Please show me stats... (overdue question)

[beautiful_mama]

help me...i wanna know the stats on overdue mama's and how babies turn out.

Any good sites?

I could goggle myself but I know I could come up with some scary stuff too, so if anyone has sites to reccomend....SHOW me the WAY!

The longest I have ever gone was 5 days overdue...I am not sure how long I feel comfortable holding out for labor to start, but I figured it would help my mind in the process to really get a grip on realistically how overdue babies do, etc.

Oh and any sites on how much bigger they get after 40 weeks is a good thing too, thanks!

[anne1006]

I don't have sites for you, but remember that the time frame of gestation is an estimate, so being "overdue" is a man-made concept of what is expected, not what is healthy or actually normal. The vast majority of babies that are called "overdue" are not postmature by any stretch. It is scary because normal pregnancies can differ by 3-4 weeks and be perfectly fine. My doc said that the last weeks a baby gains about a 1/2 lb per week. When they actually become postmature though, they stop gaining so much.
In Medical Myths vs. research realities by Henci goer, she does say that induction for being overdue does not improve infant outcomes. I'll try to look up the section and post a quote for you later.

[Defenestrator]

Oregon midwife Gail Hart has this awesome article called "Inductions and Circular Logic" from Midwifery Today a few years ago. Looks like she recapped some of the info from it in this article.

When doctors are talking about babies doing better at 41 weeks vs. 42 or even 43 they are often comparing inductions at 41 weeks with inductions at 42. Not the same as comparing an earlier induction with a later spontaneous labor.

Good luck!

[kerikadi]

Wouldn't this be part of your training as a doula?

I agree with anne1006.

What specifically are you worried about?

Keri

[beautiful_mama]

yes we touched on it but my training was years ago (over 6) and I have been birthing my OWN babies ever since so I don't have much time to read up on current studies etc. which was why I asked.

My concerns...gosh....well, my biggest concern and I hope I don't get too flamed for this is my body has hormonal issues. I have breast hypoplasia, possibly caused by PCOS (which as you may or may not know can deal with thyroid levels, etc.) , I dont have alot of other symptoms (and have never gotten an actual dx due to cost of medical care etc.) , but I know there are hormonal *issues* so to speak because of my breast issues.

All of my babes have been 9-10 lbs roughly BY their EDD's...one was going on 11 lbs at 39 weeks even and I do not have GD...ever.

I was induced with babies # 2,3,4,5 and took castor oil with #6,...and he was obviously ready to come because 7 hours later and after less than 2 hours of labor, he came popping out into the world it was a fast delivery but a good one.

I know there are those out there (and on here) who believe, when baby and body are ready...then it automatically WILL just happen, and I agree with this, but I can't help but feel for myself ( and call it mommy intuition if you will) that my body simply requires a nudge so to speak to get labor going.

Example...baby #4 was a Pgel induciton, 2 doses and less than 10 hours later, boom...she was born, no pit needed.( this was at 39 weeks!!)

And I already gave the example of my last birth. I get this feeling when my body is ready...and part of me questions, is this my body telling me it's time?

With my last pg I had that feeling for all of 3 days before trying the CO. This time? I've had it for WEEKS...with loads of prodomal labor ( and the contractions are reeeally strong at times as if labor is tyring but not making it into a pattern etc.) but have held off because I was pre EDD. Now...Iam no longer

baby has dropped too,...I have never had a baby drop before until I was actually IN labor. SO, I dunno.

My concern is, rushing things when they are not meant to be, I don't WANT to do that seriously, but I can't help but feel that *something* is telling me I need to give it a nudge. Again I realize I risk being flamed for that , but being that I have BHDT "6" times before....I also wonder if it is right on to just expect that for me.

Also, as a side note my brother and his wife had a still born a few years back...at term, it was not good and while that is a concern at times, I guess I am trying to use my judgement (& knowledge) versus fear to decide if/when I want to try anything to coax things along. Does that make sense?

[mimiharshe]

I am considered 42 weeks now. I wen to pamamidwife's blog and read up on there. She also has a consent form she shared w/me.

This is the email I just sent to friends and family this morning.

My midwife just dropped me from care b/c of my dates. Ridiculous. Have faith mama. If you feel in your gut to do something, then do it.

email:

Dear Friends and Family,

As you know I am past my EDD (estimated due date). EDD's are calculated off your LMP (last menstrual period). Based off of that my "due date" was September 13th. That puts me starting my 42nd week as of yesterday. In our society that is believed to be 2 weeks overdue and a reason to start worrying. However, as most of you know, I am not normal. There are other factors that can play into due dates, such as when a woman actually ovulates (I can't be sure about this for me) or just when left alone some babies want to cook a little longer. By the way I did go to 42 weeks with Trent. I have done some research and found that statistically speaking, complications can increase at the end of 43 weeks. This is 2 more weeks for me.

Throughout this pregnancy I have trusted my body, my baby and the Lord. I have continuously worked on not letting other people's fears or societal pressure effect me. I have enjoyed a very laid back, healthy and beautiful pregnancy. While I am feeling "done" and wanting to meet my baby I have not reason to worry. If there was a reason for concern, I would and will not hesitate to get the proper help. Baby's health is my number one priority and of course my own health is up there too. Right now I feel it is in the baby's best interest to let him/her (can't wait to find out which) decide when he/she is ready to enter this world.

My intuition, using the Bishop's score (a way to score if you are a good candidate to induce), research on due dates, prayer and faith have kept me believing that all is well. If this changes, I will do what's necessary.

I understand that many of you may have concerns or worries based off of your own experiences, what you've been told, what you have seen, and because of where our society is when it comes to pregnancy and birth. I know that you love me and only want what's best. I do get that. I am simply asking that you keep your fears and worries to yourself. If you see/talk to Brandon or myself please respect the remainder of our peaceful pregnancy by not releasing any fears on us. We of course will let all of you know when baby and mom finally decide to no longer be one.

Here are some links about Bishop's Score and Due Dates...including some research.
http://www.mother-care.ca/bishop.htm
http://midwifemama.com/PostdatesICA.pdf

Hope to have news of the arrival of our babe soon!

[beautiful_mama]

Here are some links about Bishop's Score and Due Dates...including some research.
http://www.mother-care.ca/bishop.htm
http://midwifemama.com/PostdatesICA.pdf

Hope to have news of the arrival of our babe soon!

WOW great info thank you!!

Yeah I have been watching your situation via the lurk and I am glad that you chimed in and shared your letter with me

Thing of it is, I have prayed over every single one of my kids births...at least the last 4 anyway My faith is very important to me when it comes to considering wether or not to take things into my owns hands, simply because I don't want to overstep God's boundaries and His plan, I am sure you can understand that!! But as I mentioned before, with all my other pg's I got to a point where *something* told me that I should be helping labor along.
My last two births i have seen God's hand in both of them..
my 5th child I had similar prodomal labor like this, only MUCH earlier...got to 5.5 cm and stopped ( at 38 weeks 6 days) so they sent me home from that BC to wait. I felt wrong about it...I could not tell why, but something did not feel quite right about just *waiting*. Well, 3 days later my m/w agreed to induce, and 16 HOURS later (that was 4 hours longer than my first birth and I was only going from 5.5 to complete as a fifth time mom who normally has 3-4 hour labors!!) she barely came out vaginally, i almost had a Csection (by the grace of God I did not!!) and she was born with a true knot in her cord AND all kinds of twisted up in there. While at times i have questioned my insistance to want to induce her at only 39 weeks ( she was quite smaller than my other full termer's) I realized later that that feeling of impendant urgency might have been right on, that I really WAS supposed to get things moving because she could have died from that true knot.

My last birth was nothing sheer of a miracle, not only he survived this awful bleeding I had at the start of the pg, but he was born with a velamentous insertion of umbilical cord,...AND a true knot (a second baby in a row, what are the odds of that?!?!) in his cord.
The thing of it is, I had been at a doctor earlier in the pg whom I had left because she was insistant I was GD because my 28 week GTT came back 4 points higher than the *norm* and I refused to take the three hour because I am hypoglycemic and it makes me deathly ill...so she said she would automatically induce me at 40 weeks on my EDD period end of story. I left, found current m/w,...decided at 4 days past my EDD that I would try the CO, only took ONE dose (2 Tbsp;s thats it!!) ...then when he came out, part of me went yeah, ok, maybe this was meant to be kwim?
If they would have broken my water in hospital, my son almost certainly would have bled out and died if not been severely maimed for life. As it was my m/w is incredibly hands off (luv her!! ) and his water broke as his head was half out into the water, so it was no biggie at that point.

Anyway, to make this long story short I am heavily relying on my faith to help dechipher whats right in this right now as I feel I have no other true guide, but I do want the info just in case I decide to attempt something soon and it does not work. It comforts me to know I am not the only mom who relies on her faith for birth!!

I think I have made up my mind as far as what I need to do, but I have set limits to what i am willing to try...I refuse to go *overboard* and OD on castor oil. Thing of it is, I could hang in here another few weeks...and if it doesn't work, I will but if it does, well, than thats that

Thank you for the bishops score page,...I couldn't get the second one to work, but the first one said I was at at LEAST a 10...maybe higher because I have no clue how dialeted I am right now (m/w does no checks which is FINE by me! )

GL on your birth...I will be keeping you in my prayers that you have an amazing HBA2C!!


ETA....I am 100% sure of my EDD because we chart

[mimiharshe]

Hey mama....continue to listen to yourself like you did w/your others! I just personally have felt the opposite...that forcing things would be bad! If you get the feeling you need a little nudge, then nudge a littl eand see what happens! It sounds like you knew what to do your last 2 pregnancies and you will know what to do this time as well. I score like 0 on the Bishop's score . Anywho, if you do go way past take comfort you won't be alone...I think I've gone the farthest in our due date club...I should go introduce myself to the OCT mamas!