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Day 280 of 280 · Your due date

Your due date

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 6 sources · Plain-text version

Forty weeks. Your due date is an estimate, and labour can start up to two weeks after it. Today: a slow walk, the bag by the door, and nothing else planned.

Size this week
about the size of a pumpkin
Length this week
around 51.2 cm from head to heel
A woman with a very full bump in a long coat walks slowly arm in arm with her partner along a leafy path, a packed holdall by a front door in the background, soft late morning light.

Forty weeks. Your due date. You might be reading this in a labour ward, on the sofa, or with a baby asleep on your chest. Wherever you are, today's note is short on tasks on purpose.

Your baby

A single orange pumpkin on a plain pale wooden table, soft window light.

Around now your baby is around 51.2cm long from head to heel, about the size of a pumpkin (NHS). They're quite squashed in there, but they should still move in their usual pattern (NHS). In week 40, 38 weeks have passed since conception, and your baby could be born any day (MedlinePlus).

Your body

A due date is only an estimate. Normal term labour can start anywhere from 3 weeks before it to 2 weeks after (MedlinePlus), and most pregnancies last 37 to 42 weeks (MedlinePlus). Many women past 40 weeks aren't truly late at all, because the date was miscalculated in the first place (MedlinePlus).

If this is your first baby, you have an antenatal appointment this week: blood pressure, bump measurement, and a urine sample, which check for pre-eclampsia (NHS). Possible signs of early labour include PMT-like feelings and lower backache (NHS).

Try today

  1. The due-date walk

    Time: 20 to 30 minutes

    1. Put the hospital bag by the front door and charge both phones.

    2. Go for a slow walk, together if you can, with your notes and your phone in your pocket or bag (NHS).

    3. Plan nothing else for the day. If someone asks "any news?", the answer can be "we'll tell you".

    4. When you're home, write one line about today. It's the last day of this pregnancy that has a name.

    Make it work:

    If tightenings start on the walk, time them. Call when they last at least 60 seconds and come every 5 minutes (NHS).

Watch for

  • Normal

    your baby moving in their usual pattern, even with less room (NHS).

    Call your provider

    right away if the movements slow down or stop; the NHS says something may be wrong (NHS).

  • Normal

    practice contractions, which shouldn't be painful (NHS).

    Call your provider

    or your maternity unit when contractions last at least 60 seconds and come every 5 minutes (NHS).

  • Normal

    a trickle rather than a gush when your waters go.

    Call your provider

    if you think they've broken, since you may need an induction to reduce the risk of infection (NHS).

  • Normal

    a long list of possible signs and only a few of them yours.

    Call your provider

    if you feel like something just isn't right, even if it isn't on any list (CDC).

For you

Passing your due date isn't a deadline you missed. If you're feeling anxious or low while you wait, the NHS says to talk to your doctor or midwife (NHS). That counts today, too.

If you're the partner: field the messages. Answer the family chat once, kindly, and then put the phone face down.

That's the end of nine months: the first test, the scans, the kicks, the bag, the card on the fridge. If your baby is here, congratulations, and their notes start at your first month. If not, tomorrow's note is in past your due date.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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