The Royal Baby Could Come Way Later Than You Think — Here's Why

Hello. If you're here, you're probably one of the many people who are wondering where the royal baby is. (And what their name is and what they look like and whether they will dress in old timey clothes like other royal babies.) Obviously, no one besides Meghan Markle and Prince Harry and those who are closest to them know what's up with this baby. But, there are a few reasons the royal baby might come later than you expected that range from the medical to the "Meghan's lying to herself and others!"

While Markle and Harry and their doctors, of course, have more knowledge about this baby than anyone, even they can't really know when the baby will arrive. Babies do their own thing, and it's hard to predict when a baby will arrive. A baby will get to 40 weeks and be like, "Nah. I'm good. Just gonna hang out a little longer" as though that's not causing the mom (and the world!) more stress. (But mostly the mom. Let's not get out of hand here.)

Still, there are some reasons that the baby could be late or the due date prediction could be off, so let's take a look.

By the way, even though Markle and Harry are keeping things more private, when she does go into labor, we will know, according to ET Canada.

Firstborns Tend To Be Born Later (Or At Least Not On The Due Date)

Back in 2013 when Kate Middleton was pregnant with Prince George, Live Science reported on a study that found "a firstborn baby has a 15 to 16 percent chance of being born late, compared with a 9 or 10 percent chance for other babies." And around the same time, still related to little PG Tips, CNN reported, "First-born babies are less likely to arrive on time — they're either too early or too late, studies have found."

Late Babies Run In The Family

We don't know whether late babies run in Markle's family or if she was born late, but late babies can be hereditary. Dr. Daniela Carusi, the director of general gynecology and surgical obstetrics at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital told CNN, "Family history of overdue pregnancies is a stronger predictor than whether or not it is a first-time mother."

Months vs. Weeks

An article on Slate from pregnancy specialist Dr. Chavi Eve Karkowsky argues that weeks should be used instead of months to describe pregnancies, because it's more accurate, but everyone still insists on talking in months. Forty weeks is more like 9.3 months, but people always says a pregnancy is nine months. In Markle's case, it could be that when she told fans she was six months during her visit to Birkenhead in January, she was exactly six months — or almost six months — and now she's in that 0.3 period that remains.

Due Dates Aren't That Accurate

A due date is just an estimate. It's first calculated by adding 280 days to the first day of the pregnant woman's last period. Then, it's estimated again when an ultrasound is taken. In both cases, it's not set in stone that the woman will give birth that specific day, but rather it sets a window of time when the baby can be expected. The BBC reported in 2015 that data from the Perinatal Institute showed that only 4% of women give birth on their due date. Markle told fans her due date was around April, according to Cosmopolitan, so maybe she's just late.

Meghan Lied

I'm not saying that Markle straight up lied to the fans she spoke to in Birkenhead — but, hey, maybe she did and that's her right — rather that she might have been exaggerating or rounding up or lying to herself. If you are five and a half months pregnant, maybe you just tell some random people you don't even know that you're six months for the convenience of it and because pregnancies are long and you wish you were six months already.

Prince Harry's Trip

Harry had planned to travel to the Netherlands on May 8 and 9 for a visit related to the Invictus Games, which will be held in the country next year. But, on Friday, May 3, the Telegraph reported that he canceled the first day of the trip, but will still travel to The Hague on the 9th. This could mean the baby will be born before the trip, or it could mean that they think the baby might be born after and want to make it less of a risk that Harry is away. (OK, fine the baby will probably still be born before the trip, but it still seems like the baby could be later than they originally thought.)

A statement from a spokesperson explained the trip was changed due to "the logistical planning for the traveling press to cover visits and engagements by The Royal Family." Like, maybe they're covering Harry and Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla's Germany trip and the royal baby? There's a lot of moving pieces.

It's A Taurus

Unless the royal baby is somehow born after May 20, this baby will be a Taurus and Tauruses are "stubborn" and "uncompromising", according to Astrology-Zodiac-Signs.com. That's why the baby's not here. End of story. See ya soon, little Taurus baby.