Table of contents:
- When is a baby said to be born late?
- What causes the baby to be born late when it's time?
- Is there a risk if the baby is born through the HPL?
- What are the treatments to overcome the causes of late births?
Estimated day of birth (HPL) is usually used as a reference when you will give birth. Unfortunately, sometimes the HPL may have arrived, but the baby seems to still feel at home in your stomach. If you have this, what exactly causes the baby to be born late through the HPL? Check out the explanation below.
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When is a baby said to be born late?
There is a separate concern why the due date of birth or HPL has arrived, but the baby has not yet been born.
This question is often asked by pregnant women who are about to give birth, either giving birth normally or by caesarean section.
Launching from the Pregnancy Birth and Baby page, pregnancy usually lasts approximately 40 weeks or 280 days from the first day of the last menstrual period (HPHT).
However, HPL may fall a little faster or slower than 40 weeks, which is around week 38 to week 42 of gestation.
So, 40 weeks of gestation is actually not the main benchmark for the birth of a baby.
This is because babies may be born a little earlier or later, but not too much.
Mothers may often feel anxious at 39 weeks of gestation but have not yet felt heartburn (mules) about to give birth.
Births that are much faster than expected are known as premature births. Babies are said to be premature if they are born before 37 weeks of gestation.
Meanwhile, births past 42 weeks of gestation are considered late birth or postterm pregnancy.
This late-born baby certainly does not happen by itself, but it is based on several causes.
What causes the baby to be born late when it's time?
During pregnancy until before delivery, no one thought that your little one took longer to stay in the uterus.
Mothers may worry when the time for delivery should have arrived, but in fact the signs of childbirth have not yet appeared.
Typically, signs of labor include contractions, opening of the delivery (cervix), rupture of the amniotic fluid, bleeding, and so on.
There are a number of common things that cause babies to be born late or have not yet been born even though it's time:
- Mother was pregnant for the first time.
- Pregnant women at a fairly old age, for example, more than 35 years.
- The mother has given birth beyond the HPL limit in a previous pregnancy.
- Mother is pregnant with a baby boy.
- The mother has a body mass index (BMI) which is classified as obese.
- Mothers have never experienced late delivery, but there are family members who have experienced this before.
The cause of the baby being born late or has not yet been born even though it's time can also be due to a pregnant woman's HPL calculation error.
This may occur because it is difficult to determine early gestational age or HPL is determined based on ultrasound at the end of the second and third trimester of pregnancy.
In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, this late delivery of the baby could be due to pregnancy complications or problems with the baby's placenta.
Although rare, this is sometimes the reason why babies are born late or haven't yet been born even though it's time.
Is there a risk if the baby is born through the HPL?
There are several risks of health problems for babies born later than they should be, including:
- Babies have trouble breathing.
- The baby has developmental delays or stoppage due to placental problems.
- The baby has decreased amniotic fluid.
- Babies are in danger from slowing heart rates and other health problems.
- Babies are at risk of inhaling their first stool in the womb (meconium aspiration).
- Babies are larger than average at birth (fetal macrosomia).
- The baby's amniotic fluid is small (oligohydramnios) which has the risk of affecting the baby's heart rate and pressing on the umbilical cord during contraction.
- Infant mortality at birth.
Meanwhile, babies who are born late can also carry the risk of childbirth complications for pregnant women.
The risks that you may experience due to the baby being born late, such as postpartum infection, postpartum bleeding, and experiencing severe vaginal tearing during childbirth.
What are the treatments to overcome the causes of late births?
The anxiety that the mother feels when the baby is born late or has not yet been born even though it's time is certainly natural, especially if you have certain causes.
As long as doctors say the baby and mother are healthy, there is nothing wrong with waiting longer until delivery arrives.
It's also normal for you to feel worried when you're 39 weeks pregnant but don't feel hearty (mules) about giving birth.
Enjoy this pregnancy time a little longer. Just believe, pregnancy won't last forever and you will soon see your little one's face being born into the world.
Stay happy and do your favorite activities during pregnancy.