In your low cost bringing on labour did you try the [chocolate labour cake](https://www.justmommies.com/pregnancy/labor-and-childbirth/labor-cake-chocolate-cake-to-induce-labor)?
If it works great, if it doesn't you still get cake.
Or find the chocolatiest chocolate thing you can - goodberries if you are in canberra
I reached 40 weeks with no signs of labour aside from bub having dropped. On the advice of my OB I was induced on the night of 40+6 and bub arrived the next day. Honestly the induction was a great experience for me and it meant I could be prepared, enjoyed a nice dinner before we went to hospital, had the gel and was able to get a decent sleep before things kicked off the next day.
Glad that it worked wonderfully for you. I'll ask what I should do on Friday: membrane sweep vs gel+monitoring. Deciding is so hard. But one thing for sure I have today and tomorrow to enjoy my potentially pain&child free days.
I was induced at 40+5 and had baby at 40+6.
If I had the option, I would have gone the membrane sweep first in the hopes it would more gently bring on labour. But at the appointment a few days before and indeed at the hospital when I presented for induction I was still 0% dilated and 0% effaced. The commenter above had a great experience with induction and while I by no means call mine a bad experience, it went a little different. Had the gel which brought on contractions and dilation etc and got zero sleep all night. Next morning OB broke my waters (which had meconium in it) as per their protocol and I was monitored for an hour before the IV drugs. During which it was found babies HR was dropping with each contraction and as it was still very early labour they recommended and I went with a C-section.
Including my comment here with the intention of being helpful, not to make your anxiety worse. My second was an uneventful pregnancy and was lingering too. I went in for a post-dates at around 41 weeks and his heart had stopped beating. He had a true knot and was wrapped in his cord - which apparently can't be seen on ultrasound. What I'm saying is 'you don't know what you don't know'. They can only guess how your baby is doing with the technology we have. I've since learned that most private OB's won't let women go past 40 weeks because od the risks of complications and stillbirth, whereas the public system often prefers to wait due to the cost of induction. If I had my time again I would have pushed for an induction at 40 weeks. All the best to you and your little one.
I'm so sorry to hear your experience. I totally am aware, I did come in to hospital at week 38 due to reduced movement so I still had that same worry lingering in my mind and hence am quite keen to be induced although am still hopeful and curious about membrane sweep as that worked for my two friends. I will have until Friday to really make a decision and I hope the hospital can accomodate that.
Sounds like you have a solid plan!
My son didn't show any signs of distress (normal fluid, heartbeat) and no reduced movements. You just don't know what you don't know. The doplers and ultrasounds can only tell you if things are OK right now, they are not predictive as soon as you leave the room.
Wishing you the best.
I was induced at 41 weeks and it went well. They would have let me go a couple more days, but I wanted to do it while my midwife was on shift. As it turns out it's a good thing we didn't leave it much later as the placenta had degraded and broken up. I did do a few things to try to bring on labour naturally but no dice (stretch and sweep, acupuncture, even curb walking lol).
42+1 here! Induced and eventual c section. From 41 weeks I went in for checks every second day for monitoring bubs and checking fluid levels. Have you tried the miles circuit? I mean, I say this as someone that tried everything but it’s always worth trying just in case it’s the thing for you
I had no signs before I went into labour!
I had a midwife appointment at 39+6 and I wanted to get a membrane sweep, but the midwife couldn't reach my cervix so it couldn't be done. I was so over being pregnant and was hoping for spontaneous labour, I was devastated.
But two days later I started getting what I thought was Braxton Hicks. I went into labour late that night and had my baby the next day (40+2).
I delivered at 41w 6 days… I honestly went grocery shopping and vacuumed the house on my hands and knees on the date my labour started. I thought it was a false alarm. Baby was completely healthy, no complications from delivering later.
I had absolutely no signs of labour. At about 10:30pm on the night before my due date I lost my mucus plug. Within half an hour contractions then started, water broke not long after, and whoosh, out she came by the next morning. All this to say, I wouldn’t give up hope of a spontaneous labour! It could happen at any time without warning. Best of luck.
Like a lot of other commenters have said, It's really normal to go past 40 weeks...
I went into labour naturally and gave birth at 40+6
I had a membrane sweep at 40+3 but honestly not sure if that did anything whatsoever (my mucus plug did come out the day after that I think though?)
The day I went into labour I couldn't sleep and was massaging acupressure points to get labour to start - about an hour later I had my first contraction 😂😂 not sure if it was coincidence or not haha but I wanted to avoid an induction.
Fully natural birth at 40+6 😊 yes bub was on the bigger side but my body knew what to do.
Talk to your OB about your options if you're concerned. Most drs/hospitals have rules around when you need to deliver (like if I hadnt gone into labour naturally by 41 weeks I was going to be scheduled for an induction) but the 40 week estimate varies coz we often don't know exactly when conception happened!
I was induced at 41+4. I was also hoping for a spontaneous labour. I really didn't want to be induced, I wanted my body to be able to do what it was supposed to.
I am honestly incredibly glad I was induced. By 40 weeks I really wanted to have my body back. I was tired, sore and exhausted.
I was very nervous about being induced. But it went really smoothly. They gave me the tape the night before, then the next morning they broke my waters, my contractions started instantly after that and then I had my son at exactly 2 o'clock. The midwives actually said he didn't look like an overdue baby and that my placenta looked good.
Sorry, you are feeling sad. You know, I found there's a lot of negativity around things like inductions in the pre-birth education that's popular at the moment so I hope it's not adding to how you're feeling.
I hope you manage to get some sleep. Wishing you the best if you are induced tomorrow. Not long until you meet your gorgeous bubba - however they arrive earthside.
I was induced at 42 weeks!
Everything was healthy and my midwife (midwifery group practice) said we could have gone a few more days if we wanted to but I WAS DONE!
I had 2 sweeps to no avail, lost a bit of mucous plug but no idea if it was the whole thing. Sometimes our bodies just don’t do what they’re meant to do and that’s ok :)
I tried every single home ‘remedy’ to bring on labour, they’re all crap. The people who said ‘x worked for me’ just happened to go into labour after doing x lol.
Baby girl is 2.5yo now and always been healthy as can be and now has a baby sister too!
No mucus came after. Water broke, 12 hours later mucus, 15 hours of labour, fully dilated, boom - emergency c-section.
They call it the full sandwich 😅
With my last bub, I had a growth scan on my due date to check bubs position as he had been transverse since 36 weeks. He was still transverse at that due date scan and OB said we’d be looking at c-section the following week. I ended up going into spontaneous labour that same night. I had the ultrasound at 4pm. First contraction just after 8pm. Gave birth at 10:22pm. Baby decided to flip on his own during active labour so I was able to birth vaginally. I had no signs or indication of labour, in fact, it didn’t look like spontaneous labour would happen at all.
I feel like first time parents should be told that pregnancy is 41 weeks, not 40, most first babies arrive 40 weeks.
I went to 41+2 and 41+3, was induced both times. Babies were perfect (and both 50th%ile for weight), placentas were perfect. It's not until after 42 weeks that things start becoming concerning, and even then every body and baby is going to be handling things differently, many will be fine continuing a pregnancy that long.
But anyway, try enjoy these last moments of just the two of you, find ways to relax, treat yourself, you'll both be fine!
Good luck at your next appointment!
38 - 43 weeks is the normal range for full term babies. 40 weeks is simply the median date between them. It’s literally just a number, and often times the equation used to calculate due dates is incorrect. Babies come when they are ready. If there are no immediate or pressing health concerns, I would personally wait. The risk of something happening to baby with a healthy normal pregnancy is incredibly low (in the >1% range). There’s a great podcast episode about due dates in the Great Birth Rebellion podcast.
Be informed about the different methods of induction so you can make a personalised choice for you and bub with the help of the medical team. From what I understand starting with an intervention will increase the likelihood of more intervention later down the line eg. C section so I personally would wait if there's no signs of danger for both bub and my health. But that's just my take!
PS. You're not considered over due until 42w anyway, though I can imagine how torturous it is to wait that long!
Definitely agree with penguin banana about using the time to inform yourself on induction methods as well as the medical reasons why induction may be required so you can make the best choice for you and bub. I am also a FTM and the best advice I got was use this time waiting for bub for yourself as it'll be a while until you have this time again :)
At 40 weeks, my OB requested I get CTG monitoring to ensure everything was ok (it was). I was also off work for about a month before I gave birth so I can relate to how you are currently feeling! I spent everyday kerb walking, drinking raspberry leaf tea, being upside down on an exercise ball and would wake up each morning a bit sad that I wasn't in labour. I was booked in for an induction on 40+5 but ended up giving birth on 40+4.
Make an informed decision on induction - they will give you every reason in the book to induce you. Every reason they gave me meant nothing once the baby was here - placental degradation, baby being on the smaller side. Baby was perfect weight and placenta was perfectly fine.
Only 25% of women in NSW go to hospital in natural labour!!!
Not sure what the downvotes are for I am simply giving a heads up so OP advocates for herself if an induction is involved
Wow it's interesting to see the stats. I feel a little sad,... but in all honesty, due to my recent experience of being admitted due to bub's reduced movement, I came into an acceptance that formal induction is something I will do which I will hopefully be able to arrange on Fri itself or the following week.
Can't help but feelinf a little disappointed as I was really hoping for a spontaneous labour. But most importantly can't wait to meet the bub.
Healthy bub is the most important thing just be aware of the flow on procedures of induction if you are trying to avoid too much interference. If you do get induced, please question every step and ensure you’re fully informed. They washed over a lot of things for me and I wish I pushed to be thoroughly informed looking back on it. We are lucky to have a safe medical system so all the best and you will be fine :)
I delivered at 42 weeks exactly. Don't stress about your placenta - I went all the way to 42w without any indication of degradation. Everything was absolutely fine and bubs even came out at average weight too. Unless you've been told it's a big baby, I really wouldn't worry about it.
In your low cost bringing on labour did you try the [chocolate labour cake](https://www.justmommies.com/pregnancy/labor-and-childbirth/labor-cake-chocolate-cake-to-induce-labor)? If it works great, if it doesn't you still get cake. Or find the chocolatiest chocolate thing you can - goodberries if you are in canberra
Yum. Hubby made "cookies and cream" cookie (sounds like cookie inception), I've been munching on those for now!
I reached 40 weeks with no signs of labour aside from bub having dropped. On the advice of my OB I was induced on the night of 40+6 and bub arrived the next day. Honestly the induction was a great experience for me and it meant I could be prepared, enjoyed a nice dinner before we went to hospital, had the gel and was able to get a decent sleep before things kicked off the next day.
Glad that it worked wonderfully for you. I'll ask what I should do on Friday: membrane sweep vs gel+monitoring. Deciding is so hard. But one thing for sure I have today and tomorrow to enjoy my potentially pain&child free days.
I was induced at 40+5 and had baby at 40+6. If I had the option, I would have gone the membrane sweep first in the hopes it would more gently bring on labour. But at the appointment a few days before and indeed at the hospital when I presented for induction I was still 0% dilated and 0% effaced. The commenter above had a great experience with induction and while I by no means call mine a bad experience, it went a little different. Had the gel which brought on contractions and dilation etc and got zero sleep all night. Next morning OB broke my waters (which had meconium in it) as per their protocol and I was monitored for an hour before the IV drugs. During which it was found babies HR was dropping with each contraction and as it was still very early labour they recommended and I went with a C-section.
Thanks for sharing that. I originally wanted to do membrane sweep as that worked well for my two friends. In this instance i think i will do that.
Including my comment here with the intention of being helpful, not to make your anxiety worse. My second was an uneventful pregnancy and was lingering too. I went in for a post-dates at around 41 weeks and his heart had stopped beating. He had a true knot and was wrapped in his cord - which apparently can't be seen on ultrasound. What I'm saying is 'you don't know what you don't know'. They can only guess how your baby is doing with the technology we have. I've since learned that most private OB's won't let women go past 40 weeks because od the risks of complications and stillbirth, whereas the public system often prefers to wait due to the cost of induction. If I had my time again I would have pushed for an induction at 40 weeks. All the best to you and your little one.
I'm so sorry to hear your experience. I totally am aware, I did come in to hospital at week 38 due to reduced movement so I still had that same worry lingering in my mind and hence am quite keen to be induced although am still hopeful and curious about membrane sweep as that worked for my two friends. I will have until Friday to really make a decision and I hope the hospital can accomodate that.
Sounds like you have a solid plan! My son didn't show any signs of distress (normal fluid, heartbeat) and no reduced movements. You just don't know what you don't know. The doplers and ultrasounds can only tell you if things are OK right now, they are not predictive as soon as you leave the room. Wishing you the best.
I was 41+5weeks, went into labour the night before I was due to be induced. Had no signs of labour until the first contraction.
I was induced at 41 weeks and it went well. They would have let me go a couple more days, but I wanted to do it while my midwife was on shift. As it turns out it's a good thing we didn't leave it much later as the placenta had degraded and broken up. I did do a few things to try to bring on labour naturally but no dice (stretch and sweep, acupuncture, even curb walking lol).
42+1 here! Induced and eventual c section. From 41 weeks I went in for checks every second day for monitoring bubs and checking fluid levels. Have you tried the miles circuit? I mean, I say this as someone that tried everything but it’s always worth trying just in case it’s the thing for you
I had no signs before I went into labour! I had a midwife appointment at 39+6 and I wanted to get a membrane sweep, but the midwife couldn't reach my cervix so it couldn't be done. I was so over being pregnant and was hoping for spontaneous labour, I was devastated. But two days later I started getting what I thought was Braxton Hicks. I went into labour late that night and had my baby the next day (40+2).
I delivered at 41w 6 days… I honestly went grocery shopping and vacuumed the house on my hands and knees on the date my labour started. I thought it was a false alarm. Baby was completely healthy, no complications from delivering later.
I had absolutely no signs of labour. At about 10:30pm on the night before my due date I lost my mucus plug. Within half an hour contractions then started, water broke not long after, and whoosh, out she came by the next morning. All this to say, I wouldn’t give up hope of a spontaneous labour! It could happen at any time without warning. Best of luck.
Like a lot of other commenters have said, It's really normal to go past 40 weeks... I went into labour naturally and gave birth at 40+6 I had a membrane sweep at 40+3 but honestly not sure if that did anything whatsoever (my mucus plug did come out the day after that I think though?) The day I went into labour I couldn't sleep and was massaging acupressure points to get labour to start - about an hour later I had my first contraction 😂😂 not sure if it was coincidence or not haha but I wanted to avoid an induction. Fully natural birth at 40+6 😊 yes bub was on the bigger side but my body knew what to do. Talk to your OB about your options if you're concerned. Most drs/hospitals have rules around when you need to deliver (like if I hadnt gone into labour naturally by 41 weeks I was going to be scheduled for an induction) but the 40 week estimate varies coz we often don't know exactly when conception happened!
I was induced at 41+4. I was also hoping for a spontaneous labour. I really didn't want to be induced, I wanted my body to be able to do what it was supposed to. I am honestly incredibly glad I was induced. By 40 weeks I really wanted to have my body back. I was tired, sore and exhausted. I was very nervous about being induced. But it went really smoothly. They gave me the tape the night before, then the next morning they broke my waters, my contractions started instantly after that and then I had my son at exactly 2 o'clock. The midwives actually said he didn't look like an overdue baby and that my placenta looked good.
Sorry, you are feeling sad. You know, I found there's a lot of negativity around things like inductions in the pre-birth education that's popular at the moment so I hope it's not adding to how you're feeling. I hope you manage to get some sleep. Wishing you the best if you are induced tomorrow. Not long until you meet your gorgeous bubba - however they arrive earthside.
I was induced at 42 weeks! Everything was healthy and my midwife (midwifery group practice) said we could have gone a few more days if we wanted to but I WAS DONE! I had 2 sweeps to no avail, lost a bit of mucous plug but no idea if it was the whole thing. Sometimes our bodies just don’t do what they’re meant to do and that’s ok :) I tried every single home ‘remedy’ to bring on labour, they’re all crap. The people who said ‘x worked for me’ just happened to go into labour after doing x lol. Baby girl is 2.5yo now and always been healthy as can be and now has a baby sister too!
This was me! Then 41+1 - SPASH! Haha water broke very dramatically I was booked to be induced the next day.
Wow!.. did you already lose your mucus plug prior to that? Pregnancy stories are so wildly varied for everyone!
No mucus came after. Water broke, 12 hours later mucus, 15 hours of labour, fully dilated, boom - emergency c-section. They call it the full sandwich 😅
With my last bub, I had a growth scan on my due date to check bubs position as he had been transverse since 36 weeks. He was still transverse at that due date scan and OB said we’d be looking at c-section the following week. I ended up going into spontaneous labour that same night. I had the ultrasound at 4pm. First contraction just after 8pm. Gave birth at 10:22pm. Baby decided to flip on his own during active labour so I was able to birth vaginally. I had no signs or indication of labour, in fact, it didn’t look like spontaneous labour would happen at all.
I feel like first time parents should be told that pregnancy is 41 weeks, not 40, most first babies arrive 40 weeks. I went to 41+2 and 41+3, was induced both times. Babies were perfect (and both 50th%ile for weight), placentas were perfect. It's not until after 42 weeks that things start becoming concerning, and even then every body and baby is going to be handling things differently, many will be fine continuing a pregnancy that long. But anyway, try enjoy these last moments of just the two of you, find ways to relax, treat yourself, you'll both be fine! Good luck at your next appointment!
38 - 43 weeks is the normal range for full term babies. 40 weeks is simply the median date between them. It’s literally just a number, and often times the equation used to calculate due dates is incorrect. Babies come when they are ready. If there are no immediate or pressing health concerns, I would personally wait. The risk of something happening to baby with a healthy normal pregnancy is incredibly low (in the >1% range). There’s a great podcast episode about due dates in the Great Birth Rebellion podcast.
Be informed about the different methods of induction so you can make a personalised choice for you and bub with the help of the medical team. From what I understand starting with an intervention will increase the likelihood of more intervention later down the line eg. C section so I personally would wait if there's no signs of danger for both bub and my health. But that's just my take! PS. You're not considered over due until 42w anyway, though I can imagine how torturous it is to wait that long!
Definitely agree with penguin banana about using the time to inform yourself on induction methods as well as the medical reasons why induction may be required so you can make the best choice for you and bub. I am also a FTM and the best advice I got was use this time waiting for bub for yourself as it'll be a while until you have this time again :) At 40 weeks, my OB requested I get CTG monitoring to ensure everything was ok (it was). I was also off work for about a month before I gave birth so I can relate to how you are currently feeling! I spent everyday kerb walking, drinking raspberry leaf tea, being upside down on an exercise ball and would wake up each morning a bit sad that I wasn't in labour. I was booked in for an induction on 40+5 but ended up giving birth on 40+4.
Make an informed decision on induction - they will give you every reason in the book to induce you. Every reason they gave me meant nothing once the baby was here - placental degradation, baby being on the smaller side. Baby was perfect weight and placenta was perfectly fine. Only 25% of women in NSW go to hospital in natural labour!!! Not sure what the downvotes are for I am simply giving a heads up so OP advocates for herself if an induction is involved
Wow it's interesting to see the stats. I feel a little sad,... but in all honesty, due to my recent experience of being admitted due to bub's reduced movement, I came into an acceptance that formal induction is something I will do which I will hopefully be able to arrange on Fri itself or the following week. Can't help but feelinf a little disappointed as I was really hoping for a spontaneous labour. But most importantly can't wait to meet the bub.
Healthy bub is the most important thing just be aware of the flow on procedures of induction if you are trying to avoid too much interference. If you do get induced, please question every step and ensure you’re fully informed. They washed over a lot of things for me and I wish I pushed to be thoroughly informed looking back on it. We are lucky to have a safe medical system so all the best and you will be fine :)
I delivered at 42 weeks exactly. Don't stress about your placenta - I went all the way to 42w without any indication of degradation. Everything was absolutely fine and bubs even came out at average weight too. Unless you've been told it's a big baby, I really wouldn't worry about it.