Due Date Calculator

Also Use: Ovulation Calculator, If you want to know when your precious is coming.

Also Use: Safe Days Calculator, If you want to have sex, but don’t wish to get pregnant.

If you have recently found out you're carrying a baby, congratulations!

This is the beginning of the most exciting period of your life, and I'm sure you want to know how to best prepare for the big day. Firstly, you should know when the big day is - the famous due date. Once you find out when your precious little one is coming into the world, you can begin the preparations and enjoy the new mom blessing with your significant other. The great news is you can actually calculate your due date by yourself or with the help of an extraordinary thing called a due date calculator. 

How can you calculate your due date?

A typical pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, but as you know, that is not always the case. Many factors play a part in determining the date of your big day. Many women do not realize that both menstrual and ovulation periods count as the first two weeks of pregnancy. Consequently, many new moms have no idea they are pregnant until they miss their period. By that time, you could already be up to five weeks of your pregnancy!

What does that mean? That means that the mere estimate of nine months from the day you took your pregnancy test is not the right way to calculate your due date. Moreover, factoring in a few weeks for ovulation here and there won't be of much help. If you can pinpoint the exact phase of your ovulation cycle you were in at the moment of fertilization, you could know how far along you are. Otherwise, you simply cannot be sure of the date you're gonna meet your child. As already said, that's where the due date calculator comes very in handy. I will explain more about how this works. 

First Day of Last Period

The calculator takes the date of your last period and the length of your regular cycle or exact date of conception and then estimates your due date. Due date calculator can tailor the estimate according to your cycle length since we all know that differs among women

The most common way to calculate your due date is by calculating 40 weeks from the first day of your last period or menstruation cycle. This method does not take your cycle length into consideration. As women usually ovulate 2 weeks after the menstrual cycle, the pregnancy is said to last for 40 weeks rather than 38 weeks. 

Conception Day

If you know the exact date of your conception, calculated using ovulation kits, or tracking ovulation symptoms you can use this method. Note that the day you have sex is not the day of conception as sperm can live for 5 days in female reproductive tract. Count 266 days from the date of conception to know your due date. 

And if you do not know the date of conception, you can use the following method to determine the due date. 

Ultrasound Scan

If you do not know your conception date or last menstrual cycle you can use the ultrasound method. The early ultrasound can exactly determine the date of pregnancy. The signs such as heartbeat occurs at 9 to 10 weeks, first fetal movement at 18 to 22 weeks, can help to calculate accurate due date. The fundal height is checked when you consult a gynecologist to confirm your due date. Even your uterus size is observed and noted during the initial exam to pinpoint pregnancy due date.

IVF Transfer Date

If you get pregnant through implantation, then the due date is calculated by taking IVF transfer day. For 5-day embryo transfer count 261 days and for 3-day embryo transfer count 263 days from the day of IVF transfer. 

Plan your pregnancy journey

Once you've found out when the big day is, you can start the most exciting part - planning for the arrival of your precious. You will need to make sure you get yourself ready for the big event, so I will share some essential steps for you to take. This way, you will alleviate some of the potential stress you might be feeling and welcome your baby much more relaxed. 

Also Read- Diarrhea During Pregnancy - Causes and Treatment

Make a doctor's appointment

If you haven't done this already, it should undoubtedly be your first step. Schedule your first appointment with gynecologist to confirm your pregnancy with a blood test and a general physical exam. The doctor will also help you establish the precise due date.

Prenatal care consists of many preparations, but doctor's appointments are the most important. There you will be carefully examined to determine your uterus size and carefully monitored to make sure you and your baby are healthy. During one of those check-ups, you will meet your little one for the first time. Exciting, right? Seeing their child for the first on ultrasound is a very emotional thing for moms and couples. Somewhere along the way, your due date might be adjusted. Not to worry, that is perfectly normal. 

The smartest thing to do is simply listen to your doctor's advice; you cannot go wrong doing that. But, there are also many things you can do when you discover you're pregnant. I am talking about the essential due date preparations - a birth plan, hospital checklist, labor, and delivery.

Planning for the due date

There are several tasks that you should make a priority when preparing for the arrival of your child. It's wise to make a checklist so you can tackle your obligations one by one to be fully equipped. 

Birth plan

Making your birth plan in detail is essential to do when waiting for your due date. Think about your delivery preferences and share those with the most important people in your life right now - your family and medical staff who will deliver your baby. 

These are the questions you should consider: 

1. How many days after the due date do you want to wait before inducing labor?

2. What are your preferences when it comes to delivering - home birth or a hospital?

3. How long do you want to stay in the hospital, provided everything is okay?

Make sure to share your plan with every person directly involved in the birth, but be sure to remain flexible. I am sure you are aware that sometimes plans change.

Also Read- Top 6 Must-eat food you require in Pregnancy

Hospital necessities

A hospital checklist will help you immensely in case you need to rush to the hospital quickly. Ask medical professionals what essentials you need to take with you to labor are. Some of the items your healthcare provider will take care of, but some of them you should bring yourself. Remember, your delivery could take a while, so take some things to make the whole experience more manageable and less stressful. Bring your favorite foods (opt for healthy choices), drinks, music, books, and some extra pillows.

Labor

Once you arrive at the hospital to deliver, the doctor may ask you to walk around for a while. There is a chance they will send you back home if you're still far away from labor. Whatever happens, you should know that early in labor is when you should discuss your pain management preferences. If you want to get an epidural, early in labor is when you need to decide and tell your decision to the doctor.

Delivery

There is a lot of ways in which you can prepare for birth these days. My advice is to use these opportunities if you can. There are various pregnancy courses to learn breathing techniques and other easy tips to deliver your baby as efficiently as possible. If you opt for a C-section, the medical staff will arrange your delivery schedule. You can take one person as a support, so choose that person before you are close to the due date

Your due date can change

Plans sometimes don't work out, and that is nothing unusual when it comes to pregnancy. So yes, your due date might change. This is no reason to be worried because moving your due date can happen for many different reasons as you progress towards labor. 

Sometimes it is because of irregular periods, or the early ultrasound date was wrong. It could also be that your first ultrasound was done in the second semester. Abnormal fundal height and the extraordinary range of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels might also play a part in the moving of your due date. The smartest thing to do, of course, is let your doctor handle all your questions or worries. Don't hesitate to ask them anything you want to know.

You can plan your due date

Whether you're trying to conceive or just want to avoid an unplanned pregnancy, you will be glad to know that you can do something about it. You can try and time when you get pregnant to plan your birth date, but keep in mind that the exact moment you'll deliver your baby cannot be mapped out to the day, nor week or month. 

Good luck!

FAQ on Due Date Calculator

1. How does a due date calculator work?

Ans. A due date calculator gives the approximate due date. It works by addition of 280 days or 40 weeks to the first day of last menstrual cycle. If the cycle is 28 days the dates are adjusted accordingly. The period and ovulation are counted as first two weeks of pregnancy. Average of the menstrual cycle length plays an important role in case of due date calculation.

2. Can you calculate your own due date?

Ans. In order to calculate your own due date, the best method is to count 40 weeks or 280 days from the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP). Alternatively, you can subtract three months from the first day of your last period and add seven days.

3. How accurate are your pregnancy due dates? 

Ans. The estimated date of delivery is not always accurate. The birth of a child depends on a lot of external and internal factors that cannot be predicted and these factors influence the due date to a great extent.

4. Why due date calculation is important?

Ans. Knowing the due date is important as it helps in monitoring the health of the mother and the child based on a particular timeline, helps the parents prepare for the babies arrival and also helps to implement tests in order to achieve better pre-natal care.

5. What is the most accurate way to calculate due date?

Ans. Ultrasound is the most accurate way to calculate the due date in comparison to any other method.

6. What is more accurate ultrasound due date or due date calculator?

Ans. Ultrasound due date is more accurate.

7. How does due date work with IVF?

Ans. In case of IVF the due date is determined based on the date of the egg retrieval from the woman. Due date can be calculated by counting 38 weeks from the date of egg harvesting.

8. Why does due date change after scan?

Ans. In normal case due dates do not change but in case of minor or major discrepancies determined during the scan due dates may change.

9. Why do doctors add 2 weeks to pregnancy? 

Ans. In order to calculate the gestational age two weeks are added to the pregnancy. As it is known that conception always takes place two weeks after the last menstrual period as the ovulation occurs on the 14th day of the cycle.

10. What if I don't know the date of my last menstrual period?

Ans. In case the last menstrual period date is forgotten the doctor has to perform an ultrasound in order to determine the due date.

References

• Mayo Clinic

• Stanford Children's Health