How many days after the due date is normal?

We all know that doctors will calculate the due date of a pregnant woman based on her pregnancy time. In fact, this due date is only a conservative estimate, not a definite date. Therefore, babies born before or after the due date are considered normal fetuses. However, some pregnant women do not give birth after the due date. So is it normal to exceed the due date by a few days during pregnancy?

How many days beyond the due date is considered normal?

It is normal to give birth within two weeks before or after the due date. Medically speaking, the due date is calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period. The entire pregnancy period is 280 days, or 10 gestation months (each gestation month is 28 days). Since the length of each woman's menstrual cycle is different, it is very normal for the estimated due date to differ from the actual due date by 1-2 weeks.

According to statistics, the probability of a fetus being born on the due date is 5%, the probability of being born 2 weeks before or after the due date is 80%, and the probability of being born earlier than 38 weeks is 10%. Therefore, the proportion of post-term pregnancies born after 42 weeks is 5%. If a pregnant woman gives birth between 38-42 weeks of pregnancy, it is considered a full-term birth. If a pregnant woman gives birth after 42 weeks, it is considered a post-term pregnancy. If the pregnancy exceeds 42 weeks, first verify whether the expected date of delivery is accurately calculated. If it is determined to be a post-term pregnancy, the pregnancy should be terminated as soon as possible.

Pregnant women should be wary of post-term pregnancy

Post-term pregnancy is not good for both the pregnant woman and the fetus, especially the fetus is at greater risk. Therefore, the concerns of expectant mothers after the due date are not unfounded. However, it is not necessary to be hospitalized for delivery or surgery after the due date. As long as you strengthen prenatal examinations (check every 3 days), observe whether the fetal movement is normal, do fetal heart monitoring to understand the situation of the fetus in the uterus, and monitor the amniotic fluid volume by B-ultrasound, you can be hospitalized one week after the due date. If the menstrual cycle is long (>30 days), you can extend the hospitalization for a few days.

However, if your water breaks during the expected delivery period, you should go to the hospital immediately, because if your water breaks, the amniotic fluid will decrease and the fetus will suffer from hypoxia in the womb, which is very dangerous. Or if changes in the placenta, too little amniotic fluid, or changes in the fetal heart rate are found during perinatal care examinations, you should not wait any longer and should choose to terminate the pregnancy and give birth under the doctor's arrangement. As long as the fetal lungs are mature and the baby is carefully cared for after delivery, there is no such thing as "one day in the womb equals one week after delivery". Do not delay the best time to terminate the pregnancy, otherwise the fetus may be in danger due to ischemia and hypoxia in the womb.