Any woman who knows what it is to be pregnant knows that it is a thorny path. It is hard to manage because so many factors need to be taken into account during the usual nine months of gestation. One of the main problems that can transpire is prolonged pregnancy. A prolonged pregnancy is one where the baby has not yet arrived days after the expected time. Mothers would do well to ascertain what factors can delay the due date of a baby.
The normal length, or gestation period of a pregnancy is 40 weeks. There is a further allowance of plus or minus 2 weeks. Therefore, the baby can be deemed delayed from the due date after the 42nd week of pregnancy. When this happens, the mother can allow the maternity nurse to take measures to induce labor so that the baby can be delivered.
A number of factors can cause pregnancies to last longer than they should, however few have been scientifically studied. In any case, the best predictor of the future is the past, so mothers who have had delayed deliveries are more likely to have them again. This is so because the causes of the previous episodes are likely to remain present in the next pregnancies.
If the mother has had no pregnancy history then this is of no use. One factor that has been linked is weight. An expansive Danish study was able to show a statistical link to body mass index of higher than twenty five to higher risk of having post term babies. The bad thing is, no one knows why this is the case.
Also, one other Danish study related the eating of fish and other seafood to prolonged pregnancies. The scientists concluded that sparse or no eating of fish and other seafood during early pregnancy is linked to lower risk of experiencing post term pregnancy. However, this also was found to be related to higher risk of pre term pregnancy.
Irregular menstrual periods may also contribute to the reported incidences of prolonged pregnancies. When menstruation occurs so unpredictably, it becomes hard to ascertain the correct week to count from. This can lead to a wrong approximation of the due date of the baby. That is, technically the pregnancy was not really prolonged.
When a prolonged pregnancy is thought to have happened, the baby and its placenta both have to be examined constantly for their safety. Since these episodes may cause serious harm to both the mother and her baby, there is the option to have labor jump started to force delivery. The surgeon can also be asked to do a cesarean section.
So all in all, mothers should know what factors can delay the due date of a baby so that they can prevent it if possible. However, only a small number of factors known with scientific certainty. These include a computed BMI of equal to or above 25, the fish intake during early pregnancy, the history of the mother. It is also important to pinpoint the exact week of conception because women who have irregular periods may mistakenly think their baby is delayed when in fact it is not.
The due date calculator by conception date will assist you with figuring out when your baby will be born. If you know when the conception was, then you can find out the due date by utilizing the conception date calculator .
