Spin off: Labor starting on it's own....isn't it impossible

[eragsdale]

I love how it is called your ESTIMATED due date until that “magical” date gets within 2 wks (38wks) and then it all of a sudden becomes THE due date. Unless you know when you actually conceived I believe you should allow a 4wk grace….

[ACSNMama]

Yikes, I was induced with my first 2 children. First baby 3 days overdue (not much at all) according to evaluation he was about 38 weeks according to the nurses but was a full 7 lbs. Baby #2 I was induced at 10 days overdue which was actually 1 day after the FIRST predicted EDD. I believe my body was beginning to get ready for labor as my mucus plug was coming out for days (about 3 days before induction) and I dilated 1cm which is nothing to speak of, but more than nothing! She was ready to come out. They never recorded any evaluation of how many weeks she was, but I believe she was READY! She was 7 lbs 6oz.

I can't imagine going to 42 weeks. I'm not saying one shouldn't or can't but I do think I would get nervous after that long. I do believe I will go into labor on my own this time, but it's amazing that some may not ever have any signs of labor...

And you know, I agree with what someone else said, about how are bodies are affected by the hormones that we eat in food. I do believe problems have been around since the beginning of time, hence people died with child birth, etc. But I too believe our systems are very different than years ago when they weren't pumping cows, chickens, fruits, veggies or whatever, can goods and all this horrible stuff we ingest.

[MamaNae]

I also think that some babies are 'late' because they need some extra time to cook.

My first 2 were born more or less term (plus or minus less than 4 days) and they were 7lbs 3oz (both were the same weight). Then DS2 was almost 7 days late (I went into labor at 8pm so another 3 hrs he'd have been 7 days late...he was born at 11:45pm). Anyway he was OBVIOUSLY 'late' very little of the white stuff, super long finger nails and toe nails, etc...but he was only 6lbs 15oz. If he'd have been 'term' like my other kids he'd have been really tiny. Apparently he just need that extra 6 days to pack on some weight. I did go into labor on my own though...

[n3w2cl0th]

now sure about the original question...but the calcified baby story was in India...and the woman didnt have the baby in her uterus...she had a tubal pregnancy that managed to grow in her abdomen after her fallopian tube burst...she couldnt deliver because there was no where for the baby to go and they couldnt figure out how to get the baby out (didnt have c cection technology in rural India back then) so she just went home and the pain stopped and the baby calcified...they took it out a few years ago and found the fetus had most likely been full term...super rare for her to survive the fallopian tube bursting and for the pregancy to continue to term in her abdomen...they found remnants of her placenta in her abdomen...amazing...

[crunch!910]

I was 40wks and 6 days the day I had to go in to be induced. I had EVERY intention of REFUSING to be induced.. but when I got in there they measured him almost 9 lbs, (that alone wouldn't have made me), but I literally had NO fluid. I don't know if I was leaking fluid??? Even when he tried to 'break' my water during the induction he was DIGGING AND DIGGING (it hurt SO bad I wanted to kick him!), and he didn't get a drop of fluid out, nothing but meconium on that pokey thing came out.
I ended up in c-section after 14 hr induction. There are some times I think I could have done it vaginally and had a 'unnecceseran', and other times I think that I had a necessary cesearean. I'm not sure.. I just know my body failed my baby. Trying to forget that and just be hopeful for a future homebirth whenever we are ready to have another!

[THBVsMama]

Originally Posted by n3w2cl0th now sure about the original question...but the calcified baby story was in India...and the woman didnt have the baby in her uterus...she had a tubal pregnancy that managed to grow in her abdomen after her fallopian tube burst...she couldnt deliver because there was no where for the baby to go and they couldnt figure out how to get the baby out (didnt have c cection technology in rural India back then) so she just went home and the pain stopped and the baby calcified...they took it out a few years ago and found the fetus had most likely been full term...super rare for her to survive the fallopian tube bursting and for the pregancy to continue to term in her abdomen...they found remnants of her placenta in her abdomen...amazing...

I was going to post the same thing, but you beat me to it

My grandmother had my mother at 44 weeks, but that was 'back in the day', so who knows how accurate her EDD was.

[cheerkri]

My friend went into labor and had her baby naturally at 43w4d.

(He was also almost 11lbs....)

[cereal527]

Originally Posted by VeryChicBaby My DD was due on Feb 14th, I gave birth to her on March 19th when the Doc finally agreed to induce her. My body has never gone into labor on its own.. ALL of my 4 were induced because of that..

Me too, to the bolded. I have always dilated some prior to being induced with my kids, but full on labor just never started on it's own. With two of my kids, my water broke at home, and I wasn't in labor. Labor never started on it's own, so of course I was given pitocin to get things started. The lowest dose of pitocin was enough to get things going, and labor progressed normally after that, but I really do think my body has a hormone problem. I'm sure some people will say I just didn't give my body enough time to go into labor, but with my first I was two weeks past my due date, and needed to be induced. All my kids have been big enough that I know the dates couldn't have been off by much if they were at all.

[Fire In The Disco]

Originally Posted by crunch!910 when I got in there they measured him almost 9 lbs, (that alone wouldn't have made me), but I literally had NO fluid.

I'm totally curious, did he turn out to be 9 lbs or thereabouts? I only ask because everyone I know says those ultrasound measurements are way off. Mine was off, but not hugely. They estimated Cecilia at 7 lbs, she was 6 lbs 3 oz in actuality.

[er517]

Wow. It never even occurred to me that this might be possible, but now after seriously looking at it...I guess it could happen.

Someone else mentioned a m/c, and I know that's not what we're referring to here, but just humor me. I m/c'd in the beginning July 2002, and my body didn't expell everything until I went into labor on November 27, 2002...nearly 5 months later.
Either way, live birth or m/c, hormones are involved, are they not?

Hmmmm...very interesting topic!