Impending or potential serotiny
Wow, that’s quite a mouthful! What does that mean? If a baby is born after a pregnancy lasting more than 42 weeks, it’s called ‘serotine.’ We refer to impending or threatened serotiny starting in week 41 of your pregnancy and to serotiny starting in week 42.
As you surely know, you’re due to give birth between 37 and 42 weeks of pregnancy. The average is 40 weeks. This is determined very precisely by what’s known as the due date. And that date is what it’s all about… It’s your ‘due date’; you tell everyone that you’re ‘due’ then. Giving birth a little earlier is a pleasant surprise, but giving birth after that date causes a lot of anxiety. For starters, there are the comments from people around you: ‘Is anything happening yet?’ or ‘Oh, you’re still here!’ or “Phew… that’s tough,” or… you name it.
And I should know… because our third child arrived at 41+5 weeks.
I gave birth to my first child at 41+0 weeks, in the hospital. I was supposed to have my membranes stripped that day, but labor started spontaneously the night before.
I gave birth to my second child at 40+5 weeks, in the hospital. I had already expected that I would probably go a week past my due date, so it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought.
And then the third... I had already figured I’d go a week past my due date. This did make me realize suddenly, at 37+0, that I could go into labor right then and there; after all, I had reached the point where it was perfectly normal to go into labor! After a day, the panic had subsided...
A heat wave (yes, the one where it hit 40 degrees) followed. Phew… now that was tough! With a toddler and a preschooler running around, and me heavily pregnant. But hey… that was just the consequence of getting pregnant again so quickly.
The due date was slowly approaching. It was a Sunday... and I was still pregnant, just as expected. The weekend was approaching. Secretly, I was hoping I would go into labor, because then my oldest would have a little time to adjust before she went to school on Monday.
But the weekend passed and Monday arrived—without a baby. I decided to go in for a cervical strip test that day, because I could sense the possibility of an induction and I really wanted to give a spontaneous delivery one last chance!
Gosh, I didn't realize that stripping could still be so annoying! I did feel a bit like a drama queen; I'd already done it for so many other women, and now here I was, whining. But anyway, it’s all for a good cause—that spontaneous delivery. I was already 2 cm dilated, and combined with the pain (because that’s when she was really getting to work), it gave me courage! If the baby didn’t come after all, I’d just have to try again in 48 hours.
And that was necessary... The procedure wasn't fun, but it was followed by a profound silence. I didn't feel any cramps or anything, and I didn't have any discharge or bleeding. It was, however, a ‘little’ disappointing.
Starting that Monday when I’d been stripped, I felt hopeful every evening; because I was sure it would happen that night. I’d prepared myself for the night, because after all, that’s how it had been the previous times.
Thursday morning, 41 + 4 weeks, I woke up. Pregnant… I burst into tears. How on earth was I ever going to get through this day! I wanted so badly to be a new mom and not have to spend yet another night as a pregnant woman. And then there was the induction… I wasn’t keen on the protocol of having my membranes stripped in the evening and then facing the possibility of giving birth that very night; because both previous times, they had amniotic fluid
I had a bowel movement, which landed me in the hospital. So this one must have done the same thing already, and then I'd be in the hospital right away... That would have dashed any hope of a spontaneous labor.
Those tears… that really did help me let off some steam! After that, I called my colleague because I was at a loss. It felt so good to bounce ideas off her, talk things through, and just tell her my story! In the end, I came to my own conclusion: I would just wait until 41+5 to have my water broken. I decided to give spontaneous labor one more chance. And how bad could it really be to be induced? What about the stories saying it might be a bit tougher? But an induction would actually give me that extra experience I hadn’t had yet. And many mothers have already done that. So why couldn’t I just do it too? And there was a limit to how long I could keep giving it that chance anyway, because 42+0 was the end of the pregnancy regardless.
I gave in…
I woke up at 4:45 a.m. on Friday morning… pregnant. I was just drifting back to sleep when I felt something in my lower abdomen, but I ignored it. A moment later, I felt it again—a little stronger, a little more intense. Now I was getting a little more alert… could it be…? No, that couldn’t be; my water was supposed to break tonight, and only then would I go into labor. It was now 5:10 a.m. At 5:20 a.m., I felt it again… and I couldn’t stay lying down anymore; it was too painful. I stood up next to my bed. Now I kept a close eye on the clock… would it come again? Yes… at 5:30 a.m. it was back, even more intense and painful, and I couldn’t help but let out a sigh. Around 6:00 a.m., I was over the moon (figuratively speaking, that is), because I knew for sure: it had started!!!
I didn't care at all anymore how things would turn out, but the wait after that set date paid off!
And as a special gift, I got to experience what it’s like to give birth at home; our son was born at 8:35 a.m., 10 minutes after my water broke and it turned out there was meconium-stained amniotic fluid.
‘Impending serotinity’ is quite a mouthful. But it also brings a lot with it once you enter that phase. What’s most important is: what are your feelings, your wishes, your expectations, and your ideas? Talk about these things with your midwife, because that will help you move forward and stay strong throughout your journey!
Best regards, Dirrianne
