chances of labour before induction date?

hi all
i am 40+2 today and went for MW checkup, they did an internal and said baby is 2/5 engaged and i am effaced but not dialated so could not offer a S&S. i was abit annoyed that i wasnt at all dialated as im starting to struggle with back pain etc and cant sleep. the hossy im going to dont like you going more than 10 days over so im booked for induction at 40+9, MW said i go in that arvo and get prostin gel, next morning they break my waters and 'go from there'. MW said its likely i will go into natural labour before then but booked it in anyway.

i was wondering from other BB girls experiences if anyones had similar circumstances(baby engaged, effaced but not dialated) how long until they went into natural labour? have tried other methods to get things moving e.g. DTD, long walks/cleaning etc, cant afford accupuncture though.

i havent had any BH's as far as i can tell, have had bit of mild period type pain every few days but it goes away when i have a panadol, no 'tightenings' or 'coming and going' of pain like they say contx are like.

thanks guys :)

I have not been in your situation so I cannot give any personal advice, but I do know that by law, induction can only be advised at 10 days past your estimated due date- not enforced. Legally speaking, you are in control of your birth and hospital staff require your consent before conducting any procedure. The reason they say it as if 'this is what you must do' is because they are so used to women responding powerlessly with an "ok- whatever you say/recommend attitude" - if you know what I mean.

I know of a couple of women on bb who were booked for an induction but were told by their midwives simply not to turn up for the induction if they didn't want one, and to simply stay at home until the labour started spontaneously. Left to nature, the baby is the one who releases the hormones required to start contractions when he or she is ready - whether that be at 38 weeks or 42 weeks. Artificial induction is in most cases completely uneccessary (in rare cases it is) and is more about keeping to hospital timelines and procedures than what is actually best for mother and baby.
Remember that your estimated due date is an estimate afterall - and in 97% of cases those estimates are incorrect - it is not the baby who gets it wrong - but the medical staff. If you planted an apple tree, would you expect all the apples in the first sprout to ripen and fall off the tree at the exact same time? Of course not. Babies are exactly the same. Some just need longer to ripen!! :D
Don't be bullied into something you are not comfortable with. The amount of women I know that are upset with themselves for giving in to the pressure to induce and have ended up with c-sections is staggering. I really hope that you will go into labour spontaneously soon - just stay positive and trust in your body and your babies ability to know when the time is right.;)

XX

With ds2 I was booked in to be induced but ended up having him 2 days before the scheduled induction

I was in the same situation with my first DS. I was due to be induced on the Monday (10 days over ) but went into labour spontaneously the Sunday night at about 11:30 at night. He was cutting it fine, LOL, but I ended up not having to be induced....Yaayyyyyy.

With my last bub, I was booked for induction at 40+10 days, but went into labour spontaneously at 40+7. I have no idea whether I was dilated at the appointment where they booked me in, or how my cervix was, as I didn't have an internal exam. I tried all the things to get labour happening, but they didn't work. I am now of the belief that all long walks do is wear you out, which is the last thing you need when you are close to going into labour. Same for vigorous housework - it might make your house clean, which is great when you are nesting, but I don't think it really does anything as far as starting labour. Didn't work for me anyway! From someone who has been overdue twice, all I can say is try to rest as much as you can, and I know its hard, but try not to focus on the fact that things aren't happening yet. Just use the time to get ready for bubs arrival. And if you don't want to be induced, you don't have to be - it is entirely up to you, if you want to wait another day or few days past the induction date.

I was supposed to be induced at 10+ but it was kind of sprung on me so I didn't turn up. As the midwife put it "we can't do it if you're not here". I went into labour that night... I put it down to the acupuncture I had when I was a week over, I was booked for 3 sessions and went into labour after 2. Still needed ARM and augmentation but had a normal delivery. If you can find a good acupuncturist that might help?

thanks guys
im not really fussed about being induced or not, they said its upto me to choose induction or not and i said yes. have read that placenta/fluid starts to 'go bad' after about 40 weeks so apparently its better not to leave them past 42 weeks. DP isnt so sure cause obviously babies have been born without induction etc for thousands of years but yeah...im the woman so im choosing! im just struggling to sleep cause of sore back and every time i get up to pee i cant get back to sleep for ages cause i seem to become fully awake.

pixie: cannot afford accupuncture but thanks for advice

An induction is less of a gradual build up, so you would be going from 0-max pain in a shorter time than if you did it naturally. If the placenta is starting to calcify generally the baby will put you into labour anyway. The placenta can usually go to 42 weeks with no problems, but yes it is nearing the end of it's lifespan. Just because it is hospital policy to induce at a certain time doesnt mean it is the safest option. Only your baby knows when it will be born, and it will let you know when it is ready. Dont worry, you can do this without a heap of chemicals hun, and the rate of distress in babies who are induced is much higher than in babies who trigger labour themselves.

Well hopefully you won't need to be induced ;). I was booked in for 10 days post dates with my DS1, but he arrived 2 days before.

Good luck :D