Is it possible to just not go into labor/dilate on your own??

[michanders4]

Thanks for reading! I just found out I am expecting number two March 1st and it's time for me to really think all this through. I had a missed miscarriage before I had DS. The baby had stopped developing around 5 weeks or so and my body held onto it until 11 weeks when I took cytotec to help me miscarry (did not want a D&C) and that still took about 2 months to complete. I was induced with DS at 41 weeks and there was meconium in my water (so I think he was definitely ready). After about 30 hours of labor, etc. I did not dilate past 3 centimeters and started to run a fever and ended up having a c-section. The whole experience was long and hard both physicaly and emotionally and I do not plan to go through it again. I really do want a VBAC, but I am so nervous that my body just doesn't go into labor on it's own. My mom had my older sister vaginally (she was 6 and a half pounds or so) and ended up having a c-section with me as I got stuck (I was 8 lbs or so). DS was 8 lbs 10 ozs and he never "dropped" or "engaged" at all. I do wonder if it was his size. I also think he may have been posterior so that might have played a factor. I'm thinking his head did not push on my cervix at all and that is part of the reason I was not dilating. I guess I'm wondering if its just not possible for me to go into labor/dilate? Isn't there supposed to be a hormone to help get this process started? Sorry this is so vague.. can anyone shed any light on my experience??

[Amynf1]

I do not believe that the body just 'can't' dilate or just 'can't' start labor on it's on. Our bodies were designed to do this. We wouldn't grow a baby and not have the ability to get it out. Sure, there are times when it is medically necessary to induce, like when it's safer for the mother and/or baby for the baby to go ahead and come out but frankly, going to 41 weeks in and of itself is not one of those times. Even ACOG (who is very conservative) says that it's not medically indicated to induce until 42 weeks.

Having meconium in the water is not really a sign that baby was 'ready.' It was most likely due to the induction. Pitocin strength contractions are much longer, stronger and closer together than the contractions your body would naturally have. Babies are more likely to have mec or distress with pit ctx.

Your body will not grow a baby that you cannot birth unless you have uncontrolled gestational diabetes, a pelvic deformity or a pelvic injury. 8lbs 10oz is not that big, healthy yet, but not big. It is also not uncommon for babies to 'drop' or engage until labor begins. Because you were induced, the baby wasn't ready to do it yet. Yes, being posterior would have affected the baby's engaging and putting adequate pressure on your cervix. That's actually the bigger factor in all that you have described.

Personally, it sounds to me like the baby was not quite ready, your body was not quite ready and having a posterior baby is what led to c/s. Posterior babies can be harder to deliver and do end in c/s sometimes but also giving the body the chance to do things on its on when its ready is more likely to result in the baby turning and getting into a better position. Also, not being induced makes it easier to not get an epidural (which you didn't mention, so I don't know in your case) which makes it easier to get in positions that make it easier to get a posterior baby to rotate or to to birth as it, like hands and knees for instance.

These are just my speculations based on the info you gave. I think you can totally start labor on your on and dilate, you will just have to wait for the and for you body to be ready to do it. You sound like a great VBAC candidate. I'd suggest taking a really good child birth ed class (Bradley, Hynobabies, etc). and doing a ton of VBAC research. Hire a doula and find the best possible doc or mw you can find, one who truly believes in women's bodies and in VBAC. If you do those things, you will do great!! Good luck!

[MNHall]

I hope my history can encourage you a little bit...I too had a missed miscarriage with my first pregnancy. The baby stopped growing at 7 weeks, when we found out at 10 weeks, I waited a couple days (not my choice then, it was due to scheduling) then did have a D&C at 10 1/2 weeks.

My son was induced, it was NOT medically necessary (I was just uneducated about it at the time), I ended up with FTP. I did get to 10cm, but pushed for 2 hours with a baby in a bad position, also still high...again, I was uneducated about birth, so I now know I shouldn't have pushed then! Baby was still high, I felt no urge. So, while I think I did react to pitocin appropriately, my body was probably just not ready, he was still high and just not in position to REALLY go into labor. It was the whole chain of events of intervention that I believe lead to my c-secction. I was induced for no reason at 39 1/2 weeks, my water was broken early, baby still high, and started pushing when baby was still high and felt no urge. So....I feel like unnecessary induction and the chain of intervetion was just my reason for my c-section....not because I couldn't birth a baby.

My 3rd pregnancy again was a missed miscarriage again. Same story as my first miscarriage, baby stopped developing around 7 weeks, found out at 9 weeks, waited, waited, waited, then had the D&C at 11 weeks.

AND.....then my DD...I went into labor on my own, pushed her out, VBAC! So, I let nature take it's course, waiting for my body and my daughter and I dilated beautifully and rather quick actually!

So...like I said, I hope this can be some encouragement to you! Oh, and I totally agree with the previous poster...research, VBAC education, birth education, a doula and a supportive provider..and a VBAC with you going into labor on your own is totally possible! Good luck!

[mayamama]

I am in the exact same boat, feeling like my body will NEVER go into labor.

(I am a VBAC as well. Induced at 41w5d, Cerdvidil overnight, pitocin for 15 hours, talked into an epidural "to relax" at 9pm, cranked up the pitocin until 2am when baby was "in distress"-WHY NOT JUST TURN OFF THE PIT THEN??- and finally an "emergency" c-section.)

I am 41w6d TODAY and I have a BPP sono today to make sure all is okay with baby. If it is, my doctor will let me go one more week. He firmly believes in my body's ability to do this, but is also very realistic in saying that the further away we get from the due date, the harder it is to deliver naturally. I'm trying to turn my posterior baby by lots of hands and knees and I actually devised a contraption on my couch so I could use my computer face down. (It's kind of like my masseuse's table to do prenatal massage. I took out the middle cushion and put an innertube in there and that's where my belly goes. I can feel the babe moving when I'm in that position and I check everytime to make sure there's no pressure on the stomach.)

I guess I'm pretty confident in the BPP today, but want to know if there's something else I could be doing to make this baby come! I don't want another c-section!! On Monday he stripped my membranes, I've been having so much sex I'm no longer really enjoying it (and my huz might not be either!) and Tuesday morning my mucus plug fell out during my morning pee at about 9am. It was slightly pink. I stopped the EPO both orally and vaginally because my cervix was still quite firm after 6 weeks of use.

I walk, I do hands and knees, I go swimming, WHAT ELSE CAN I DO???

Thanks mamas!

[Amynf1]

Originally Posted by mayamama

I am in the exact same boat, feeling like my body will NEVER go into labor.

(I am a VBAC as well. Induced at 41w5d, Cerdvidil overnight, pitocin for 15 hours, talked into an epidural "to relax" at 9pm, cranked up the pitocin until 2am when baby was "in distress"-WHY NOT JUST TURN OFF THE PIT THEN??- and finally an "emergency" c-section.)

I am 41w6d TODAY and I have a BPP sono today to make sure all is okay with baby. If it is, my doctor will let me go one more week. He firmly believes in my body's ability to do this, but is also very realistic in saying that the further away we get from the due date, the harder it is to deliver naturally. I'm trying to turn my posterior baby by lots of hands and knees and I actually devised a contraption on my couch so I could use my computer face down. (It's kind of like my masseuse's table to do prenatal massage. I took out the middle cushion and put an innertube in there and that's where my belly goes. I can feel the babe moving when I'm in that position and I check everytime to make sure there's no pressure on the stomach.)

I guess I'm pretty confident in the BPP today, but want to know if there's something else I could be doing to make this baby come! I don't want another c-section!! On Monday he stripped my membranes, I've been having so much sex I'm no longer really enjoying it (and my huz might not be either!) and Tuesday morning my mucus plug fell out during my morning pee at about 9am. It was slightly pink. I stopped the EPO both orally and vaginally because my cervix was still quite firm after 6 weeks of use.

I walk, I do hands and knees, I go swimming, WHAT ELSE CAN I DO???

Thanks mamas!

Sometimes posterior babies do cause labor to take longer to start. Often times baby is trying to get into a better position. Have you looked at spinning babies? Here's a link for what you should be doing every day...

http://www.spinningbabies.com/techni...at-to-do-first

Also, I'd get to a chiropractor asap, one that knows Webster's and that has a good bit of experience with it. I'm also having myofascial release done, which is soft tissue work to balance and loosen the pelvic floor and uterine ligaments which gives baby more room to turn.

And remember, another week is a long time, a lot can happen. My doc also has a 43 week comfort level. From what I understand, going postdates in and of itself is not what reduces the chance for a successful VBAC, it's the unwillingness to allow the pregnancy to continue that does it.

Hang in there, you can do it!

[mamalade]

Acupuncture really works, and if you have a breast pump hook that baby up. You can do it!

[kltroy]

I think baby positioning can have something to do with it. If baby's body isn't well positioned, he cannot drop and the head cannot put good pressure on the cervix to dilate it. This can make labor less efficient etc etc. This is one reason that breech labors tend to move a little slower (because butts are softer than heads) If you're worried about going post-dates and no labor, some membrane sweeps late in pregnancy can help to move things along too. (like repeated weekly, starting around 37 or 38 weeks)

[womenswisdom]

Your body knows what it's doing! A large (almost 10,000) study found that the average length for a first gestation is 41w1d. That means 50% of women will go into spontaneous labor before then and fifty percent will go into labor after 41 weeks and 1 day. You were simply in the second half. So it's not that your labor didn't start when it was supposed to, it's just that your body was not ready to go into labor yet, which was likely why you did not dilate past a 3. Trying to force your body into labor does not always work well, which is why induction in first-time moms has a failure (read c/s) rate of 40%. It is not your fault.

[HeatherB]

It is very, very uncommon for a woman's body not to go into labor - eventually - when left alone. Positioning, as discussed already, can play a MAJOR factor in speed of dilation. Some women DO just simply gestate longer than others, though, so that's something to think about this time, as well.

I remember one anecdote from a midwifery conference I attended in which a woman didn't dilate, and upon c-section they discovered an anatomical issue that made it impossible for her to. But, that is very, very rare.

Give it time, and work to get baby in a good position from the get-go.

[mom2happy]

Your body will not grow a baby that you cannot birth unless you have uncontrolled gestational diabetes, a pelvic deformity or a pelvic injury. 8lbs 10oz is not that big, healthy yet, but not big.


Just need to point out here that this is not true in every case.
My mother had 3 babies 8.5 lbs, 7lbs, then 9.5 lbs all completely naturally, no intervention or drugs at ALL. Labors and births went smoothly at home.
Her 4th child would not fit out and turned out to be almost 12 lbs.
She did not have any of the above.
My brother is 6ft, 7in today as are some of the men in our family.
You would think her body genetically would be able to handle it, but she could have died.
Not being negative here, I just wanted to post a reality.

My c/s was completely uneccessary and I was threatened and scared into it.
I am an advocate of vbacs. I just wanted to post here that very rarely there is actually a need for a c/s. I feel that the above statement is said a lot and is not factual and can cause upset for a woman whol actually needed one to save her life.

[semipsychedelicmom]

I had to post, I am one of those women that do not dilate. Its genetic in my family. I'm currently 36 weeks with my third child & have never made it to 37 weeks or dilated & neither of my children were huge. Both 6lbs. To say there aren't women who don't dilate is ignorant cause I am one of those.
I'm currently having contractions & have been now for 3 days, I haven't even gone to one. When i get to the point where I cant stand the pain anymore I'll go to the hospital & be induced just like my first two...just like my sisters, my mother, & my grandmother.

[ShwarmaQueen]

Originally Posted by semipsychedelicmom

I had to post, I am one of those women that do not dilate. Its genetic in my family. I'm currently 36 weeks with my third child & have never made it to 37 weeks or dilated & neither of my children were huge. Both 6lbs. To say there aren't women who don't dilate is ignorant cause I am one of those.
I'm currently having contractions & have been now for 3 days, I haven't even gone to one. When i get to the point where I cant stand the pain anymore I'll go to the hospital & be induced just like my first two...just like my sisters, my mother, & my grandmother.

Sounds like warm up contractions- which i know can be soo tiring and painful. I bet if you waited longer you would go into 'real' labor and not need the induction.

[Canadianne]

I definitely think it is possible that some women do not dilate/go into labour on their own. I'm also one of those women whose body simply would not progress as it should. Now, I don't know if my failure to progress is a direct result of my uterine anomaly, but I do know that if I had progressed my birth story would have had dire results as my uterus was on its way to rupturing. I'm of the opinion that my body knew what the consequences of pushing would be for me (and my baby) so it did not let me get anywhere close to having a vaginal delivery. My body knows what it can handle.

[kltroy]

Originally Posted by Canadianne

I definitely think it is possible that some women do not dilate/go into labour on their own. I'm also one of those women whose body simply would not progress as it should. Now, I don't know if my failure to progress is a direct result of my uterine anomaly, but I do know that if I had progressed my birth story would have had dire results as my uterus was on its way to rupturing. I'm of the opinion that my body knew what the consequences of pushing would be for me (and my baby) so it did not let me get anywhere close to having a vaginal delivery. My body knows what it can handle.

I agree -- there are probably some women whose bodies *do* dilate etc, but maybe so slowly that baby goes into distress/has trouble before it can happen. In the "old days" the baby might have died during birth because of how slowly things progressed. In the "new days" mom ends up with a c-section, a healthy baby (docs will usually pull the trigger before baby is in really bad shape because they're not that good at predicting when the point of no return ins), and wondering why their body doesn't seem to be capable of dilating. I don't think this is most women who have had FTP, but it probably is some subset. And I still think positioning has a lot to do with it, but of course any anatomic anomalies would make a difference too.

[dlm194]

I'm sure there are exceptions where a baby and a woman's body knows that in this particular case (perhaps a malpositioned baby with a short cord, etc) where mom doesn't go into labor on her own. It's more likely that you are a long gestator and perhaps a long laborer. Before we started inducing everyone, woman could carry their babies for 44 weeks! It wasn't common but it wasn't a terribly unusual occurrence. About 3% of women will go beyond 42 weeks. 4% of babies are breech at term and most women have met someone whose baby was a breech delivery (whether vaginal or c-section).

My first pregnancy was a blighted ovum. I went to 12 weeks before it was discovered. I never had a cramp, twinge or speck of blood. I just had a d&c. My 2nd pregnancy/1st baby went to 41.5 weeks. I was contracting but the contractions never got the strong. We tried pitocin but that didn't seem to help. The midwife was trying to dilate me manually (ouch!) but I never made it passed 5cm after 29 hours of labor.

With my next pregnancy, I started lost my mucous plug on a Tuesday night. Contractions started at 2am. I called the midwife the next afternoon to give her a heads up. But contractions never got closer than 5 minutes and eventually petered out. This pattern started and stopped for days. My mother kept rushing over thinking it was "time." I called my doula at 3am on Friday night/Saturday morning because the contractions were so strong. They petered out later that day. At 2am Monday morning, contractions started up again. At 9pm, they were still going fairly strong. My mom and my doula came over. We finally left for the hospital at 1am. I was only 4cm dilated. All that labor and 4cm. Over the next 17 hours I stalled numerous times. At 2pm, my midwife finally asked to break my water and things started to pick up but I stalled at 8cm. She finally had me push as she pushed the last 2inches of cervix around the baby's head. It was 4 hours of pushing (to clear my cervix and then "real" pushing) but my baby finally popped out. She was perfect fine and fit without a problem. At this point, it was Tuesday evening (a week after this all started).

I don't know what it took so long. We did a lot of nipple stim to keep my contractions up (didn't want pitocin). But it happened! Keep the faith. every birth is different!

Originally Posted by semipsychedelicmom

I had to post, I am one of those women that do not dilate. Its genetic in my family. I'm currently 36 weeks with my third child & have never made it to 37 weeks or dilated & neither of my children were huge. Both 6lbs. To say there aren't women who don't dilate is ignorant cause I am one of those.
I'm currently having contractions & have been now for 3 days, I haven't even gone to one. When i get to the point where I cant stand the pain anymore I'll go to the hospital & be induced just like my first two...just like my sisters, my mother, & my grandmother.

I can't even follow this post. You've never made it to 37 weeks but you can't dilate so you'll have to be induced like your first 2. So I'm guessing your first 2 were vaginal births with the help of pitocin? Obviously you CAN dilate. 37 weeks is barely full term. Many women go through days of contractions where they don't progress. It's normal.
I'm not saying the pitocin was the wrong choice. But it sounds like you can dilate. It just takes a while.

[buckeyedoc]

Some of us just need a long time for labor to start and end, IMO!

[roadfamily6now]

I know of ONE case where a women did not go into labor at all. ONE in the ENTIRE WORLD.

Aside from a deformity, or surgery (cerlage) etc. I find it extremely hard to believe that a women, when given proper prental care, labor support and time, cannot go into labor and cannot dilate.

[NewSolarMomma]

Your body will not grow a baby that you cannot birth unless you have uncontrolled gestational diabetes, a pelvic deformity or a pelvic injury. 8lbs 10oz is not that big, healthy yet, but not big.

This is just not true. My sons head was too big to fit through my pelvic opening, and I'm not deformed. This is not common but does happen. At 41 weeks my water broke and contractions started on their own, I was dilated to 4" and partially effaced when I got to the hospital. The contractions didn't get regular, after many hours I got pitocin which worked great. I got to full dilation and effacement but baby didn't want to come down. I pushed 2 hours, labored down 2 more hours, then pushed another 1.5 hours. after 35+ hours I opted for a CS, as he was starting to stress in certain positions. When my doc pulled him out, we learned that he was REALLY stuck, like a cork on a bottle. No amount of time or position change would have gotten him out. He was 9# 2oz, but it was only the circumference of his head that was an issue.

Not everyone dialates like they should, babies don't always fit, these things do happen!

[Cutie Patootie]

Originally Posted by semipsychedelicmom

I had to post, I am one of those women that do not dilate. Its genetic in my family. I'm currently 36 weeks with my third child & have never made it to 37 weeks or dilated & neither of my children were huge. Both 6lbs. To say there aren't women who don't dilate is ignorant cause I am one of those.
I'm currently having contractions & have been now for 3 days, I haven't even gone to one. When i get to the point where I cant stand the pain anymore I'll go to the hospital & be induced just like my first two...just like my sisters, my mother, & my grandmother.

Sounds like you are not dilating because you aren't willing to labor past a certain point. Some women have contractions for weeks before they go into full labor...prodromal labor. It is extremely extremely rare for a woman to not dilate and if you dilate when you are induced chemically, then you can dilate.

[soso-lynn]

Originally Posted by semipsychedelicmom

I had to post, I am one of those women that do not dilate. Its genetic in my family. I'm currently 36 weeks with my third child & have never made it to 37 weeks or dilated & neither of my children were huge. Both 6lbs. To say there aren't women who don't dilate is ignorant cause I am one of those.
I'm currently having contractions & have been now for 3 days, I haven't even gone to one. When i get to the point where I cant stand the pain anymore I'll go to the hospital & be induced just like my first two...just like my sisters, my mother, & my grandmother.

It cannot be genetic, unless it is some sort of new mutation that hapenned to your grandmother's generation. Otherwise, your family would never have had living children before c-sections.