A full-term pregnancy is one in which the baby is born on the expected date of delivery, counting from the date of the last menstrual period. It is a specific day, although labor is usually triggered a few days before or a few days later. Now, there are cases in which the expectant mother is in the 40th week of pregnancy and not born: why? What is the reason this happens?
As always in nature, the human body is not a Swiss watch, so what is estimated based on calculations and statistics may differ from reality. As long as it's only a few days, there's no need to worry. Now, when the delay extends then it is time to intervene. We'll see how.
What happens at week 40
The expected date of delivery is calculated from the date of the last menstrual period. From this, the possible ovulation date is counted, that is, the precise moment in which conception occurs. However, ovulation is not always exact on day 14, so the calculations are estimates. This results in a few days difference in the actual date that labor is triggered. The cases in which the baby is born on the expected date of delivery are the least. Most of the time, labor occurs a few days before or after.
Is this normal? does it happen to be in the 40th week of pregnancy and the baby is not born? Of course. Even more: due to the 15 days that elapse between the last ovulation and the date of the last menstruation, from which the 40 weeks of pregnancy are counted, an overdue pregnancy is one that is delayed two weeks after the estimated due date. So you do have to act quickly to avoid risks to the mother or baby.
Monitoring at week 40 of pregnancy
Addition estimated due date, there are several reasons why you can be in the 40th week of pregnancy and the baby is not born. If you are a first-time mother, it is common for the pregnancy to be delayed, also in women who have had a past-term pregnancy before.
In women with a body mass index greater than 30, it is also common for delivery to be delayed, the same if it is a child pregnancy. There are also cases in which women do not remember the exact date of their last menstruation, so the calculation of the weeks is an estimate. Or it may happen that the due date
it was based on a late second or third trimester ultrasound.
Risks of an unborn baby
To avoid the risks of a late pregnancy, pregnancy monitoring is very important, especially in the last months. Although a few days of delay is not a problem, you have to be vigilant if the pregnancy extends too far. If it lasts between 41 weeks and 41 weeks and 6 days, we are talking about a late-term pregnancy, but if it goes past 42 weeks, it is a prolonged pregnancy, and then the risks appear.
The baby may be too large, which can lead to a cesarean section or a difficult delivery because the baby may get stuck. Or suffer from postmaturity syndrome, which leads to some changes (decreased fat under the skin, soft hair, lack of a greasy cover, etc). Finally, a drop in the level of amniotic fluid may occur, with the risk of altering your baby's heart rate and compressing the umbilical cord during delivery.
In the mother, it can lead to severe vaginal tears, infection, and postpartum bleeding. For all this it is important to control yourself during the week 40 of pregnancy and in the weeks before and after.