Remaining Encouraged When You Are Overdue In Pregnancy

When you find out the due date of your little one, the last thing you want to be is overdue in your pregnancy.

You have been counting down the weeks and days until you get to see and hold your baby so you are hoping that by the time your due date comes up, your little one is either already here or on the way.

You have been carrying this little person for 10 months and dealing with all of the symptoms that come with it so when that due date approaches, you become more than ready to have this baby.

Well as we all know, babies come when they are ready, not when we want them to.

And I know this very well now considering that both of my daughters went past their due date.

When I became a mom for the first time mom, I was feeling anxious, nervous, and excited about the arrival of my daughter.

So I was ok with her being a few days late because it gave me more time to prepare myself for suddenly becoming someone’s parent.

However, with this being my second time around, I was beyond ready because I know what the other side looks like.

I would get to cuddle and snuggle with my newborn baby and would no longer have to deal with those dreadful pregnancy symptoms.

So you can imagine how I felt when I went over my due date with my second baby as well.

I was so discouraged when I hit 40 weeks and it did not seem like I was showing any signs that this little girl was coming anytime soon.

And I know I’m not the only one who was feeling discouraged when they were overdue in their pregnancy and needing some encouragement to stick out a little bit longer to see their little ones.

So that is what I will be sharing in this post.

If you are looking for some overdue pregnancy tips to help yourself stay encouraged until your little one makes their arrival, then just keep reading.

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Is It Normal To Go Over Your Due Date?

Before I get into my tips on how I remained encouraged when I was overdue in my pregnancy, let’s discuss how often moms are going over their due dates in their pregnancies.

Because it is a lot more common than you think.

According to the writers over on Parents.com, about 80% of babies arrive between 38 and 42 weeks of pregnancy with only 5%of babies actually born on their due date.

Due dates are strictly estimates usually based on the first day of your last mensuration cycle so this does not mean that your baby will come on that exact day.

As much as we want them to.

It is often believed that second-time moms will deliver their babies sooner than their first child, but the writers from Lucie’s List stated there is no conclusive evidence out there to actually back this up.

In fact, they go on to say that your experience the second time around will often be like your first time if you didn’t experience any complications.

Which I can attest to since both my girls came the same amount of days after their due date.

But if it is common for moms to go over their due dates, how long can you go over your due date before we start to see some potential harmful risks?

Most doctors and midwives will let you go to 42 weeks before they make an effort to get the baby out in order to protect the health of the mom and the baby.

Those same writers from Parents.com state although it’s rare, the risks of having an overdue baby include:

• The placenta’s ability to provide the baby with adequate oxygen and nutrients may be compromised.
• The volume of essential amniotic fluid may decline as the baby grows.
• The possibility of fetal distress increases.
• The baby could grow too large to pass safely through the birth canal.

For me personally, I like to wait until I’m 41 weeks in order to give my baby time to come on their own before I consider induction and my doctor completely agrees with my decision.

As much as I don’t want to be overdue in my pregnancy, I try to allow my baby to come on its own and allow my body to do what it is supposed to do.

Remaining Encouraged When You Are Overdue In Pregnancy

Don’t Force Yourself Into Labor

My very first tip on staying encouraged when you are overdue is to not force yourself in labor.

I know you are tired of being pregnant, but now is not the time to make yourself go into labor because your baby did not come by their due date.

As hard it will be just hold tight and not try every trick on the internet to get your baby to come out, you have to know that your baby and body know what to do.

There is nothing wrong with trying to induce labor naturally and with the recommendations from your OB, but there are some techniques on the internet that are not safe and can cause your baby to go into distress.

So don’t force it! You are almost there!

Stay Active

Speaking of trying to induce labor naturally, staying active is one of the healthy habits that you be should be maintained during pregnancy regardless of being over your due date.

Your OB has likely recommended this to you as well as mine did, so when I went over my due date, the first thing I did was get out and start walking around.

This is much easier to do when you have someone to walk with such as a relative or a friend.

My family came into town the day before my due date because they were also anticipating that my baby would be coming soon, so they got me out of the house every day to walk around until my baby girl came.

And when I wasn’t out walking around, I would bounce on an exercise ball to let gravity do it’s thing and naturally induce labor that way.

Turn Your Phone On Do Not Disturb

One of the hardest parts of being overdue in your pregnancy is not only are you anticipating labor at any moment but so is everyone else.

Most people don’t mean any harm when they continually ask if the baby is here, but it does get annoying after a while.

The number of times people ask goes up quite a bit when your due date comes and goes because like you, they were expecting a baby to be here.

So what can you can do to counter against this?

Turn your phone on do not disturb until you actually go into labor.

Better yet, Erin Odom from The Humbled Homemaker actually suggests turning your phone off in order to solely concentrate on taking care of yourself and the baby until labor starts.

It’s understandable that everyone wants to check on you, but for your peace of mind, you might need to cut communication until your baby decides to come.

Make Last-Minute Preparations

Since you have the extra time, this is a great time to get those last-minute things done.

I know for me, I was able to make some final touches on the nursery nook in our bedroom and pack any last-minute things in my hospital bag.

Along with walking and bouncing on my exercise ball, it was how I was able to stay busy while I was pregnant.

You are already watching the days go by, so find ways to pass the time by getting any last-minute things done that you need to do.

Treat Yourself

Since your baby is comfortable in there and taking some extra time to bake, might as well treat yourself with that extra time.

I know some women who go get a prenatal massage or treat themselves with a manicure, pedicure, or getting their hair done before their baby comes.

Since my family was in town, they treated me to a nice dinner where they took me out to eat and I got to eat my little heart out.

It was really nice and took my mind off the fact that my baby seemed comfortable in my womb.

And not only did I get nice and full, but this filling meal would also kickstart me into labor.

Your Turn

Now that I have discussed what I did to pass the time and stay encouraged since I was overdue in my pregnancy, I want to hear from you all now. It is so easy to get discouraged when you are overdue because you are just ready to have your baby, but you have to remain strong and stay the course. What did you all do to remain encouraged when you were overdue in your pregnancies? Let me know in the comments below and while you are still here, check out my previous post below. Until next time!

• Read More: Staying Productive And Busy While You Are Pregnant

Love,

Just Jass