Pregnancy week 40
Support and information from NCT

Congratulations you have now reached your due date! At 40 weeks pregnant your baby has grown seven times taller than she was at 12 weeks and is nearly 200 times heavier.  Things could start at any time now.  Before labour begins you may have contractions that do not settle into a pattern. These may be painful and could start several days before labour begins. Labour will begin when contractions are regular and you enter into the first stage of labour.

However, only 5% of babies are born on their due date. First babies are often late or ‘post-term’, subsequent babies or twins are often ‘pre-term’ or ‘premature’.   It can be very frustrating to go through your due date with not so much as a twinge, so it might be a good idea to make some plans to distract yourself. Invite your friends over or plan something with your partner.  The best thing you can do whilst you wait for your new arrival is be prepared, ensure you have everything you need for the birth and the telephone numbers to hand, make sure your transport to the birth centre or hospital is ready or fit the car seat, and practise what you learnt in your antenatal classes.

If you haven’t given birth by 40 weeks, your midwife may offer to ‘sweep’ your membranes to start labour off.  Your midwife or doctor may also discuss options for induction with you, which is a way of starting labour artificially.