The reason why the baby is overdue is usually not known. Sometimes it is because of a genetic predisposition (hereditary). Women who have already had a baby that came much later than their due date are more likely to have an overdue baby in future pregnancies. Being born after the 40th week only rarely harms the child.
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.
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.
Based on live births recorded in the National Survey of Family Growth, about 12% of first babies are born preterm, compared to 10% of other babies. And if “late” means after 40 weeks, first babies are more likely to be late: about 15%, compared to 10% of other babies.
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.
In other words, studies show that mothers who experience more stress are more likely to go into labor early, so stress increases a mother's risk of premature labor. During stressful situations, the body reacts in a number of ways. For instance, heart rate and blood pressure increase, and hormones flood the body.
Researchers now believe that when a baby is ready for life outside his mother's uterus, his body releases a tiny amount of a substance that signals the mother's hormones to begin labor (Condon, Jeyasuria, Faust, & Mendelson, 2004). In most cases, your labor will begin only when both your body and your baby are ready.
The truth is your baby's sex has very little to do with the length of pregnancy.
You may start to feel pressure in your vagina or pelvis. “This may be due to 'lightening,' which is when the baby drops down from the abdomen. Some women feel lightening as pelvic pressure or even low back pain,” says Dr. Emery.
Boys are more likely to be born before their due date. After the 40-week mark, however, the odds slightly favor a girl.
It is widely recognised that babies put on more weight during the last two weeks of pregnancy. Therefore, where a pregnancy continues beyond the EDD, it is more likely to result in the birth of a larger baby. Bigger babies tend to have more difficult births and are more likely to be born with a low Apgar score.
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.
If you're overdue and have had a straightforward pregnancy, then you'll be offered induction between 41 to 42 weeks because: the risk of stillbirth increases when pregnancy goes beyond 42 weeks.
Females always pass an X chromosome onto their offspring. If the father passes on an X chromosome, the baby will be genetically female, and if the father passes on a Y chromosome, the baby will be genetically male.
One study, published in 2001 in the journal Human Fetal and Neonatal Movement Patterns, found that boys may move around more in the womb than girls. The average number of leg movements was much higher in the boys compared to the girls at 20, 34 and 37 weeks, that study found.
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.
Theoretically, the unequal walking pattern created by the curb causes the pelvis to open and allows the baby's head to descend. When the baby's head is deeper into the pelvis, there is more pressure on the cervix, causing dilation and effacement. This uneven walk should be done for about 10 minutes.
Gently bouncing on an exercise ball to induce labor not only encourages baby to move down and in turn assist with cervix dilation, but it can also soothe baby, Green says. Sit on the exercise ball, with your legs wide apart, and move your hips up and down.
There is no evidence that bed rest during pregnancy — at home or in the hospital — is effective at treating preterm labor or preventing premature birth.
Background. Many physicians advise pregnant women to sleep on their left side. Previous studies have linked back and right-side sleeping with a higher risk of stillbirth, reduced fetal growth, low birth weight, and preeclampsia, a life-threatening high blood pressure disorder that affects the mother.