Overdue and what to do

As soon as we are told our due date we become almost fixated on it. The fact is, however, that only five per cent of babies actually arrive on their ‘due date’! The statistics show that first babies in particular are more likely to arrive later than the estimated delivery date (EDD) and women, who experience an overdue pregnancy, are more likely to continue that pattern in further pregnancies.

Of course, every pregnant woman is sure she is going to go early! Most are actually willing it to happen, mainly because they’re so big and uncomfortable that the old ‘get this out of me’ cliché can make an appearance!

So what happens if your EDD has come and gone? Well, first of all your healthcare professionals will give Mother Nature an opportunity to kick start the process herself. Different hospitals have different policies on this and some obstetricians will agree to leave women who go past their EDD for two to three weeks to see if they will go into labour by themselves.

Letting you go past your EDD leads to its own worries. Pre-eclampsia is, of course, a concern, as is foetal distress and a reduction of amniotic fluid. All of these are, however, quite unusual, and more often than not, baby will come when it’s good and ready.

Once you're past a week overdue, you start coming under real pressure from ‘those in the know’ with offers of membrane sweeps and induction. Most hospitals have 42 weeks as their upper limit before induction or caesarean are compulsory. It is reckoned that up to a third of pregnancies are induced at the moment, despite World Health Organisation recommendations that ‘no geographic region should have rates of induced labour over ten per cent.’

If you do go past your EDD, there are various tried and tested tips for helping Mother Nature along.

Walking is a very effective way to get the uterus contracting, the blood flowing and the baby’s head engaged in the pelvis. This can actually have another positive effect in that it can get you out of the house and take your mind off the fact that you are overdue!

Conversely, deep sleep is also very important! This is because the logical, rational side of our brain – the bit that we use for speaking, thinking and interacting – interferes with the primal part of the brain – the bit that activates labour. With this in mind, it’s maybe no coincidence that many labours begin in the nighttime hours.

You may not want to hear it at this stage, but sex is also a great starter. The contractions of the uterus during orgasm can start labour contractions and semen contains prostaglandins which can help to ripen the cervix. And don’t worry! Sex is perfectly safe at full-term, provided your waters haven't broken.

Hot, spicy food such as curries has been known to bring on labour, so tuck in!