Calculate The Due Date: This Is How It Works!
One of the most common questions asked by first-time mothers is how to calculate the due date. Because as soon as the expectant mother knows that she is pregnant, she wants to know exactly when she will hold her baby in her hands.
There are different ways to the due date calculate can. Mathematical formulas and medical tables used by the doctor can help with this.
Regardless of the method used, it is important that the woman knows when her last menstrual day was.
The fertility cycle can help identify the moment when conception likely occurred. You can calculate this using the date of your last menstrual day.
14 days after menstruation are the most fertile days. At this point it is believed that the egg has been fertilized. This is the most fertile time, lasting two to three days.
What formula can you use to calculate the due date?
The two common methods of calculating the possible due date are the Naegele rule and the medical calendar.
The first method consists of a mathematical formula, starting from the date of the last menstrual bleeding. From that date, subtract three months and then add seven days.
An example calculation:
- We assume that the last day of your menstruation was May 11th. With the formula mentioned, February 18 results as a possible due date.
The medical calendar can be displayed as a disk or table and is very common in doctor’s offices.
If you use the table method, it shows the month of the last period in the left column and the days in the top row. Between the month and the day there is a line with the possible dates of birth.
You can find other methods of calculating the due date on the Internet. There are many digital calculators out there that work very well. For all of them, however, the last day of your menstruation is the basis for calculating the due date.
But only 10% of women give birth on the date given by these calculators.
These are the advantages of knowing the due date
As a rule, pregnancy ends in the 38th to 42nd week of pregnancy. The doctor prepares the mother for this time.
If the mother knows the approximate due date, she can prepare herself physically and psychologically. She can also prepare everything necessary for the baby’s birth.
In truth, the due date can be up to two weeks before or after the specified date.
Depending on the course of pregnancy and the type of pregnancy, doctors often only tell the mother the month of birth, the date is not disclosed. This is especially the case with mothers who are very anxious or who have blood pressure disorders that are associated with emotional changes.
How do you know if the baby is ready to be born?
In the 12th week of pregnancy, the gynecologist performs an ultrasound examination. The size and stage of development of the baby are examined.
Taking these results and the age of the mother into account, the exact due date can be calculated.
Ultrasound at the 12th week of pregnancy even makes it possible to detect abnormalities in the fetus. Between 60 and 70% of genetic malformations or congenital anomalies can be detected during this examination. Such as Down syndrome and problems related to the heart and blood vessels.
Another benefit of ultrasound at the 12th week of pregnancy is that doctors can detect multiple pregnancies.
You can also find out the mother’s pelvic dynamics for childbirth. On the other hand, the results of this ultrasound can even reveal certain possibilities of medical complications during pregnancy.
The possible due date allows future parents to prepare their home and routine for their baby’s needs.
It is crucial to realize that the date of birth can be very flexible; no matter how many analysis specialists do the calculation, it will not be possible to determine the date of birth with absolute certainty.
