When is My Baby Due?

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Last Menstrual Period Method

The average pregnancy is about 40 weeks, so an easy way to figure out your due date is to count 40 weeks or 280 days from the first day of your last period. This is how many health care providers determine the due date. However, it is just an estimate. As you will inevitably learn, nothing is set in stone when it comes to kids.

Conception Date Method

If you track your cycle and know your conception date, you can add 266 days to get the same estimated due date. Your conception date can be determined by both cycle tracking and ovulation test strips.

IVF Transfer

If your baby was conceived through IVF (in vitro fertilization), you can still use the IVF date to figure out your due date. Embryo transfers are either 3 or 5 day varieties. Based on this, you can add either 263 or 261 days to your transfer date to get an estimated due date.

Ultrasound

If you don’t know any of the dates above, don’t worry about it. Your doctor can use measurements from an ultrasound to estimate the due date.

An early ultrasound can accurately determine the due date. However, not all women get an early ultrasound. Some doctors choose to do them on all patients and others save them for women who either have irregular periods, a history of miscarriage, past pregnancy complications, over 35 years old, or other reasons.

Certain milestones can also help determine if a due date is accurate. Most fetuses have a detectable heartbeat around week 9 or 10. Also, most moms can feel fetal movements between weeks 18 and 22. Either of these milestones can help fine tune the due date.

Mom’s fundal height is used by doctors to confirm the due date. The fundal height is the distance from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus. Along with the fundal height, the size of the uterus itself can help estimate the due date.

How do I plan my due date?

Lots of moms want a due date that is as convenient as possible. Whether that’s to avoid being pregnant and miserable all summer or plan time off with the baby during good weather, it is possible to shoot for a target date by trying to conceive during a certain block of days, weeks, or months.

Even with careful planning, please know that not many women get pregnant that easily and even the best-laid plans may not pan out the way you intend. Still, you can use a cycle tracker to figure out your most fertile days and increase your likelihood of conceiving.

Will my due date change?

Yes, it is very possible that your due date will change a little. It’s nothing to worry about, but the due date may drift a little throughout the pregnancy. There are lots of possible reasons to move your due date, but that’s not a big deal. Between irregular periods and differences in mom’s anatomy, even the best doctors don’t get the date exact every time.