38+ Weeks, any tips on inducing labour?

Currently 38+ weeks and i was hoping that baby would be here by now! 🥲 Any tips on how to naturally induce labour and what has actually worked for you from experience? Would love some suggestions xx

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Omg same boat as me! I’m having a sweep tomorrow and being induced next Thursday due to myself being unwell during the pregnancy my consultant didn’t want me going over due date but I really want to meet him now!! I’m currently sat on my birthing ball bouncing with a raspberry leaf tea and just got back from my 2nd walk of the day 🙈

Nothing worked for me, literally tried it all 😂
Pineapple, sex, ball bouncing, curb walking etc - baby came at 41+1 🙈 x

That's my list of things to *try* to do every day :)

[ ] Eat dates, pineapple
[ ] Hypnobirth
[ ] Country roads drive
[ ] Exercice Ball
[ ] Long walk
[ ] Raspberry tea
[ ] Sex
[ ] Colostrum Harvesting
[ ] Spicy food
[ ] Bath
[ ] Homeopatie
[ ] acupuncture

Ah im so sorry to hear that you’ve been unwell. Hopefully your sweep goes well, heard it could be painful! Haha you sound like me right now, life is about bouncing on a ball, walks and raspberry leaf tea 🤣

Oh man! I really feel like that will be me 🥲! Hope you and your long awaited bundle of joy is well!

thank you! I think i have tried all them apart from homeopathy! Still nothing 🥲 hope it works for you xx

Aaah, it's not easy I know ^^ also I forgot to mention acupuncture, apparently it's quite effective 👍

My midwife advised me to have a wee before my sweep and when I think I've emptied my bladder, stand up, rock back and too and side to side and then sit down and try and squeeze more wee out, she said that way she can get right in and do a good sweep! Good luck!!

Google the miles circuit and do anything that makes you happy to bring on your oxytocin ❤️

This is so me!! I was told I can’t have a sweep until 39 weeks 😭 but my midwife is only at the gp Tuesdays which I’ll be 38w5d and she said I need to be 39 weeks 😭 this is my second baby and I’m just ready now !! 😭🫠

I am pretty nervous about a sweep, it hasn’t been offered to me at all, but good luck with yours!!

Thank you! I will look into this, need to get my running shoes on 🥲

ahhh i was ready by week 37 lol convinced myself the baby would be early and now I’m so impatient 🤣. I haven’t been offered a sweep, hoping the baby comes before any intervention happens! Good luck with your sweep!!

well I asked my midwife about it tbh, she never suggested but I asked and said that’s what got my daughters labour started (although at my sweep she said I was really stretchy & she thought I’d have the baby by the weekend) I was like oh good lol and that night I lost my mucus plug then the contractions started 🥲🥲😂 I hate when you get hopes up too as like you say it’s just disheartening when nothings happening 😭🤣

in our community

Oh my God, oh my God I hope this is not true!!!! I’m kind of scared

I’ve been throwing up and taking a shit all night!!! I just hope that it’s not what I think it is

Small head reported following 20 week scan

Has anyone else had it flagged that their baby is in the bottom 5th percentile for head size?

They said everything was fine whilst we were in the scan and then I got a phone call the next day saying that it’s on the small side and we’re being referred to a paediatric specialist at St George’s. Has anyone else had this and how did things go??

Would you bring 9 week old to a family party of 35+ people?

These are also people who will want to pass the baby around and get a turn to hold him. He just got his 2 month shots two days ago

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What movement did people start to introduce? I won’t do anything too vigorous until I’ve seen the pelvic physio as I don’t want to compromise anything that may have been extremely weakened through pregnancy! But just wondering what types of classes/movement people started off with?

Induction experience

I just wanted to share my experience with being induced as I wasn’t sure what to expect and thought it may help others.

I opted for the foley balloon which was inserted at 8am Saturday morning, I had to stay in hospital due to hypertension and protein urine however usually you can just go home once this has been done. The insertion of the balloon was not painful, was slightly uncomfortable as there was slight pressure. I actually found having the cervix checked prior to be worse (again not painful at this point just uncomfortable) The balloon had little effect and after having it removed I was still only 1cm. Removal also was pain free and hardly even noticeable.

I then had my first dose of the gel and definitely noticed a difference, I started experiencing period like cramps almost immediately however they were light and manageable. After 6 hours I had another cervix check and although my cervix was soft it was still only 1cm and was only open at the front. I had another dose of the gel and felt an increase in pressure and more intense cramping where I now required pain relief (codeine). After another 6 hours I had another cervix check and I had now dilated to 2-3cm however was still quite difficult to get all the way through so a third gel was recommended which I agreed to.

Almost immediately I noticed the difference and was in considerable pain, I had paracetamol and codeine however the contractions had now become intense and a lot closer together (around 3 minutes apart). After a couple of hours I had my last cervix check and was 4cm and taken down to the Labour ward to have my waters broken and an epidural.

I had been in my room for approx 20minutes when my waters broke by themselves and I was now 10cm and actively pushing…. There was no time for the epidural and my beautiful girl arrived into the world within 2 minutes of pushing.

All in all I would say the cramps/contractions were manageable up until the third gel where it became pretty unbearable however it was for a very short time a gas and air helped take the edge off. The worst part about any of it was actually the later cervix checks where after stimulating the cervix my contractions were at their most painful.

If I had to be induced again I would skip the balloon and opt for the gels immediately as thy had a quicker effect and I would have been out a lot sooner if I had done this to begin with.

One more thing, I’ve never believed when people say “you forget the pain once they’re here” but I can honestly say this is true. It’s been 4 days and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Anyone else experiencing this?

Gave birth (vagina) 5 days ago and yesterday morning and this morning getting lot of pain in my right bottom side and lower back