41 weeks & told likely to be another week still.....

[2Labradors]

....after being examined this morning.

I was hoping that I might hear from mum's who have been told the same but then went into labour naturally....to give me a bit of hope

This is my 3rd DC. I went overdue with both of my other pregnancies: 5 days in 1st pregnancy and 6 days in 2nd, both labours started after a sweep.

I had a sweep on Wednesday, at 5 days overdue (I had gone into hospital as I've been having such bad headaches) but other than period type pains & bloody mucus nothing much has happened.

I saw my community midwife this morning. She examined me and said that my cervix hasn't changed at all since Wednesday. She did another sweep but said that she thinks I'm likely to need inducing at 42 weeks.

I know this is only a week away but every hour feels like a lifetime right now....plus these headaches are exhausting, they've been put down to hormones and I've had the all clear regarding pre-eclampsia which is great.

Baby's head is right down, she actually used the word 'engaged' which I believe is very positive with 3rd baby.

Has anyone else been told this but then went into labour all on their own?

It seems an odd thing to tell someone, surely a lot can change in a week?

Try not to worry about it, if they were able to do the sweep that suggests a certain level of readiness. Most women who are still pregnant at 41 weeks will go into spontaneous labour before 42 weeks, there's surely no reason to suppose you won't.

I wasn't told anything as damning as you were, but at 41 weeks (my first pregnancy) I had a sweep about 7.30pm and was told I was 2cms and er... stretchy but that she didn't expect me to go into labour that night, but maybe in the next few days. I'd been having contractions or BH for days so was a bit disheartened.

My waters broke at 2.30am that night, DS was born at 5.44am. Midwife pleasantly surprised to see me with babe in arms on her next shift. :) She didn't attribute it to the sweep btw, as I had already been having contractions, she reckons that the stretchyness meant that I was able to go very quickly when it started. (or something, can't quite remember!) My labour was odd, I don't think my contractions were ever regular. When the midwives on the antenatal ward who had been wandering in and out, reading my notes, getting my prescription for a drip ready etc finally saw me having what I thought were the "real thing" labour contractions (the ones I had been having before were just like the ones I'd been having for days, maybe a little more intense), they told me to stop pushing and rushed me down to delivery!

But really try not to worry about an induction, in a week's time, chances are you'll have your baby in your arms by then. My latent labour contractiony things started off like intermittant period pains.

My as well think positively, relax and expect it to happen naturally. If you do need an induction in a week's time, then you do. Worrying about it now when you have plenty of time to go into labour won't help.

Maybe it was reverse psychology for your uterus, maybe every womb she says it to proves her wrong?

Thank you spiritedwolf I like the idea of it being reverse psychology
Thank you for sharing your experience too.

I'm trying to stay positive that baby will arrive before induction is needed, but I was just a bit disheartened that she thinks that is not likely. I just assumed baby would arrive around the same time as his brother & sister, I'm in uncharted territory now.

I'm really uncomfortable after these sweeps too, not contraction like, just a dull ache, but that's been since Weds, which feels like a lifetime ago.

I know that I should be holding my new baby within a week so I'm going to focus on that....I can't wait to meet him

my 3rd baby was a week late too! when he did come he arrived in 48 mins so he didn't hang around

i know she said your cervix hadn't changed, but did she say what it was like? ie, is it favourable? dilated at all?

Ooo bundaberg that was quick

She said my cervix is posterior, it's 2cm in length and I'm 1cm dilated. Both the midwife on weds & today said the same but they both managed to do a sweep. On weds I had to put my hands under my bum to help the midwife get to it but I didn't have to do that today, hoping that's positive.