Question: babies usually are in the womb for 9 months? but why do some babies arrive earlier or later?

Laura Wales answered on 25 Jun 2015:

Causes of baby arriving early can include:
– Younger than 17 or older than 35
– Carrying more than one baby
– Abnormally shaped uterus or cervix
– Had a cone biopsy of your cervix
– Become pregnant while using an IUD and it was left in place during pregnancy
– Significantly underweight when becoming pregnant
– Smoking or using illegal drugs
– Pre- eclampsia, kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, an infection or other medical condition
– Cervical infection (eg. group B streptococci, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis, trichomoniasis or gardnerella)
– Premature labour, or delivered a premature baby in the past.
– Job involves extremely strenuous, physical work.

Causes of baby arriving late:
The exact trigger that sets things off, but when it does, it relies on hormones. Diet, exercise, emotions, and general health can all effect hormones function. Also, the due date is just an estimate so could be slightly out. A baby is more likely to be overdue if it’s the first baby, if there has been an overdue baby before, or if it runs in the family. Some think it’s more common in well nourished women. Usually a late arrival isn’t anything to worry about, baby is just quite happy where it is. Labour is usually induced 2 weeks after the due date.