Guessing Your Pregnancy Due Date

What an amazing day when you find out that you are pregnant. If you are like most women, you will already be trying to guess your pregnancy due date, I know I did! As long as you have a rough idea of when your baby was conceived, you will probably have already guessed when your pregnancy due date is. The first visit you make to your doctor will prove to be more instrumental in figuring more accurately when your baby is due.

There are a number of benefits to knowing your pregnancy due date. If you know when your baby is due, you can keep a closer eye on his or her progress. Your doctor will also use your pregnancy due date to plan the different tests that are necessary to monitor the progress of your pregnancy, and both your and the baby's health.

If you know when your estimated pregnancy due date is, you can also help yourself and your doctor to be prepared in the event of preterm labour. With the advances in technology, preterm labour is not nearly as dangerous as it once was; but before there was a method for determining a woman's pregnancy due date, it was difficult to know if a newborn's problems were due to being premature or other health complications.

How Your Pregnancy Due Date Is Calculated

Your pregnancy due date is generally calculated as being 10 months (not the nine we have always heard), or two hundred and eighty days from the first day of your last actual period. If your periods are irregular, or are longer or shorter apart than the typical twenty eight days, then your doctor may have to figure your pregnancy due date with an ultrasound instead.

It is important for you to tell your obstetrician if you have an idea of when your child may have been conceived. Knowing an approximate date of conception will greatly aide your obstetrician in determining your pregnancy due date. It is important to understand, however, that a very small portion of babies are actually born on their estimated due dates. It is never an exact science, but there are factors that can be taken into consideration to help you and your doctor be better prepared for your baby's arrival.

Pregnancies that are carried to full term, usually average between thirty seven and forty two weeks. So don't become discouraged if you have already passed your estimated pregnancy due date, and haven't shown any signs yet of labour. Don't worry, your baby is coming soon!

Recommended Reading

1. Understanding how to Determine Your Pregnancy Due Date
Pregnancy is a time of excitement, joy, happiness, nervousness, anxiety, confusion, ecstasy; basically almost every single emotion can be included...