42 Weeks Pregnant: Induction, Pain Relief & Preparing for Birth

42 Weeks Pregnant: Induction, Pain Relief & Preparing for Birth

At 42 weeks pregnant, your baby is post-term, and your care team will talk to you about induction if they haven't already. Here's what to expect, how your baby is monitored, and how to prepare for the birth, from pain relief to positions to your first moments together.

Baby's size
Around 51cm long and 3.6kg on average, though healthy babies vary
Milestone
Post-term
What happens now
Induction is usually recommended, with close monitoring
This week
Prepare for the birth

What's happening this week

Your baby is ready to be born. Maybe your dates were a little off, or your baby has simply taken their time. Most babies arrive before 42 weeks, and your baby will be here very soon.

Close monitoring

Checking on your baby

You'll usually have frequent CTGs and ultrasounds to check your baby's heart rate and the amount of amniotic fluid.

Induction

Usually recommended

After 42 weeks, the placenta may not work as well and the risks for your baby slowly rise, so your care team will usually recommend an induction.

Movements

Still vital

Your baby should keep moving just as often. Contact your hospital straight away if movements slow down, stop or change.

Here's how induction works, step by step. If you've chosen to wait, talk to your care team about how often you'll be monitored and what to look out for.

Your pain relief options

Knowing your options ahead of time can help you feel calmer and more in control. What's available varies between hospitals and birth centres, so ask where you're giving birth. You can change your mind at any time.

Drug-free comfort
Moving and changing positions, a warm shower or bath, heat packs, massage, breathing techniques and a TENS machine, which sends mild electrical pulses through pads on your back.
Sterile water injections
Small injections of water just under the skin of your lower back, which can ease back pain in labour for a couple of hours.
Gas
Nitrous oxide and oxygen, breathed through a mouthpiece you hold yourself. It works quickly, wears off fast and takes the edge off contractions.
Opioid injection
A pain-relieving medicine given as an injection. It can help you rest, but may make you or your baby drowsy.
Epidural
Medicine given through a fine tube in your lower back, which numbs most of the pain from your waist down. It's the most effective pain relief for labour.Talk through the benefits and side effects of each option with your midwife

Positions for labour and birth

Moving and changing position can help with pain and help your baby move down. There's no single right way, so try what feels best.

Upright and moving

Let gravity help

Walking, swaying, rocking on a birth ball or leaning forward on a bench or bed can ease pain and help labour progress.

Hands and knees

Great for back pain

Kneeling on all fours takes pressure off your back and lets your support person massage it. Lean on your forearms if you get tired.

Side lying

Rest and gentle

Lying on your side is restful, works with an epidural and may be gentler on your perineum during birth.

Tips for labour

  • Stay at home in early labour if you're well and your hospital agrees, where you can relax.
  • Breathe slowly, focusing on long breaths out during each contraction.
  • Rest between contractions to save your energy, and keep sipping water.
  • Make noise if it helps. Many people find it does.
  • Lean on your support person for massage, heat packs and encouragement. Our tips for the labour support person cover how they can help.

Your first moments together

After all these weeks, you'll finally meet your baby. If you're both well, here's what usually happens:

  • Skin-to-skin. Your baby is placed on your chest, which helps keep them warm and calm and supports feeding.
  • Delayed cord clamping. The cord is usually clamped after a short wait, and your support person may be able to cut it.
  • The placenta. It's delivered soon after your baby, often with an injection to help and reduce bleeding.
  • A first feed. Your midwife will help you offer your baby a feed, often within the first hour.
  • Vitamin K. Your baby will be offered a vitamin K injection to help prevent a rare bleeding problem.

Contact your hospital straight away if your baby's movements slow down, stop or change, your waters break, or you have bleeding, strong regular contractions, a severe headache, blurred vision or sudden swelling.

You made it

From those very first weeks to now, you've come such a long way. Take things slowly in the days ahead, enjoy lots of skin-to-skin, and lean on the people around you. Our postpartum recovery list can help you look after yourself as you recover, too.

Your to-do list for week 42

Helpful for this stage

The postpartum recovery listCare for you after the birthSee the list Breast pads and careFor those first feedsShop breast care Nursing pillowsComfy support for every feedShop nursing pillows

Week 42 FAQs

What happens at 42 weeks pregnant?

42 weeks is called post-term. If your baby hasn't arrived, your care team will usually recommend an induction. If you've chosen to wait, you'll be offered frequent monitoring, such as CTGs and ultrasounds, to check on your baby.

Is it safe to go past 42 weeks?

After 42 weeks, the risks for your baby slowly increase, as the placenta may not work as well. That's why induction is usually recommended by this point. Talk to your doctor or midwife about the benefits and risks for you, and contact your hospital straight away if your baby's movements change.

What pain relief is available in labour in Australia?

Options include moving, water, heat packs, massage and TENS, as well as sterile water injections, nitrous oxide gas, opioid injections and an epidural. What's available can vary between hospitals and birth centres, so ask about the options where you're giving birth.

What is the best position to give birth in?

There's no single best position. Upright positions like kneeling, squatting or leaning forward can use gravity to help, while side lying can be restful and gentle on your perineum. Your midwife will help you find what works for you.

What happens straight after the birth?

If you and your baby are well, your baby is usually placed skin-to-skin on your chest. The cord is usually clamped after a short delay, the placenta is delivered, and you'll be supported to offer your baby their first feed. Your baby will be offered a vitamin K injection.

This article is general information and isn't a substitute for advice from your doctor or midwife.

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