Is late pregnancy a "dangerous" time for baby?!

[GinAndaDashOfLime]

Just wondering really if the last month or so is more risky for baby - I'm 39+5 and EVERY appointment recently have had a long, serious talk from the midwife about ANY decrease in baby movements to get to hospital URGENTLY ..

Don't get me wrong I'm so pleased that they take it seriously and I feel very well looked after (and have in fact been in for two CTG traces in last week due to very slightly less movements), but this is my 3rd DC and I don't remember this level if anxiety from the HCPs last times, and it's only really since 36 weeks that the fetal movement reduction topic has been raised by the midwife - previous appointments were much more bish-bash-bosh iyswim?

Is there something I don't know? Are babies more at risk in the final few weeks ?

red Your experience sounds awful, sorry you went through that. But I'm sure you're glad that you have a living child though.

Its not dangerous per se but personally I would rather be induced than incurr any risk. I specifically chose my doctor because his policy was 10 days. I didnt have to be induced either time.

OP - please dont be scared by all the intervention talk. Birth is a means to an end - a healthy baby.
On DD1, labour stopped moving along, I had my waters broken, epidural, episiotomy, ventouse - then healthy baby.
After a few sore days I was fine and baby was perfect.
That was by no means a 'perfect' birth but I enjoyed every bit of it.

mindosa Exactly. Nothing worse than burying your baby.

I'm glad that your midwife is so clued up on movements OP.

Marthas - that is terrible you had to beg to be induced. Midwife seemed worried that I would refuse to be booked in for induction and want to wait - as apparently some women do this and she said leaving it too long would give me a higher risk of something going wrong. As it happened I was induced at 40+8 instead of +10 because of waters leaking. I agreed to be induced straightaway - wouldn't want to take the risk of something going wrong by leaving it longer.

jinglebelly I understand how you feel about asking for a c-section instead of induction. However I was induced and gave birth without needing section or forceps/ventouse. But I know there is higher likelihood of needing an emergency section if induced.

Gin no idea about induction procedure in other countries and redwelly am sorry I didn't get my facts right I was only repeating what the midwife told me about everywhere in the UK offering induction after +10. She was obviously mistaken.

I am reading this thread with interest as baby no 2 due 9th Jan. Although hopefully won't go overdue this time. mindosa you are absolutely right - if i need more intervention/a c-section this time I will not care as long as the baby is healthy.

But I'm sure you're glad that you have a living child though.

Yes. Obviously. I have a disabled child however that will always require additional support and therapy, she spent the first week of life in a coma after stopping breathing in my arms and turning blue then grey. She has been admitted countless times with life threatening seizures. She doesn't speak. The emotions involved in looking after her are oftenough more complex than "well she survived didn't she" and she is considered to only be mildly affected.

This thread was about movement in pg, so as we had a lesss than perfect outcome i commented. I should have moved faster, but the hospital has admitted they should have carried out a crash section to save her and she would have been ok. I was signed off by an obstetrician and the head of midwives to go overdue, they obviously weren't worried. I hope my current pregnancy ends well.

inadreamworld I have done the cascade of interventions thing leading to CS already, so while I know there are people who can manage a V-birth in less than optimal positions/conditions, I'm not convinced that I'm one of them

I plan to VBAC but only if I can give it the best chances of working, so this time no pethedine so the baby is responsive enough to turn into the correct position, no epidural so that I can stay mobile etc. An epidural would increase the chances of needing help with pain relief.. so IMO I'd be better to just skip all that and go straight for CS, instead of a CS after hours of other stuff. (and then a hard to feed pethedine baby etc)

of course not everyone who is induced needs other interventions or CSs, but it does increase your chances of getting into a big old cascade of interventions

"An epidural would increase the chances of needing help with pain relief.."
^ meant to say an induction not an epidural

Good luck redwelly in your current pregnancy.

In answer to the OP's question, I wonder if individual departments respond according to anything they've experienced of late. When DS was born I was admitted and induced with slightly raised blood pressure. The midwife told me later that the consultant had lost a baby recently, and he was taking no chances.

Unfortunately mine didn't end well, and my perfect little girl was stillborn at 37 weeks.

I will forever be haunted by 'what ifs'. Could she have been saved if I'd gone in sooner.

Maybe, maybe not. There is every probability that she'd died before I noticed the lack of movements. She'd moved manically the night before. I wonder if she was struggling. But of course feeling movements is a good thing.

She had her cord wrapped round her neck twice, and a true knot in it.

This is why I think any change - too much or too little - should be seen as a urgent sign for getting checked.

red I hope this pregnancy is uneventful for you, and you have a lovely, healthy little baby xx

tamisara I'm so sorry for your loss, and thank you, this time I will trust my instinct

Tamisara - there are no words that will do; I'm so sorry you experienced that and again I'm so sorry if this thread is making it worse for you

Tamisara I am so sorry, what terrible heartbreak for you.