Due Dates and our obsession with punctual babies!

So let's talk about due date's!

Normally one of the first thing people ask when they find out you are pregnant, 'when are you due?' And you give them a date normally worked out from the date of your last period or a dating scan, the dates are based on the average length of gestation for human women of 40weeks.

Key word there being average! Due dates are not an exact science and that 40 week mark is the middle of normal, normal being between 38 weeks and 42 weeks. Only 3% of babies are born on their due dates that means that for 97% of babies the estimated due date is wrong!

Now with those kind of numbers why on earth do we so often expect that baby will come on or before that EDD? (Estimated due date) why do we call a baby past 40 weeks late? When that is still well within normal.

Really think about it for a minute did you go past 40 weeks? Did you feel an immense pressure to get your baby out? How would you have felt if instead of 'late' and 'haven't you had that baby yet?' People encouraged and supported you in those last days and weeks and didn't mention the word late or post dates until 42 weeks? It's a game changer right!

So why all this pressure to have baby by 40 weeks with inductions booked if spontaneous labour doesn't happen by 41 weeks? It is mostly put down to fear, the ultimate fear of most pregnant women, stillbirth. We are told the longer you are pregnant the higher the risk of 'negative outcomes' are you hearing that even our language used is fearful and scary! And we are being told this by our health care providers even though most research actually implies that there is no significant increase in risk between 41 and 42 weeks and it doesn't increase drastically until 43 weeks but only an estimated 10% of pregnancies would continue past 43weeks read more about this here.

So if the risks of staying pregnant are are not much higher and able to be monitored with our fabulous technology we are we pushing women to inductions that have real risks? inductions that often lead to ceasarean as mother and baby were not ready to be forced into labour! It really does not make sense to me that we would induce with out real medical reason and post 40 weeks alone is NOT medical reason.

Now the hard part you're getting close to 40 weeks you have done the research you have decided for you the best option is waiting for spontaneous labour whenever that may come, but your care providers want to book your in for induction at around 41 weeks. What do you do how do you say no? Firstly hire a Doula having someone to back you up someone that believes in you and your ability to birth is so important! Then get others around you on board the more supportive those around you are the easier it is for you. Thirdly talk to your care providers tell them what you want and what you expect from them. Remember they are there for you and this is your body your birth and your baby. And last but most importantly trust your body trust your baby you were made for this!