Royal Baby Update: Kate Middleton is Four Days Past Due Date, Labor could be Induced

The wait for the royal baby continues.

Us Weekly confirmed that the Kate Middleton is four days past her due date. The 33-year-old Duchess of Cambridge was expected to welcome her second child with Prince William on Thursday, April 23. However, that date came and went with no news of a royal birth.

The April 23 due date was confirmed by sources and not by the royal family.

Now, other sources are claiming that labor might be induced.

A source told the Daily Telegraph, "The doctors don't normally wait for more than a week. They will probably already have been in touch with Kate, and talked about which day which suit her best to go in and be induced if the baby doesn't arrive in the next couple of days."

The publication added that if the doctors are satisfied with the baby's health inside the womb, they could end up waiting a maximum of two weeks after the due date before inducing labor.

Inducing labor is a relatively safe procedure. Pat O'Brien, a consultant obstetrician and spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, gave his expert insight on the procedure.

He said, "It's down to the individual consultant as to when it's appropriate to induce labor, but because it's such a safe procedure, particularly with women who have given birth before, they tend to be pretty relaxed about inducing any time after the due date if the mother is getting fed up. We tend not to leave it more than two weeks after the due date, but most mothers are getting pretty fed up once they go a week past their due date. There are other considerations that come into play - if it's a big baby it's sometimes better to induce before it gets any bigger. The mother will normally have a scan on or around the due date to make sure the baby is fine and it's safe to press on a bit longer."

"She's doing well, in good spirits," a source allegedly close to the Duchess said reported by Us Weekly. "Everyone is! Although it would be fair to say she's also eager for the time to come."

Middleton and Prince William welcomed their first child, Prince George, on July 22, 2013. Middleton reportedly gave birth to George three days past her estimated due date.

Once the second baby arrives, the parents will be expected to make an official presentation outside the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital in London.

The gender of the baby is still unknown but the latest rumors suggest that Prince George will have a younger brother.