Frequent checks
Pregnancy is considered past due after 41+6 weeks, but it’s rare to go that long and only a small percentage of all babies are past due – no one really knows why. It might just be because the baby is way too comfy in the belly. While we don’t know what causes this, some factors do appear to play a role. The chances are higher for first-time pregnancies, and there may be some hereditary factors involved. If your biological mother or sister had to wait a longer time, there is a slightly elevated risk that you will have to wait too. Pregnancy is usually induced during this week if it doesn’t start on its own, but this can vary depending on where you live.
Baby’s coming – we promise
Keep going – you’re almost there! For most people, being pregnant is no longer fun at this point. By now, it just feels incredibly heavy, and it’s easy to be a bit low and lose your temper. And even if you doubt it, we promise that your baby will come out one way or another. If you’re absolutely finished with saying, ‘Nope, no baby yet!’ when people ask, it’s fully acceptable to send out a mass text that says you’ll let people know when the baby is here! We’ve written it before, but just a little reminder: you should always call the clinic if your water breaks, if you have any bleeding, fewer foetal movements, regular contractions, fewer contractions, or if you feel worried or scared. But you already knew that.
Soon time to induce
Inducing labour can happen a few different ways; usually, the pregnant person takes some hormone tablets dissolved in water, which kicks off the process. Alternatively, there may be reasons to opt for a C-section – it depends on how mother and child are faring. We know it might feel frustrating if your childbirth experience doesn’t go as you thought it would and you have to scrap what you had imagined. But even if the delivery isn’t what you had expected it to be, it’s actually only the very beginning of the rest of your life as a parent. And how your little one arrives isn’t what matters. What matters is that you will soon get to meet this person, and your heart will be filled with joy.
