Need Doula Advice

The reason the doctor wants you to deliver is that the placenta only works for so long. Most people involved in natural child birth will say that a baby can be born any where from 2 weeks before to 2 weeks after the due date. The 40 weeks is not totally arbitrary but it is an average. You need to trust yourself as a mother but you also need to be very aware of signs that the baby is not handling the process well. The goal is not that we have a perfect birth but that we have a healthy baby. You might also look into some holistic ways to induce labor. Find someone that preforms acupressure. There are several point in the body that stimulate labor. There are other things as well. Any way, Good luck.

Hi A. my name is D. i work in the medical field. I am not trying to get your hopes down but it is really not safe for the baby to wait any longer than about seven days to about nine days past the due date. Alot of things could happen. You could eventually need a c-section etc, or even worse the baby could have some thing mentally or physicaly wrong with he or she im not trying to push you in either direction you do what you feel is bet but comming from a medical stand point i am just advising you of what could happen. Also talk with your doctors your doctor will know what is best for you in the long run. Im sure he has gone over all of the pros and cons with you. But do what you think is best for you and the baby. But always remember the its all about the baby and not really what you might want but whats best for the baby i cant stress that enough. Do whats right for he or she...

Good luck to you and all my wishes on the new bundle of joy in your life and it will all fall into play the way god intended it to be.

Much love and support in this most difficult desision
D..

A.,

Go with your own gut instinct! I don't want to cause bad feelings, but I am completely against the "what's best for the baby is all that matters" sentiment. This is happening in your body, through your body, and your body (as well as your opinion) definitely matters. Of course you would not do anything to jeopardize your child's well-being. Moms have the most at stake when considering their child's welfare. But I think that line of "what's best for the baby" has been used to bully moms into doing things they would not otherwise choose to do. There have even been (rare) cases of doctors filing suit against moms who were refusing a C-section that a doctor believed she needed. In several cases, the moms went into hiding, and delivered perfectly healthy babies naturally.

Medicine is not a science, and childbirth is really not a medical event. It's perfectly natural, and sometimes medical professionals forget that. My point is not that doctors are bad, but rather that they are not always right. Moms, when given good support and respect, make pretty damn good decisions about what is right for them and for their babies. I think that sometimes doctors get confused about what their role is. Medicine is a service profession, and coercion is not part of service. And, yes, I have been a medical professional for many years. I practice what I preach.

One thing you can do at this point is have an ultrasound to see if there are any medical conditions that would indicate a need for a sooner-rather-than-later birth. Might give you some peace of mind if you personally have any concerns about anything being wrong. But if you feel things are OK, and you feel it is in your best interests to avoid induction, then stick to your guns, mamacita!

If I were in your slippers, I would consult a doula or midwife for an opinion, as well as hearing your doctor's opinion. It could be really helpful (and validating) to hear from several experienced professionals. But just remember that all of these people work for you - their opinions certainly have merit, but you are the person giving birth. You have the ultimate responsibility to decide what is best both for you, and for your child. Don't get bullied into doing something that does not feel right to you by any professional.

Thanks for reading my long-winded post. Hope it was a help, and wishing you a beautiful birth,

V.

I have two bits of conflicting advice. I was two weeks overdue with my son(of course, according to me, not my ultrasound) and when they broke my water there was meconium in my water and my son was distressed the entire time I was in labor and it ended in a c-section:( On the other hand, I just had a friend working with a midwife at home and she went 2.5 weeks past her due date and delivered a healthy 12lb boy all natural! So, as you can see, it can go both ways. I say to avoid being induced and if you are induced go the natural way first! Have them break your water and then walk the hospital, etc. to try to speed things up. Pitocin is nasty and the contractions were awful! If you can avoid it, please do! Just my two cents! Best wishes for a happy, healthy baby!

It is safe to go as long as you want. You can have overdue tests to see if the placenta is still working. In one of my doula training books, a lady was 3 months overdue, but it just turns out they got the dates wrong. Hospitals don't like letting you go over 42 weeks, but if you don't want to be induced, you can ask for the overdue testing to make sure everything is still ok.