You’re a day past your due date and anxious to get the show on the road. You may have wondered what you can do to get things started and questioned whether a fast walk around the block may do the trick.
If you’ve been exercising throughout your pregnancy, it’s fine (and even advisable) to continue with your routine past your due date. Even if you haven’t been keeping fit, short walks are an excellent way to keep yourself focused and reduce pre-labor anxiety. As long as your feeling good and your doctor or midwife hasn’t asked you to avoid exercise, keep doing whatever activity feels best.
Although you may have heard other pregnancy women say that a run or fast walk brought on labor, the jury is out regarding whether exercise in itself can nudge labor. What little data there is on this subject hasn’t shown an association between physical activity and going into labor, but that doesn’t mean exercise isn’t helpful during those long days of waiting.
Many women who’ve exercising throughout their pregnancy have biked, ran, walked, or worked out in a gym the day they went into labor. We even know one woman who biked into the hospital to deliver her baby. These women would probably agree that exercising right up to when labor started made a big difference in how they felt during and after labor and delivery. Here are just a few of the perks:
- Exercise is a great stress and anxiety reducer. Most women are a little nervous before they go into labor and exercise can reduce stress hormones.
- Exercise helps to improve focus—helping you with your preparation for labor and delivery, as well as planning for your baby’s arrival home.
- Physical activity helps boost self-esteem and mental outlook. A positive outlook can help reduce pain, anxiety, and fear during labor and delivery.
Although you may feel impatient for your labor to start once you’ve reached your due date, it’s important to remember that normal gestation can vary between 38-42 weeks, with some pregnancies (called post-term) can go beyond 42 weeks. The following factors can increase the incidence of going past your due date:
- Hormonal influences.
- Obesity.
- Genetic factors (if you were born post-term you might have a higher chance of your baby being the same).
- First-time pregnancy.
With that in mind, don’t feel that you’re abnormal if you don’t feel anything happening at your due date—you and your healthcare provider can best determine whether you need to be induced or just sit tight until nature takes its course.
Internet Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
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