Collected stories of "overdue" babies? *Added questionnaire*

[nuwavemomma]

(Xposted in Pregnancy Resources)

I'd like to collect a thread of positive outcome, unmedicated, 40+week births - the later the better! Particularly I'm interested in stories where mom didn't emphasize "natural" methods of induction, and just waited for baby, though if you used natural methods please list them of course!

Please copy/paste your birth story or link to it if it's online. Either is fine. Also please address the following questions:

1.) How many weeks were you when baby was born?

2.) How many previous births and were they "overdue" as well?

3.)Did your care provider - if you had one - push any techniques to "move things along?" If so, what and when was this brought up? How did you react? What was your thought process in deciding how to proceed?

4.) What information was used to date the pregnancy (LMP, ovulation kit, U/S, etc.)

5.) When baby was born was there evidence that supported or called into question the dates? (EG baby's weight; presence of lanugo or heavy vernix; dry, peeling skin; loose or stained skin; abundance of hair; placental abnormalities; hypoglycemia?)

6.) Any comments on baby's position - either prior to labor, during labor, or at birth?

[hapersmion]

Hmm, I don't know where, but surely there's a thread. I was a 42-week baby! They didn't really push induction back then, the doctor just kept telling my mom, "See you next week!"

But then my baby was slightly early. *shrug* I guess we'll see what the next one does.

[fullhandsfullheart]

My last two births were 42 week babies. Both times were inductions, but both required only AROM. One was unmedicated in the hospital and the other was a homebirth. Both were good experiences.
Oh, but I see you were looking for "wait and see" birth stories.

[Mom2Princess]

The birth sotry of my 42-weeker is in my sig.

It is from almost 7 years ago, november 2001.

[GoBecGo]

Mine was 41+4 with no natural or otherwise methods of induction, but not unmedicated - i had a homebirth but used gas and air during the last hour of my very fast (<4 hour) active labour.

1.) How many weeks were you when baby was born?
41+4

2.) How many previous births and were they "overdue" as well?
was my first baby

3.)Did your care provider - if you had one - push any techniques to "move things along?" If so, what and when was this brought up? How did you react? What was your thought process in deciding how to proceed?
they offered sweeps and booked me for AROM on 42+1, but i don't think i'd have gone.

4.) What information was used to date the pregnancy (LMP, ovulation kit, U/S, etc.)
LMP, u/s was only 1 day out, so they left it at LMP date.

5.) When baby was born was there evidence that supported or called into question the dates? (EG baby's weight; presence of lanugo or heavy vernix; dry, peeling skin; loose or stained skin; abundance of hair; placental abnormalities; hypoglycemia?)

Nope. She was 7#14.5, plenty of vernix, no dry skin, placenta normal. She was cooked, but not overdone.

[nuwavemomma]

Originally Posted by Mom2Princess

The birth sotry of my 42-weeker is in my sig.

It is from almost 7 years ago, november 2001.

Thanks! I'm going to post the link in case you change your sig down the road...

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=838439

[Lehi]

We waited and waited and it was worth it.

Hi. I had a wonderful pregnancy. I planned a homebirth the entire time. We conceived about a month after our wedding, but of course we weren't sure of the conception date....we were newlyweds! I knew the date of the first day of my last period, so my midwife figured my 40 week due date would be July 1st. She wisely told me that first time moms usually go till at least 41 weeks on average (which was what I had read in the writings of Ina May Gaskin), so my "due date" was July 8th. Long story short, my son was born on July 22nd, which would be exactly 3 weeks past the 40-week due date. Thank goodness we had him at home! I'm sure I would have been induced otherwise. Although, the day before when my midwife came for her routine visit, she told me about two pressure points that will help bring labor on if you're on the cusp. One is between your thumb and pointer on the meaty part of your hand. The other is about 4 finger breadths above your ankle. She pressed both of these points on me and I was in active labor 2 hours later! By the way, the baby came out "fully coooked" with hardly any vernix, but he was perfect. 9 lb. 2 oz.

[JamieCatheryn]

I really don't count anything before 42 weeks as overdue, so I wasn't, but I was past my due date. I was 41 weeks 1 day when DS was born. That week after I reached my due date people around me were anxious, worried my water would break any second or something. I had lots of prodromal labor for weeks. It wasn't a big deal to me, I knew the avg for first time was 41w1d, and that's only average I could go past then easily. Went into labor, had a long slow early labor though it was pretty intense, and after 26 hours of it my water broke and kicked me into heavier labor that actually got me somewhere. Went to the hospital then. I had a long, hard transition where I realized I had to let go, which meant freaking out and losing control in my case. Pushing was easy and quick. DH caught our son, he was perfect and beautiful: just short of 9lbs, some light furry stuff on the shoulders and back and ears, nails just starting to get longer, not a lot of the creamy stuff on his skin, strong neck, perfect placenta.

[nova22]

I can send you my birth stories if you want. My daughter was born two weeks after her due date in the hospital. My son was born three weeks after his due date at home. Both times, I received little, if any, pressure to induce (naturally or otherwise).

[TopHat]

I had my DD at 43 weeks. It was an unassisted pregnancy and birth, so we didn't have any pressure to induce. I can send you the story if you'd like. PM me.

[Multimomma]

I have three overdue babies that were not induced. My first WAS induced at three weeks postdue with serious PIH. Then the next two were induced on my due dates due to vbac policies way 'back in the day' (which cracks me up now!)

Then #4 was induced by AROM by a midwife at two weeks postdue, she deduced I had a pit dependency after never being allowed to go into labor naturally. That seems to have done it, because the next three were natural labors. #5 was eight days over, #6 was eight days over, and #7 was two weeks to the day overdue. All were perfectly healthy, albeit large.

Birth stories are rather boring, however...went into labor, contracted a while, had a baby ;-) #5 was a hospital birth, #6 and #7 were unassisted at home.

[lafemmedesfemmes]

unassisted pregnancy, unassisted birth at something more than 41 weeks. by lmp, i was 43+ weeks, but i have some reservations about claiming that figure. either way, here's my story:

http://lafemmedesfemme.livejournal.com/238889.html

eta: my previous two babies were born without "help" at 41 weeks and 40.5 weeks. i didn't have a health care provider, but my family doctor did provide a referral to an ob/gyn in my 42nd week when i asked for one. i was getting a lot of pressure from family to have things checked out, and by then, i was also concerned because i was going so much longer than my previous two pregnancies. i also had some confusion about my due date because, while my lmp was certain, i didn't take a pregnancy test until 5 or 6 weeks after that date, so the possibility is there that i had conceived later than i had originally assumed. so it could have been my "usual" 41-ish weeks that i went into labor, or it could have been 43.5 weeks. baby appeared to be about the same gestational age as the others-- no lanugo to speak of, fingernails present but not excessively long, some vernix but not a lot. while i waited i did a lot of walking and had a lot of sex, but it was more to keep from losing my mind from boredom and anticipation than from any concerted effort to jumpstart labor. :-)

christina

[nuwavemomma]

Originally Posted by nova22

I can send you my birth stories if you want. My daughter was born two weeks after her due date in the hospital. My son was born three weeks after his due date at home. Both times, I received little, if any, pressure to induce (naturally or otherwise).

Yes please! Are they anywhere online, a blog or another thread that we can link to? If not can you copy/paste to this thread if it's typed up? Thanks!

Originally posted by TopHat: I had my DD at 43 weeks. It was an unassisted pregnancy and birth, so we didn't have any pressure to induce. I can send you the story if you'd like. PM me.

Thanks, I'm PMing you now.

And thanks to everyone who's responded!!!

[nuwavemomma]

Added New Questions In Op

Bump

[JessasMilkMama]

1.) How many weeks were you when baby was born?

42 weeks, 2 days

2.) How many previous births and were they "overdue" as well?

This was my second child. The first was 3 days overdue.

3.)Did your care provider - if you had one - push any techniques to "move things along?" If so, what and when was this brought up? How did you react? What was your thought process in deciding how to proceed?

She stripped my membranes but thats it. She did not pressure me in any way.
I went to a reflexologist on day 15 and went into labor that night.

4.) What information was used to date the pregnancy (LMP, ovulation kit, U/S, etc.)
We were TTC and I knew the exact day she was conceived.

5.) When baby was born was there evidence that supported or called into question the dates? (EG baby's weight; presence of lanugo or heavy vernix; dry, peeling skin; loose or stained skin; abundance of hair; placental abnormalities; hypoglycemia?)[/COLOR][/CENTER][/QUOTE]

She did weigh the most out of my 3 (she was 8 lbs 6 oz, the others were 7 13 and 7 10) but the placenta was fine and everything looked in order. I know the dates were accurate.

[TopHat]

Here's my UC: http://itsallaboutthehat.blogspot.com/2008/03/baby.html

I'm going to repost the story on my blog (I've edited it since then because I remember more things) on her 6 month birthday next Tuesday.

1.) How many weeks were you when baby was born?
43 Weeks
2.) How many previous births and were they "overdue" as well?
She's my first
3.)Did your care provider - if you had one - push any techniques to "move things along?" If so, what and when was this brought up? How did you react? What was your thought process in deciding how to proceed?
We UC. I tried walking, but to no avail, just caused me pain. I could have tried castor oil, but I didn't care to.
4.) What information was used to date the pregnancy (LMP, ovulation kit, U/S, etc.)
Ok. Dates. Now, from my LMP, she was born at 42 weeks, 4 days, I think. We were charting my temperature and I had 25 day cycles- meaning I ovulated before I was "supposed" to if you use a 28 day cycle. We also tested early, and got a positive, so I'm sure that I ovulated when I did. Based off of my ovulation date, she was born at 43 weeks.
5.) When baby was born was there evidence that supported or called into question the dates? (EG baby's weight; presence of lanugo or heavy vernix; dry, peeling skin; loose or stained skin; abundance of hair; placental abnormalities; hypoglycemia?)
No signs of her going over: a fair amount of vernix on her. Not like she was drowning in vernix, but not overdue. The placenta was all in one piece. Not a lot of hair. Admittedly, the cord was no longer pulsing when she was born (but she breathed and was pink immediately so not an emergency). I think it may have detached during the pushing stage of the very long labor. I went into labor at 42 weeks and 5 days and had her at 43 weeks. Long labor (44 hours) - if that's going to overwhelm anyone, don't read it.

[rhoneyes]

my baby was born at 41 weeks without any intervention. we just waited for baby. i would have waited as long as baby wanted. but labor was 72 hrs long so technically he bagan to come at 40 wks & like 4 days. my story is in th UC thread.

[nova22]

Originally Posted by nuwavemomma

Yes please! Are they anywhere online, a blog or another thread that we can link to? If not can you copy/paste to this thread if it's typed up? Thanks!

I don't know if either of them are here on MDC...I don't think I ever posted them. I'll try to sum them up here by answering your questions, but I'll give you any other info that you want. I'll answer for my daughter in magenta and my son in blue.

1.) How many weeks were you when baby was born?
about 42 weeks...she was 10 or 11 days overdue
43 weeks

2.) How many previous births and were they "overdue" as well?
2 previous births; none overdue
3 previous births; one overdue

3.)Did your care provider - if you had one - push any techniques to "move things along?" If so, what and when was this brought up? How did you react? What was your thought process in deciding how to proceed?
My OB was nervous that I was going past my EDD, and expressed concern that the placenta would die and stop nourishing the baby. She said if I went past 42 weeks, she would start ordering ultrasounds so we could keep an eye on the baby and make sure she was still healthy. I was in a "smile and nod" kind of mindset...I didn't think it would be an issue, so I tried not to worry about it. At one point I was slightly concerned about pressure for induction if I went past 42 weeks, but my doctor was aware of my birth preferences and had never mentioned inducing, so I didn't let that bother me for long.
If my midwife was concerned, she didn't show it. Sometimes she would make comments like "I didn't expect to be having appointments with you still!" but she never made any push for induction. My water broke on a Monday, and after several hours of a very slow trickle, she came to check me. Nothing was happening. After a full day went by, she suspected that there had been a very small leak, which had resealed. I asked how she felt about acupuncture to induce labor, and she was for it. I had two treatments. After the second treatment, my MW suggested taking Swiss Kris (an herbal laxative), which she suspected would be the push I needed to send me into active labor. I was happy with this decision, because my water had broken previously and I was experiencing on-again, off-again contractions for several days. My baby was malpositioned, so I specifically requested that my acupuncturist try to adjust the baby's position (which he did, and I believe it was successful).

4.) What information was used to date the pregnancy (LMP, ovulation kit, U/S, etc.)
I had been charting loosely using MyMonthlyCycles.com, and I knew the exact date of my last period. My OB used the little wheel (the Wheel of Destiny and Infallibility, as I call it ) and determined my due date. I also had an ultrasound at about 12 weeks because I was concerned about some strong cramps, and they also confirmed the dates.
I was fairly sure of my last period, and my MW used the Wheel of Destiny and Infallibility to determine the due date. An ultrasound around 18 (?) weeks suggested that the baby was measuring large for his due date.

5.) When baby was born was there evidence that supported or called into question the dates? (EG baby's weight; presence of lanugo or heavy vernix; dry, peeling skin; loose or stained skin; abundance of hair; placental abnormalities; hypoglycemia?)
I don't remember the specifics, but when my baby was born, my doctor mentioned that she "looks like a 40 week baby."
My midwife took one look at my baby and said, "I think we miscalculated the dates!" He had a lot of vernix on him.

[madrone]

1.) How many weeks were you when baby was born?
and 2.) How many previous births and were they "overdue" as well?

6 days with DS and 17 days with DD

3.)Did your care provider - if you had one - push any techniques to "move things along?" If so, what and when was this brought up? How did you react? What was your thought process in deciding how to proceed?

With DD, the provider wanted to provoke me and I refused. I ended up consenting to every other day exams where they look at the sac through a scope once I had dilated 3 cm.

4.) What information was used to date the pregnancy (LMP, ovulation kit, U/S, etc.)

LMP and U/S

5.) When baby was born was there evidence that supported or called into question the dates? (EG baby's weight; presence of lanugo or heavy vernix; dry, peeling skin; loose or stained skin; abundance of hair; placental abnormalities; hypoglycemia?)

Every thing was fine.

[Kirsten]

1.) How many weeks were you when baby was born?

She was 11 days late so pushing 42 weeks I guess. Or a tad over 41.5.

2.) How many previous births and were they "overdue" as well?

Two previous births - both of those were six days early.

3.)Did your care provider - if you had one - push any techniques to "move things along?" If so, what and when was this brought up? How did you react? What was your thought process in deciding how to proceed?

I had midwives so no big deal was made. Nothing was tried to get me into labor. We just waited.

4.) What information was used to date the pregnancy (LMP, ovulation kit, U/S, etc.)

LMP with all three, and I kept track of dates when dp was in town (he travels for work). No U/S with dd2 or dd3.

5.) When baby was born was there evidence that supported or called into question the dates? (EG baby's weight; presence of lanugo or heavy vernix; dry, peeling skin; loose or stained skin; abundance of hair; placental abnormalities; hypoglycemia?)

Mine were 8 lbs 5 oz (6 days early), 7 lbs 10 oz (6 days early), and 8 lbs 6 oz (11 days late) - so no change in baby's weight associated with waiting. Dd3 did have a ton of hair (only on her head - not all over), while dd1 and dd2 had none. No other things you mentioned that I remember.