If this is the case, the supply of oxygen and nutrients to your baby may be reduced. Your doctor or midwife will discuss your options with you. If your midwife or doctor is happy that everything is okay, you can:.
However, your midwife or doctor might suggest inducing labour or performing a caesarean section if they are concerned about:. In Australia, about a quarter of pregnant women are induced. Some policies allow inductions between seven and 10 days after your due date.
Others allow it to go up to two weeks. Policies vary because there is no scientific evidence about the ideal time to induce labour. If you and your midwife or doctor have decided to induce your labour, the process will begin with the doctor or midwife examining your cervix to see if it is ready for labour. This vaginal examination may be a little uncomfortable, but will only take a few minutes. Based on the examination, your doctor or midwife will use one of the following ways to induce your labour:.
This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death is a shattering event for those expecting a baby, and for their families. Grief, relationship stresses and anxiety about subsequent pregnancies are common in these circumstances.
Counselling can help both the mother and father after a baby dies. A birth plan is a written summary of your preferences for when you are in labour and giving birth.
Multiple births are more common than they used to be, due to the increased use of assisted reproductive techniques, in particular the use of fertility drugs. Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional.
Healthy living. Facebook Youtube Twitter. Home Healthy living My baby is overdue — what now? My baby is overdue — what now?
The best indicators of the duration of your pregnancy are: an ultrasound scan between 8 and 12 weeks an accurate record of the date of your last menstrual period. What are the concerns with prolonged pregnancy? There is an increased risk of caesarean section in women with prolonged pregnancies.
What are my options? Have your labour induced Your midwife or doctor can make arrangements for you to be admitted into your hospital or birthing unit at a mutually convenient time to have your labour induced. These include: Prostaglandins, a medication which can induce labour by encouraging the cervix to soften and shorten.
Prostaglandins can be given in the form of a gel or tablet inserted vaginally. You may require 2 or 3 doses of prostaglandin hours apart. A catheter small silicone tube may be inserted into your cervix. The catheter will put pressure on the cervix encouraging it to soften and shorten. Your membranes waters may be artificially ruptured. This procedure requires a vaginal examination to insert a small instrument to break the membranes.
This will help stimulate contractions. It can only be performed if your cervix is open. Syntocinon a drug which causes the uterus to contract is administered through a drip and encourages the uterus to contract. Once contractions begin the drip is adjusted so that contractions occur regularly until your baby is born.
This method can only be used once your waters have broken. Benefits Induction provides a timely birth to reduce the risk of stillbirth. Please speak with a healthcare professional before introducing solid foods. Find tips, advice and info to help you make the most of your pregnancy. Your privacy is important to us and therefore we would like to explain how we use cookies on this website.
With your consent, we will use cookies to measure and analyse how our website is used analytical cookies , to tailor it to your interests personalisation cookies , and to show you relevant advertising and information targeting cookies we think you will like. For more information please read the cookie statement. You can choose your preferences anytime for cookies and tracking. For more information please read our cookie policy.
They are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services setting your privacy preferences, logging in, filling in forms, etc. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. If your baby is overdue, your baby is still likely to be going well , even at 41 weeks of pregnancy. On the other hand, you might be tired, uncomfortable — and just ready to meet your baby.
There might also be other concerns about you or your baby. In these cases, your doctor or midwife will probably suggest an induction of labour or a caesarean , depending on your situation.
If tests show that your baby is fine and your health is good, you might choose to wait and see whether labour starts naturally.
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