# 40wks + 2 days & no sign of labor



## 555Baby (Mar 30, 2005)

I'd love to get some reassurance from some of you moms who have "been there"--I'm 2 days past my due date and at my last appointment (2 days ago) my cervix was really far back & completely closed--she thought it was probably still 2cm thick. I know it's perfectly normal to go past your due date but I'm really nervous that my body doesn't even seem remotely close to labor! Also, I feel like it's my fault because up until that day basically my husband & I kept telling the baby "stay inside!" because we were having our bathroom remodelled & wanted her to be able to come home to a house that wasn't a construction zone. Now when I read about postdates pregnancies, people keep saying that a big factor is the mom's psychological resistence to giving birth--did I somehow keep my body from progressing normally toward labor??









Our midwife has us scheduled to come in at 41 weeks for a non-stress test and then said after that we'd discuss our options. I really want a natural birth without using stuff like pitocin for induction, but of course even more I want the baby to be healthy & not be suffering from an aging placenta!

Did anyone out there have an experience where their cervix was showing no signs of being ready & then all the sudden they went into labor anyway? I'd love to hear that this is possible!


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## Artisan (Aug 24, 2002)

It is totally possible... happens all the time. Is this your first baby? The average first pregnancy is something like 41 weeks 1 day. In fact, in France, pregnancies are calculated at 41 weeks, not 40 like they are here. The placenta does not "suddenly" stop functioning after 41 weeks, either -- don't let anyone plant that seed in your mind.

http://parenting.ivillage.com/pregnancy/0,,jb56,00.html


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## pamamidwife (May 7, 2003)

Agree with Reader (of course).

Please trust that your body is working perfectly. Most first time moms go 7-10 days after their due date.

The problem isn't with your body: it's with a culture that believes a linear timeline can control our bodies and our babies.

You can do this. Your body and your baby are doing perfectly. It will happen all in good time!

I would recommend, too, not having any more cervical checks. They only make people anxious about what is happening (or not happening) and they're meaningless. In the meantime, enjoy yourself - schedule massages, pedicures, movies with friends, days of watching movies on DVD, and having sex with no interruptions!


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## Noelia430 (Aug 6, 2003)

Your body will go into labor when your baby is ready. I know you are anxious but try to relax and take it easy. I promise that your baby won't stay in there forever!


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## Moon Faerie (Aug 2, 2004)

Hang in there. With my ds, I was completely closed and high at my cervical check, and wne into labor one week later. With my dd, at 41 weeks 5 days, my outer os was barely a fingertip and my inner os was still closed. My cervix was still really high. I went in in labor at 42 weeks 1 day (thank goodness, I narrowly avoided the hospital), and was only 2 cm and 90% effaced and she could still barely reach my cervix. Lauren was born less than an 1.5 hr later.


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## Aura_Kitten (Aug 13, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pamamidwife*
Agree with Reader (of course).

Please trust that your body is working perfectly. Most first time moms go 7-10 days after their due date.

*The problem isn't with your body: it's with a culture that believes a linear timeline can control our bodies and our babies.*

You can do this. Your body and your baby are doing perfectly. It will happen all in good time!

I would recommend, too, not having any more cervical checks. *They only make people anxious about what is happening* (or not happening) and *they're meaningless*. In the meantime, enjoy yourself - schedule massages, pedicures, movies with friends, days of watching movies on DVD, and having sex with no interruptions!









:









your baby does not have a calender in there. trust that he (or she) will come when they are ready!


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## girlndocs (Mar 12, 2004)

Can I just







: Klothos'







:? :LOL


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## jessikate (Jul 19, 2002)

my son waited until 42w 2d to make his appearance. it was tough to wait that long but i just reminded myself that he had to come out sometime and as long as his activity & heartrate were good, we weren't going to worry about how far past the due date it was. it really helped me to surrender to that... no more worrying meant much less stress. luckily i didn't have anyone pestering me about when baby was coming & my midwife wasn't pushing any interventions.

take the remaining time you've got & do some nice things for yourself. I highly recommend massage, a manicure and/or pedicure, a nice dinner out with your partner, a movie, etc., as you won't have the chance again for a while.

i'm sure you'll have a beautiful birth story to share soon!


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## Full Heart (Apr 27, 2004)

It soooo hard emotionally to go "late". You're not really late, your baby just needs more time. He knows when hes planning on arriving.









I always go to 42 weeks (did it 5 times). Only once was my cervix dialated for more than a few days before labor. The one time it was, I sat there for 6! weeks at 4 cm and completly effaced. Cervical dialation means absolutly nothing to when you will have that baby. Do a search for postdates, late, overdue...those terms in the b&b forum...there have been lots of great threads about this recently. It will give you hope. Also check out the 10mos momma board I posted a few times in other threads. Its always cheered me up.

Belly Rubs! Michelle


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## happyblessedmama (Sep 6, 2003)

My third child was born at 41w2d. We had complications I believe were related to her postmaturity (meconium, meconium aspiration) that would lead me to personally request induction over going overdue again.

I don't buy into the psychological "mom prevents baby from being born" stuff. I was more than ready to have DD. She just didn't come out.

Honestly, I used to think the body knows best... but after my experience with her, I think going post-term can be a bad thing for some people. I know I won't be doing it again with our future kids. I don't think what happened to her was "natural"... why I went overdue, I have no idea. I was walking around at 4cms/60% effaced for days, after previously birthing 2 babies at 40w0d.

Best of luck to you. I hope your baby has a healthy arrival, and soon.


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## kama'aina mama (Nov 19, 2001)

These very smart women already said it all. We know it's weird and scary and there is pressure. But it IS okay. Feel free to turn off your phone, send everything to the answering machine or whatever. Take it easy, if you can.


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## Noelia430 (Aug 6, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *happyblessedmama*
My third child was born at 41w2d. We had complications I believe were related to her postmaturity (meconium, meconium aspiration) that would lead me to personally request induction over going overdue again.

I don't buy into the psychological "mom prevents baby from being born" stuff. I was more than ready to have DD. She just didn't come out.

Honestly, I used to think the body knows best... but after my experience with her, I think going post-term can be a bad thing for some people. I know I won't be doing it again with our future kids. I don't think what happened to her was "natural"... why I went overdue, I have no idea. I was walking around at 4cms/60% effaced for days, after previously birthing 2 babies at 40w0d.

Best of luck to you. I hope your baby has a healthy arrival, and soon.









Actually, you could be holding something in your subconscious that would seem so minute but it makes a difference. At times it doesn't even have to be related to actually having the baby. Any little fear could really hinder the labor process to begin. You shouldn't doubt your body so much.


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## Artisan (Aug 24, 2002)

It is also possible to have meconium at any time. My baby was born at 39w1d and had mec. If your body and baby don't know best, who does? And how do they know? Your risk of *dying* from an induction (because of the cascade of interventions that often leads to C-section) is greater than that of waiting for your babe to be born in its own time.


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## Noelia430 (Aug 6, 2003)

Good point, reader. I'll also add that my ds was born at 38.5 weeks with meconium.


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## Village Mama (Jul 22, 2004)

I was 2 weeks over with my first little guy. It did seem like a long wait... but the payoffs were great. He was so strong, and a great nurser... he just seemed so ready. You'd be surprised at the difference a week can make! Great babyhaving to ya! Oh, and happy mothers day!


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## Evergreen (Nov 6, 2002)

Mine was 15 days overdue, BUT there were absolutely no signs of labor until the first contraction. She didn't even drop until well into the whole thing, so hang in there, it could be any second!


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## crazy_eights (Nov 22, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *happyblessedmama*
My third child was born at 41w2d. We had complications I believe were related to her postmaturity (meconium, meconium aspiration) that would lead me to personally request induction over going overdue again.

However, while postdates is associated with an increase in meconium in the amniotic fluid, it is NOT associated with an increase in meconium aspiration or meconium aspiration syndrome. Being past your due date was probably incidental. Sorry that you went through that!


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## Aura_Kitten (Aug 13, 2002)

... frankly i'm pretty suprised to see such a pro-induction stance here @ mdc...


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## Fuamami (Mar 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Noelia430*
Actually, you could be holding something in your subconscious that would seem so minute but it makes a difference. At times it doesn't even have to be related to actually having the baby. Any little fear could really hinder the labor process to begin. You shouldn't doubt your body so much.

I have to say that you actually SHOULD give your body more credit, and that the biological process has more power to override the mind than that. I felt very ambivalent about my first pregnancy, and was scared to death to become a parent right up until I saw my dd, but my body went ahead and went into labor at 40 weeks and 1 day anyway. I was holding lots and lots in my subconcious, and in my concsious, mind, but it was time for that baby to come, so it did. Also, if the pp felt like something wasn't quite right, isn't that trusting her body, too?


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## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

ummm... i think the original poster asked for _support_ for being past her due date by two days, and although i respect the offers of information from mamas who had less than ideal postdates births, this thread is not the place to have the discussion about the relevance of induction or the necessity or non-necessity of it.

i'm a first-time mama of an 11 month old baby boy (today!) who was born one week and one day after his due date. i check my cervix myself and it was fingertip dilated until i started laboring. the only sign i had of my impending labor was pinkish bloody show when i wiped after using the toilet the afternoon before labor started around midnight. i was also a little crampy that afternoon.

and ditto what someone said about 41 weeks being "term" in many other countries.

and ditto what someone else said about the mind-body connection influencing the start of labor. even the smallest thing can play a part.

and extra ditto of enjoy the last few days of your pregnancy! you are undoubtedly anxious to meet your sweet babe, and you will soon enough!!!

warmly,
claudia


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## crazy_eights (Nov 22, 2001)

I hope no one misunderstood my post. I have gone past my due date (one pregnancy w-a-y past my due date - 43 weeks) in 5 out of 6 pregnancies. I was pointing out that meconium in and of itself is not dangerous and there is no increased risk to a baby that is after 40 weeks!


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