I actually do feel sorry for Kate at this point. Much like her last pregnancy with Prince George, Kate is overdue. According to The Telegraph, Kate’s due date was last Thursday and her doctors are considering inducing her labor as early as this weekend, although “sources” claim that if Kate is feeling comfortable, the doctors will avoid inducement and just wait for labor naturally. Generally speaking, I guess most women want to wait until they’re one week overdue and then they start thinking about getting induced.
As for Kate’s state of mind, Us Weekly’s source, a “family friend,” says that Kate is “well” and “in good spirits… Everyone is! Although it would be fair to say also eager for the time to come.”
Kate was last seen in public a week ago, when she stopped by Zara Home on Kensington High Street. She was “jeans and wedges” and was apparently in full-on nesting mode, picking up “placemats, hand towels, coasters, salad servers, and blue and white children’s hangers.” Many of the items were blue, in fact. Is that significant? Is she having a second boy? Us Weekly also notes that “Antonella Fresolone and nanny Maria Borallo have been spotted walking the family’s dog Lupo around Kensington Gardens every day, and grandma Carole Middleton has been helping take care of Prince George. She will look after George when the royal couple head to the hospital.” Ah, I was actually wondering what would be done with George while Kate was in the hospital.
Oh, and when the baby is finally here, the first announcement will be on Twitter. I follow @KensingtonRoyal and I’m assuming that will be the main Twitter handle used, although I would assume @BritishMonarchy will also be announcing it concurrently.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
We don’t usually induce until 42 weeks here (both Sixlets were induced), so four days overdue seems a bit unlikely. I expect the press are just floundering for something to say? They do start organising for a potential induction on or about your due date, though.
From what I’ve heard, I hope Kate doesn’t need an induction.
Granted, it was more than twenty years ago, but my Mum needed to be induced and apparently it was ‘unpleasant to say the least’. (Such an drama queen . . .)
Also – hi Sixer!
*waves*
Being induced is HORRIBLE, so I really hope for her sake that she doesn’t have to be. (I speak from experience, from less than 8 years ago, I doubt much has changed since then)
Yeah, when I had my daughter, my midwife didn’t even want to talk about an induction until I got to my 41 week appointment. I practically had to beg for an induction because I was so done. I was really lucky that she and the OB both agreed to it before I got to 42 weeks. In the end, I went in to labour on my induction date and didn’t need to be induced but the NHS doesn’t just hand out inductions willy nilly!
Hi Amelia! *waves back*
Neither Sixlet had any desire whatsoever to be born. I had two lots of pessaries both times. Nothing. Both times. Eventually got going via a drip. Both times!
I think my induction appointments were both for the evening of the 13th day overdue. But it’s a long time ago now!
Interesting–my OB in California, who is a workaholic, delivers more than 400 babies per year, recommended inducing once the baby was one week overdue, saying the amniotic fluid starts to deteriorate after 41 weeks. When I was about 36 weeks, she came to an appointment with me after having delivered a stillborn. It was the only time in 15 years of seeing her that I’ve seen her upset–she had tried to get the woman to induce, but she had refused.
My midwives were okay waiting until 42 weeks to induce provided that an ultrasound (to check amniotic fluid levels) and a fetal non-stress test (monitoring to make sure baby’s heart rate rose and fell normally when she moved) showed that all was well in there. They said that newer research shows that the risk of stillbirth, while very low, does increase past 42 weeks, so at that point they strongly recommend induction. I ended up going into labor on my own at 41 weeks and four days after an acupuncture session.
Sixer nailed it!
Birdix
That’s tragic, but hardly the norm. And there’s much to monitor those situations outside of a set experation date of sorts.
Even for midwives in ther selected states.
We are all trained, but some stick to their methods only.
I carried my first child a whole month extra: I was living in small town, which might explain (adding, I was not comfortable). She was 9 1/2 lbs at birth; her apgar score near 10. Since this is a birth story, I will add that I had no drugs to stop pain. It hurt terribly, until it was over. I have one of the strongest, most best-est girls ever to be born! She is still large (compared to me) as a woman, although very well proportioned. (I have a daughter who was tiny too). Anyhoo, Rebekah is having her first child in September. I feel like a new grandma, not sure what it all means…
And to add, she was always very demanding. She gets it done, however.
Eat a curry or a big bowl of chili. But then that’s probably more likely to induce flatulence than childbirth…
There’s a restaurant here in So. Cal, out in the San Fernando Valley, that has this salad dressing that seems to induce labor within 24 hrs lol. Hand to God, it was even on the news. Maybe I should ship a bottle to Kate 😜
Here’s the link: http://www.laweekly.com/restaurants/maternity-greens-caioti-pizza-cafes-labor-inducing-salad-2376676
That would make the background for a great short story… or even a small film.
Unless there is a medical concern for mamma or baby, it is totally unnecessary to induce before 2 weeks overdue. It leads to uneccessary c-sections and the baby may not be done with finishing touches if due date is a little off. Let them come when they are ready, what’s a couple more weeks when you have been pregnant for 9 months?
I agree. 4 days past the “due date” is not overdue. Two weeks past the “due date” is considered overdue, barring some medical issue that would require an earlier intervention.
The due date is just an estimate anyway, right? I loved your expression “the baby may not be done with the finishing touches.” Adorable.
Yes, hence the term EDC (estimated date of confinement), the (archaic!!) medical term for due date.
As I said above, we don’t induce until 42 weeks here in the UK. What DOES happen, is that once you get near to term, the midwife/doctor will start making provisional induction appointments, in the event you don’t go into labour. I should imagine this report is spinning on that for lack of anything else to say.
While they won’t induce for non-medical reasons or for being “post dates” until later, they will induce if there are any medical concerns at all once you hit your due date. Especially if it is a second child and mom has had a previous successful vaginal birth.
Yes, sorry. Clearly, medical need aside.
I like the way you put that “finishing touches” but Yep you’re absolutely right. I was nearly two weeks overdue and my mom said her doctor refused to induce her until 14 days. He said I was just comfortable and that I would be ready to leave when I was finished lol. And my mom had a natural, compilation free birth with me. Also everyone just guessed that the due date was April it could have been early May since Will just got off for paternity leave. Anyways it’s any day now and I’m glad this pregnancy seemed to be a lot better for Kate
I’ve never heard of a baby who arrived exactly on its due date.
Due dates are more like guidelines. I’ve never had a cow give birth on her due date and I’m guessing people aren’t much different. If there’s no problem, why risk it? The hormone cascade that begins labor is triggered by the baby. Baby will come out when baby’s ready. We don’t induce labor in a cow unless we suspect a problem. Why would a person be different?
The urge to induce labor in women when there doesn’t appear to be anything wrong except non-adherence to an estimated date is alarming to me.
My sister was. My mom was quite happy, since I had been two weeks late and she was hoping not to have to go through that again!
Pre ultrasound days – Baby One – due date was changed several times with the doctor finally saying it was due sometime in November. Arrived on November 30 at 8 minutes to midnight. Baby 2 was due June 24 but date was also changed and showed up July 18 and was not induced. Both were healthy but just weren’t done yet on due dates.
My oldest did. I was actually going to be induced that day (I’d had complications though) but went into labor naturally. With both my pregnancies, it was discussed that I wouldn’t go past term, but that was because of comolcations with my pregnancies. Generally with a normal pregnancy they let you go 1 week to 10 days late here before discussing induction.
I was induced the day after my due date with my first and my second came naturally ON his due date. It does happen!
I wouldn’t be surprised if any confirmation or announcement is made AFTER the birth. With PGTips it was different as he was the heir’s heir, with this one I think they will try and avoid the circus again and I don’t blame them.
And babies come when they want to – not before.
She should do the same as Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and go home after a few hours and be comfortable at home when the news breaks. Loved that photo of the Swedish pair carrying Estelle down in the elevator in a car seat like any other couple
Their official spokesperson announced that Victoria was at the hospital and in labor. She was at the hospital for a very short time and left after about 4 hours.
That probably caught the reporters off guard, because they expected her to stay in hospital longer. She must have waited until the very last minute to get in the car and go to the hospital, if she checked out 4 hours later. Daniel gave the press conference at the hospital and they left.
i think what tripped people up, in addition to the short amount of time spent between labor and leaving the hospital, was the fact that she was still out working less than 24 hours prior. and you know Victoria exudes this exuberance that didn’t gave any indication that she’s about to give birth anytime soon. she did say that that particular engagement would be her last before giving birth but i don’t think people expected her to give birth so soon. therfore i think they were all caught unawares.
on another tangent, i just came back from Tumblr rabbit hole and was so surprised to see the other Swedish royal baby meeting a Head of State. Princess Leonore charmed The Pope and me.
Placemats? Salad servers? The bazillion pound rennovation of K-palace didn’t include kitchenware?
+1 – I can’t believe they didn’t have all of that stuff already!
Placemats seem out of place given the luxury accommodation they have at both KP and Anmer.
Maybe they were gifts for someone else?
I’m hoping for gifts so we don’t have to read too much into the color blue. But does she go to housewarming parties/baby showers?
I don’t know. She goes to weddings, so maybe she sends a gift for those other occasions? I’ve never read about her attending one, though.
Regarding wedding gifts or baby showers.
That’s what a registry is for. In fact it’s often seen as improper to buy a gift someone have listed in store and not marking it on the registry. That leads to duplicates on top of extra storage for inventory. Meaning your friends will have to take those items home and store them until they can get there to where the gifts are all being held.
So, I doubt that is what this is.
And I buy placemats and salad tongs all the time. It’s a weakness when I go to Bed, Bath, Beyond for retail therapy. Nothing gets used for that long though because something will replace it. And I wonder if this is for the Midds home?
If they are gifts so much for surprising the intended recipient!
Yeah, I was wondering about that, too. Photos seem to indicate at least some of this might be picnic ware. Then, too, she shops to shop.
Possible she was buying wedding or housewarming gifts for friends’ celebrations that she can’t attend
That is what a registry is for.
If you’re not going to deliver a present in person you use a registry.
I’m constantly buying new things like that for our kitchen. Things break, get stained or you just want a change.
I just find it weird that she only ever shops for housewares or clothing. I don’t think I’ve heard of her shopping for anything else.
HH
It’s a fair point. If Kate is elsewhere or with a friend or being social with ladies her age not employed by her we would hear about it. I say this from all the times where she’s said to be out with friends/lunch with friends/shopping with friends and its her security team of personal assistants. and not on their personal time, but during their billed hours and billed duties.
She shops for herself it seems.
My only issue with that is it’s wasteful of money not earned. And I take that issue with anyone who does it with tax dollars factoring in to private spending.
No offense to anyone – but I don’t think that they care what we think.
Wolfpup
Was that brought up like they do care? The comment seems random to me.
When people have to announce and clarify intent it’s a pet peeve. If it wasn’t meant to be negative it wouldn’t need the clarification.
And I doubt they care. That’s a running theme it seems. Apathy.
I’m betting hard their PR cares. I bet they care a lot.
That’s great then, FLORC! I’ve always thought that the most pertinent comments were made right here.
FLORC
Kate’s friends are society types who do not enjoy pap friendly public lunch dates. They dine at one another’s homes, arrange play dates at one another’s homes and slip into and out of restaurants via the back door and in quiet corners or private dining rooms. Management are keen to keep the arrangement quiet and locals pride themselves on protecting the royals. If you see Kate out with friends you can be sure she wants you to see her.
It is silly to say that she has no friends because you don’t see them. Just as some here claim she has an ‘army’ of nannies. Their proof? The fact that we don’t see them.
Lol at the double standards.
There may be a reason, like low fluid, to induce when only a few days overdue.
People are only guessing she’s overdue. I doubt anyone, other than Kate and her doctor, knows her true due date. As long as she’s comfortable and the kid isn’t in any danger, leave her be.
Well Said
Didn’t they give a false date last time? Reporters were staking out the hospital in the summer heat for an extra week.
no due date was ever given , it was the Daily Mail that invented July 11th as the date and then other media outlets copied them . At one point somebody realized the baby might be early (probably with Diana’s July 1st birthday as a sentimental starting point) and off they went to camp out in front of the hospital.
Some thought the baby was due late May or in June. Clarence House announced July date later after they’d already said she was expecting, but you’re right, I see no date on that just “expecting a baby in July.” Rumors were published that her mother said the baby was going to be a Leo; PGTips ended up a last-day Cancer.
Exactly. She may not even be due yet.
Cosign this.
That said, pitocin is the PITS. I had PROM three weeks before my kiddo’s due date. Pitocin + no amniotic fluid = solid five minute blocks of contraction hell. OW.
I wish her a safe, easy, happy birth and healthy child.
Ditto that.
double ditto that
I completely forgot she’s due to give birth at any moment.
Me too!! I was hoping maybe I’d missed the entire thing. But then I’d miss the comments as well!! What does it mean that I think the most interesting thing about her are the comments on this site? Reading about her buying “placemats, hand towels, coasters, salad servers, and blue and white children’s hangers.” makes me want to take a nap.
I come here, only for the commenters (hell, gossip..). I respect them, for the most part, and that’s worth a lot.
I respect the commenters, I meant to say; I come here for discussion with them.
Lets hope this birth doesnt eclipse the general election, something rather more important than ‘woman has baby’ part 2.
I was 8 days overdue when I was carrying my son. It was no problem except for my mom calling me twice a day after my due date demanding to know “Are you in labor yet? What are you waiting for?” She almost drove me out of my mind.
I went 8 days overwith my kid too. Thankfully, no one was bombarding me with questions about whether I was in labour! It’s hard enough to go that far over without people asking every minute!
4 days overdue is not time to consider induction unless she’s pushing for them to do so.
Yeah. I didn’t think 4 days was very overdue. My sister was induced when she was 14 days overdue. Maybe it’s just late for royalty
Yeah my SIL was induced at about 14 days overdue too and she didn’t even want that then. The doctors made her and she still ended up needed a C section. Maybe the palace is pushing for induction to end the circus?
Due dates are an estimation (as others have said). The baby generally comes when it is ready. Induction carries it own set of risks and unless medically necessary, should be avoided.
Wasn’t William induced? Supposedly because of Charles’ polo schedule?
I’ve heard that rumor too. Seems fully absurd, even by royal standards.
Well, she was induced by her own admission. And Charles did leave for another polo game. Her reasoning though was not to do with Charles. She just wanted it over with.
There’s conflicting information on this. I’ve read info stating Diana went into labour naturally at 5am at Kensington Palace. Then other reports stating they brought her in to hospital per pre-arranged appt for inducement because it fit in with Charles’ polo schedule and because they liked the date being summer solstice.
I like the summer solstice, don’t you? Were these people trying to make their baby’s birth date more special? Geez, they want to hog all of the special.
Citresse
I forget the article, but it was Diana talking to a reporter. She was saying she hated being watched so heavily. She just wanted to give birth so people would leave her alone.
Yes, the first announcement will be on Twitter, but hoping the easel display at Buckingham Palace continues. It’s a nice tradition.
Medically necessary or not, this is royal Kate we are talking about, not some random member of the public. When she is uncomfortable, fed up and God forbid, feeling too big, she will get an induction when she wants. She is full term at this point and calls the shots at this point.
Hello from the U.S. Wouldn’t it be cool if she delivered the same day as the Cumberbaby?
According to the speculation surrounding George’s due date, he was very late. So perhaps Kate just marinates them for a bit longer than the estimated due dates. I read somewhere that George was born on a full moon, full moons act affecting labor similarly to the way they affect tides, and the next full moon is May 4. We may be Waity-ing for a while.
PGtips came on time. Both Carole and the Middleton pap on speed dial said he would be born the week he came, but everyone thought it was simply speculation or that the information couldn’t be trusted. The pap went as far as naming the date he would arrive, and he was right.
The Palace confirmed that it would be a July baby (not in those exact words), and the media went into a frenzy over it. Especially at the prospect of PGtips being born on Diana significant dates ie 1st July (her birthday) and 29th July (her wedding day).
It says a lot about how the media can whip itself into a frenzy over nothing because the Palace didn’t know for a long time, and eventually would only confirm that it was July.
gosh, and they make us all wait, and watch, and wonder….on purpose!
This is an honest question here: Unless you have sex infrequently, how can you know when the point of conception can/does occur? I am not sure I would know if I got pregnant when exactly I conceived.
The doctor’s count from your last period, you are only fertile a few (like 2-3) days per cycle, easy-peasy approximate conception date:)
Hope that helps.
That’s crazy to me because some people seem so fertile (getting pregnant one time they didn’t use protection) and others are not especially with such a small window.
Andrea- I know. I always feel like that fertility rate only applies when people are trying to get pregnant. If you’re on birth control, it’s like one slip up and “oops.” (Okay, I know this isn’t true, but it’s a pretty universal perception).
Sometimes the conditions for the survival of your partners dna are ideal and it can last a few days longer to find an egg days later.
The language I used is to avoid the filter 🙂
LOL, FLORC. You’ve got me thinking of all kind of euphemisms that would pass the filter now!
Bluhare
I kept rewording that and my mind went there. This is a heavily censored version, but I think everyone got the point 😉
There are two ways–one is that you are likely to have been fertile for a few days around 14 days after your last period. The second is that all embryos are basically the same size/grow at the same rate in the early months of pregnancy, so therefore at your first ultrasound the doctor can determine how many weeks along you are with reasonable certainty.
Andrea, dear, google it. A baby will change your life – so it is important (to my mind) to know when we are expecting, or could be, and by whom. You’ll never be rid of the two of them (baby and father, ever again!).
I have PCOS and have been on bc for 14 years religiously, I have been okay so far and have been told that I have major fertility issues and need to see a fertility specialist, so I am pretty sure I am in the clear, At 34, I have zero interest in ever having children nor does my partner.
Ummm…. are you me Andrea? Same age, same name, same lack of interest in children. I’m feeling all twilight zone up in here. 😀
A lot of women have early ultrasounds. An ultrasound before 10 weeks is more reliable and can pinpoint the date of conception, because up to a certain point babies grow at a standard rate. I had ultrasounds at 7 weeks both times and was able to pinpoint the date of conception (pretty close to what I had assumed based on my cycles). Given how early Kate’s pregnancies leaked, I’m sure she had early ultrasounds.
I never had a friend who had early ultrasounds so I didn’t know but that makes sense.
I really suggest reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility. I suggest it to all women, whether you’re trying to conceive, trying to avoid, or just coming into your menses. It really helped me understand my body better.
That said, I read that before trying to conceive #3. 1 & 2 were surprises, but I still know when (if not the exact date, I remember the time) each of them was conceived.
4 days past your due date isn’t overdue – it’s term. 39 weeks to 40 weeks, 6 days is now considered term.
Three sets of photos of PGTips published outside the UK in the last two weeks. It will be a strange W&E world if the only news of these kids comes from outside the UK.
Am I the only one who finds her to be boring? I know, I know, why comment than….but dear god is there even one interesting fact about her? And I don’t even mean it as an insult! She is probably boring because she is stable, happy and well-adjusted. Its just that she and William….don’t really have much personality. I am sure the royals love them for it.
I wish her the best with her up-coming birth and my apologies to their new baby for calling their parents dull. 🙂
no, I find her dull too! Like the living embodiment of very sparingly buttered white bread.
Ugh @ lightly buttered white bread. Can I get some strawberry jam up in here?
Lol
Perhaps they have nothing else to offer. But I’d like to see a scrap of a person amongst all the silliness…
Not even white bread with the crusts removed.
She will most likely give birth on Saturday when the moon is full. As I recall, Prince George was born on a full moon.
Do William and Kate know the sex or are they waiting to find out too?
They claim they don’t know. I’m not sure anyone believes them. 🙂
Saying you don’t know is the easiest way to get people to leave you alone on the matter.
Folks might leave them alone on the matter, but in private folks are twisting their panties. This is a good bread and circus guessing game! Might even make a quid.
All I have to say is prince george is the most beautiful baby I’ve seen. The parents are beautiful and I can’t wait for this lovely English baby. They are an attractive family and it’s worth the time.l’m proud of English and German beautiful ancestry and I wish blessings. It is worth the cute “finishing touches”.
Apparently Delores, you haven’t seen my baby!
Ahem. Winner of “Most Beautiful Baby” contest here!!
Bluhare is wolfpup’s daughter!
wolfpup loves playing chase in the flowers, with bluhare…
Wolfpup I believe you are also mom to the worlds most beautiful baby. Have fun and may God bless you both.
I was 3 days overdue when I drank castor oil and induced my own labor. I couldn’t take the sore biscuit, sleepless nights, and constant peeing any longer. Best decision I ever made. My daughter slid out in under 1hour of pushing. Too bad my biscuit was 20x more sore post delivery. Nobody warned me about that part.
jo; biscuit ha ha!