41 weeks pregnant and still no sign of labour :-(

[first_time_mummy]

Hi all, Im 41 weeks pregnant tomorrow, and still battling on with no signs of labour.. not even cramping or anything. Im getting very impatient and have tried a few of the wives tales to get labour started, like curry and sex, but still nothing.
Someone suggested parafin/castor oil, but then I heard it can cause severe stomach aches and diahorrea, which I dont wanna risk having if for any reason I do go into labour aswell.. :-S
Doctor checked me on tuesday and said my cervix is soft, but not dilating yet.

My husband and I are also booked to fly up to queensland in two weeks to see family, and im still without bub and am stressing now that if there are issues or dramas with bubs delivery, we will have to forfit airfares, accomodation and car rental which has already been paid for in full...
Help! any advice would be great as I dont want to have to get induced on monday and would much prefer my labour to come on naturally, Ive heard induction can be very full on, painful and scary.

[AliBaby]

My first baby came at 41+6 weeks so I feel your pain. I did however have a spontaneous labour. I was booked in for an induction he neext day so I was glad I pushed the induction back as far as I could. Hope your bubba comes soon

[first_time_mummy]

OMG nearly 42 weeks!!!!?? I would have gone mad by then lol. Doctor doesnt want to let me go any further over 41 weeks, so wants to look into induction monday. What options are there with induction, Ive heard they can use a gel of some sort, then theres some fluid they feed through a drip. They also said they can do something called a sweep, but that sounded too painful and they said it can cause bleeding and cramping, and may not even work!
Ive heard induction via the drip can bring on very fast and intense contractions, and I barely survived normal/natural contractions when having my first son (he came at 39 weeks 4 days), so I think itll kill me if I have to be induced lol

[lady_neon]

Evening Primrose Oil capsules. Insert 5 vaginally and wear a pad. They soften the cervix. The second night I did it I went into labour do not drink Castor Oil! Refer to the article on the main site in the birth section about natural induction methods.

Good luck, looking forward to a BA shortly

ETA the stretch and sweep is not painful. I had at 39 and 40 weeks. Give it a go.

[BellyBelly]

Everything can change in an instant. My first two were a little early and started out of nowhere and this one was post dates and while I had stronger BH and mild period like cramps for weeks, it kicked off without warning too - my cervix was very high til the last minute. You just never know. There are some great articles on the main site about early labour tips, natural induction do's and dont's etc. It will be any day/minute now - you've come this far, hang in there!!!

[onthefly]

It's really hard when you're on a deadline! You sound very stressed about all this.
After being induced at 42 weeks first time round (which was pretty terrible), I resigned myself to a long pregnancy with No. 2 and it was spontaneous.... at 42+3. Some babies just take longer.

If your cervix is soft, then you're on your way. I suggest you spend the weekend doing something relaxing and/or distracting for yourself. Nice things that make you feel good.

How do you feel about being induced on schedule? You can ask for more time, if you wish. Or perhaps request an S&S on Monday and see how that goes.

[willow5]

I second relaxing, I know it's much easier said than done but stress it's self can put labour off. I hope it all happens naturally for you

[Gigi]

my LO stayed put and comfy until 42 weeks, so i hear you. Hard as it is, try not to stress.

Educate yourself about induction, so if you DO have to go thru it, you will at least know the options. I didn't educate myself on the Plan B side of things, and came to regret that. (didn't understand the words, had no idea what to choose). Good to be prepared.

[Cassius2]

I recommend checking out the article on the main site (as PPs have mentioned) also, there is nipple stimulation, and some really good acupressure points. I would be hesistant to go for induction on Monday as you are so close and induction carries its own set of risks, however, you can also ask about a S&S and see if that helps along with the other more natural induction methods and then discuss a more manual induction for 48 hours later.

Best of luck and sending you many birth vibes for the coming hours/days!!

[forshelby]

You can push back the induction if you want to. Don't agree to something you're not ready for, or not comfortable with just because the drs say it's time. There are lots of options. Frequent monitoring can keep the drs at bay whilst you await the event.

I had a sweep at 40+3, and it didn't hurt. It didn't feel great, either... lol. But it was fine. It must have done something because at 41weeks on the dot my waters 'broke'. By broke, I mean I had a hindwater leak. I waited at home anxiously for three days but nothing happened... except a lot of pre-labour, which had already been going on for over a week.

I truly believe in the 'watched pot' theory! Every night when I'd awake with painful ctx, I'd jump in the shower, breathe through them...... and then freak right out and start mentally begging them to stop. Every morning, they'd died down to nothing and I'd sleep most of the day, only for it all to begin again at sunset. I honestly believe had I been more relaxed, and less stressed about the stupid deadline imposed on me, labour would've begun naturally. It was trying to!

The mind is very powerful. Make yours your friend, not your enemy Get some evening primrose oil, some pads, and have a little v-jay-jay party

[~clover~]

I skipped my induction appointment with DD1. It was booked for 40+4. She came naturally at 41+1.
I didn't know back then that I could argue with the ob & called my gp for advice. He said he won't even talk about an induction til 7 - 10 days past due.

Try a long walk? It might wear you out a bit, but its the one thing that got my babies moving.

[AndiE]

My third bub had to be induced two days shy of 42 weeks ... the first two arrived spontaneously before their due dates though, so go figure!

I tried EVERYTHING in the final weeks of my third pregnancy to bring on DS3's arrival. By everything I mean weekly acupuncture and daily acupressure massage, RLT, long walks, visualisation and talking to bub (yep, seriously), clary sage oil, peppermint oil (in burner), curry, EPO, DTD ... you name it. I tried castor oil the day before I was induced and it did absolutely nothing, no hurried visits to the loo and no baby. Early the morning of my scheduled induction I had another dose (... what was I thinking!!!!!) and it gave me the runs, but fortunately only briefly and it cleared up several hours before I was induced. Nevertheless, it didn't start labour, so think very seriously before you take it. And if you do, be conservative

I did most of the above - except for castor oil - with my first two children ... and they DID arrive on time. So who knows what works/what doesn't with each baby! It really seems that each pregnancy/labour is different.

So I ended up being induced with gels, and bub arrived rather quickly a few hours afterwards. I had a good labour and didn't require further intervention.

My advice is the same as others - relax. Bub WILL be born, that is a certainty. I know what it feels like to be "over it" but, if you can, keep trying to rest up before bub arrives - stockpile it for later. And if your attempts at natural induction don't work, then please don't do what I initially did, which was to blame myself for bub not arriving earlier. We really don't have much control over it. Mind you, having a good sook was kind of theraputic, but all it really gave me was a snotty nose.

I approached induction with a slowly-slowly attitude. Gels first (7.30pm at night), then I consented to having my waters broken the next morning at 6am if there was no action happening. I was absolutely clear with all concerned there would be NO synto for several hours after that. Fortunately for me though, the gels got my labour going and I didn't need anything further. I feel it's your baby, your birth, your call.

Good luck hun - you're almost there. Keep doing what you're doing as it just might work, and if it doesn't then you get to choose when you're induced and how.

[raffy]

I caved with DS1 and booked in for the induction at 41+5 at my post dates hospital visit for the following day, had a S&S and went home and went for a huge walk then relaxed that night knowing I had a big day ahead of me the next day, snuggled up in bed and 10 minutes later labour started spontaneously and DS1 was born at 12.48am of the morning I was supposed to be induced. As for DS2 I was booked in for a c-section on 23rd December and labour started spontaneously on the 17th so it seems as soon as my kids know they are being made to get moving they just do it on their own. Hope your labour starts soon and you are able to go on a well deserved holiday

[possum magic]

I had an induction with dd2 at 38wks for medical reasons. I told my dr I wanted to avoid the drip if possible because I thought it might make contractions very intense. He was supportive about trying to keep intervention to a minimum. We tried gel first then 4 hrs later he broke my waters. That was enough to get contractions going properly & I didn't need synto drip. Dd2 was born about 4 hrs later. Labour felt natural & very similar to my experience with dd1 (who wasn't induced). Hope your birth goes well.

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