41.5 Weeks and Counting...

Holly,
Yes, our bodies were made to go into labor, but your doctor is probably looking at things from a liability standpoint. Your placenta is supposed to work about 40 weeks, it starts to breakdown and degrade after that-developing calcifications so that the baby does not get as much oxygen & nutrients as previously. Also, the longer the baby spends in-utero, the bigger he/she can get, possibly making for a more difficult delivery. Sometimes accidents can happen this late in the pregnancy. If you do decide to wait to go into labor, make sure you are filling out a kick count chart and getting non-stress tests a couple times a week to make sure the baby is still doing well. I'm sure they've gone over all this with you, but as an l&d nurse, it's heartbreaking to see a woman come in with a baby that has died. I'm sure your doctor is just trying to be careful. Best of luck-and congrats!

Do not induce!!!!!!!!!

Induction is the beginning of a domino effect of intervention. After induction, it will be pitocin, then stadol, then lots of monitoring and checking, then maybe the breaking of the waters, then they will have you on your back in true dead cockroach position actually making your pelvic opening about 15% smaller than possible to push baby out- then comes the epidural, epesiotimy, and vaccuum extraction. Oh- and once the induce- if you don't meet the timetable (usually 24 hours)- they will c-section you.

I know this sounds harsh, but in Nevada, 1 in 3 now end up c-section. The doctors get paid about twice as much, and the insurance company too. Also, the doctors don't have to sit around waiting for a slow person taking their sweet time in labor- they can cut you open and still make their dinner reservation.

Truly,
K.

42 weeks is totally natural and normal (especially with the first)! As long as there are no signs of distress...don't get pressured by the impatient doctors! Good luck - and just listen to your body :)

Hi Holly,

I just read the other comments, and I just wanted to let you know that waiting and letting nature take its course does NOT increase your chances of having a c-section. In fact, being induced when you're body isn't ready does! That's what happened to me. My doctor, too, pushed me to have an induction when I had no complications or medically-necessary reasons to do so. My body wasn't ready for it, I didn't progress, and I ended up with a very traumatic c-section. Just wanted to let you know what my experience was. My mother went to 42-43 weeks with all 5 of her kids, and had aboslutely no problems. I'm a very firm believer in letting your body do things on its own time. Once you start doing something artifically, it starts a snowball of interventions. I'd bet anything that the doctor wants to induce for his own convenience, and so that he can plan the delivery...Unfortunately that's very common these days. If you have no signs of problems, then what's the point of inducing?? The placenta is not going to stop providing necessary nutrients. I did a LOT of research about all this after I had my son, and women who let themselves go into labor naturally have a much lower chance of interventions and c-section. Trust your body (as you seem to be doing!) - it knows what to do!

Good luck, and I wish you a very happy, wonderful, and easy delivery!

C.

Holly,
Due dates are an approximation (except in those cases where a couple KNOWS when the baby was conceived :)), so unless you're one of those cases your EDD could be off. And, even if it's correct, normal gestational period ranges from 37-42 weeks. That means that until you're over 42 weeks, you're not considered overdue. And with a first-time mom, as someone mentioned, they tend to go over more.
I like to have a "due month". With my 2nd pregnancy, they thought the EDD was 9/22, when I thought it was probably more like 9/29 (according to my calculations). She ended up coming on her own time on 10/6. So either way I was considered "late" to most OBs. However, my midwives weren't going to get overly concerned until much later and mostly if the baby seemed to be going into distress. At my 41 week visit we had a scare, since her heart rate went way below her normal (she was usually in the 150-160's) into the low 120's even teens. So, we had an u/s and non-stress test done and everything looked fine. The u/s tech (also CNM) told us that as the pregnancy comes to an end their heart rates can get lower and it's normal.
Also, it IS possible for placentas to start deteriorating (my mom believes that happened to her a couple times), but in most women it's not until much later...it's not a one-size-fits-all or a set 40 weeks for everyone. Children oustide of the womb grow and develop at different rates, so I would think the same would be true for a fetus. They take different times to "cook", as they say. And, unless you have a medical reason such as GDM, your body won't make a baby that's too big for your body. CPD is way over-diagnosed and I believe our bodies were designed and created to do this.
So, my advice would be to continue monitoring the baby when you go for your appointments and if everything seems fine, let the baby and your body decide when it's time for your child to be born! Induction should happen only when medically necessary, not for anyone's convenience (yours, OBs, huband, anyone's!). It is more stressful for the baby and can lead to complications far more than waiting and letting nature take its course. Don't let anyone scare you or bully you into anything. Follow your instincts, do your research, and make YOUR own fully-informed decision. That way, you feel empowered knowing YOU made the best decision for you, your baby, and family, no matter the outcome.
Best of luck,
N.

Hi Holly,

The dr's concern is that if the baby happens to have a bowel movement, it could cause some serious health problems for the baby. They are also concerned that if the baby goes too long, you will have to have a c-section because the baby is to big to have vaginally.

If you don't mind having a c-section, or worried that the baby may have some complications due to a bowel movement, then I say go ahead and let nature take its course.

With my first son, I didn't start dialating until I was 41 weeks. I was getting too anxious to have the baby and decided that induction was the best thing for me. I went to the hospital and they had to basically start me from the beginning- using a suppository. Then after about 6 hours, I was far enough along that they used Pitocin. I was in active labor for 7 1/2 hours. I got my epideral and 30 minutes later I was ready to push. I was later told that had I gone into labor on my own, I would have been in labor alot longer than 7 1/2 hours.

I am pregnant with #2 and am really hoping that I go into labor on my own just to have that experience, but if I don't, then I would choose induction because this pregnancy has been more uncomfortable than my first one, (though I have to say, I love being pregnant, just not the labor and delivery part)!

They say the choice is you and your husband's, but your husband isn't the one having to carry, go through labor or delivery. So the choice is really yours. Maybe talking to your Dr. about the risks will help too.

Good luck with it all!