Determining A Due Date

The only really reliable person who can determine the exact date of your baby’s arrival is – you guessed it – your baby. Every other prediction is only an estimate, based on a variety of different factors.

To determine an approximation of your due date, your health care provider will ask you for the first day of your last menstrual period, and then count 280 days from that date, which is 40 weeks or 9 months.

If you can’t remember the first day of your last period, your due date can still be determined with an ultrasound when the technician takes various measurements of the baby. Since most babies grow at the same rate until 13 weeks, an ultrasound can be an accurate predictor of your due date up until that point. However, after 13 weeks of pregnancy, there are more factors at play that could influence a baby’s growth, making your baby’s age more difficult to gauge.

A due date isn’t written in stone. If your due date arrives, don’t feel like you have to jump on the induction train. There are numerous complications that may arise from inductions, not only for your baby, but for yourself as well.

A due date is only an estimate, and if you go a little over, don’t worry! Take the extra time to prepare for the baby and enjoy the last stages of pregnancy.

Be sure to check out our Pregnancy and Ovulation Wheel Calculator! This handy little wheel is the same compact version that hundreds of doctors, nurses and midwives use across Canada. The Pregnancy and Ovulation Wheel Calculator will help you pinpoint the days in which you are most likely to conceive. Then, once you find yourself pregnant, it will help chart your pregnancy milestones such as trimesters, when your baby’s heartbeat can be heard and much, much more. Order one today!

In addition, the Make A Baby Team has also developed an online Ovulation Calendar Calculator for you directly on our website. Once you input the first day of your last menstrual cycle, it automatically calculates when it is best for you to use an ovulation test, pregnancy test and ultra sensitive pregnancy test in a calendar format, as well as your estimated due date. It is so easy to use and once complete, you can print and/or save your Ovulation Calendar and Conception Estimation directly from our site! To create your own customized calendar, click here!