When are you overdue?

If your estimated due date has been and gone, it can be frustrating to still be pregnant, and worrying too. But don't let the label "overdue" fool you after all, and estimated due date (EDD) is just that, and estimate. You know how everyone talks about pregnancy as being nine months long? That would, actually, be 41 weeks. So when are you really overdue, and what can you do if you are? Pregnant women are considered to be at term between 37 weeks and 42 weeks. Most babies are born within two weeks of their due date, either before or after it. For first time mothers, it is more common to go over their due date than to give birth before it, though there are some factors that make earlier births more likely. If you fall into that group of women who still has not ended up with a baby even though the due date has been and gone, there is no real need to worry.

After your due date, your healthcare provider may well want to see you for more frequent prenatals just to make sure that your baby is doing OK in there. But it is not until after 42 weeks that you would medically be considered to be overdue. At that point, your doctor will almost certainly want to discuss induction options with you. This is because there is a slightly higher chance of babies dying in utero passed that date, and your little one will probably be safer on the outside at that point. There are several induction options available, ranging from natural ones to highly medical ones. Some women say that eating pineapple or having sex can help to kick start labor. Herbs like black and blue cohosh are a bit more likely to work, but OBs most often use the drug Pitocin, and artificial rupture of membranes (breaking waters) to get labor going. Also see how your due date is calculated, and In your third trimester and bored? At-home entertainment ideas for women about to give birth.