Most expectant parents want to calculate the estimated due date as soon as they find out about the pregnancy. The exact day of conception is known to the couple only in the rarest of cases. Therefore , a program that calculates the due date provides a very good estimate of when the baby will be born. Parents, along with the OB-GYN and midwife who are supporting the expectant parents throughout the pregnancy, are well prepared and look forward to the arrival of their eagerly awaited baby on the calculated due date.
Pregnancy in Detail
Human pregnancy lasts an average of 266 days from the moment the egg is fertilized until birth. As early as the 22nd day of pregnancy, the tiny heart begins to beat. While it is initially referred to as an embryo, doctors begin calling the unborn child a fetus starting in the eighth or ninth week of pregnancy. Month by month, the child continues to develop. Organs form, and facial features are already clearly visible on a 3D ultrasound. Perhaps the baby’s gender is already apparent? Parents delight in seeing their little one suck their thumb for the first time and can’t wait for the baby to be born.
How is the due date calculated?
To calculate the due date, you need the following two parameters:
- the average cycle length of a pregnant woman
- the first day of your last menstrual period
A woman's cycle length can vary between 28 and 40 days and must be taken into account when using a programtocalculate the due date.
The due date is calculated based on the first day of the last menstrual period. Of course, a due date calculator can only determine an approximate time for delivery. However, through prenatal checkups and ultrasound examinations during pregnancy, the specialist can narrow down the fetus’s gestational age and, with the help of a program that calculates the due date, better monitor and assess its continuous growth.
When calculating the due date, the average duration of a pregnancy is assumed to be 266 days. To this, you add the 14 days that normally elapse between the first day of a woman’s last menstrual period and ovulation. Thus, the baby should be born 280 days after conception.
Calculate the due date as a rough estimate
Unfortunately, most babies don’t stick exactly to the calculated due date and are born ten days before or after it. Nevertheless, it’s important for parents to calculate the due date. This allows expectant mothers and fathers, as well as the obstetrician and midwife, to prepare for the day of delivery and give the new arrival a proper welcome.
