Experiences of pregnancy going beyond 42 weeks?

[WhatIsPink]

Anyone who have gone over 42 weeks? I’m currently 41+4, while first child was born 41+6 and then second 41+4. Although very likely this one will come out in the next few days, but if not, wanted to hear anyone’s experience who actually went over 42 weeks, both how to discuss either the hospital and also research on the safety. Hospital is big on induction which I’m not too keen but 42 weeks is a mark which does get me a bit worried.

My first came at 42 weeks, second 42+4 3rd 42+5

Having worked in perinatal care, nothing on this earth could convince me to go over 41 weeks. If you don't want to be induced, have a section. It is just not worth it.

How did your conversation go with the hospital and how did you manage the potential safety risk of the placenta aging etc?

Because of the stillborn risk? Are they spontaneous or usually comes with pre existing health issues?

I was desperate for a natural birth so I wanted to wait past 42 weeks. There was a lot of pressure to be induced. Midwife made an appointment with the doctor who explained the risks of placental aging so I agreed to an induction.

My waters then broke at 42+3 but I didn’t go into labour so I was induced and ended up having an emergency cesarean due to low heart rate. My child was fine but has turned out to have some developmental complications. I will never know if the decisions I made at the time are the reason for them.

Does it matter, if your baby is dead? The placental function is decreasing with every hour that passes. Yes, many will be fine. Thank goodness. But some will not and that changes the path of your life, and your other children's lives forever.
Outside of work with individual stories I cannot share, I have an acquaintance who declined induction. Insisted on daily CTGs instead. Which were beautiful for three days and then on day four the very worst thing happened. She'd still felt baby moving (because when they're huge and floating they still bump around). A perfect perfect boy who was still alive when she was offered an induction or section 5 days previously.

Still birth risk is 0.09% past 42 weeks which I didn't think was particularly high, the 40 were dye date was decided in 1812 so particularly out dated, the 42 week rule was coined in 1976, nit everyone ovulate and conceives on the same day if their cycle so dute date is a massive guess anyway, the placenta doesn't have an expiry date and all of mine were perfectly healthy and functioning with no complications

You’ve also got the risk of the baby passing meconium and aspirating.

Omg, that is horrendous

1st came at 42 weeks exactly. Waters didn’t break until just before she was born, during the pushing stage. There was meconium in it and therefore became classed an emergency as the baby can inhale it. Everything was fine but the potential for things to go wrong was there.

It’s a very real risk. If you search previous threads on here, I’ve seen many posters say don’t do this as it didn’t turn out well for them. Don’t risk it, it’s not worth it. it’s not because of pre existing conditions, it’s just biology. The placenta has a lifespan, it doesn’t last indefinitely.

I had 2 sections as I needed to have the babies at 37 weeks and didn’t want induction (or actually giving birth vaginally at all), my recovery was great, even though I was ‘geriatric’ both times. Good luck x

The baby will be getting bigger by the day!

I just said I wasn't going to be induced and stayed pregnant until I went into labour, I was bullied horrendously into unnecessary induction with my first 2, refused for my third which was the quickest of all my labour's and births and no intervention needed, once you start having intervention you need more to manage the problems they create

I'm surprised the hospital haven't been encouraging you to have an induction since 41 weeks.

Two things to bear in mind:
The baby isn't going to change / gain magic powers by being in you a little longer... And, the little fragile bundles are much more difficult to monitor than if they are Earth-side xxx

I used to be unsure of induction because it isn't natural. After I have birth to my first, I realised how silly this thought was.

I would also never go past 41 weeks. I did however live in a country that doesnt allow women the choice to go past 41 weeks because of the risks associated with this. So my opinion is biased.

Both of my births were almost 2 weeks overdue. First one eventually went into labour spontaneously, turned out to be a nightmare 36 hour delivery with lots of drugs for pain relief, episiotomy, forceps, sutures and took weeks to heal. Second one was induced - 2 lots of pessaries over 12 hours, perfect delivery taking 1 hour after waters broke. No pain relief, no sutures needed. The difference between the ‘natural’ and the induced deliveries were immeasurable.

Exactly what Godrabbit described happened to my friend. Well put @Godrabbit. It isn’t worth the risk. Aside from the pain of the loss, my friend has to live with the guilt and the saddest concept: if only.

I’m surprised you have not been told about an induction for 41 weeks. Being someone who had an induction at 39 weeks, the one thing I remember being told is that my baby was much safer on the outside than staying longer on the inside. That was enough for me to go ahead with an induction that originally I was really nervous about and didn’t want. But for my baby’s sake I’ll do anything.
Everyone has different experiences so you shouldn't really compare others births and realistically do what is best for mother and baby.

SIL went three weeks over with daily monitoring. Went into labour spontaneously and had DN with no problems. In her case her periods had always been very erratic with huge gaps, so it was tricky to be accurate on dates.

I’m not sure mumsnet is the place for this post I’m honest OP. You’re going to get a lot of unpleasant responses.

There was a recent Swedish post dates study that had one group that was induced before a certain gestation and another that wasn’t.

They ended the study early because of still birth rates in the non induction group. However all of the still births occurred in a hospital where they didn’t undertake additional monitoring for post dates women. There were no still births in the hospital where additional monitoring was routinely undertaken for post dates women.

You haven’t got to 42 weeks before and you’re unlikely to get to 42 weeks this time.

There’s pros and cons to everything. You’ve already had 2 vaginal births so an induction 3rd time around is likely to not be too difficult but I understand that a spontaneous labour would be preferable.

The great birth rebellion podcast is good for breaking down the science and the data. They have a few episodes on going over due. That and the midwives cauldron podcast.

My own NHS midwife had 2 homebirths after 42 weeks. So I wouldn’t say going past 42 weeks is as crazy some people say it is.

I’m glad you had a positive induction experience but what you are describing is probably the difference between a first and second vaginal birth. Lots of people experience a much easier second birth.

Holy shit!

So if someone told you that a gunman was going into your child’s standard sized 3 form entry school tomorrow and would shoot 6 of the children stone dead, you’d send them in anyway? Because a 0.9% risk of death for no benefit to them is not particularly high!

It’s exactly the same thing.

DS was born at 42+1 just because the induction took a while and his cord snapped when he was coming out as it was quite aged but he was fine. A friend went to 42+4 and her baby was stillborn. Some people manage fine and some don’t, it’s not a risk id take on purpose.

I got taken through to induction at 42 exactly and was in placental failure, despite having being on 3hrly ctgs for the previous 4 days as an inpatient waiting for a bed in labour ward. Nothing would make me go past 42 weeks, and One of my requirements for going through it again is not going past 40 weeks because I refused to be put in that situation again.

This. Please don't.

A friend of mine declined induction and went beyond 42 weeks. It didn't end well.