Living and Loving – August 2019

28 | AUGUST 2019 | L&L

Sr Burgie Ireland guides

you through what to expect

when you’re overdue.

M

any moms become

anxious when they’re

40 weeks pregnant and

there’s still no sign of baby

arriving any time soon. As a midwife

and mother, I know that we remember

two dates: the expected due date

and the actual birth date. I was born

three weeks late, on my sister’s first

birthday. I don’t think she’s forgiven me.

Why some babies

come late

We’re not really sure why some babies

come late, but it may be because birth

dates are miscalculated. The due date

is based on a woman’s last period,

but the actual date of conception

THE

LONG

WAIT

happens some time between

periods. Added to this, baby boys are

conceived at the time of ovulation,

but little girls can be conceived as

many as five days after having sex.

First babies often come a few

days to two weeks late – the mom’s

muscles and ligaments are still

firm and tight, which means labour

takes longer to get started.

The cervix is where the the baby

emerges into the vagina, and it needs

to be soft and ready to open. Hormones

(mainly oxytocin, progesterone and

prostaglandin) kickstart this process,

but it’s also important that pressure

from the baby’s head pushing against

the cervix stimulates dilatation. That’s

why babies lying breech (bottom

first), or transverse (across) fail to do

this, and other problems like placenta

praevia (placenta first), a short

cord, or insufficient amniotic fluid

can all delay the start of labour.

What are the

dangers?

Post-date babies can encounter

some problems after 42 weeks, so

your practitioner will take precautions

to prevent these. To begin with, the

placenta starts to “age” after 38 weeks,

which means its efficiency in transferring

vital nutritients and oxygen to your baby

and taking waste and carbon dioxide

away, is weakened. This can also make