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Day 286 · 6 days past your due date

The fluid question

Last reviewed · 2 min read · 6 sources · Plain-text version

Six days past your due date. Why your provider watches the placenta and the fluid around your baby after the due date, and the question to ask about it.

Size this week
about the size of a pumpkin
Length this week
around 51.2 cm from head to heel
An East Asian woman with a full bump in a loose linen dress, sitting on a clinic chair talking with a midwife who holds a paper folder, both attentive, soft daylight.

Six days past your due date, the last day of week 40. Tomorrow is 41 weeks. Today's note is about the reason the checks get closer together: the water your baby lives in, and the placenta that feeds them.

Your baby

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

Your baby is around 51.2cm long from head to heel, about the size of a pumpkin (NHS). They are surrounded by amniotic fluid, and that fluid is one of the things a biophysical profile looks at, along with movement and breathing (AAP).

MedlinePlus explains why it matters now: past the due date, the amount of amniotic fluid may decrease, which can press on the umbilical cord (MedlinePlus). An overly large baby can also make a vaginal delivery harder (MedlinePlus).

Your body

The placenta has been working for months. Past the due date, MedlinePlus says, it may not work as well as it did (MedlinePlus). You can't feel that from the inside, which is exactly why your team checks.

What you can notice is your waters. For most women, contractions begin within 24 hours after the water breaks (MedlinePlus). If you think it has started, even as a trickle, call; the NHS says induction may be needed to reduce the risk of infection (NHS).

Try today

  1. The fluid question

    Time: 5 minutes, at your next appointment

    1. Ask whether your fluid has been measured yet, and if so, what it showed.

    2. Ask what result would change the plan, and what would happen next if it did.

    3. Ask what you should do at home if you notice fluid leaking, and which number to call.

    4. Write the answers on the same page as your monitoring notes.

    Make it work:

    "Is that normal for this stage?" is a complete question. You don't need the medical words to ask it.

Watch for

  • Normal

    more discharge in late pregnancy.

    Call your provider

    now for fluid leaking from the vagina; the CDC lists it as an urgent warning sign (CDC).

  • Normal

    a baby who moves in their own usual pattern.

    Call your provider

    right away for decreased movement (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    getting out of breath on the stairs.

    Call 911

    for trouble breathing, chest pain, or a fast-beating heart, which the CDC lists among urgent warning signs (CDC).

For you

Sleep may be patchy by now. MedlinePlus's advice for the third trimester is short: rest as needed, and walk or exercise most days (MedlinePlus). A nap is not a sign of giving up on the day.

If you're the partner: take a night shift on the worrying. If she wakes and wonders whether something is leaking or moving less, you're the one who gets up, finds the number, and makes the call with her.

If your baby comes before tomorrow's note, the next page is theirs: your first month, starting with their first day.

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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