' before reeeeeeeeeeeaaaaching up your fanjo and yanking that child out by hand?

Surely there has to be some sort of discussion over the induction issue, where the woman gets to make the ultimate decision? If you and your baby are ok, they can't actually force you to be induced, can they?

a lady from the local homebirth group went 24 days over.
She went in for monitoring/scans etc and had a homebirth and healthy baby.
I think if you are sensible about it (i.e let the monitor the baby regularly) and you and baby are healthy you may as well wait. Due dates aren't infallible

fraisersmummy and strikeuptheband. thanks for your support and for saying what i wanted to much more eloquently.

i am sorry my post was so callous. in my defense i was up most of the night worrying about fetal movements and dwelling on my personal loss of a sense of 'beauty' in the process of childbirth.

i guess i am angered by others optimism(misspercieved as arrogance) in the unquestionable ability of their bodies to make healthy living babies.

Anyway, i will get my coat and leave the more diplomatic m'netters to offer thier pearls of wisdom gleaned from a heartbreak that no other can begin to understand.

op i wish you luck and beauty in your birthing experience.

God I really needed to read that ! Was morbidly drawn to read a couple of the stories, at 40+4 not a good idea

Mrsmerryhenry - I went '18' days over with my first, I say '18' because they insisted on using my LMP which was not accurate. I would have been even further overdue if they'd insisted on using my scan date.

This time I'm still refusing induction, accepting monitoring etc but not as 100% sure of my dates - will take it day by day !

going over your dates is not risk free

being induced is not risk free

delivering early is not risk free

delivering a baby vaginally is not risk free

delivering a baby by c.section is not risk free

but it is up to each mother to make an informed decision whether or not to be induced/ go over/ deliver by c.s etc

so few women are 'allowed' to go past term + 10 or 12 that anyone going to 42 weeks or beyond is seen as unusual/scary/weird

a normal full term pregnancy according the the WHO is 37 - 42 weeks. so you are not even post dates until 42 + 1

being induced at term + 10 simply for being post mature , without a good Bishops score can leave oyu with a long induction , e.g 2 days of being given prostin, until you can have ARM and then maybe synto to get you going, so 2 day inductions are not taht uncommon. and then you don't deliver until term + 12 oe 13 anyway

more attention needs to be paid to each woman's individual need and what her body is doing

It depends on the hospital how strongly they are going to push you or how happy they will be to just keep monitoring you. They are not all completely unapproachable.

Thanks all for your input. Muddle78, I'm really sorry that you've been through such trauma, and thanks for writing your second post.

Lulu - you've put it really well. I shall definitely research all the links you've all mentioned. As far as I'm concerned as long as all the indicators are healthy there is no reason to induce, and in fact I would demand to have regular scans, etc, for my own peace of mind.

Fascinating to discover how much the UK differs from international standards and even the standards laid out by the WHO. I know someone who was a month overdue (many decades ago), was born with hardly any amnio fluid and was born fit and healthy. There are always anecdotes, but as Lulu said, nothing is risk-free - babies that are induced can still die and I am certain that more overdue babies survive than die.

I still have several months before I even have to think of giving birth, so I have plenty of time to read up on all the valuable material you've all given me.

Thanks so much again.