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What if My Baby Isn't Born by My Due Date?

What if My Baby Is "Late"?

Very few pregnant women deliver on their estimated due dates. Many first-time moms find themselves waiting up to 2 weeks after their due date for their baby to arrive.

If you don't go into labor within a week after your due date, your doctor may recommend a nonstress test. This monitors fetal heart rate and movement to see how the baby is doing. They may add an ultrasound to the nonstress test to take a better look at the baby and the amniotic fluid (this is called a biophysical profile). Talk to your doctor to find out more about these tests.

Sometimes moms need a little help to get their labor going. If their health or their baby's require it, a doctor may induce labor. This can be done by:

  • “ripening” the cervix, which means making it soft, thinned out, and ready for delivery. This can be done by giving the mom a hormone called prostaglandin (inserted into the vagina or taken by mouth), or by inserting a small tube (catheter) into the vagina with an inflatable balloon that slowly stretches the cervix open.
  • stripping the membranes. The doctor can separate the amniotic sac from the wall of the uterus by sweeping a gloved finger between them. This triggers the body to release its own prostaglandin, which then prepares the cervix for delivery and may bring on contractions.
  • breaking your water (also called an amniotomy). The doctor makes a small hole in the amniotic sac with a special tool.
  • stimulating contractions of the uterus. To do this, the mom gets a hormone called oxytocin (Pitocin) through an IV line.

Jena Pado appointed to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Board of Governors

Jena Pado, Vice President and Chief Development Officer, has been appointed to the Board of Governors for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

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