The upside to being overdue

As I hit the publish button I am 40 weeks and 2 days into my second pregnancy –  three days behind the Duchess of Cambridge according to the papers. I was convinced that Tin Box Baby 2 was going to come early and am quite frankly surprised to still be harbouring a massive bump. In my mind I went overdue weeks ago.

However, what is a due date really? It’s a best guess – it’s not set in stone. In France your due date is worked out differently and mums-to-be have another week to produce. There’s even been research to suggest that length of pregnancy can vary by up to five weeks with it being considered quite normal to give birth any time in a 37 day window. Basically, you shouldn’t, but us mums do, get hung up on that ringed date on the calendar.

Anyway, it would be far too easy for me to write about the long list of things that make reaching and going beyond 40 weeks pregnant down right irritating. But frankly this has already been done across dozens of online forums. Plus, I’m a positive soul and for now I’m going to ignore the fact that I feel the size of a planet, have ankles akin to an elephant’s and can hardly haul myself out of bed any more. Let’s celebrate the good stuff!

So, at the risk of upsetting a lot of uncomfortable ladies (sorry!*) and with the sincere intention of putting a positive spin on the topic of hitting 40 weeks with no sign of a baby, here’s my upsides to being overdue:

1. It’s likely you’ve run out of jobs to do pre-baby so can actually put your feet up and get the naps you need.

2. If there is anything you’ve forgotten or not quite had time to organise you’ve been given what feels like a gift of extra time.

3. Your nearest and dearest are waiting too and if they’ve got any sense will be using every spare moment to make life easier for you by cooking the odd meal, walking the dog or popping by to play with any other kids in the house. If they are not, now is the time to drop some serious hints!

4. Even if you don’t have the will to reply to all the ‘is it here yet’ texts and messages, it’s lovely to know so many people care about you and are just as excited as you about your imminent new arrival. So what if they drop the odd ‘baby will come when it’s ready’ clanger. It’s just words and phones can be ignored.

5. If you’re not being kept awake at night by weird pregnancy dreams, you’re certain to be getting a better nights sleep than if you had a newborn already. If you are a first time mum, trust me on this one!

Maybe if I get to 41 weeks I’ll feel differently, but right now as a second time mum I’m not going to get too worried about waiting a bit longer.

I’d love to know if you have experienced any other upsides to being overdue. Please do share as I’m sure there’s lots of mums-in-waiting out there that could do with feeling a bit more positivity in the their final few days with a bump.

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*I’m really not saying that I don’t want to meet my baby or that the prospect of induction fills me with glee. I’ve been there and done that – not fun!