Get ready: At 41 weeks, you're due any day now (and your original due date may well have been a little off).

The upside? Your baby will arrive a little more alert — and with longer fingernails!

You've likely spoken with your practititioner about labor induction, but stay tuned for contractions or other signs that labor is near.

Your Baby at Week 41

At a Glance

Baby manicure
Baby manicure
Your baby’s nails will definitely need a manicure and pedicure with a pair of baby nail clippers or nail file after birth. By now, they’ve grown well past his fingertips.
You're not overdue yet!
You're not overdue yet!
Don’t worry, your baby is not considered overdue until 42 weeks gestation. Fewer than 5 percent of babies arrive on their due date.
Heart check
Heart check
Your baby’s heartbeat will likely be monitored this week through nonstress tests. His heart rate should quicken each time he moves.

41 weeks pregnant is how many months?

If you're 41 weeks pregnant, you're in month 9 of your pregnancy. It's almost time! Still have questions? Here's some more information on how weeks, months and trimesters are broken down in pregnancy.

How big is my baby at 41 weeks?

At 41 weeks, your baby measures between 19 and 22 inches — about the size of a pumpkin!

Overdue baby?

It seems like your baby has opted for a late checkout, quite a popular option judging by the numbers. Fewer than 5 percent of babies are born on their actual due dates — and around 10 percent decide to overstay their welcome in Hotel Uterus.

Remember, too, that most of the time an overdue baby isn't overdue at all — it's just that the due date was miscalculated. That's okay — there's still work to be done at 41 weeks pregnant.

Why fetal stress hormones can be good

Gearing up for the big day is your baby's endocrine system, which is responsible for hormone production. Researchers theorize that baby actually sends some chemical signals (aka hormones) to the placenta to help trigger labor to begin — as in: "Get me out of here, Mom!"

Other hormones are standing by, too. During childbirth, your baby will produce more stress hormones than any other time in his life. And you thought you were stressed out now!

But those hormones will actually help your baby adjust rapidly to life outside the womb and help all those survival instincts kick in as he becomes untethered from the placenta that has provided support for the past nine months.

Baby's first breath

Another big milestone ahead for your baby will be taking that first breath of air. In fact, the first breath at birth requires considerably more effort than any breath your baby will ever take again. That's because the tiny air sacs in the lungs need to be inflated for the first time so that they expand to fully do their job of breathing for a lifetime.

Your Body at Week 41

41 Weeks Pregnant

Ready, set, go!

Meanwhile, your body is as ready for birth as it will ever be. By the time you're 41 weeks pregnant, your practitioner has probably discussed labor induction with you, but that doesn't mean that you won't still go into labor on your own; some babies just need to take their time. But here's the question you keep asking yourself: Will you know labor when you feel it?

Labor contractions

Chances are, you'll know it. But just in case you don't, here's a quick primer. Your water may break (though it may not) and you may notice pink- or red-tinged mucous, aka bloody show, just before labor begins.

Then you'll feel labor contractions — rhythmical waves of hardening and softening of your uterus — which can come on quickly and suddenly for some women and slowly and steadily for others. Typically, though not always, they start out further apart and then get progressively closer together.

Your first true contractions might feel like menstrual cramps or a low backache. Many times, the pain will begin in your back and radiate toward your front. But just as no two pregnancies are the same, no two labors are the same. And though there are such things as textbook labors, many break a surprising number of rules.

If you're feeling contractions but aren't sure they're the real thing, call your practitioner and describe them. It's likely that your doctor or midwife will be able to tell by the sound of your voice and a good description of your symptoms whether you're in labor.

Pregnancy Symptoms Week 41

Changes in fetal activity
Changes in fetal activity
More frequent urination
More frequent urination
Bloody show
Bloody show
Cervical dilation or effacement
Cervical dilation or effacement
Diarrhea
Diarrhea
Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids
Pelvic pain
Pelvic pain
Nesting instinct
Nesting instinct

Tips for You This Week

Overdue? Don't stress

You've passed 40 weeks, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're overdue. In fact, an estimated 70 percent of post-term pregnancies aren't actually late at all but a miscalculation of the date of conception and, as a result, the due date.

Try doing some meditation or deep breathing, which can help lower your cortisol levels while also boosting your endorphins (the “feel-good” chemicals in your brain that can improve your mood).

You might lose some weight

If you've reached the end of pregnancy, you've also pretty much reached the end of pregnancy weight gain. At 41 weeks, the numbers on the scale may not be going anywhere — or may even be going down.

This slowdown (or standstill) is actually one way that your body gets ready for labor — a sign that all systems are gearing up for the big event. Your body is busily ridding itself of fluid it won't need once its baby-making factory shuts down, which includes a drop in amniotic fluid as well as an increase in pee (and possibly poop).

You may also be losing weight because you’re sweating more — a habit that will pick up in the weeks after delivery. The first postpartum week, especially, will be a very damp one as your body steps up the sweat production to flush out all the fluid that’s accumulated over the past nine months.

Think about an epidural

About 2 in 3 women who deliver at a hospital opt for an epidural during labor and delivery. A mainstay of pregnancy pain relief, epidurals are numbing agents that can combine analgesics (pain relievers without the loss of muscle movement) with anesthetics (pain relief with a loss of sensation).

Usually, an epidural can be given as soon as you ask for it (and an anesthesiologist arrives to give you one), but because the shot will have to be given between contractions, it’s a good idea to ask for it relatively early in the labor process.

Sample some labor-inducing foods

Now that your due date has come and gone, you're probably willing to do or eat anything to get to that million-dollar prize (your baby) more quickly. Unfortunately, at least as far as medical science is concerned, there is no miracle meal that will bring on labor.

In the category of "can't hurt, might help" are foods such as eggplant, balsamic vinegar and anything spicy. While there's no proof that any of these have labor-inducing qualities, plenty of people swear by them.

If your stomach can take the heat (late-pregnancy heartburn can be a killer!), there's no harm in trying, as long as the so-called magic foods don't crowd out healthy choices in your diet.

Ask for ice chips

There’s a reason ice chips have long been a staple on the delivery-room menu — you’re allowed to have them during labor even if your practitioner has instituted an eating ban. Bonus: You may also find they’re easier to stomach than a glass of water of fruit juice once you’re in the throes of labor.

Minimize backaches in bed

A firm mattress can do wonders for an aching back. If yours is on the softer side, try getting help placing a board under your side of the bed for the rest of your pregnancy.

Using a pregnancy pillow or a body pillow that’s at least 5 feet long — which can take the ache out of certain sleep positions — can also help you get comfy at night.

Take it easy while you wait

You’re likely chomping at the bit now that your due date has come and gone. But be good to yourself. Rest and relax as much as possible. Get out for some fresh air and exercise every day if you can, but don’t push yourself too much — or worry too much either.

As long as you’re in close contact with your doctor and have a plan in case your little one needs a little nudge out into the world, all is fine. Pretty soon, you’ll be looking back on these days of freedom wistfully. So get in as much “me time” as you can now.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You're Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

  1. What to Expect When You're Expecting, 5th edition, Heidi Murkoff.
  2. WhatToExpect.com, Labor Contractions: What Do Contractions Feel Like?, January 2023.
  3. WhatToExpect.com, Epidural for Labor Pain, May 2021.
  4. WhatToExpect.com, Back Pain During Pregnancy, January 2022.
  5. WhatToExpect.com, How Much Weight Should You Gain During Pregnancy?, July 2022.
  6. WhatToExpect.com, Is Baby Overdue? Here's What You Need to Know, May 2021.
  7. WhatToExpect.com, How Many Weeks, Months and Trimesters in a Pregnancy?, May 2022.
  8. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Cesarean Birth, October 2021.
  9. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Definition of Term Pregnancy, November 2013.
  10. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, How to Tell When Labor Begins,November 2021.
  11. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy, December 2021.
  12. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring During Labor, 2017.
  13. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Medications for Pain Relief During Labor and Delivery, 2022.
  14. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Vital Statistics Reports, Births: Final Data for 2017, November 2018.
  15. Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Normal Labour, August 2023.
  16. March of Dimes, What is full-term? September 2018.
  17. Mayo Clinic, Overdue Pregnancy: What to Do When Baby's Overdue, July 2022.
  18. Mayo Clinic, Signs of Labor: Know What to Expect, December 2021.
  19. National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Am I In Labor?, April 2022.
  20. National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Changes in the Newborn at Birth, December 2021.
  21. National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Iron in Diet, January 2023.
  22. National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Nail Care for Newborns, December 2021.
  23. National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, Endocrinology of Parturition, January 2013.
  24. National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, Intermittent Auscultation Versus Continuous Fetal Monitoring: Exploring Factors That Influence Birthing Unit Nurses' Fetal Surveillance Practice Using Theoretical Domains Framework, September 2017.
  25. Society for Endocrinology, Hormones of Pregnancy and Labour, March 2021.
  26. Stanford Children's Health, Nonstress Testing.
  27. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health, Labor and Birth, February 2021.
  28. WhatToExpect.com, Inducing Labor: What Happens When You're Induced?, June 2021.
  29. WhatToExpect.com, What to Do If Your Water Breaks During Pregnancy, March 2023.
  30. WhatToExpect.com, Losing Your Mucus Plug & Bloody Show: Is Labor Near?, May 2023.
  31. WhatToExpect.com, Can Certain Foods Induce Labor?, April 2022.
  32. WhatToExpect.com, Diarrhea Before Labor (Prelabor Diarrhea), November 2022.
  33. WhatToExpect.com, Cervical Dilation and Effacement, September 2022.

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