<p>Being 40 weeks pregnant means you are between 40+0 and 40+6 weeks. About 9 months and 6 days have passed since your last period, so you are in the 10th month. 40+0 weeks is your due date, but according to ACOG and the NHS only about 1 in 20 babies are born on that exact day (UpToDate gives 4 percent). If labour has not started, that is usually normal; below you can read which options are discussed as you approach 41 weeks.</p>
<p>At 40 weeks, about 9 months and 6 days have passed since your last period, so you are in the 10th month. According to ACOG, pregnancy is assumed to start 2 weeks after the first day of your last period, so for the first 2 of the 40 weeks you are not actually pregnant. 40 weeks covers days 280–286.</p>
According to the NHS, your baby is about 51.2 cm from head to heel. Your baby is quite squashed now but should keep moving in their usual pattern. The NHS says movements should not slow down or stop, and that a change could be an important sign that something is wrong; your maternity unit answers calls 24 hours a day.
Practice or the real thing? You may have many Braxton Hicks contractions now, and they are painless. According to the NHS, real labour contractions hurt when your bump goes tight and the pain eases when the muscles relax. Premenstrual-like feelings or low backache can also be early signs of labour.
Stages of labour (NHS): labour has 3 stages. In the 1st stage, contractions open the cervix to 10 cm; this lasts 6 to 12 hours, or less if you have had children before. In the 2nd stage the baby is born, and in the 3rd stage the placenta comes out. If contractions start at night, try to sleep through as much as you can; if they start in the day, stay upright and active. A warm shower, breathing exercises and a light snack can help.
Bringing on labour at home: the NHS says there are no proven ways to safely bring on labour at home, and advises talking to your doctor before trying anything other than watching and waiting.
NICE NG201: the 40-week appointment is for women expecting their first baby: blood pressure, urine protein and fundal height are checked, the bump is felt for a breech baby, and options for a prolonged pregnancy are discussed. There is a 41-week appointment for everyone who has not yet given birth. The NHS notes that this check looks for signs of pre-eclampsia.
Going past your due date — how institutions approach it: the NHS says it is usually safe to go up to a week past your due date, from 40 to 41 weeks; after 41 weeks the risks, though still very small, start to increase, and extra monitoring or induction may be offered. UpToDate suggests induction rather than waiting once a pregnancy reaches 41+0 weeks; it notes the absolute benefit is modest and some women may choose to wait, in which case, in line with ACOG, labour should be induced by 42+6 weeks. According to UpToDate, the risk of perinatal death rises after 40 weeks, but the absolute risk is low: in UK data it cites, antepartum stillbirth between 40 and 41 weeks was 0.86 to 1.08 per 1000 ongoing pregnancies. The Turkish Ministry of Health guideline has no separate recommendation after 38 weeks; weekly blood pressure checks continue until birth.
Terms (UpToDate, ACOG classification): 39+0 to 40+6 weeks is full term, 41+0 to 41+6 weeks late term, and 42+0 weeks or more (294 days from the last period or 14 days after the due date) post-term.
If labour has not started by 41 weeks and you decide to wait, UpToDate recommends checking the baby's wellbeing twice a week from 41+0 weeks with a non-stress test plus amniotic fluid measurement, or a biophysical profile.
| Symptom | Usually | Seek care if |
|---|---|---|
| Past the due date, no labour yet | Only about 1 in 20 babies arrive on the due date; the NHS considers waiting up to 41 weeks usually safe. | Discuss the plan for 41 weeks with your doctor; meanwhile call straight away if movements reduce, your waters break or you bleed. |
| Frequent painless tightenings | These are Braxton Hicks contractions (NHS). | Call your maternity unit for painful contractions lasting at least 60 seconds and coming every 5 minutes (NHS). |
| Backache, premenstrual-like feelings | These can be early signs of labour (NHS). | Call if regular contractions start, your waters break or you bleed. |
Most of these are danger signs or emergency referral criteria in the Turkish Ministry of Health guideline; call your maternity unit or go to the nearest emergency department without waiting. The NHS says to call straight away, even in the middle of the night, if your baby's movements reduce, stop or change pattern, without waiting until the next day. NICE asks for hospital assessment within 24 hours if blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or above and the same day at 160/110 mmHg or above; it recommends a hospital review for any unexplained bleeding after 13 weeks, and anti-D for women who are RhD negative and at risk of isoimmunisation. The NHS also says you can call any time if you are worried something is wrong.
About 9 months and 6 days have passed since your last period, so you are in the 10th month. For the first 2 of the 40 counted weeks you are not actually pregnant (ACOG).
According to the 2017 WHO fetal growth charts, the 50th percentile for estimated weight at 40 weeks is 3,617 g, and the 10th to 90th percentile range is 3,084–4,135 g. The WHO values come from ultrasound measurements in low-risk pregnancies in ten countries; the authors note differences by country, maternal factors and fetal sex, and that birth weight varies considerably even under optimal conditions. Ultrasound estimates have a margin of error: in a large study cited by UpToDate, 67 to 76 percent of estimates were within 10 percent of the birth weight.
Usually not. According to ACOG and the NHS, only about 1 in 20 babies are born on their due date; UpToDate gives 4 percent. The NHS says most women go into labour within a week either side of it.
The NHS considers waiting until 41 weeks usually safe; after 41 weeks the risks, though very small, start to increase and extra monitoring or induction may be offered. UpToDate suggests induction at 41+0 weeks, and NICE asks for the options to be discussed at the 41-week appointment. According to the NHS, about 1 in 5 births are induced.
The NHS says there are no proven ways to safely bring on labour at home and advises talking to your doctor before trying anything other than watching and waiting. UpToDate notes that membrane sweeping by a clinician at visits from 39 weeks, if the cervix is partly open, may help labour start.
Last updated: . All sources have been confirmed with their latest versions. This content is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for a doctor's examination.