During your first prenatal visit that confirms pregnancy, your doctor will also provide you with something pretty significant, which is your DUE DATE!
This is a special date, that in your mind will become so solidified with meaning that you will spend the bulk of your time over the next nine months in serious countdown mode to this particular ONE DAY!
But just how accurate is your pregnancy due date?
When your doctor gives you a due date, they are taking into consideration a variety of factors. The most important of which is the date of your last menstrual period. From that date, they will try – using broad generalizations, to figure out when you ovulated – and thus exactly when you became pregnant. Even if you know the exact date that you became pregnant – you might be off by a few or more days to the time when implantation actually occurred. Since every woman’s body operates on its own unique schedule – using the date of your last menstrual period to come up with your due date, is quite simply NOT 100% accurate and is just the best generalized way to estimate how far along you are and when you might deliver your baby.
Additionally, as you progress through the pregnancy and your doctor begins to measure the size of your uterus (fundal height), uses Doppler technology and Ultrasound to check on the progress of the baby, your due date may change considerably. In many cases, your due date may change several times throughout your pregnancy. Sure, this can be frustrating, and even though you know in the beginning of your pregnancy that your due date is only a mathematical calculation not a certainty – you might find yourself frustrated. The reality is that only as few as 5% of women give birth within a day or two of their ‘due date.’
In fact, the good news is that around 80% of all women deliver between the 37th and 40th week of pregnancy, which means your baby could be here sooner than you expect. And likewise, most physicians will safely allow a woman to sail 2 weeks past her due date if she and the baby are doing well before initiating any sort of labor inducement.
One of the beauties of pregnancy and childbirth is that we as humans, learn to recognize that we do not have control over every little thing in our lives. You’re little one will arrive on exactly the day when he or she is ready to come. While keeping track of your due date gives you something to look forward to, and count down to – you shouldn’t regard the date as something etched in stone.
Written by Stef, Mother of 4 @MOM-Spirational
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.