Pregnancy Due Date
Pregnancy Due Date
A typical pregnancy lasts, on average, 280 days or 40 weeks - starting with the first day of the last normal menstrual period (LMP) as Day 1. An estimated date of delivery (EDD) can be calculated as follows:
determine the first day of your last menstrual period
count backwards three calendar months from that date
lastly, add one year and seven days to that date
here's an example: your last menstrual period began on July 19, 2003; three months prior to that month would be April 19, 2003. Adding one year and seven days will give you your pregnancy date: April 26, 2004.
this number just gives you an approximation, since few women actually give birth on their calculated due dates. Anytime two weeks before or two weeks after the due date is considered a normal pregnancy.
Other ways to estimate your due date or how far along you are in your pregnancy include:
the size of your uterus; the uterus size conforms to the stage of pregnancy you are in
the first time the fetal heartbeat is heard with a Doppler device normally occurs at 10-12 weeks of pregnancy
the top of the uterus, known as the fundus, will reach the bellybutton at about week 20
Recommended Product
You may also want to consider downloading software for your palm pilot. Heybaby is a convenient program that not only gives you an estimated due date for your baby's birth, but it also keeps track of the number of days before you're due. Plus, it will give you daily messages of encouragement as well as information about your pregnancy.
Recommended Link
Think you know when your baby will be born? Willing to put your money where your mouth is? Then check out PregPool.com, where you can set up your own baby pool! Get your family and friends in on the fun and see who can correctly guess your baby's sex, weight and birth date.
Back to top
 | Once you've figured out your due date, hear what to expect from other women in the forum |
