Your due date has come and gone. The texts have started rolling in—“Any baby yet??”—and maybe you’re checking in with yourself every hour, wondering if today is the day. But here you are, still pregnant. Still waiting. Maybe starting to feel frustrated, anxious, or like your body is taking too long.

Let me tell you something that might bring a little peace: it is normal to go past your due date.

In fact, it’s common.

Due Dates Are Estimates, Not Expirations

A “due date” is a guess, based on a formula that doesn’t take into account your cycle length, ovulation day, or how long your body typically gestates a baby. Only about 5% of babies are actually born on their due date. For most people, labor begins sometime between 37 and 42 weeks—with many healthy pregnancies extending well past 40 weeks.

Your body isn’t broken. Your baby isn’t late. They’re just on their own schedule.

Why Might Labor Start Later?

There are so many factors that influence when labor starts, including:

• First-time pregnancies often run a bit longer
• Baby’s position (they may need a little time to rotate into the right spot)
• Genetics—ask your mom, your sisters, your aunties when they gave birth
• Hormone levels that need to shift and rise in perfect balance
• Your body simply needing more time to prepare

This isn’t failure. This is your body doing its unique, complex work at its own pace.

You’re Still Doing Something—Even If It Feels Like Waiting

Just like with prodromal labor, not all progress is visible from the outside. Your cervix could be softening. Baby could be shifting downward. Your hormones could be ripening everything behind the scenes. This part of pregnancy is still active, even if there’s no “event” yet.

Waiting can be hard—but it’s not nothing. You’re already on the journey.

Do You Have to Be Induced?

There are definitely times when induction is a helpful or necessary option—like if there are medical concerns or signs that your placenta or fluid levels aren’t supporting baby well. But simply going over your due date is not a reason, on its own, to rush things.

If you and baby are healthy, it’s absolutely okay to wait and see what your body decides to do on its own. Many people spontaneously go into labor at 41+ weeks and have beautiful, healthy births.

How to Cope With the Waiting

• Set boundaries. Mute the “Any baby yet?” texts if they’re adding pressure. You don’t owe anyone updates.
• Switch from counting days to finding presence. What would make today feel good, even if labor doesn’t start?
• Move your body in gentle, joyful ways. Go for walks, stretch, dance—movement helps with alignment and mindset.
• Get outside when you can. Sunlight, fresh air, and a change of scenery can work wonders.
• Rest deeply. Sleep in, nap, or do nothing without guilt. Labor takes energy—you’re allowed to recharge now.
• Talk it out. If you’re feeling discouraged or overwhelmed, reach out. You don’t have to hold it all in.
• Non-stress tests (NSTs) and biophysical profiles (BPPs) are often offered after 40 weeks. These gentle check-ins can give you peace of mind that baby is doing well while you wait. They’re a great way to gather information without rushing the process.
• Trust your timing. It might not be the timing you imagined, but it is the timing that’s unfolding—for you and your baby.

This Is a Chapter, Not the Whole Story

You won’t be pregnant forever. You are not stuck. You are not broken. You are not behind.

You are in the final, sacred stretch of a miraculous process—and sometimes, this part requires patience, surrender, and a whole lot of self-compassion.

So take a deep breath. Tune in. Your baby knows the way. Your body knows how.
And when the moment is right, you’ll both do this—together.