What to do When You’re Overdue

If your due date disappeared without so much as a niggle, you may be wondering when your baby is going to arrive. Since he’s already late, it’s safe to assume he didn’t receive the memo about being born on his due date, so you may want to plan some activities to keep yourself entertained.

The likelihood is that you’re all ready and raring to go, with a fully-decorated nursery, a pile of washed and ironed baby clothes, and a well-stocked changing station. If there isn’t much left to do in the way of organisation, how can you distract yourself from the long days and sleepless nights? Here are a few ideas of things to do:

  1. Cook up a storm – you may already have a few meals cooked and stored in the freezer, ready for when baby arrives, but it can’t hurt to make extra. Keep cooking until the freezer is full, that will buy some extra time for cuddles with the baby when he finally arrives.

  2. Take naps – napping is a skill that will come in useful when the baby arrives, but there’s no reason you can start early. If you’re struggling to sleep at night, grab a nap during the day.

  3. Exercise – there’s no need to give up your exercise routine just because your due date has approached. Keep going to prenatal yoga, keep swimming, and definitely keep walking every day. Not only will this help you to relieve stress, it could help gravity to encourage the baby into a good position for birth.

  4. Keep busy – ask friends and family to keep you occupied during these last few days. Pop out for meals, visit friends and watch films at the cinema – make the most of the activities you will find more difficult once baby arrives.

  5. Read a book – not a pregnancy book or a parenting book, but a novel. Getting lost in a story may help to pass some time and take your mind off the ticking clock.

  6. Have a massage – book yourself in for a pregnancy massage. Pregnancy massage can work wonders for the aches and pains of late pregnancy, and may help you to relax and de-stress.

  7. Be honest – ask your friends and family to wait for news rather than ringing/texting/messaging you every 10 minutes to ask for it. Nothing makes time pass slower than the constant reminder that you are overdue. Tell everyone that you’ll let them know as soon as you have any news to share.

  8. Baby+ App – download our new Baby App, and read up on many useful articles. Click Baby+ iOS or Baby+ Android to install the App, and prepare for the arrival of your little one(s).

Are you currently overdue? What are you doing to keep busy as you wait for your baby to arrive?

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.