London ready to party as royal baby wait continues
Source: Agencies |
July 19, 2013, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE British capital plans to mark the birth of Prince William and his wife Kate's first child with a 62-gun salute from the Tower of London and a light show along the River Thames.
London's promotional organization said yesterday that the capital's giant Ferris wheel, the London Eye, will be lit in red, white, and blue.
An exhibition featuring clothes worn by former royal babies has already opened at the Museum of London.
The expected arrival of Kate and William's first child has sent reporters into a tizzy.
Dozens of reporters have already staked out the central London hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge is expected to give birth.
So by the time you're reading this, the Duchess of Cambridge could be in labor. Or it could be a matter of hours. Or days. Or weeks.
As the royal couple await the birth of their first child - the future heir to the British throne - some are convinced the due date has passed.
Buckingham Palace has not given an exact date, having only said that Kate is due to deliver the baby in "mid-July."
Many in the British media predicted the baby would be born last week and the prince himself is now on official leave.
But experts say there's no reason to think that the baby is actually overdue; due dates are at best an educated guess and come with a margin of error of two to three weeks.
"The baby will come when he or she is ready," said Janet Fyle, a midwife and professional policy adviser at Britain's Royal College of Midwives.
For healthy women, as the Duchess of Cambridge appears to be, Fyle said they shouldn't worry if they haven't given birth by their predicted due date.
Many things can delay birth, including the baby's head being in the wrong spot. "It may take the baby a while to get into the right position before he or she is ready to come out," she said.
Normal pregnancies last about 40 weeks, though 3 to 12 percent of women in the UK go beyond that term. After 41 to 42 weeks, doctors may consider inducing labor.
Doctors or midwives typically induce labor with medications or other methods; it may still take one to two days for contractions to start.
"There is a risk as the pregnancy goes on that the placenta may not work as well," said Dr Daghni Rajasingam, a spokeswoman for Britain's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Rajasingam said women having their first baby, as in the case of the Duchess, typically have a longer pregnancy, though scientists aren't exactly sure why.
"It's like a racehorse on a track," she said. "For a horse that hasn't run the race before, it can take a little bit longer if you're not used to it," she said.
London's promotional organization said yesterday that the capital's giant Ferris wheel, the London Eye, will be lit in red, white, and blue.
An exhibition featuring clothes worn by former royal babies has already opened at the Museum of London.
The expected arrival of Kate and William's first child has sent reporters into a tizzy.
Dozens of reporters have already staked out the central London hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge is expected to give birth.
So by the time you're reading this, the Duchess of Cambridge could be in labor. Or it could be a matter of hours. Or days. Or weeks.
As the royal couple await the birth of their first child - the future heir to the British throne - some are convinced the due date has passed.
Buckingham Palace has not given an exact date, having only said that Kate is due to deliver the baby in "mid-July."
Many in the British media predicted the baby would be born last week and the prince himself is now on official leave.
But experts say there's no reason to think that the baby is actually overdue; due dates are at best an educated guess and come with a margin of error of two to three weeks.
"The baby will come when he or she is ready," said Janet Fyle, a midwife and professional policy adviser at Britain's Royal College of Midwives.
For healthy women, as the Duchess of Cambridge appears to be, Fyle said they shouldn't worry if they haven't given birth by their predicted due date.
Many things can delay birth, including the baby's head being in the wrong spot. "It may take the baby a while to get into the right position before he or she is ready to come out," she said.
Normal pregnancies last about 40 weeks, though 3 to 12 percent of women in the UK go beyond that term. After 41 to 42 weeks, doctors may consider inducing labor.
Doctors or midwives typically induce labor with medications or other methods; it may still take one to two days for contractions to start.
"There is a risk as the pregnancy goes on that the placenta may not work as well," said Dr Daghni Rajasingam, a spokeswoman for Britain's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Rajasingam said women having their first baby, as in the case of the Duchess, typically have a longer pregnancy, though scientists aren't exactly sure why.
"It's like a racehorse on a track," she said. "For a horse that hasn't run the race before, it can take a little bit longer if you're not used to it," she said.
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