Positive stories of those giving birth in their 40th and 41st weeks?

[thundermum]

I was due on Tuesday and have definitely hit that “well, it’s clearly never going to happen” train of thought. I really don’t want to be induced.... I’m hoping the lovely MN community can give me their experiences to confirm that just because a baby doesn’t come on it’s due date, doesn’t mean induction is the only other way out!

Positive stories of those giving birth in their 40th and 41st weeks?

I’m being totally irrational, I’m aware. Help me come back to the land of the sane!

I had DD at 12 days overdue and DS at 10 days overdue.
Both were waterbirths with only gas and air, very calm, relaxed and relatively quick (DD 5 hours of labour, DS two).
I had a PPH with DD, DS's birth was perfect.
It's so irritating to hear at the time, but honestly, your baby will arrive when its ready :)

With DD1 I was taken in to be induced at 40+10. It was a long drawn out process, so with DD2 nearly 3 years later I refused induction until 42 weeks exactly. DD2 came of her own accord at 40+13, nice and quick labour! Good luck. Not long now! X

Thanks both. Glad to hear (for the most part) they were uncomplicated births. My hospital induce at 40+12 and I think the reason I’m nervous about it is hearing how long it can take. Plus I really want to be at the birthing centre over the hospital (which obviously can’t be if I’m induced!)

Need to keep reminding myself I won’t be pregnant forever. Am going for a walk now and might not stop until I’m in labour 😂

I had my baby at 41 weeks all went smoothly. Good luck op.

There is a stat which is roughly 4% of babies are born on their due date but 90% are born two weeks either side of that date. It would make much more sense for them to give you a ‘due range’!

I carried mine to 40+12 days, 40+6 days (twice) and 40+10 days. Not induced once!

And 3 of them were at home so v uncomplicated!

17 day overdue. Booked in for a c section on the Monday morning (which I really didn’t want, but wanted an induction even less). Went into spontaneous labour on the Sunday evening. Had her two hours later at home. Was brilliant. Xx

I was 9 days overdue with DS2.
I declined any interventions (including sweeps). Laboured naturally for 3 hours 20 minutes and he was born in the birthing pool. It was amazing, kind of makes me want to do it again

DD2 was 10 days overdue. It was a lovely, easy labour (5 hours from first twinge to birth) and I was home 6 hours later.

DD3 was 3 days overdue. Easy labour despite her being back-to-back - slightly longer than DD2 at around 12 hours from first contraction. She had meconium in her waters so we were kept in for 12 hours after she was born.

I don't personally think pineapple, sex etc necessarily work. I love curry so did eat plenty under guise of "to get things moving" but I honestly don't think it did. Best idea is to keep busy as a distraction but make sure you don't exhaust yourself. Labour can be long and tiring!

40 + 11 - spontaneous labour with Dc2. Labour long but birth fine with no trauma. Good luck!

Most of my NCT group went overdue, but none of us had to be induced - 8 days late seemed to be the most common, but my DD hung in there for 10 days!

There's a website where you can see your statistics of going into spontaneous labour day by day - I liked looking at that and seeing the chances going up with each extra day I was overdue.

I was induced at 15 days over my due date (was a Monday and the weekend caused the extra day)
I was given a pessary at 09.45 and he was born at 21.50. All done with gas and air.
My 1st was a spontaneous labour, with an epidural and ventous.
I was against having an induction, but it turned out to be much better than my first labour. 9 years on, it's just a distant memory.
Good luck

Due dates are such silly things. The last stat is 4-6% of babies in the UK are born on their EDD. I’m “due” Wednesday but not expecting anything. The baby could come anytime in the next 2 weeks and that’s good enough for me. I’m dreading the messages I’ll get Wednesday and we wish we hadn’t told anyone when it was!

All really useful! Thank you! Especially hearing your two contrasting births @ASilhouetteAndNothingMore

I wasn’t really expecting a due date baby Hayley but I think I was mentally prepared for (at least) two weeks before it, so now I’m five days over it feels like I’ve been waiting a lifetime. Was just starting to feel like it was never going to happen (which is of course a physical impossibility but I did say I was being irrational).

To add, I think my panic was that I don’t want to be induced. And with it looming a week away, I just wanted to hear some women say “no of course you can go over your EDD without it ending in induction”. And mission accomplished ☺️☺️☺️

DD1 was 40 +8. I had a sweep at 9am, started with niggly backache and period type pains an hour later, went in at 4pm when contractions were regular and painful, she was born at 9.25pm.

Fingers crossed for next weeks sweep then 🤞🏻

@thundermum has it happened yet?