Too Much Pressure Placed On The Due Date
The problem is that having been given a specified due date has made women place too much emphasis on a precise day.
Many doctors use several ways to calculate the due date including a sonogram, which if done early before 20 weeks is usually precise within 7-10 days.
Many women become so attached to their due date that when the baby doesnt come on that day, they schedule an induction. But because the due date is unreliable in the first place, inducing the baby may cause her/him to be born too soon. These near-term infants can have trouble breathing, staying warm and breastfeeding, and they often need special hospital care after birth.
Induction isnt without risks for you, either: Research has shown that a first-time mother whose labor is induced is twice as likely to have a cesarean section as one whose labor starts on its own. When you let your baby choose her/his own birthday, it means he/she is really ready to begin life outside the womb.
Your due date is an estimate of when you will give birth, not a guarantee. A much better way to calculate the “due date” would be to give you a range of days, maybe a 2-3 weeks period within which you would be expected to have the baby. You still should realize that about 10% of babies are born before 37 weeks, specifically if you are high risk or having multiples like twins.
Some Tips On Pregnancy Testing At Home
Because early pregnancy symptoms can be confused with other illnesses or conditions, I would always recommend buying yourself a test. These are very accurate from the point that your period is due, and will take the guesswork out of knowing if you are pregnant or not.
For those who have missed a period and got a negative pregnancy test result, follow the link to learn about the most common reasons behind this.
If you keep getting negative results but are experiencing pregnancy symptoms, listen to your body and make a doctor’s appointment!
What Are The Chances Of Delivering On My Due Date
Just four percent. The due date isan estimate, says Scurfield. There are all sorts of factors that go into when a woman delivers. It may have to do with the size of the fetus or the health of the mother. Some women will have one baby early and the next baby late. Its nice to be able to predict and plan, but babies come when theyre ready.
You May Like: How Easy Is It To Get Pregnant At 40
I Know My Lmp Do I Need A Dating Ultrasound
Nope! You can rely on the due date suggested by your last menstrual period, but your healthcare provider may schedule one anyway. Your doctor may do it for other reasons, but for figuring out dates, its really not necessary if she isnt concerned and theres nothing odd happening, says Scurfield.
The Diagnostic Uses Of Pregnancy Ultrasound
Apart from helping to pinpoint the unborn babys due date, pregnancy ultrasounds are used to diagnose a number of conditions including:
- Multiple fetuses
- Health problems with the baby
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Abnormalities of the placenta such as placenta praevia, where the placenta is positioned over the neck of the womb
- The health of the mothers reproductive organs.
You May Like: What Helps Restless Legs In Pregnancy
You Get Inexplicably Tired
Any of us would expect to be exhausted after a long and difficult day. This is totally normal, and, when considered by itself, is probably not a sign youâre pregnant. However, pregnancy causes women to experience fatigue, even when theyâre taking things easy and slow. The hormone responsible for making you tired goes off the charts when youâre expecting a baby, so your significantly lower energy levels may be something to look into. This intense fatigue can begin as early as one week after conception.
For Homesteaders Like Me Here Are Your Options:
Heres my thoughts on each option :
You May Like: When Is The Best Time To Use Pregnancy Test
I Had Sex Two Weeks Ago But My Doctor Says That Im Four Weeks Pregnant How
88 things nobody tells you about being pregnantIf you have a standard 28-day period, you will likely ovulate around day 14 and are most fertile around days 12, 13 and 14when you had sex to conceive. It takes about nine days after ovulation for implantation to occur, which brings you to around day 23. It takes a few days for your pregnancy hormone levels to be detectable by a pregnancy test, bringing you to around day 28. How far along you are in your pregnancy isnt calculated from conception or implantation but from the first day of your last normal period. If you had your period four weeks ago, then ovulated and had sex two weeks ago to become pregnant, youre currently four weeks pregnant.
Can My Due Date Change
During your prenatal checkups, your healthcare provider will monitor how far along you are. Don’t be surprised, though, if your provider gives you a slightly different due date than the one you calculated.
Also, most babies don’t arrive exactly on their due date. Every pregnancy is unique, and only a small percentage of babies are born right on time. Babies are typically born between weeks 38 and 42, and it’s totally normal for your baby to arrive any time during this window.
If your baby is born pre-term, your doctor will be able to advise you on any extra care your baby might need. On the other hand, if your baby isn’t born by the end of week 42, your doctor may suggest inducing the labor to bring on a vaginal birth, or he may discuss the option of a cesarean section with you.
Also Check: How Do You Prevent Stretch Marks During Pregnancy
Early Symptoms Of Pregnancy
These are some of the symptoms you might experience within your first six weeks after conception,2 and organised roughly by when you might expect to experience them.
There have been many other rarer and less common early symptoms reported as well so keep an eye out for any unusual or unexpected changes.
Another confusing factor when trying to determine if you are pregnant is that all of the symptoms of pregnancy can be symptoms of other conditions.
So detecting the very early signs of pregnancy without a test can be tricky, especially if it is your first pregnancy.
Once you are on to pregnancy two, three, or four, you will more than likely recognize the signs quite quickly. Testing, however, should always be your first course of action, and is especially helpful to confirm your symptoms.
There are several early signs that can tell you that you may be pregnant. The most obvious is missing your period or having light spotting instead of a proper period.
Pregnancy is the number one reason for missing your period.6After you’ve missed your period, you probably conceived between one and three weeks ago unless there is something else that could be interfering with your menstrual cycle.
It can be possible to have symptoms of pregnancy even before that first missed period. Personally, I knew I was pregnant within two weeks of conceiving on each of the three occasions I’ve been pregnant.
What’s The Soonest You Can Find Out If You’re Pregnant
The only way to know for sure that you’re pregnant is through a positive pregnancy test. The earliest home pregnancy test is accurate up to six days before the day of your missed period for 76% of women who take the test .1
So, the soonest you might be able to find out for sure that you’re pregnant is by testing with a First Response home pregnancy test no earlier than six days before the day of your missed period.
So if you’re expecting your period on a Saturday, you would be able to test the Monday before .
Also Check: How To Get Myself Pregnant
Youve Missed Your Period
If youâre in your childbearing years, sexually active, and more than a week has passed since the day your period was expected to start, itâs very possible youâre pregnant. If you have an irregular menstrual cycle, have recently experienced significant weight loss or weight gain, or stopped taking your birth control pills, a missed period may not be a reason to worry. However, missed periods are perhaps the most tell-tale sign of a potential pregnancy, so be sure to take a pregnancy test if youâre in this situation. Many pregnant women experience some bleeding around two weeks after fertilization and mistake it for a light period, but a missed period on their next cycle will indicate a pregnancy. â
Frequent Urination And Incontinence During Early Pregnancy
During pregnancy, your body increase the amount of blood it pumps. This causes the kidney to process more fluid than usual, which leads to more fluid in your bladder.
Hormones also play a large role in bladder health. You may find yourself running to the bathroom more frequently or accidentally leaking.
Recommended Reading: How To Get Rid Of Sciatica Pain While Pregnant
Determining If Labor Is Premature
Babies who are born too early are at risk for numerous health problems. There are steps we can take to slow or halt preterm labor. With that said, there are also risks to the medications used to stop preterm labor, both to the mother and the baby.
You and your doctor have to decide together when the risks of allowing labor to continue to outweigh the risks of intervention. This is partially determined by knowing which week of pregnancy you are in.
There are also risks to the baby and mother if a pregnancy goes on for too long. Post-term pregnancy is when birth does not occur by week 42 . If this happens, your midwife or doctor may decide to induce labor.
When Do Pregnancy Symptoms Start
how soon do you get symptoms of pregnancy?
It takes about 2 to 3 weeks after sex for pregnancy to happen. Some people notice pregnancy symptoms as early as a week after pregnancy begins when a fertilized egg attaches to the wall of your uterus. Other people dont notice symptoms until a few months into their pregnancy. Usually the first sign of pregnancy is a missed period.
Common symptoms of pregnancy include nausea or vomiting, and feeling tired. Other signs are sore or swollen breasts, headaches, and peeing more often than usual.
Taking a pregnancy test is the only way to know for sure if youre pregnant. You can take a home pregnancy test , visit your nurse or doctor, or contact your local Planned Parenthood health center for testing.
Tags: pregnancy, symptoms of pregnancy
Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people worldwide. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. is a registered 501 nonprofit under EIN 13-1644147. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law.
Don’t Miss: What Can I Drink During Pregnancy
Role Of Fundal Height
Your midwife or doctor may measure your fundal height at your pregnancy well-checks. The fundal height is the measurement in centimeters from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus. It should grow at a predictable rate as your pregnancy continues.
After 20 weeks, your fundal height in centimeters will typically be the same as the number of weeks you are pregnant. In other words, at 21 weeks pregnant, your fundal height should be around 21 centimeters .
Sometimes, the fundal height won’t match perfectly. Slight variations are normal, but if you are measuring much smaller or larger than expected, your primary care provider may want to investigate with another ultrasound.
While useful, the fundal height is not an accurate measurement of gestational age and would not affect the estimated due date in any way.
Why Do I Calculate From The First Day Of My Last Period Not Conception
Before we understood the physiology of ovulationand that women dont ovulate until a couple of weeks after their period, so they really cant get pregnant until that timethe only thing that primitive physicians and midwives knew was that from the first day of the last period, it was about 280 days before a woman gave birth, says Scurfield. All of the research and medical literature have been based on that formula being used.
Don’t Miss: Are Pregnancy Tests Always Right
What Is The Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle is what your body goes through to get ready for pregnancy. This cycle is the time from the first day of your period up to the day before the start of your next period.
Ovulation usually happens during the second half of the cycle. This is when an egg is released from one of your ovaries. To get pregnant, the egg needs to be fertilised by the sperm.
Ovulation doesnt happen every month for every woman. There are some conditions that may interfere with ovulation, such as endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome . If you are not getting a monthly period and are trying to get pregnant, speak to your doctor.
Why Your Due Date Is Important
Your due date is likely one of the first bits of information youll seek out after you find out youre pregnant. Friends and family will want to know so they can look forward to greeting your new baby .
Doctors, midwives, and nurses will want to know so they can track important health milestones and make decisions about interventions and prenatal testing.
Your due date is less of a deadline and more like a time marker. Your due date indicates the 40th week since your last menstrual period or the 38th week from ovulation.
Once your due date is calculated, you’re likely to give birth within a four-week period that surrounds your due date. In other words, sometime during the two weeks prior to and two weeks after your assigned due date, you’ll likely meet your baby.
Around 70 out of every 100 women will have their baby within 10 days of their due date. Assuming there are no complications, others will deliver either a little earlier or a little later than that.
The due date is valuable for many reasons, including the preparation of your home and family for the new arrival. There are also several other reasons it’s helpful to know your due date.
Recommended Reading: What Are Early Early Signs Of Pregnancy
Calculating From Your Period
* Watch & See If You Cows Are Coming In Heat
If they are not coming into heat then you will know that they are pregnant.
What does heat look like and how can you tell if she is coming in or not? Yeah, exactly.
Mounting other cows. Other cows riding her. Moooooing all the time. Pacing the fence line. Slimy discharge coming out the back. Cows get wierd when they are in heat & you can usually tell when its on.
BUT..
Let me tell you what people dont tell you. Theres false heat. Which means youre cow will be acting like shes in heat when shes really not. Theres skipping heat because its too hot outside or milk production is too high or its not the right time of year.
There are all sorts of reasons a cow can look like shes in heat when shes not. There are also all sorts of reasons your cow could be skipping heats when shes open .
If you factor all these things in there is no way this girl from the suburbs is going to be able to observe her cow & detect pregnancy. Insane.
I cant watch my cows and tell if they are pregnant. So, that options out.
Also Check: How Do You Know Pregnant
