D is for Due date

We are celebrating our group prenatal class with the ABCs of prenatal classes. From A to Z let’s cover some common prenatal terms, D is for Due date, and what you can learn about them from our class.

Pregnant person circling a date on a calendar with the text: The ABCs of prenatal classes D is for Due date

Imagine waiting for a day, it’s the day you are going to meet one of the most important people in your life. You have been anticipating this day for 9 months. Maybe even for years and years before they existed. There is so much emotion invested in this day. You circle the date on your calendar, you have apps that countdown to this date and everyone around you excitedly reminds you too. The day is coming!!! Are you ready for the day?

The day is finally hereeeeeeee! All of your hard work and uncomfortable moments are going to be worth it, you will meet them!! Hmm…the day passes and nothing happens…. That was anti-climactic. The date didn’t mean anything. Maybe tomorrow? Or the next day? Your exciting meetup has been postponed to an unknown date and time. You might start to wonder if you will ever get to meet them.

That’s what it can be like at the end of pregnancy. You are pregnant! Congratulations! What day is the baby due? NOW DON’T BECOME ATTACHED TO THAT DATE. Huh? Due end of November? You might have a December baby. I can see in people’s eyes that they love when I suggest that they may still be pregnant a week after their due date. Have a hospital bag packed or your home birth supplies ready at 37 weeks but don’t expect a baby until after 40 weeks. It is not an easy path to walk and in some ways it’s your first lesson in parenting.

What you will learn about due dates in our prenatal class

What happens if you are still pregnant on your due date

Induction and everything that goes with it

I want my baby out!! Is there anything I can do?

Interesting facts about due dates

Your baby’s estimated due date is calculated by adding 40 weeks from the first day of your last period or 38 weeks from ovulation, egg retrieval or embryo transfer (subtracting how many days old the embryo was at transfer). Because there is variation in cycle length and the timing of ovulation, the measurements taken during an ultrasound can also help determine a due date. First trimester ultrasounds are more accurate for dating than later ones.

The majority of babies do not come on or before their due date (40 weeks). In fact only 50% of babies are born before 40 weeks and 5 days (in first pregnancies) and 40 weeks and 3 days for people who have already given birth to at least one baby. For these reasons, some call it a guess date instead of a due date.

Up next E is for…
Back to C is for contractions.

Learn more about our prenatal classes.

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11425837
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23922246
https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-inducing-labor-for-going-past-your-due-date/