due date question

Elfrieda - posted on 03/03/2011

Yes, to just flesh out Tara's explanation a bit more, before they do the ultrasound, the due date is just a one-size-fits-all equation based on the date of your last period. The official story is that women have a 28 day cycle, and if you don't, or didn't that month, well you're out of luck.

I had been taking my temperature, so I knew the exact day that I conceived. But the doctor told me I conceived several weeks earlier than I actually did! And of course, the rule is that the beginning of your pregnancy is not the day you conceive, but two weeks earlier. It's stupid.

So I told my dr, I conceived march 17th, and he just nods his head and says "Time will tell."

The ultrasound technician asked me how far along I was, and I told her about 9 weeks, but her young assistant was freaking out at how small the baby was for a 16 week old fetus! The ultrasound technician had seen it all before, though, so she just said, "Yup, I'd estimate around 9 weeks." Sure enough, he was born 5 days after the later due date, on December 13th.

Tara - posted on 03/03/2011

My OB told me that the due date is pretty much an educated guess and it can be 6 weeks either way. The ultrasound measurements are usually a little more accurate, but it's really still an estimate. Both my girls were 2+ weeks over my due date (almost 3 weeks with my oldest, a full 2+ 2 days with my youngest). It also depends on whether or not your periods are regular, etc. Both my girls were big babies (9lb 1oz and 9lb 7oz) so you never know if they are just measuring large and the date is getting skewed by that as well :)

Amy - posted on 03/03/2011

according to my ultrasound/measurements i was a whole month farther along. first day of last period i was apparently pregnant. my first child was almost 6 pounds. second over 7, this one's due date is a month earlier and i'm going with how big she is on ultrasound to be right.

my first day/last period dates were always off. my first two babies showed up the day after their due dates. makes me think the technology may have the upper hand for dates. ?? i'd just ask your doctor why it's getting pushed back a bit all the time.

Alyssa - posted on 03/03/2011

Baby was 6 lbs 2 oz when she was born

Jenni - posted on 03/03/2011

Your original due date your doctor estimates by your cycle. It's an approximation.
Ultrasound predictions are more accurate.
In the end they're all predictions. Babies generally mature at the same rate but they can still be very different from one another.
In both my pregnancies I went two weeks past my due date and never went into labour, I had to be induced. My children weighed 7.12lbs and 7.11lbs at birth. So I have my suspicions that they miscalculated my due date with both my children.

Kimberly - posted on 03/03/2011

You still could have conceived when you thought you did...you obviously conceived in the same month you thought you had and there's only about a 48 hour period of which you can actually conceive a baby each month. If you knew when your last period was then they should have given you a date based on that. The scan dating isn't always accurate as some babies grow at different rates. My daughter was measuring really small and they thought I'd have a small baby, she ended up being 8lbs 7oz, so they were definitely wrong!

My daughter was also 10 days late, so the first date they gave you could have been accurate as well, your daughter just might have wanted to stay inside a bit longer :P

Naomi - posted on 03/03/2011

They can look at ultrasounds and tell how developed the baby is. They often change the estimated due date based on those.

Alyssa - posted on 03/03/2011

wouldn't this mean that i didnt conceive when i thought i did, i mean, since the last due date was only a day off

Louise - posted on 03/03/2011

I think this is just luck! I had several dates with my daughter as I had not had any periods for years nobody knew when she would be born. In the end I was given a span of 5 weeks! Most due dates are worked out by scans and they are not always accurate. Normally a pregnancy is 40 weeks to the mothers monthly cycle but in this modern day and age with the intervention of medicine due dates are altered to fit in with technology. At least you did not have to wait after a due date for your baby girl she was right on time.