The short answer
42 weeks = 9 months and past your due date
At 42 weeks pregnant, you are past your due date — pregnancy is counted as 9 months (40 weeks), and you are now in week 42.
Not sure of your week? Use the pregnancy week calculator to find it from your last period, due date or conception date.
Post-term. Very few pregnancies get this far — providers typically offer induction by now, and extra monitoring is routine.
About the size of a jackfruit
size comparison
52 cm
crown to heel (20.5 in)
3.7 kg
average weight (8.2 lb)
The fetus is fully mature and has been for weeks; the skin may be dry and cracked, and the lanugo is gone. Fat continues to build slowly, and hair and nails have grown long. Monitoring focuses on making sure the placenta and amniotic fluid are still supporting the baby well.
Sizes and weights are averages — healthy babies vary widely, and your scan measurements are what count.
Contractions may become regular on their own, or labor may need a helping hand. Fatigue, backache and pelvic pressure are at their most persistent, and many people are simply ready to meet their baby. Feelings of frustration or worry are common and understandable.
Common symptoms this week
Week 42 sits 14 days past the 280-day mark, so there is no countdown left to run. Most babies arrive within two weeks either side of the due date, and your provider will be monitoring more closely from here.
Week 42 is post-term. Very few pregnancies reach it — providers almost always offer induction before this point, and monitoring such as non-stress tests and fluid checks becomes routine.
The term labels are set by exact week and day, not by month: early term is 37 weeks 0 days to 38 weeks 6 days, full term is 39 weeks 0 days to 40 weeks 6 days, late term is 41 weeks 0 days to 41 weeks 6 days, and post-term is 42 weeks 0 days onward. All four fall inside "9 months pregnant", which is exactly why your care team never uses months for this.
A calendar month averages about 4.3 weeks — not 4 — so you can't just divide your week number by four. Instead, months of pregnancy are counted as uneven buckets of 4 to 5 weeks, arranged so the full 40 weeks fits into 9 calendar months. Week 42 falls in month 9, in the third trimester.
Your care team will always use weeks and days rather than months, because screening windows and term definitions are set by exact week — months are just the everyday shorthand. For the full conversion, see the weeks to months chart, or go the other way with the months-to-weeks guide.
Your notes will show a week and a day — 42+3 or 42w3d, for example. Pick the exact day you are on for its own day count, countdown and month answer.
| Week + day | Shorthand | Days pregnant | Days to go |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 weeks 0 days (this page) | 42+0 | 294 | — |
| 42 weeks 1 day | 42+1 | 295 | — |
| 42 weeks 2 days | 42+2 | 296 | — |
| 42 weeks 3 days | 42+3 | 297 | — |
| 42 weeks 4 days | 42+4 | 298 | — |
| 42 weeks 5 days | 42+5 | 299 | — |
| 42 weeks 6 days | 42+6 | 300 | — |
At 42 weeks pregnant, you are past your due date — pregnancy is counted as 9 months (40 weeks), and you are now in week 42. Months of pregnancy are counted as uneven 4–5 week buckets so that the full 40 weeks fits into 9 calendar months.
42 weeks is in the third trimester, which runs from 28 weeks 0 days until birth. You are now considered full term from 39 weeks 0 days.
You have reached week 42, past the 40-week mark. Most babies arrive within two weeks either side of the due date, and your provider will discuss monitoring or induction if pregnancy continues past 41–42 weeks.
At 42 weeks you have passed the 280-day mark by 14 days, so there are no days left to count down. Most babies arrive within two weeks either side of the due date.
42 weeks is 294 days, counted from the first day of your last menstrual period (42 × 7 = 294). Add the days into your current week for the exact figure — for example 42 weeks 3 days is 297 days.