How far past your due date can you be and still have a home birth?

[BrownPaperandString]

If this pregnancy goes ok, I know that I will be in the order of 12-14 days 'late'. I cooked my past 2 babies the exact same number of days post ovulation/conception. Luckily DC2 who was my homebirth was only a week late as I ovulated early that month. DC1 was 12 days late.

So I'm just wondering if I need to 'adjust' my LMP by a couple of days or so as I will want a homebirth again.....

I have each time adjusted due date so that LMP is 14 days before ovulation. When you say 12-14 days late do you mean going on LMP on going on ovulation?

12-14 days late going on LMP to calculate due date - my cooking time seems to be 40 weeks exactly from ovulation.

oops - minus 2 days, so 39+5 weeks cooking time from ovulation.

I went 13 days over with Ds1 and 14 with Dd2. I wasn't booked in for induction as I had argued about having a longer cycle and therefore not being as overdue as their calculations. (I was induced with DD1, she was 15 days late) I would have had a homebirth with DS2 as well but he had other ideas!

You can have a HB whenever you want STRICTLY speaking. I had midwives attend at almost three weeks over. That said, the stress at this point of fighting for that right and also risk of a midwife not making it to you in time may or may not be worth it. I was prepared to birth with just my birth partner if necessary so I didn't really care if I was left wondering when the heck the midwife might turn up but most people probably don't feel the same. I too admit that when it comes down to it the bravery can diminish somewhat.

I've had one EDD homebirth, one 10 days over and then I started my 4th labour just 12 hours off 3 weeks past dates but then transferred to hospital for various reasons.

Despite very supportive midwives, once I went past 14 days the pressure from everyone to be in hospital was really on.

Also bear in mind that 3rd and subsequent pregnancies go a bit wild. It is midwifery legend. My 3rd baby changed all the rules and the 4th...well!!!! You may be early, on time, very late - don't depend on anything is all I'd say. Best wishes

Talk to your midwife. They cannot say you cannot have a home birth, as this is your choice. However, they can say that they will not support a home birth in certain circumstances. And although someone has to be sent out to you, they can send a paramedic to simply bring you into hospital.

My local area seems to be quite pro home birth and also pro monitor and see policies rather than induction, which I'm glad about. Your midwife may be happy supporting a homebirth later on if you've had extra monitoring - but in my area they only ask for extra monitoring if you don't want an induction when you get to 14 days post-dates, so you may never get to that stage.

my last ds was a home birth at 13 days late my midwife had done a sweep that morning but I was adamant i was not going to be induced. All she asked was that I went to hospital for a dopler and a CTG the next day (not needed in the end) She was very supportive.

well why not adjust by a few days to take into account slightly longer cycle. should be ok with homebirth until 40+14 so a couple of days adjustment is probably enough.

my dd and ds both a few days late, so expecting ds2 also to be a few days late but ds2 was just a week early! was at work until the day before!