You have been carrying your baby for the past nine months. It’s the D-day for your pregnancy. A long wait will finally come to an end while changing your life in every way possible. So, it’s quite normal to be anxious as you get closer to the due date.
However, you should also remember that most due dates are a guide to your actual labour day. Only about five per cent of pregnant women give birth on the exact date they are due.
Most babies arrive between 37 weeks and 41 weeks of pregnancy, and usually within a week on either side of their expected due date.
If your baby is past your due date, you should discuss your delivery options with your healthcare professional.
When Is It Considered Past Your Due Date?
Pregnancy usually lasts anywhere between 38 and 42 weeks. A full-term pregnancy is one that goes till 40 weeks.
Usually, pregnancies don’t go past 42 weeks gestation but if they did it would be considered ‘late-term.’ While it may seem alarming, it usually isn’t.
It’s common for pregnant women to go beyond their due date. And here’s a guide to tell you what to do when that happens.
What the doctor may do
If you go past your due date, your doctor may start monitoring the baby a little closer. They will monitor the baby’s heart rate and all their movements.
They will also conduct the non-stress tests, which are common for women who go past their due date. This is to make sure that the baby is not under any duress.
Induction
Depending on the situation, the doctor might recommend induction. It is typically done to protect the baby. If you go too far past your due date, there is always a risk of an emergency C-section or a delivery with forceps and vacuum.
There can be another risk where the baby may poop in the utero. This can be extremely dangerous to their health.
5 Medical Procedures For Inducing Labour
If you are way past your due date, the doctor may decide to induce labour. The process will start with examining your cervix to see if it’s ready for labour.
Based on the examination, the doctor will use one of the following ways to induce labour.
- Applying prostaglandin gel: In this method, the medical practitioner applies the gel in the back of your vagina to help soften your cervix and prompt it to open. This is usually enough to bring on labour. You may also need the help of oxytocin to induce contractions.
- Oxytocin drip: This is given through a drip in your arm and is often used in combination with other methods listed. This can be only administered when the water has broken and aims to start contractions or increase contractions.
- Sweeping of the membranes: This method involves where the doctor will gently separate the membranes from the opening of your uterus with their fingers to try and ‘trigger labour.’ It can be an uncomfortable procedure and can cause a small amount of bleeding.
- Artificial rupture of membranes: A small instrument makes a hole in the sac of amniotic fluid around your baby. Your cervix will need to be open a couple of centimetres before the water can be broken by physical intervention. It may become uncomfortable if your cervix is not open very far. Breaking the water may be enough to help start labour. However, sometimes medication such as oxytocin can also be necessary.
- Cervical ripening balloon catheter: A balloon filled with saline and attached to a tube gets pushed into your cervix. This will put pressure on your cervix. The balloon stays in place for 15 hours or until it falls out. Over this time it should cause your cervix to soften and open.
Past Your Due Date? Here’s How You Can Cope
Image courtesy: iStock
Once you have hit the 40th week, it’s only natural for you to get excited to meet your baby. However, it is equally uncomfortable to move around at this stage as well.
Here are some strategies you can try:
- Keep yourself busy: You shouldn’t sit idle. Instead, plan something for each day so you are not just sitting at home waiting for something to happen. You can go out and take small walks. However, be near your home and always keep your mobile phone with yourself.
- Prepare freezing meals: Once the baby arrives, you will hardly get time for yourself. So all you will have to do is just grab something from the freezer and reheat it rather than cook at that point in time.
- Rest as much as possible: You can nap during the day if you find it difficult to sleep at night.
- Take help from close friends and family members: You can inform them beforehand that you will need their help once the baby arrives.
In case of any doubt or fear, it’s always best to have open conversations with your medical provider and your partner.
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