How to Calculate a Possible Due Date

How to Calculate a Possible Due Date

If you are pregnant, or think you might possibly be, one of the first things you might want to know is your estimated due date. What month will baby be born? When you attend your first doctor’s appointment, your doctor will be able to help you figure this out, and might even do a vaginal ultrasound to see how far along you appear to be. However, if you can’t wait that long, it is fairly simple to figure out a possible due date on your own. Claim Your 20 Free Pregnancy Tests – Click Here

40 weeks give or take

First of all, keep in mind that pregnancy is calculated as 40 weeks. Of course, it doesn’t have to be 40 weeks; babies can come anytime they decide they are ready. Due dates are meant to give families some sort of general idea, to help them plan and prepare accordingly. So, don’t be surprised or upset if your baby comes before or after your due date. In fact, it is actually pretty rare for a baby to be born on their actual due date!

First day of last menstrual period

The first thing you need to figure out is the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP). This is why it is always suggested that women mark this on a calendar each month. If you are already charting or tracking your cycle for fertility purposes, this should be easy info for you to find. Sometimes, though, you might not know or remember the first day of your last period, so you will have to come up with a general estimate.

Keep in mind that the more sure you are about when your last period was, the more accurate your due date will be. If you just have a general guess of when your last period was, you will only come up with a less specific, general due date.

Just do the math!

After figuring out the first day of your last menstrual period, it’s just easy math from here on out. You can count 40 weeks from the first day of your last period. Or, you can count 280 days from the first day of your last period, if you want to do it that way.

Using the first day of your last menstrual period will be the best way to calculate your possible due date, since it will be the most accurate way. However, if you don’t know that day, but you do know the day that you conceived, you can figure out your estimated due date that way too. You can count 266 days from the day you conceive to get a general idea of a possible due date.

Not set in stone

Of course, as we talked about earlier, due dates are not set in stone. There are a plethora of factors out there that can determine whether or not your baby is going to be “early” or “late,” however, whenever your baby decides to make his or her special appearance, it will be the perfect time! Keep in mind that when you visit your doctor for your first prenatal appointment, that he or she will examine you to help you figure out the most accurate due date.

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Lindsey Zaldivar
Lindsey Zaldivar | ConceiveEasy
Lindsey lives in Roselle, Illinois with her husband and son Harry. In between keeping up with a busy toddler, she enjoys blogging about parenting, cooking, crafting at The Accidental Wallflower.

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