Ask Me Anything: Third Tri, Labor/Delivery Edition

wildrainbow

So, we've had a few questions about third tri, Labor, delivery, and the like. So, I thought it would be easier to create a thread for all of this for ease of use as well as searching. FTMs, ask us what you want to know. This is your chance to get all the answers you want. 

middleschoolmommy

Not a ftm, but first time I've been this pregnant! My ankles and feet would swell with my son, but never to where they hurt. I'm just now starting to swell with baby girl, but my lower left leg and my feet actually hurt by the end of the day. Is there anything that can help with the swelling? 

cpow18

@middleschoolmommy I haven’t experienced the swelling - at least not yet but my sister has! She swears by ice pads. They help her out a lot and elevating as much as you can!

firsttimespartanmom

@middleschoolmommy my doctor told me elevating will do nothing, but laying on your side will. Also, cutting back on salt has helped for me! 

wildrainbow

@middleschoolmommy my sister is a nurse and worked 12 hours until right before she delivered. She swore by compression socks and soaking her feet. 

marfi236

@middleschoolmommy I've been having the same issue (left foot/ankle swelling more than right).  So far only elevating and sleeping on my side has helped (my feet are generally back to normal size in the morning).  I borrowed a foot bath from my sister that I need to try out to see if it helps!

linz36

I second compression socks (I live in them) and make sure you drink tons of water!

runwmusic

@middleschoolmommy rotate your feet the increase blood flow. Drawing the alphabet with your big toe helps move at all angles. Drink lots of water, and elevate at much as you can.

cpow18

This might be a very naive question because I know she’ll come when she’s ready but I don’t want to go past due date so husband can get all the bonding time with her but is there anything that helped you guys speed up the process? I wouldn’t try until much closer to the due date!

KellyT22

@cpow18 I ate dates starting at 37 weeks with my 2nd and had him at 39w. Not sure if it actually mattered but supposedly evidence supports that dates soften your cervix. 

mockingjay1

@middleschoolmommy - With DS I worked up until I delivered doing 12+ hour shifts in the NICU (always on my feet) and compression hose helped tremendously. I started getting pitting edema at 20 weeks and with the compression hose my legs/feet would hardly swell at all and they felt so much better. 

josie12367

@middleschoolmommy I also think compression socks helped the most with both of my pregnancies where I worked up until the day I delivered

@cpow18 Sex and lots of walking is how I got both labours started. One kiddo read at 38 weeks exactly, and the other at 39+4. I also had my membranes stripped at 37 weeks with both. 

cpow18

@josie12367 did you get your membranes swept for a medical reason or just a personal choice? Sorry if that’s personal!

lifesabeach85

@cpow18 oh man I tried it ALL starting right around my due date. There are a million old wives tales. Spicy food, pineapple, there’s a restaurant in Georgia that promised its eggplant parm will do the trick and their recipe is online. Sex, nipple stimulation, walking, squats. Tried em all! I did induction acupuncture at 40w3 and the baby did drop the next day (could be coincidence) and I saw a chiropractor at 40w5d who adjusted me to be in better position for labor. Contractions started off and on that night (again could be coincidental) and she was born at 41w1d. 

There are masseuses who do induction massages and your can try a membrane sweep if you’re at least 1cm dialated. Did not try these myself. 

Please run any and all DIY induction methods past your doctor before trying them! Ask your doctor/midwife/doula or a very trusted source for recommendations on any specialists (like masseuses or acupuncturists) before trying one. 

cpow18

@lifesabeach85 oh yeah I plan on asking my doctor! Would not want to hurt the LO!

cm716

@cpow18 in my completely anecdotal experience, most FTMs that I know went past their due dates. With my first they tried sweeping my membranes twice to be avail. Finally my water broke on its own at 40+3. As a stm my next two were born right around 39 weeks.i had a prenatal massage with my second and I think that helped . Good luck! 

lachnessmomster

@cpow18 I tried almost every trick in the book that I felt comfortable with, and my first was 11 days "late." Sex, bouncing on birth ball, spicy food, pineapple, acupressure, evening primrose oil, swimming, walking, squats, a small glass of wine in a warm bath (which is just some random advice my aunt's doctor gave her when she was trying to kick start labor), and I feel like none of it worked. This time around, I'm using my due date as more of a rough guideline and am going to try not to make myself crazy if/when the date comes and goes and there's no baby yet.

ETA: Granted, some of these are just wive's tales, but I was desperate! Lol.

vrj0522

@cpow18 - there are a ton of old wives' tales on what to do. Once I get to full term at 39 weeks, I start trying a bunch of them. My first was 2 days early, my 2nd one day late, and my 3rd one day early, although I knew their due dates based on actual ovulation. Had we gone with the OB's initial EDDs from dating ultrasound, they would have been more off. I also ran with all 3 pregnancies up until I delivered so for me the "lots of walking" theory didn't seem to apply in getting labor started.

The only thing I would say to stay away from is castor oil. There's a ton of other things you can do so avoid giving yourself diarrhea! Baby is in a different part of your belly so no need to try using castor oil to make baby come. Doesn't work!

iheartbooks

@middleschoolmommy Just adding a vote for compression socks! I found some really cute ones on Amazon. Although getting them on and off requires some assistance these days, ugh.

offtoneverland

@cpow18 Have you talked to your OB about YH's timeline because of his deployment? This may be a bit controversial, but if you're a few days late, perhaps your OB would be on board with inducing you to make sure YH gets as much time with the baby as possible. Not sure how you'd feel about that, but it might be better than being over a week late and having him miss out on that special time. 
Oh! But since you're in Maryland I'll give you my tip--I went to the zoo in DC when I was 2 days overdue and that night at midnight my water broke. My friend gave me that tip because it worked to get her to go into labor too. Obviously it's probably just a coincidence, but you never know.   

josie12367

@cpow18 The OBs were the ones to suggest it both times since my cervix was already dilated to 4-5 the first pregnancy,  and 3 the second, and very thin. With my second I had to have it done twice. It didn't hurt in my case, and I think it's a more natural way to induce labour if your body is ready. I plan to ask about it at 38 weeks this time around. I've heard that if your baby isn't ready, then stripping your membranes will basically do nothing though...

cpow18

Thanks everyone! I’ve brought it up to my OB briefly I plan to bring it up again!

millerbear56

@cpow18 I tried all the old wives tales I felt comfortable with for DS. I was 90% effaced at 37 weeks but only 1 cm dilated and stayed that way until we induced. Once induction started, the OB realized the previous leap procedure I had left some scar tissue next to my cervix and wasn’t stretching as normal tissue would. I labored for 15 hours, but once that scar tissue finally stretched I went from 4 cm to 10 in less than an hour.  So no matter what I tried wouldn’t have worked because of that scar tissue. My midwife said that scar tissue will stretch right away this time (she better be right), so I’m hoping my body might be able to naturally progress this time. I’m totally going to pick up the walking, sex, and even eat a pineapple again but mostly because pineapple is yummy so why not? 

runningyogimama

I ate dates with DD2, was 3 cm dilated from 36 weeks on, and my labor was only 90 mins long, pushing was only 30 mins because DD2 was sunny side up, or it would have been like 1 push (I opted to be induced at 39+5 because 4 weeks of contractions was more than enough for me!). I’ve been drinking RRLT this time...I drank pregnancy tea in second tri, and I think switched to RRLT in third tri, and moved up to twice a day at 34 weeks, and plan to double that (really just using 2 tea bags) at 37 weeks. Although...I am nervous to go into labor at work and have it be quick because I’m rush hour, work is an hour away. I have had BH this time, which I’ve never noticed before. 

IDK if the dates helped? They were hard to choke down, because I’m not a sweets person, ha. My first labor was about 12 hours, with 45 mins of pushing, also not terrible for first time labor.

lifesabeach85

@offtoneverland I lived in DC when DD was born... definitely did some long walks through the zoo when I was late with her and it did not work for me! But it’s always fun to go to the zoo! 

middleschoolmommy

Another question from my lack of 3rd trimester experience...

How far along where you when you started to dilate at all? 
I went in at 29+2 at 7cm dilated, so the idea of walking around 1-3cm for multiple days/weeks is completely foreign to me. I know I will be induced at 38 weeks and I imagine if I go in with no thinning or dilation the induction will take much longer. So I guess I'm curious when I should start to worry about that.

lachnessmomster

@middleschoolmommy I don't have a lot of insight for this one. Once my water finally broke, well past the EDD, and labor had been going for 5-6 hours or so, I went to my midwife group, and I was still only one centimeter dilated, and they sent me back home to labor for awhile. It was the saddest news I'd ever heard. I thought for sure there would have been more progress. Walking around for days/weeks 3 cm dilated is a foreign concept for me, too! REALLY, REALLY hoping things go a bit quicker this time around.

lifesabeach85

@middleschoolmommy I know that at 40w3 I was not dilated AT ALL, even one tiny cm. My OB said she would try a membrane sweep then if I wanted it, and I did, but nope closed up tighter than fort knox. I still went into labor on my own! When I got to the hospital with contractions 3 minutes apart five days later, I was only 3cm. Buuuuut I did progress quickly after that (5cm two hours later and 10cm two hours after that). So yeah, being dilated for weeks is also foreign to me! But for anyone who is discouraged at NOT being dilated even past your due date, it does not mean that you won't go into labor on your own and it does NOT mean that labor won't go easily/quickly for you once it gets started.

highsteaks

@middleschoolmommy i was 0cm dilated and pretty much no effacement at my 37w induction during my first pregnancy. two rounds of cytotec and nothing else got me a successful 19h vaginal labor (overnight with epidural at 4am). no foley bulb, no pitocin, water broke on its own. not guaranteeing you’ll have to same experience, but trying to say that you could have a similar one despite your body not showing any signs of “readiness” just yet. i hadn’t taken any supplements to help beforehand either.

mockingjay1

@middleschoolmommy - at 36 weeks when they did my GBS swab and checked my cervix I was 3cm dilated. The next week I was still 3cm and opted not to be checked anymore since I was a scheduled c-section at 39 weeks due to DS's head size. I am curious if I ever progressed any more. 

lachnessmomster

I guess this idea of "not going into labor on your own" is really hard for me to wrap my head around. Has anyone ever been pregnant forever? I understand that sometimes there are medical reasons to help labor along, but is it really a concern that labor just won't happen? Most of the time, our bodies know what to do. Speaking from someone who desperately wanted that med-free, water birth, whatever experience and ended up with an emergency c-section due to baby's distress later on, letting my body go into labor on its own is the closest I got to my original birth plan. I'm so glad I resisted when everyone encouraged me to, "Just get induced!" Even if labor didn't begin when I was mentally ready for it, it began when my body physically was.

ETA: typo

emjohn517

@lachnessmomster at my hospital, 2 physicians must sign off on the medical necessity of an induction. Im not sure if that’s common practice or not. As someone who had to be medically induced last time, I’m desperately hoping to go into labor on my own this time. Induction is very forced unnatural (speaking for myself) and I wouldn’t wish for it. 

lachnessmomster

@emjohn517 I imagine it would be. To me, personally, it just seems counterproductive to force your body to do something it's not ready for (unless there's a medical reason).

middleschoolmommy

@mockingjay1 do you know what percentile your son's head was measuring around? Baby girl is currently measuring 86th percentile for her head and I'm worried.


About me being induced... I will be induced at 38 weeks due to medical reasons (type 2 diabetic) and I'm hoping nothing comes up that leads to an earlier need for induction (like pre-e or baby's size). So on one hand I'd like to go into labor naturally  but on the other hand I don't want another preemie, and the 1 week window between full term and inductions seems so small. 

offtoneverland

@middleschoolmommy I missed some of the talk about head size, but DD was born 3 days overdue at 8lb 5oz and her head was in the 97th percentile. It's consistently stayed in that percentile her entire life while the rest of her body is in the 30th percentile. I'm pretty small-framed yet I didn't have any issues pushing out that giant head, if that's part of your worries. Of course everyone's different, I'm just giving you my experience.
ETA: My comment was in no way meant to imply that @mockingjay1 shouldn't have had a c-section because of her baby's large head size. Again, just giving you my personal experience, and that's all. 

middleschoolmommy

@offtoneverland thanks for the input! DS has a large head, since DH and I also have large heads. I was always expecting this one to have one too, it's still a scary thought though. 

vrj0522

@middleschoolmommy - I was 0 cm dilated, 25% effaced two days before I went into labor with my 1st; 1 cm for two weeks with my 2nd, and with my 3rd I can't remember exactly except that I was 3 cm dilated 3 days before I went into labor, although I'm pretty sure I walked around several weeks with a 1-finger width dilation. So they were all different and didn't really make a difference in the timing of their birth, since they were all born 1-2 days from their due dates. 

pelorunningmama

@middleschoolmommy my doctor starts checks at 36 weeks. With DD, I had hardly any dilation. With DS, I started dilating at 36 and picked up a cm each week. When she checked me at 39 weeks, I was 4 cm. She did a sweep that day and I went into labor that night.

mockingjay1

@middleschoolmommy - I don't remember what percentile DS's head was. It was 15in at 39 weeks, but he was also 9lb 14 oz and 22 in long so he was overall proportionately big. 

bswishe4

I am super impressed with you moms that remember exactly how far dilated and effaced you were at the exact times. I beleive I was dilated to 3 at like 38 weeks. I was told I would not go past my due date. My doctor was right. I showed up to be induced on my due date (no medical reason the doctor recommended it and I just trusted what he said, I would put more thought into it this time). When I showed up I was fully dilated and it was time to push. They broke my water and my son was born immediately.  

And I second no castor oil one of my biggest concerns when giving both was I didn't want to be pooping on everyone down there. I realize in the grand scheme of things that is not an actual concern but if you are bothered by it stay away from the oil lol.

lostarz14

@middleschoolmommy I never got checked.  I saw the midwives at our office and they basically told me it didn't really matter because you could walk around 3cm dilated for 3 weeks.  I figured, cool, one less de-robing at the office lol.

I went to the hospital around 4am on a Wednesday morning with what I thought were contractions, HA!, was about 3 cm, got sent home, then went back around midnight and was at 7cm.  DD was born at 7am on Thursday morning.  That was at 39w5d.