So, the due date came and went. You’re impatient to meet your baby, everyone keeps making super-helpful “ready to pop” comments, and you’re so. over. being. pregnant. But here’s the thing: due dates aren?t set in stone. And a pregnancy is considered full term anytime between 39 and 42 weeks. (Note: it used to be 37 weeks. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists changed its definition of a full-term baby from 37 weeks to 39 in 2013, but Canadian guidelines are less clear-cut than those in the US.) First-time moms, though, are more likely to be overdue, carrying their babies into the 41st and 42nd week.  ?If you go into late pregnancy with that mindset, you?re less likely to be frustrated by still being pregnant after your due date passes,? says Heather Hill, a certified birth doula in Edmonton. She counsels patients to expect their baby two weeks before or after the due date given by their doctor or midwife. Even dating ultrasounds, the most accurate means of pinpointing a due date (when done in the first trimester), have a five-day margin of error. Frequent appointments

Once your due date has passed, expect to see more of your doctor or midwife. Your prenatal care team will use ultrasounds to measure the amount of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby, and they may conduct a non-stress test, which means checking the baby?s movements and heart rate with a fetal monitor. Toronto midwife Jennifer Gardiner conducts ultrasounds ...