It is said that around 15% of births are delayed, although there are other figures that suggest that only 4% have a real birth delay. In most cases it is due to a miscalculation of gestational age.
At the moment of arrival to the week 41 of pregnancy, You should go to control in search of signs that tell us that the birth could be triggered shortly. Otherwise you would have to induce labor.
Why can there be errors in the due date?
For determine gestational age; a is made calculation from the date of the last rule. That is, the first day of the last menstruation seen by the woman. This will help guide the weeks of pregnancy that the mother could have. Let us remember that it is not a 100% accurate method, since it is impossible to determine the moment where fertilization occurs as such.
It is estimated that women with a cycle of 28 days; they ovulate on day 14, but not all women have regular cycles, which is sometimes inconvenient.
Ultrasound is a reliable resource for determine the gestational age of the fetusthe former being the most important, since a fetus in its third trimester adopts the phenotypic characteristics of the parents, becoming a large or small baby, which would confuse when it comes to Determine your true gestational age.
Why does delayed labor happen?
To date, it is unknown that mechanisms involved in triggering laborit has been proposed that the fetus is responsible for delivery after releasing hormones that stimulate uterine contractions.
On the other hand, others affirm that the fetus could actively participate by generating uterine contractions with its head, that children who do not develop their skull well will not be able to help deliver the baby.
New mothers tend to have long pregnancies, since they usually require more days to be able to expel the mucous plug and for the cervix to begin to efface and dilate.
Inheritance factors are usually very important in cases of family association, where it is observed that the vast majority of individuals born have had a long pregnancy, although there are those who reject this hypothesis.
There is no way to determine the exact moment when the delivery will occur, it is normal for there to be some delays in delivery of a couple of days or on the contrary that it can be brought forward, as long as the baby is well in the controls there is no reason to be alarmed . You have to be patient and wait for nature to take its course.
What problems can my baby have if there is a delay in delivery?
Births after week 41 are called postmature babiesthis could bring some problems to your baby such as.
- Difficulty fitting in, this is because the baby continues to gain weight, becoming too large for natural childbirth to occur, having to resort to a cesarean section or forceps delivery.
- If there is a delay in delivery, the placenta can age, being considered a traveling or hypermature placenta that does not provide the essential nutrients and oxygen for the fetus.
- The amount of amniotic fluid could decrease considerably, the umbilical cord would no longer be floating in it and there is a risk that it will be compressed by the fetus itself.
- The baby can make his first bowel movements, expelling meconium, this represents a problem, since he can aspirate it and develop meconium aspiration syndrome.
What can I do if I want to go into labor?
It is not a decision that you can make right off the bat, since it is something that will happen sooner or later, if it does not happen, your doctor will talk to you about the labor inductionalthough there are some things that can help you go into labor sooner.
you can try induce labor naturallyeverything that keeps you active will help your neck to soften, so exercises can be good for you, walking or dancing are a very viable option.