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[MrsCurly]

Come and take my mind off it!

Suggest something indulgent we can do to distract ourselves.

Mrs C

Congrats GG - glad all is well now.

Started my induction. Had the first pessary and will be going back at 5 for second or waters breaking! Was told that I'll have the baby by Sunday, which was a bit freaky cos I feel like I've been preg so long that there isn't really a baby in there!

Forgot to say Madcatsazz, I went from 2/5 to 4/5 the other week. Midwife said that this was normal and it didn't mean that you won't go into labour.

But, if the head isn't pressing on your cervix then I didn't see hbow walking and bouncy on the ball would get anything going - just get the baby engaged again.

Hope that the consultant says everything is ok for you still, fingers crossed that you avoid induction.

Hope the pessary is doing its thing hetty!

Just been for a reflexology sesh. It was wonderfully relaxing, baby seemed really chilled out during it too. I told the reflexologist I'm booked for induction on Friday and she said "oh it'll happen before that, I've felt your uterus and fallopian tubes". Should I take this remark with a pinch of salt? Do they all say that!?

PS, madcatsazz, my baby has jumped back to 4/5 from 2-3/5 too. Grr, don't think she understands that the way out is downwards!

Madcats, just saw this and thought of you 18 days over, successful homebirth How are you feeling today?

Congrats GG, hope you're recovering well from the pph, you'll have to take it extra easy.

10+8 today, having a few tiny niggles in the last hour but barely worth paying attention to. Spent a couple of hours last night nipple twiddling, got some BH but they stopped as soon as I got in bed. I was going to take a long walk today but spd really hurting so that's out.

Someone has recommended circling my hips like I'm hula hooping. Even read that massaging the inner thighs can help, and having your other half pinch your little toe quite hard. Also pinching the web between your thumb and forefinger as hard as you can. Getting desperate now so I will be trying all these today, and more twiddling! Briefly considered trying castor oil but have heard it can make the baby poo inside you so might just have a chilli instead.

TMI- I tried to feel my own cervix last night to see if anything is happening. I can reach it now (couldn't before) so maybe it's not as high/posterior as it was. It all felt very very soft but not dilated as far as I could tell. Interesting though!

Good luck with your induction Hetty, hope it all goes smoothly for you!

yes, good luck hetty! Hope it is all straightforward and quick for you!

Joining you - only term+1 but ds was term+13 and dd term+10 so not expecting much yet. Despite having said all along babe would be late I'm getting the phone calls etc. Labour inducing thoughts to us all.

finally got a minute to catch up! congrats to Lily and hope that you are snuggling your newborn by now Hetty!

really hope things are happening for everyone else - think you are amazing for hanging on in there madcats.

My waters broke at 6:30am at 40+6, first pains half an hour later. There was a bit of a delay in the midwife arriving and the gas and air didn't arrive till 10am by which time I was too far along to concentrate on using it properly but luckily we did get the pool filled in time for me to deliver in it.

DD born at 11:30am - 8lb 15 oz (ds was only 6lb 10!) and then as I got out of the pool the placenta came away suddenly along with rather a lot of blood and my uterus didn't contract down as it should - cue a speedy transfer to hospital.

Registrar manually removed lots of clots from my uterus and I certainly got stuck into the gas and air then. Got a second degree tear again so that got repaired. Got given hormone drip to help uterus contract back down but despite total blood loss of 1.8 litres, I didn't need a blood transfusion.

All in all - whilst dd is completely definitely worth it, I'm glad I'm not planning another baby, frankly! The midwives were all lovely, as were the hospital staff, and everyone was very pro home birth and kept apologising for having to transfer me. Can't sing their praises enough.

Congrats GoldenGreen! You did it. You must be feeling a bit wan after all that - hope you are getting some rest.

Hi all - won't post full labour story as just posted on this thread but needless to say, LO was born at 7.43pm on Saturday night via natural delivery, no monitoring, no artificial hormones but with ARM. All went well but did have a pph losing 1 litre of blood. Feel weak and tired and sore but all went really really well. Congrats GG - after the weakness I've been feeling, you must be feeling REALLY CRAPPY so I am sending some hardcore iron filled happy thoughts to you!

All in all, I'm really happy with how things went and it just goes to show, going too far overdue DOES NOT mean you can't have some, if not all the things you wanted. FWIW, I would have had a waterbirth if things hadn't progressed so quick as I had an amazing midwife that was filling it for me when we realised I needed to push!! Good luck to everyone.

wonderful news madcatsazz. so glad you avoided induction after all that anxiety. hope you feel better v soon - I feel remarkably ok though the constant feeding will put paid to that soon!

I have to say the same GG, the staff I encountered were absolutely fantastic and very supportive of all my decisions. My midwife never left my side and even the antenatal care was pretty good (TBH I left as soon as I could because I wanted to get home so they didn't have a chance to care much for me). They really wanted to keep me in until LO had 'established' feeding better and until my blood count was up but I promised to rest (bah - with a 3yr old at home? What was I thinking?!) and assured them as this was 2nd LO I would be fine with the BF.

james - I'm hoping you have a fantastic birth story of your own by now - fingers crossed for you.

Aaw welling up reading your birth stories, well done you two! So glad it's all over for you both. Cripes GG, the registrar having to remove clots by hand made me a bit green, you're so brave. Hope you're feeling better soon.

Went in for monitoring today, all is well but they seem to want to agree a date for induction anyway and it seems they've even got dp a bit spooked now so I feel a bit like it's me against the world. It's so weird how they say everything's perfect and ready to go in one breath, then say they must induce in the next!

I've been having painful contractions (having one now!) cervix is very soft, effaced, anterior, she's fully engaged now - all the signs are in place, just need a little more time. No idea why they're trying to rush things, makes no sense when there isn't a medical need right now.

James - it sounds like you'll be having this baby in no time. Hold out until you feel comfortable but I bet if you book an induction for 40+15 you'll have it before anyway and they shouldn't have a problem leaving you until term plus 14 anyway so it's only an extra day! FWIW, if you do decide to go for induction, I bet you won't need anything more that ARM. I have absolutely no regrets about letting them break my waters and by holding them off an extra hour, I managed to avoid the syntocin. Fingers crossed for you.

Went for appt today (40+5) and was given a choice between hospital appt today or next week. Said next week, I'll be 40+12 then. Hoping I won't make it and will have a chance to come naturally in between. Offered a sweep today but as he's only 4/5 engaged thought I'd leave it as had no signs he's ready. Said at the hosp next week will agree a date for induction plus do sweep.

Did I make the right decision? I just feel in my gut he's not coming for at least a few days yet so thought I'd leave him to do it on his own as long as possible.

He was 2/5 engaged 2 weeks ago :-(

strawberry, you made a decision so it is the right one. FWIW, I believe a sweep will only work if you are near ready anyway and if you are near ready, the baby will make it's own way. I agreed to a sweep at 41+5 (ish) but really only because I wanted to know the state of my cervix. It was unfavourable and the sweep was painful. I had one the day DD2 was delivered (term plus 18!!) and the sweep was not even uncomfortable. Just goes to show the difference between ready and not. Trust your gut and let your baby have a bit of time to get ready.

One other thing, I was 2/5 palpable 3 days before baby was born. Next day I wasn't engaged AT ALL!!! The next day, baby had re-engaged to 2/5 and along baby came with minimal intervention (ARM). Just goes to show being engaged doesn't mean everything. Chin up and relax. It will be good.

Thank you madcatz. I'm actually very relaxed. I'm not far over, I'm slim, healthy, baby is active and I don't see the rush. I have a gut feeling that he's not quite ready, nor is my cervix. It just seems that noone else is relaxed. You would have thought I was the first overdue woman midwife had seen from her look of surprise (despite the fact I know the woman before me was 6 days over...). It feels a bit weird doing the opposite of the medical advice and having 'refused membrane sweep' written on notes. I'm used to doing whatever doctor says! However since being pregnant I haven't always felt that advice is in mine or my baby's interest, but rather procedure and protocol. I think +11 is a very sensible time to start discussing potential indeuction etc. I guess it always helps to be understood.

on the same lines i will be 41 weeks on thursday when i see midwife. she knows i dont want any intervention but has offered to do a sweep then if i change my mind...i really dont want to have it but like you madcatz i am curious to see what condition my cervix is in. my gut says to hang in and wait as knowing wont change anything but there is that impatient part of me foolishly suggesting it wont hurt...any advice gratefully received...

homebirthmummy - I don't know that I am equiped (sp?) to advise - I can only talk from my experiences and I'm sure others with say different. I do know I wish I hadn't had the first sweep I had because I was so uncomfortable during it and it was actually painful. Subsequent ones were less painful but that's because I got 'riper' and possibly also because different people did it each time. As I keep saying, trust your body. Are you showing any real signs? Lots of BH? Show? baby well engaged? If so, a sweep may be a good idea. If you feel that you aren't showing any signs at all, maybe you could hold off? Not having it one day, doesn't mean you can't/won't have it the next. I booked in for a sweep at 42 weeks and that should have been my first one (consultant persuaded me at 41+5)

I didn't actually manage a 'sweep of membranes' until the day i went into labour though I had about 4 attempts before that but as my cervix was so unfavourable, none of the practitioners attempting got anywhere close to sweeping so was it worth it?

Hi, I'm new to the overdue thread but have been reading with interest as i'm now 40+10.

Homebirthmummy I had an attempted sweep this morning but like madcatsazz my cervix was not favourable and they couldn't do it. Also baby's head was not engaged after being told it was 2/5 on Sunday

Feeling really fed up now as I really don't want to be induced and was hoping things would happen naturally. MW doesn't seem hopeful and says that for a first baby head should be engaged by now.

Feel like I'm running out of time before the inevitable intervention starts

Forgot to say that my attempted sweep was not remotely painful but it did reveal that my cervix is still not ready.

Surely induction is pointless if that's the case????

Congratulations madcatsazz

thanks madcatz and moggmum, having lots of bh which are definately getting stronger and more frequent but only between 6pm ish and 11pm ish. baby is 'fully engaged' too so maybe i will allow mw to have a prod and see if anything is going on, ridiculously at this stage it is the undignified position that is bothering me as much as the prospect of pain, honestly , i know i will be a darn sight more indignified at birth lol. i really could do with having this baby before half term hits though otherwise i know i will be pestered to 'do' things (i.e. shopping) with 3 bored teenage dds . at least if baby is born dh is on hand to absorb their boredom (and get them to revise for upcoming exams)

Hello! 1st baby and I know they are often late but am so impatient (I'm 40+2)!! feel ready now: am uncomfortable, pelvis hurts, lots of bh when i walk but stop when I stop, hormones all over shop -spent yest am in tears for no reason at all-. does this all mean she's coming soon??? i hope so!
Moggmum: maybe she will re-engage, i don't think it's an exact science.... Good luck!