July - 3, 2024

What to do When You are Overdue

Are you bummed that you are still pregnant after waiting patiently (or impatiently) for your due date and that day has passed? While it’s very common for women to go past 40 weeks gestation, it can be frustrating waiting in the third trimester for your baby to make their debut. This blog post discusses what you can do to pass the time.

Try to Distract Yourself 

If you’re sitting around thinking about how your due date has come and passed and there is still no sign of labor, you’re probably going to get antsy. Use the art of distraction to help keep your mind off of it. Find something that can keep your brain focused such as knitting, painting, playing video games, or board games. 

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When you find your mind becoming unfocused, try something different. If you start getting burnt out from the distractions, try meditating. 

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Meditation is so good for our minds and bodies. To begin meditating find a nice, comfortable spot for you to sit or lie down. Give your body a scan from your toes to the top of your head, consciously releasing tension wherever your body stores stress. Then close your eyes and guide your attention to your breathing. Notice how your chest rises and falls with each inhale and exhale. Visualize your breath flowing in through your nose, gathering in your lungs, and then escaping out through your mouth. 

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Don’t worry if your mind begins to wander, simply observe your thoughts as if they were birds flying by. Each thought is only that- a thought, nothing more. You do not have to entertain the thoughts or believe in them, just acknowledge them and move on. Take as long as you need and when you’re done, slowly draw your attention back to the present moment and give your body time to wake up. 

Give in to Nesting

Nesting is an instinctual cleaning and organizing of your living space just before the baby arrives in the third trimester. If you feel the need to tidy and clean everything, give in to the urge and do what you need to. Nesting helps us prepare mentally and physically for the baby to come, which can bring relief from the angst of waiting. Some women have even gone into labor from their nesting frenzy.

Try the Miles Circuit

The Miles Circuit is a series of positions you can do to help get the baby in the right position for birth. It can be helpful when your baby is breech or is not engaged in the pelvis yet. Some women have used the Miles Circuit as a way to induce labor naturally, but it will only work if your baby is ready to come. Here are the steps to doing the Miles Circuit-

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1. Open Knee Chest– Get on your hands and knees and gently rock through cat and cow poses. When you’re ready, lower your head and chest to the floor, lifting your bum as high as you can get it. Stay in this position for half an hour. During this time, you can relax into your chest and breathe deeply. After 30 minutes, you can move on to the next position.
2. Exaggerated Side-Lying– Gather all the pillows you can find. Lay on your bed or couch and place the pillows along your left side and underneath your head, stack the pillows where your right leg will be. Once you have your pillows mostly in place, lift your right leg over the stacked pillows and roll onto your left side letting your right leg rest. Adjust your pillows as needed. Lay in this position for another 30 minutes, and if you drift off to sleep that’s okay. When you wake up you can move on to the next step.
3. Move your body– For the next 30 minutes you should move your body in one or more of these ways: lunge using a stool, curb walk, bounce on a birth ball with open hips, and walk up the stairs sideways two steps at a time.

Acceptance 

You can decide whether or not you want to distract yourself, try different methods to kickstart labor, or you can accept it for what it is: a normal aspect of pregnancy. Due dates are merely an estimated arrival time, they were never meant to be exact. 

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You’re past your due date. That’s all there is. You know you will eventually go into labor, so what’s the rush? Enjoy the present moment and you may find yourself feeling happier and more at peace with knowing your baby will come when they’re ready.

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For more information about due dates, contact our midwives today!

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