How Long Would You Be Prepared to be Pregnant For?

[BellyBelly]

Okay, I read something interesting earlier and was wondering where BB members stood on this issue.

Say you are healthy, your baby is healthy... how long would you wait for your baby to be born? This is taking into account that you may get pressure from doctors and midwives, you may be tired, but also considering on what you know is best for baby.

I realise this poll may be flawed, with those post dates or over pregnancy already compared to those of us who aren't but anyway... try to go on what you believe!

[Babyluv]

If bub is perfectly healthy and happy and I am healthy (not necessarily happy hehe because by that time you're so over it) then I would just wait it out. Bub can't stay in there forever and for a matter of a few days or a cpl weeks I would prefer to wait it out rather than have intervention. That's just me personally.

[beckoes]

with both mine i went to 42 weeks on the dot...had a stretch and sweep at 41+6 and had both at 42. BUT if i didnt have to deal with doctors telling me i was terrible for attemping to harm my child by going past 41+ weeks then id wait longer.

[Jellyfish]

Very hard question to answer having gone into spontaneous labour with my DD at 38w. I wasn't over it or anything at that point, was thinking I would go past 40w being my first but who knows how I would have felt at 40w and beyond. I said beyond 43w and that would be with monitoring to ensure health of both baby and myself but I can't really know for sure.

[LionsandBears]

I dont know if psychologically I could make it to 40weeks. I've had one induction and hated it and one spontaneous labour I loved until it ended badly. I am aware that the normal gestation for humans is 39+ weeks after conception, so 41 weeks LMP. But logic doesnt come into it. If I can make a healthy, live baby I will keep them in as long as possible but suspect my mental health will be the deciding factor. Ideally, bub will cooperate and come spontaneously LOA at 38-39 weeks and be perfectly healthy.

[BellyBelly]

If you calculate the EDD based on Naegele’s Rule it is VERY flawed. I'm writing an article on it at the moment, its very interesting researching it. The rule was 'devised' by a botanist in the 1700s and he said it was 10 lunar months based on observational studies (I believe of a small number), an Ob then made it public (and gave it his name) in the 1800s. But there are issues with it, like you have to have a 28 day cycle with ovulation on day 14 for starters.

I'm not surprised by the poll results so far, I think if anything it made me smile. Just reinforces to me how much BB members trust their bodies and love to be educated and empowered

[~StarBright~]

My first thought was um DUH, til the baby comes!! But I have never had to face induction so that side of it never crossed my mind!!

[zap]

I am 37 weeks and ready! Saying that if I wasn't faced with the chance of losing my VBAC I would wait till at least 42weeks.

[onthefly]

Well i have to put >43 weeks as I have gone longer than 42 already. I rather not if there were some way to convince baby to be more timely, though.

[Heaven]

I would wait until I had a baby, LOL. I would not be induced if everything was fine especially after having a c/s. DD1 was born at 40+12 and I hadn't discussed induction. I told them I'd like monitoring if I got to 42 weeks. Luckily everything was going well for both my pregnancies so my babies were able to come when they were ready.

[Glamourcide]

I personally wouldn't go any longer than 41 weeks, that's just me, based on my own personal experiences. It's just one of my things - I've had an induction, I know what I'm in for, and I've had a baby go post-EDD and end up with spontaneous labour (beat my booked induction by one day, which was scheduled for 41+2) but severe placental deterioration, so I'd much rather have an induction post-dates than leave it up to fate - how many stories have I read about mums who were waiting, waiting patiently, being monitored as appropriate, and had their precious little one pass in utero... I just couldn't take the risk, especially knowing that with my last baby, seeing it with my own eyes, that if she'd not been born within 24 hours of when she was, there was a very, very good chance that she would have been one of those. And being in a regional area with an under-resourced and under-staffed hospital, I have no faith in the system being able to monitor me as needed. If I ever have another baby, and go post-dates, I will be booking an induction for 41 weeks no questions asked. That's what I feel safe with, and what works for my body, my baby and I

[loulabelle]

it's a hard one. Provided baby was very healthy and I had great care, is say 43 weeks. I would hope not to get to that though! My mum was born at 43+3 and me and my sibling were all around the 42 -42.5 week mark. So being overdue in our family is pretty normal.

Sent from my GT-S5570 using Tapatalk

[Charlotte91]

Doh, I clicked the wrong one!!

With having a c/s last time at 34 weeks, I'd want to go for a natural labour. I can't imagine being pregnant soooo long, I was over it by 30 weeks last time!
But, provided the little one is doing fine, then I wouldn't book in for my c/s (I'm assuming an induction is off the cards) til 42 weeks.
And do everything in my power to bring on labour before that!

[forshelby]

I was determined to let DS choose his birthday, and I think he was trying. But being posterior, my labour would start, go all night, then stall. I think he was getting a bit stuck. This went on for a week. At 41 weeks exactly my hindwaters started leaking so I thought I'd beaten induction. I resisted for 3 days, waiting for my labour to become established, getting around with broken waters. On the fourth day I went ahead with induction.

In hindsight, I should have allowed them to admit me to the ward, give me antibiotics, and kept waiting. DS was in no danger, I was fine and coping. I don't know why they were so eager to induce me. Next time, I'll refuse until it's actually neccesary.

[NaeNae]

Providing it was a normal pregnancy with no other risk factors like previous c-sect and both Bub and myself were healthy and doing fine I would wait until 42 weeks - after that (knowing my personality) I would want the baby out and would be asking for an induction

[Jennifer13]

You need an option "until the baby is born"! I'm happy to be monitored until baby is ready to come out, just to ensure it's all still ticking along, but I haven't really thought about an expiry date for this baby's time in my womb.

[Beach Mama]

As long as I knew the conception date pretty accurately, 42 weeks (which is the stage we got to with DS heading for a VBAC), because although there is conflicting evidence, a lot of studies do show that there is increased risk after that. Hard to say what I would do if I didn't know conception date though as that few weeks could make a difference.

[sas85]

Well I went with 41 weeks, but to be specific 10 days past EDD is my max. I've read and been told by Dr's that after 10 days the % of intra-utero death increases so I would just be panicking after that.

Having said that, my babies came DD1 2 days early and DD2 right on her EDD, so I haven't had to face it, but I was prepared to go 10 days over with DD2 as I was hoping she'd get a bit fatter if I did, as long as I was monitored continuously. (Maybe I'm a bit more paranoid than some though, DD1 was IUGR and no-one even knew about it, so think fundal height measurements is a crock, and worrying my babies are starving inside me doesn't make one want to prolong their birth.)