Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Past Your Due Date and other Child Birth topics.
Women will vary widely on what is the "normal" gestational period for them, and can even vary for the same woman with different pregnancies. But here are a couple simple methods of determining a ballpark figure as to when you can expect your little one to make an appearance:
1)Begin with the first day of your last *normal* menstrual period (an unusually light period may have been spotting at the time the fertilized egg implanted into the uterus, about a week and a half after conception), count back three months, and add seven days. Adjust the year if necessary.
2)Add 280 days from the first day of your last normal period (see above) OR 266 days from the date of conception if you know it.
In either case, if your typical cycle is not the "normal" 28 days you can adjust the expected due date by adding or subtracting the number of additional or fewer days. (i.e., if your normal cycle is 30 days you can add 2 days to your expected due date.)
Guru Spotlight |
Jennifer Mathes, Ph.D. |