42 week pregnancy - advice!

Jo_R_2

I have been hesitating to post this but thought might as well so here we go!

Baby #2 was due 27th June and no sign - that's 10 days over so far! DD1 was 8 days over anyway and I have MAJOR issues with the way pregnancies are dated from first day of yr last period as if you don't have a 28-day cycle and ovulate exactly on day 14 then yr pretty much guaranteed baby's due date is not what you have been told!

So had a feeling baby would be late, so it's not a surprise. To be honest, I am quite happy generally to sit it out, I've been "with child" for this long that a few more days isn't going to make much difference! However, I am acutely aware of two things...

1. The closer I get to 42 weeks, the more pressure I will come under for induction. Now, induction is something I absolutely want to avoid wherever possible and have made my feelings clear about this - the way I see it, is that if baby and placenta are fine in there then why extract them? Full-term for a baby is anything between 37-42 weeks so we're still within the "normal" range. However, with wanting a home birth, I have already had to fight to go past 41 weeks so past 42 weeks - woo not looking forward to that "discussion" with my consultant!

2. Also I am aware that the longer baby is in there, the less maternity leave I will have with her - I know a few weeks isn't much but in the scheme of all-things baby, 2/3/4 weeks is a lot in terms of development - it means baby may only be 5 months instead of 6 when I go back to work Luckily my leave is planned so I have tagged my accrued leave on already prior to starting maternity leave and then the rest after so I won't be going back to work til January, that much I know.

I wanted to know what you thought about the possibilities really! I so want to home birth but the barriers put up against you can be horrendous, it's always a fight against time before you start to list the hundreds of other things you get thrown at you as to why you can't have a home birth! I know there's various methods of bringing on labour, and also the option to go with induction, or caesarean section if baby stays put and to be honest, I'd rather go with a c-sec than be induced.

Do I sit and wait as the days go by, as my maternity whiles itself away, and fight for my home birth? Do I go with induction at 42 weeks which is nasty option if it doesn't go right and I don't fancy a dose of the prostaglandins they use to start you off (made from pig semen!! :eek: ) Or do I opt for the c-sec post 42 weeks, major abdominal op?

seven-day-weekend

If everything is OK and baby is not distressed I would just wait for him/her to come naturally. No-one can make you have an induction or caesarian, can they, (unless it's an emergency)?

Why can't you have a home birth at 42 weeks?

seven-day-weekend

You've probably gone into labour by now anyway!

Jo_R_2

LOL no labour yet!

Yr right seven-day-weekend, no one can make you have an induction or caesarean, ultimately you are "advised" or "recommended" but at the end of the day it's the womna's decision, despite what many medics would have you believe about "allowing" women to have a HB or not... Even in an emergency it's still the woman's decision or consent has to be given by someone dependent on the situation.

Home births are quite interesting territory. The 42-week thing is because babies are considered the higher-end of "term" at 42 weeks, and the worry is (with any baby) that the placenta starts to deteriorate at the end of pregnancy. Of course, like anything, it's different for different women and babies. This could mean that potentially the baby starts to effectively "starve" inside the womb so if this were happening, an induction would probably be recommended to save baby, which can only be doe in hospital.

However, with the emphasis on individual care, my argument is that every case should be taken individually. Baby was fine at last scan, is moving regularly, heart beat fine etc etc so no reason to get her outor have her at hospital! I have a scan and another appointment Tuesday should I need them. Of course if scan showed anything untoward then I would revise my wishes but I would have done that anyway at any given point in pregnancy should there be an obvious medical reason why I needed to give birth in hospital.

I'm a bit mixed up I suppose, I've been fighting my corner for so long for this home birth and at this point the prospect of having the pressure piled on me to go into hospital just because it's "procedure here" is not good enough reason for me to take action... It's just the thought of feeling huge, tired and defensive against a consultant who has already said he will let me go to 42 weeks and home birth but after that he will "have to" induce me. Ahem - HAVE to? I think I have to agree to that first don't I?!?!?!

silvercar

I was induced at 41.5 weeks twice. Its really not as bad as people make out. You really don't want a c-section -that is a much longer recovery.

Harder choice for you as I was happy to have a hospital birth and knew I want an epidural. In fact second time round I had the epidural before the contractions!

The midwifes did say my first baby looked over-cooked and was well due for delivery.

inkie

Things to consider

One of the consultants I worked for as a midwife would never induce until Term plus 14 days - assuming that everything is OK with mum and babe (much to the disgruntlement of some mums who didn't want to wait this long!)

You can have HB providing you go into spontaneous labour and everything OK (can't do induction at home)

With my second baby - I was given the option of early induction at 38 + weeks (shoulder dystocia with first delivery) or a section - being a midwife the consultant let me chose - I chose induction and had a normal delivery- why go for a section and breech the uterus (and all the probs that major abdo surgery can bring ) when a vaginal delivery is theoretically possible? The induction was fine - the more closer to term or post dates you are the riper you will be for it!

Keep mobile, keep healthy, keep positive!

inkie

JO_R - you mention that HB is not 'allowed' the more post dates you are due to placenta begining to fail, potentially starving the baby. This is a non-starter of an argument if this has been given to you by health professionals -on this basis, an induction of labour could potentially cause more 'stress' than sponteous labour, and so if they were that concerned they shouldn't be advocating induction - and should go straight for a section.

cookiesncream

I have no experience with this at all but I have a 30day cycle so would aparently have a 42 week preg according to my doctor. What I don't understand is that if you have a longer cycle, 42 weeks is the same as 40 for a woman with a 28 day cycle but I'm totally clueless so I'm probably wrong! If that's the case, then why don't they let you have a home-birth? Too much red-tape sometimes I think. I hope it all goes ok for you, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!!

seven-day-weekend

cookiesncream wrote:

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!!

As long as Jo_R doesn't keep her legs crossed!:j

inkie

With regard to working out the due date, you take the first day of the last period and add 9 months and 7 days (based on a 28 day cycle) - this is called Naegele's Rule. This will give you the expected date of delivery eg 1st day of LMP 3 March - based on a 28 day cycle the baby will be due 10th Dec. If you have a cycle in excess of 28 days - you add the amount of days over the 28 days cycle on i.e. a 34 days cycle, baby would be due on the 16th Dec ie add 6 days on. The same shoud be done for shorter cycles in that the amount of days short of a 28 day cycle should be minused. This is the correct way of doing it. However, most people I would say are given a date based on a 28 day cycle regardless of the length of their actual cycle.

mrcow

Have you been examined? How far down is the baby? I only ask as I was in the same position with you with my second (had an emergency cs with the first following induction and vowed not to be artificially induced again).

I had a sweep from my midwife and was in natural labour within 12 hours. You've probably already gone down this route? But just thought I'd mention it.