First Pregnancy: OB says going upto 42 weeks is ok!

[Anonymous]

Yes, going to 42 weeks is perfectly okay and normal. In fact, if I were seeing a doctor who insisted on inducing before 42 weeks, I would leave the practice. The average length of pregnancy for a first time mom is 41 weeks, three days. AVERAGE! OB's are notorious for forcing babies to come before they are ready -- so I would say you are lucky to have a doctor who doesn't want to muck with your body too much.

If you are terribly uncomfortable, perhaps you could focus on things that would make you feel better. Now is the time to start getting your weekly pregnancy massages, go to your chiropractor, head to the swimming pool, cut back on your work hours if you can, go for some short walks outside, etc. etc. and see what you can do to enjoy these last few weeks of pregnancy. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Totally agree with PP.

I know from experience how BADLY you want the baby OUT OUT OUT when your due date rolls around, but I firmly believe your best bet for a healthy baby and an easy birth is to try to wait for the body to do its thing. Induction leads to higher C-section rates for a reason. There is only so much you can rush mother nature.

That said, I think there is a pretty strong consensus in the medical community that certain risks for the baby DO start to go up... AFTER 42 weeks.

I was 10-12 days late with both of my babies. Both were fine, healthy and strong, and I'm really glad my doctor did not push for an induction at 40 weeks.

I think your OB sounds smart. Just what I'd be looking for...

And, as for the size of the baby... you can check with your OB, but I think its unlikely that the baby will put on an extra pound between 40 and 42 weeks... I think we're talking about a few ounces... and I don't think it makes much of a difference. (Now, if you are a small boned tiny woman, and your husband is a behemoth,... then I would start worrying about the relative size of the baby versus you).

Good luck. I hope baby comes on time all by himself.

[Anonymous]

There are checkpoints in place to ensure the baby is ok to go much beyond your due date. I know my midwives schedule a 41 weeks appt as standard procedure. At that time, I'll get a non-stress test and an u/s to check amniotic fluid levels.

It's very common for first time moms to go past the due date. Remember, unless you know for a fact exactly the day you ovulated, your due date is just a best guess, anyway.

[Anonymous]

OP here: I've been going to the Georgetown University Hospital practice and have alternated between Wulf and Colie. I haven't asked Wulf what the deal is re interventions, but Colie is the one who told me 42 weeks was fine and I had "a lot of time." Yikes! Has anyone had a particular experience with GUH involving induction?

[Anonymous]

A full-term baby is anything after 38 weeks I believe, and 40 weeks is typically when you're due date falls, but anywhere between 38-42 weeks is considered normal.

They don't want you to go past 42 weeks because that's when the placenta starts to "age" i.e. disintegrate and it won't provide enough nutrients to the baby.

Really, you should get the 40 weeks/exact due date out of your head and plan on the baby coming when it wants to come. Especially if it is your first baby, you may go over your "due date".
I know it's hard; the last 4 weeks or so of pregnancy are probably the most physically uncomfortable, but really induction is not great for you or the baby if the baby is not ready to come out.

Only 5% of babies are born on their "due date."

Other things have to be in alignment too: the baby should be facing down, the cervix should be ready, etc. You don't want to be induced and then not have the pitocin work well for you or not have the babies lungs as developed as possible (they are the last to develop).

Unfortunately for the most part, this is out of your control, like so much of pregnancy and parenting and--LIFE!

[Anonymous]

A PP here. I also go to the GUH practice and it was Dr Wulf in fact who told me she wouldn't induce until 10 days past due date. I don't know if it made a difference, but I was also not making any progress in regards to dilation/effacement (at my 40 week appt, I was still completely closed and 0% effaced). Perhaps if you are starting to show "progress" they would be more willing to induce you. Dr Wulf ended up being on call for the latter part of my labor (and was the one who did my emergency c/s) and she definitely seemed pro-intervention then, maybe even a bit too much.

If you're really in a hurry, you can google "natural induction methods" and try a few things. I think the general consensus is that those aren't likely to work too well unless your body is ready to go into labor anyway, but you can always try.

Good luck to you.

[Anonymous]

OP here again. Sounds like most OBs are not that keen to induce unless absolutely necessary. I'll suck it up and try to wait it out as long as I can. Thank you all for your support.
If there are any more insights on the GUH practice and interventions, I'd appreciate hearing about them.

[Anonymous]

I also go to GUH - and when I was rotating through drs got a little different spin on the dates. One dr had shared that for 1st time mom's that it was normal to go a week past your due date. Mentally, I changed my due date to 7 days later. I did stop working at my due date - but had things planned to do - as well as did a lot of walking! So when my DS did not show up on his due date, I was not feeling as if 'when will this be over'.

I also believe that babies who go to / a little past term eat and sleep better - this is not scientific but from data points from friends. If you do go past your due date this might be something to remind yourself of.

Best of luck with the remainder of your pregnancy

[Anonymous]

I asked the same question as I got close to delivering when my doctor kept telling me at each visit that the baby was still way up there and my cervix was fully closed. It was the middle of the summer and I did not want to go beyond 40 weeks. The Dr. said that they do not recommend inducing in "unfavorable" conditions -- i.e., when you're not dilated at least a little and the baby is still way up there. The only reason they gave me was it increased the chance of having an unsuccessful vaginal delivery and having to then have a C-Section. I was more OK with the idea of having a C-Section then I was about being pregnant an extra 2 weeks. So, I pushed my Dr. on it and they scheduled me for an induction on the day after my due date. However, I never got there as my water broke 5 days earlier so, even if it looks like baby will be comfortable up there forever, you never know...But, if you insist on scheduling an induction, your Dr. should go along with it as long as you know and understand the risks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was more OK with the idea of having a C-Section then I was about being pregnant an extra 2 weeks.

Well, did you end up with a c-section, and if so, would you still make that statement now? Just curious. Because I did end up with a c-section (post due date, water broke, baby never descended after a long labor) and believe me, being pregnant is much, much easier than having to recover from a c/s. And I was due mid-summer, so I know what it's like to have to be 40+ weeks pregnant in 95 degree heat. But to each his own, I guess.

[Anonymous]

OP, again: In my 37th week now, and apparently, I am "carrying high"--this, not according to the doc, but according to my former boss who has SEVEN kids! The baby is head down, but I guess carrying high means it hasn't descended? I almost never get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom...and it's certainly not every 20 minutes. So I am assuming the baby hasn't squished my bladder. However, I am wrestling (painfully) with feet in my ribs! I wonder if that means that the baby is going to take its own sweet time to descend?

[Anonymous]

Carrying high would mean that the baby hasn't descended, however I would ask your dr and not rely on a co-worker. They can tell whether the head is engaged just by feeling your uterus, you don't even need a vaginal exam for that. Since you're only 37 weeks, your kid has plenty of time to descend, I wouldn't worry about it just yet. There are some exercises you can do to encourage the descent (I think bouncing on a birth ball is one of them, you can probably google it). Also, once you are in labor, the force of the contractions would help to bring the head down. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Don't forget that it could be 42 weeks because not all of us have 28 day cycles or ovulate on day 14. Some women ovulate on day 27 of a 40-day cycle, for example. The body knows when it's time.

[Anonymous]

to the 16:10 poster -

I'm not the one that originally said they'd be more ok with a C than going over two weeks, but I absolutely felt and still feel the same way.

I was induced 5 days past my due date and ended up having a c-section (unplanned). I was so big and uncomfortable in my last weeks of pregnancy that I would have done just about anything to give birth at the point I was induced. And, having a C-section, I didn't think that it was a big deal and I recovered quickly. I realize everyone is different in that regard but, for me, I had no problems.

[Anonymous]

I have seen almost every doc at GUH at this point. I am now in my 39th week. One doc (Donna M) told me they wouldn't let me go more than a week late, which was a relief. Then another doc (Bowles-Johnson) said two weeks. It seems to just depend on who you see but if I get anymore uncomfortable I may go back to see Dr. Donna M next time since she seemed more willing to get the baby out! She is on my pelvic bone and is causing terrible discomfort but doesn't seem to be decending enough. Last week's visit showed no dialation or effacement. Hoping for a different result this coming week!