What to do if your baby is overdue

physician examining pregnant woman

If your due date came and went, you’re probably getting tired — of being pregnant, and of waiting to meet your new baby. There’s usually no increased risk for a baby born within 2 weeks of their due date — which is only an estimate, after all.

What to do at 40 weeks pregnant

We’ll keep a close eye on you starting at 40 weeks and perform some simple tests to see how you and your baby are doing. If we see that there could be a problem, we’ll induce labor. If not, we’ll wait a little while longer for labor to start naturally.

If you haven’t already had your baby by 41 weeks, we’ll discuss inducing labor. Pregnancies that continue beyond that point may have more complications, including the increased need for cesarean birth.

If you’re overdue, just remember that no one has ever been pregnant forever. Your little one will arrive any day now, with or without a little nudge from us.

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