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.

[~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.

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[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.)

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

I went with >43 weeks, possibly in blissful ignorance of what it's like to be more than 6 weeks pregnant As long as I received frequent monitoring and there were no problems with either of us, I'm happy for bub to pick it's day.

That may all change once I'm actually pregnant though, I do tend to be quite a nervous person.

[*LittleMissSummer*]

Having my DD come by herself 2 weeks early i'm not sure if i would ever be faced with the choice of being induced but hypothetically i would be willing to wait until 41 weeks, any later than that i would be paranoid something would go wrong.

[kass]

With family history of being 2+ weeks late, I'm expecting to go over the 40 week mark. I'm comfortable with 41, but I don't think I'll be happy to let it go past 42, I'd be too anxious about something going wrong.

[~ Mylitta ~]

I haven't voted in the poll yet because, honestly, I just don't know. I like to think that babies are meant to choose their own birthday, and I would hate the thought of ever needing to be induced, but there just seems to be so much that might come into the equation.

For me, both my babies came in their 37th week, so I've never experienced being "over due". My son's placenta was "gritty" already, and I was told that is seen more commonly in over due babies when the placenta is starting to breakdown (or something along those lines). So I have to wonder, if he stayed in my tummy longer, was there a risk that the placenta could have failed him? So that makes me wonder if in a normal pregnancy that has gone overdue, is there a greater risk of placenta problems the longer the baby stays in the tummy? I just don't know.

Also, I sometimes wonder about the risk of induction vs. the risk of a potential c-section if the baby grows too much during the extra time in the womb. Obviously induction can lead to a cascade of interventions, but is there a greater chance of a c-section if the baby has grown too big? Again, I'm just putting the question out there because I honestly don't know, and not because I think that big babies can't be born vaginally. Even my 37-weekers were 8lb10oz and 8lb3oz, so not exactly tiny, lol.