Your due date is here. Or it's coming. Or it already passed. All three are equally normal, because "due date" is really "due range" — only about 5% of babies are born on their exact estimated due date. If you're at week 40 and still pregnant, that means nothing has gone wrong. It means your baby hasn't started labor yet. Here's what's happening inside, what happens if you go past 40 weeks, and what to watch for.
Track your progress with our Due Date Calculator.
Your Baby This Week
Size: Small pumpkin — about 51.2 cm (head to toe)
Weight: About 3.4 kilograms
Your baby is fully cooked. Developmentally, nothing dramatic is happening this week — the work is done, and your baby is waiting for the right moment to initiate labor:
- All organ systems are mature. The lungs, kidneys, liver, brain, and heart are all ready for independent function. There is no developmental advantage to staying longer from this point, though there's also no danger in being born a few days after the due date.
- Continued fat accumulation. Your baby is gaining small amounts of fat each day, which contributes to temperature regulation and energy reserves in the first days after birth.
- Placenta is aging. The placenta has been your baby's life support system for 40 weeks, and it doesn't last indefinitely. As you move past 40 weeks, providers begin to monitor placental function more closely — this is one of the reasons induction becomes a conversation after 41 weeks.
- Amniotic fluid may be decreasing. Late in pregnancy, amniotic fluid volume begins to decline naturally. Reduced fluid (oligohydramnios) can affect fetal movement and umbilical cord compression and is one of the factors that influences decisions about induction timing.
- Baby's position is stable. Your baby has been in position for weeks. They're ready.
Your Body This Week
Week 40 feels like suspension — you're not sure whether each twinge is the beginning of labor or another Braxton Hicks:
- Everything is intensely monitored — by you. Every back ache, every cramp, every change in discharge gets scrutinized. This is exhausting and unavoidable. Try to channel it into timing contractions with the contraction timer when something feels real, and rest the rest of the time.
- Cervical dilation and effacement may be significant. Your provider is likely checking weekly at this point. Some women are 3–4 cm dilated for days before active labor begins; others go from closed to delivering quickly. The number doesn't tell you when.
- Increased discharge. Normal. May include additional pieces of mucus plug. Bloody show (pink or red-tinged mucus) is a sign of cervical change and is common in the days before labor.
- Swelling is at its worst. Feet, ankles, and hands are at maximum swelling. Compression, elevation, and knowing the difference between normal late-pregnancy edema and concerning sudden swelling matters.
- Mental exhaustion is real. You've been waiting, uncomfortable, and fielding "have you had that baby yet?" messages for weeks. Acknowledging how hard this is matters. It is hard.
Tips for Week 40
1. Know what "overdue" actually means — and doesn't mean. Your due date is an estimate based on a 28-day cycle and a typical 280-day pregnancy. Up to 10% of pregnancies go past 41 weeks. Going past your due date is not a sign of failure or that something is wrong. It means labor hasn't started yet.
2. Discuss your induction options with your provider. ACOG recommends offering elective induction at 39–40 weeks to eligible women (the ARRIVE trial showed it doesn't increase cesarean rates). If you're past 40 weeks, your provider will likely discuss induction timing. This is a conversation, not a mandate — ask questions, understand the evidence, and make the decision that's right for you.
3. Have a daily check-in system with your provider. Once you're past 40 weeks, regular communication about fetal movement and any new symptoms helps your provider monitor your situation appropriately.
4. Keep doing kick counts. Your baby should still move regularly at 40+ weeks. Fewer than 10 movements in 2 hours during a normally active period warrants a call.
5. Take care of your mental health. The emotional experience of waiting past your due date while fielding constant external questions is genuinely difficult. It's okay to stop responding to messages asking if you've had the baby. You're doing nothing wrong by still being pregnant.
6. Be honest with your partner about how you're feeling. Going overdue can create unexpected emotional complexity — disappointment, fear, uncertainty. Your partner can only support you if they know what you're experiencing.
Overdue: What Happens Next
If you haven't delivered by the end of week 40, your care will shift:
- More frequent monitoring begins. Non-stress tests (NSTs) and biophysical profiles (BPPs) are used to assess fetal wellbeing. These involve monitoring the fetal heart rate in response to movement and assessing amniotic fluid volume via ultrasound.
- Membrane sweeping may be offered. Your provider can sweep the membranes at a routine appointment — a procedure that separates the membranes from the cervix, which can trigger prostaglandin release and potentially start labor. It's uncomfortable but not harmful.
- Induction will be discussed. ACOG recommends induction by 42 weeks at the latest, and most providers recommend it by 41–41+6 weeks due to the increased risk of stillbirth and placental aging. Read the week 41 and 42 articles for more on this.
When to Call Your Doctor
- Water breaking — go to the hospital
- Regular contractions — the 5-1-1 rule: 5 minutes apart, 1 minute long, for 1 hour
- Heavy vaginal bleeding
- Decreased fetal movement — fewer than 10 movements in 2 hours, any time, any week
- Signs of preeclampsia — severe headache, visual changes, upper right abdominal pain, sudden severe swelling
- Any feeling that something is not right — at 40 weeks, call and go in; this is not the time to wait
Related Tools & Articles
- Due Date Calculator — Calculate your estimated due date
- Contraction Timer — time your contractions
- Hospital Bag Checklist — it should be packed
- Pregnancy Week 41 — post-dates monitoring
- Pregnancy Week-by-Week Overview — full timeline