When starts childbirth
For most women delivery starts between 37 and 42 weeks of pregnancy. That is between 3 weeks before and 2 weeks after the due date. If you are having your first baby there is a high probability that your will give birth slightly after the due date.
If you give birth before 37 weeks we call that a premature delivery. The baby is then considered to be too small to be born and will require extra care after childbirth. A delivery before 37 weeks will always be attended by an obstetrician, because an eye must be kept on the baby during birth and the baby must be handed to a paediatrician immediately after birth to be examined.
If you have not given birth by the due date we will discuss with you when the birth should be induced. We know that most births set in spontaneously within 2 weeks after the due date. But in a few cases birth does not start spontaneously and will have to be induced. Birth is not induced after the same period for everyone; this depends on various factors such as, the size of your baby, the amount of amniotic fluid in your womb, how you are health-wise and what your wishes are. We will go through everything with you and then set a date for inducing labour together. Induced labour is always attended by an obstetrician in a hospital. Therefore we will transfer you if induced labour is required.