until 42 weeks. At 42 weeks all women must birth in hospital. Prolonged pregnancy, otherwise referred to as post term or postdates pregnancy is defined as a pregnancy that has progressed beyond 42 weeks gestation.
Elevated pre-pregnancy weight and maternal weight gain both increase the risk of a post-term delivery. Genetic factors. There is an increased risk of post-term pregnancy for mothers who were themselves born post-term and twin studies also suggest a genetic role. Advanced maternal age.
Most pregnancies last 37 to 42 weeks, but some take longer. If your pregnancy lasts more than 42 weeks, it is called post-term (past due). This happens in a small number of pregnancies. While there are some risks in a post-term pregnancy, most post-term babies are born healthy.
You at 42 weeks
There's a higher risk of stillbirth if you go over 42 weeks pregnant, although most babies remain healthy. At the moment, there's no way to reliably predict which babies are at increased risk of stillbirth, so induction is offered if you do not go into labour by 42 weeks.
Most doctors and midwives are happy for you to go a few days over your due date as long as everything seems to be okay. Many will let pregnant women go up to two weeks over. After 42 weeks, however, the baby's health might be at risk.
If you have not given birth by 42 weeks, there are greater health risks for you and your baby. The placenta is the link between you and your baby. As you pass your due date, the placenta may not work as well as before. This could lessen the amount of oxygen and nutrients that the baby gets from you.
When pregnancies last for 40 weeks or longer, there is an increase in the risk of stillbirth and neonatal death.
Pregnancy is considered to be “full-term” at 40 weeks (or 280 days). A pregnancy that continues for longer than 42 weeks is called a post-term, prolonged or overdue pregnancy. If the mother and baby are both doing well, being up to one week “late” isn't associated with any particular risks for either of them.
When a pregnancy reaches 42 weeks and beyond, it's postterm. Late-term and postterm pregnancy can raise the risk of some health problems, including: Larger than average birth size (fetal macrosomia). This increases the chance that you may need forceps, a vacuum device or another instrument to assist with the birth.
Most babies (91%) in Australia are born at term (37–41 weeks). This is similar across the states and territories and has been stable over time.
Spending most of your time in bed, especially lying on your back, or sitting up at a small angle, interferes with labor progress: Gravity works against you, and the baby might be more likely to settle into a posterior position. Pain might increase, especially back pain.
Certain factors increase your risk of experiencing prolonged labor, including: Carrying multiples. Your baby lying in certain positions. Older maternal age.
Postterm pregnancy is associated with a higher perinatal mortality rate (stillbirth and newborn death within the first week) and a higher risk for complications during delivery, such as an emergency cesarean delivery, shoulder dystocia, postpartum hemorrhage, birth asphyxia, meconium aspiration syndrome, and neonatal ...
Similar to neonatal outcomes, maternal morbidity also increases in term pregnancies prior to 42 weeks of gestation. Such complications as chorioamnionitis, severe perineal lacerations, cesarean delivery rates, postpartum hemorrhage, and endomyometritis all increase progressively after 39 weeks of gestation.
Potential maternal risks associated with prolonged gestation, besides the obvious emotional trauma accompanying an unexpected fetal death or serious complication, include potential increased risk of injury to the pelvic floor associated with difficult deliveries of macrosomic infants.
If a baby is overdue, the main associated risks are: The placenta might gradually stop being able to do its job properly. An infection might develop inside the womb. Unexpected problems might arise during labor.
Contractions help push your baby out of your uterus. Your provider may recommend inducing labor if your health or your baby's health is at risk or if you're 2 weeks or more past your due date. For some women, inducing labor is the best way to keep mom and baby healthy. Inducing labor should be for medical reasons only.
Pregnancy after age 45 years is infrequent and the mother and baby should be considered as a high risk. There is a greater incidence of spontaneous abortion, gestational trophoblastic disease and chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus.
The most common symptom of stillbirth is when you stop feeling your baby moving and kicking. Others include cramps, pain or bleeding from the vagina. Call your health care provider right away or go to the emergency room if you have any of these conditions.
At or after 40 weeks, the risk of stillbirth increases, especially for women 35 or older. Their risk, research shows, is doubled from 39 weeks to 40 and is more than six times as high at 42 weeks.
In the United States, there are similar numbers of stillbirth deaths and deaths of infants during their first year of life. That is, about one-half of all deaths between 20 weeks of pregnancy and the first birthday occur before delivery.
Induction is offered in longer pregnancies because, after 41 weeks, there is a higher chance of a baby being admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit, and the rate of stillbirth increases from less than one in 1,000 at 40 weeks to three in 1,000 (Middleton, 2020; NICE, 2021a).
Only 7.6 percent percent of male babies and 5.5 percent of female babies were in the womb 42 weeks or longer. Males were also 1.5 times more likely to be born at 43 weeks or longer. The researchers noted that the most common reason for prolonged pregnancies is an error in calculating the due date.
Induced labour is usually more painful than labour that starts on its own, and you may want to ask for an epidural. Your pain relief options during labour are not restricted by being induced. You should have access to all the pain relief options usually available in the maternity unit.