Cheryl Madden knows a thing or two about those last few frustrating ready-to-pop weeks of pregnancy. Her first two kids, daughter Addison (now six) and son Paxton (now four), were content to stay where they were for a full 10 or 11 days past their due dates. While Madden didn?t love the late-term heartburn, she was pretty philosophical about it all. ?My attitude was they were where they needed to be, and they would come out when they were ready,? says the Winnipeg mom.

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What happens when your labour is induced
Madden?s take is the popular one. ?There is a body of evidence and literature that shows there is very important development, particularly brain development, that happens in the last few weeks of pregnancy, and it happens better in the uterus than outside,? says George Carson, an OB/GYN in Regina. ?When I?m talking to my patients, I say pregnancy is like baking: You don?t want to take the baby out until he or she is done.? He adds that although Canadian guidelines are less clear-cut than those in the US, in practice, ?done? or full-term is considered to be 39 weeks or beyond, assuming a normal pregnancy in which both the mom and the baby are safe and healthy. (The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists changed it...