The Real Picture of Due Dates

There is nothing more unpredictable than the due date of your labor. The only thing that a doctor can do is to determine the date as close to the actual one so that all the important tests are done on time. These tests also help in keeping an eye on your health and progress of the baby.

How is the due date calculated?

Its not rocket science to calculate the due date and even you can do it very easily. Add 40 weeks (or 280 days) to the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP). Assuming your period arrives every 28 days if you LMP was on September 1, the due date will be June 7. You may deliver later if your cycles are long and if shorter you may expect the delivery date to be early.

The doctor may also predict your due date after the first trimester sonogram. This is a more reliable technique where the length of the fetus and the gestational sac is measured. These numbers are then matched with the prediction made from LMP and the due date is adjusted accordingly.

You can still not expect that you will be able to deliver the baby on the scheduled date no matter how expert your doctor is in predicting due dates. Actually, no one knows what exactly triggers the labor. Possibly, you can make out something using your last delivery experience. Also, you can look into the records within your family especially your mother. It is observed that if your mother’s delivery date was one week before the actually due date then even you will have similar experience of an early delivery.

Women under the age of 30 and Caucasian women have a little longer pregnancy period. Although, nobody know why some babies take more time to get out of the womb but some observations suggest that if the fetus is a boy then its more likely that it will go beyond the due date than if it were a girl fetus.

After 40 or 41 weeks you should increase the rate of non-stress tests. After this duration the quality of placenta deteriorates and there is a decline in the level of amniotic-fluid as well the baby may pass meconium (a bowel movement). Also, as the baby is growing the chances of going through a C-section also increases. You may have to consider the option of an induced labor after a period of 42 weeks.

It really doesn’t matter when does the baby takes birth but what matters is that a healthy baby is born and gives you a good reason to be happy and celebrate.

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