Pregnancy week 41

If your due date has come and gone, your pregnancy is officially post-date.

Your baby

If you're still pregnant two weeks from now, then your pregnancy will be post-term. The good news is that the baby is going to come out at some point—the bad news is that it may still be another week. In the meantime, your gynae will check your dilation (how open your cervix is, if at all) and effacement (how thick your cervix is), to try to predict when labour will begin.

If you hit 42 weeks, your doctor will assess your health with a non-stress test and may use ultrasound to see if your baby has enough amniotic fluid. If your baby seems fine, you and your care provider can discuss when to schedule induction of labour.

Tip of the week

About 10% of women who give birth vaginally each year experience a minor injury during labour and delivery, such as a tear, that can potentially result in pelvic-floor disorders. These include urinary and fecal incontinence, and pelvic-organ prolapse, when the uterus or bladder drops into the vagina.

Signs to watch out for:

• Urine leakage when you sneeze, laugh, cough or exercise.
• Difficulty pushing out a bowel movement or feeling pressure on your perineum when bearing down.
• Trouble keeping a tampon in.
• A feeling of looseness in your vagina during intercourse.
• The sensation that something is dropping down in your vagina during activities or intercourse, especially when you are on top.

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