Written by Editorial Team
As you near your due date, the long wait to see your tiny bundle of joy becomes all the more unbearable. The panic meter shoots up when your baby does not appear on the expected scheduled date. The day just passes! Generally babies are born between 38th to 42nd weeks of gestation period (pregnancy). If the baby is not born by 42 week of pregnancy, he /she is regarded as post-term or post-dated for birth.
The due date of delivery is calculated from the first day of your last menstrual period. The due date depicts the day when you are likely to have birth or when the labour pain might set in. Usually a pregnancy lasts for 40 weeks but if it extends beyond 42 weeks, the pregnancy is termed as prolonged pregnancy. Most women deliver the baby either one week earlier or one week later than the normal pregnancy timeline of 40 weeks. If labor does not kick start by the time you complete 40 weeks. Your obstetrician will ask you for induction of labour if the pregnancy extends beyond 42 or 43 weeks. This is primarily because of the increase of the threat of stillbirth or fetal distress especially in primigravidae or the women having their first child.
The true cause of babies arriving late in the world is not known. However some points are believed to be responsible for post term babies:
The post-term babies might face the following problems:
Here are a few things that should be done while waiting for overdue pregnancy:
You have crossed 40 weeks of pregnancy and you might feel disappointed and even frustrated but try to be composed and avoid being panic. You might be feeling you have had enough of a pregnancy and would want the baby out. However, you will need to hang in there as yet, and enjoy the last 1-2 weeks of pregnancy.
Be calm and composed during this extra period of wait and watch! You will be soon blessed with a baby that will keep you on toes with his/ her round the clock schedule.
With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.
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