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SugarTown Babies
Information Pages
Late Stage Pregnancy
or going past the due date.
It is quite common for women to go past their due date.
Up to14 out of every hundred pregnancies continue to
42 weeks and if doctors didn’t intervene, probably even
more babies would be "overdue". It’s not known for
sure why some pregnancies last longer,but there’s a family tendency for some women to have normal, healthy pregnancies that last 42 weeks or even longer.
Ethnic influences also affect the length of your pregnancy and even the season of the year can play a role.
The great majority of babies are born healthy,whether they arrive at term or later. Studies show that there is a very small increase in risk to babies born after 42 weeks.This risk rises with each passing week and this has been supported by all the studies to date.
What matters most is how well your baby is growing, that your baby remains healthy and is well positioned for labour. Two large studies of babies in Sweden have shown that babies who are smaller than you would expect by this stage of pregnancy are more vulnerable. Whereas,babies who are within the normal size range may be better able to cope with going overdue. Babies born after 42 weeks are very slightly more likely to have a difficult birth and a low Apgar score (a measure of general wellbeing at birth).
The risk of severe complications, even death, is also very slightly increased. The babies are more likely to have their bowels open during the labour and pass sticky green bowel contents,called meconium.
While this is rarely a problem,if your baby inhales this thick meconium it can cause breathing problems. Where there is enough amniotic fluid and the meconium is thinner,it is less of a problem.
Once you’re 41 weeks pregnant,you may be feeling impatient. But so long as your baby is still healthy and growing well, there is no hurry to induce you.It is different if you are an older mother (over 40) or if you’ve had any earlier bleeding, when doctors will be more careful to induce you around 40 weeks.
If your baby is induced you are less likely to have a natural birth and more likely to need an assisted delivery. This means your baby may need help for the final stages of the birth with the use of forceps or a ventouse (suction cap) or even a caesarean. If your blood pressure is raised, your baby may not be growing as well as expected; other factors, including medical conditions such as diabetes, may mean that you will be advised that your baby will do better outside than in.
At 41 weeks, your chances of giving birth naturally are still very much in your favour. Six women out of ten women will have their baby in the next three days. Nine women out of ten will have their baby in the next seven days.
Your midwife or doctor will see you more often (usually twice a week) and will monitor you and your baby carefully to check that all is well.This is called ‘watchful waiting’ or ‘expectant management’.
You may be able to help labour to start in a number of ways that use the bodies reactionary process to induce you without the aid of medicalised interventions.
From 39 weeks these can include
- gently rubbing your nipples between your thumb and forefinger or use your partner to help you :),one breast at a time,for about 5-10minutes,up to four times a day.This encourages release of the natural hormone oxytocin,which helps your uterus to contract;
- making love – releases hormones (prostaglandins) that canhelp prepare your cervix for labour.If you have been told that you have a low-lying placenta,it is best not to have penetrative sex
- clitoral stimulation encourages uterine contractions
- walk – gravity pushes your baby’s head against thecervix
- a long warm (not hot) bath with four drops of lavender and
clary sage oil.Add a drop of jasmine oil for extra effect
- A TENS machine or intermittent shiatsu pressure on the
acupuncture points that stimulate labour
- Homeopathic Caulophyllum 30c or Secale 30c tablets
(It is essential to obtain advice from a person with a recognised
qualification before using them)
- A meal that is known to have a stimulating effect on the bowel
as the bowel shares a neuro pathway with the uterus and can
stimulate uterine activity.
(Castor Oil used to be used for this purpose 3 Tablespoons spread over the
morning with juice. CAUTION. this can overly exacerbate the speed of
labour and cause secondary problems. Take advice from a preofessional)
- Romance and taking your mind off the whole thing can often
be the most influential thing to do.
Your midwife or doctor may offer to ‘sweep your membranes’ as
this has been associated with encouraging the onset of labour.
While doing a vaginal examination, they separate the membranes from
the inside of your cervix using a two-finger circular movement.
This might be slightly uncomfortable but it shouldn’t be a painful experience.
Raspberry leaf tea (made from fresh leaves or a sachet of dried leaf) taken after 36 weeks of pregnancy,is said to tone the uterus this however is not a way of "inducing" labour more just preparing the uterus.
