Our baby was due yesterday, and has not yet arrived. My head of department (who is also a mother of four) informed me with a smile that late arrival is positively correlated with bad teenage behaviour. On the other hand, missing deadlines can often be optimal, so I’m hopeful that this is in fact a good sign that s/he has things in perspective.Â
So while G. and I wait for bubs to make his/her way into the world, I thought I’d turn to the research to see what I could learn about its expected due date.
- Today is Valentine’s Day, on which the birth rate typically goes up by 3%.Â
- We’re still a bit away from April Fool’s Day, on which the birth rate typically goes down by 12%.Â
- We’re only three days from the next weekend, on which the birth rate typically goes down by 29%.
- The Baby Bonus will increase by a couple of hundred dollars on March 20. So maybe we should try to hang on for another five weeks, as people did when it was first introduced.
- Fortunately, the obstetricians don’t hold their annual conference at this time of year, so we shouldn’t be disrupted by that, as some people are.
- We’re also lucky that the next Millennium isn’t due for a while, since that tends to be associated with an uptick in births.
- The next full moon is on March 3, which will have precisely no effect.
Or…you could take matters into your own hands…
Drinking 20ml of castor oil in orange juice can really get things happening.
Or drives on a bumpy road. I guess bouncing on a bed could do the same thing.
Midwives also recommend a wide number of options to induce pregnancy that invlove nipple stimulation and sex.
Why bother with the stats. If G. is feeling like my sister-in-law is at the moment (due in 4 weeks) she’d be keener to get it under way I’d imagine.
Don’t worry about late arrivals. I was two weeks overdue (and even then induced!), and I was about as non-rebellious as its possible to be 🙂
Late means bigger. Also, how good was your estimate really?
Late means boy – in my experience. Both sons were late and ended up being induced and both daughters were on time.
I read your article about the July 1 2004 surge in births – hilarious!
Andrew,
Our baby girl arrived 11 days late, two years ago. We ended up with a caesarian. Everything went well and she is a perfect baby in every way. The waiting was the hardest part (for me, anyway!)
I wish you and your family all the best.
NB: You may not have much time for blogging soon… Tresure every extra full night of sleep you get before the baby arrives!
I hear that most first kids are late.
Good luck Andrew, it was the most exciting time in my life and I hope everything goes well for you too.
Expect the doctor to plead for an induction if the baby isn’t here by Friday, so he can play golf over the weekend. Very popular in Perth.
Don’t know that I’d be up for holding on for an extra 5 weeks if it were me, but then, men are different.
It rather irritates me that they can call something a due date and then say “but most go over”. How can that be a due date? Just silly. On the other hand, my baby came right on time. Still wasn’t expecting or ready for it though.
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