How To Calculate Your Pregnancy: The Ultimate Pregnancy Calculator
Calculating the due date of your pregnancy can be a tricky business. After all, there are as many different ways to calculate a due date as there are pregnant women out there!
The first half of your pregnancy is shrouded in mystery, making it impossible to calculate your due date accurately.
But don’t worry! With a little bit of detective work, you can figure out roughly when your baby will arrive.
In this article, we’ll explain when you can expect your baby to arrive based on your date of conception and offer some tips for making the second half of your pregnancy go as smoothly as possible.
How do you calculate your pregnancy due date?
Your pregnancy due date is the estimated date for your pregnancy to be considered “full-term”.
Full-term means that your baby has been growing inside you for 39 weeks, 5 days, which is about the average length of time for a baby to be in the womb.
There are a few different methods to choose from to calculate your pregnancy due date.
The first is based on your last menstrual period (LMP).
The second is based on the “conception date”, which is the day you believe you conceived.
The third is based on the last menstrual period (LMP) itself.
Some sources will even tell you to add 6 weeks to the estimated date of conception to get your pregnancy due date.
Remember that while these are all helpful in determining when you conceived, they should not be treated as 100% accurate.
Doctor-Calculated due dates
Your doctor will typically calculate your due date based on the days between your last menstrual period and your estimated due date, counting back from your estimated due date.
Because there are variations in when a woman’s period starts and when she discovers she is pregnant, your doctor will have to do some calculations to arrive at a safe, accurate due date.
However, due to the lack of accuracy of this method, most doctors will give you a “safe” date, which could be as far off as a few months.
It’s important to keep in mind that your doctor’s calculations are only a guideline, and you’re still able to keep a cool head during this part of your pregnancy.
Calendar-Based Due Dates
This is possibly the most popular method of all due date calculators.
The calendar-based method works by having you mark off each week you are pregnant on a calendar and then cross-referencing this data with various online calculators.
There is plenty of online calendar due to date calculators that you can use, including:
Here are a few examples of when you might use a calendar-based method:
You are trying to determine the exact day that your pregnancy started.
You plan to give your baby a baby shower and want to know what day to put the “hostage” on the registry.
You are looking to find out the best day of the week to take maternity leave.
Maternity Wear
Are you well into your pregnancy and wondering what clothes to wear when?
Clothes can tell a lot about a person and your baby’s future personality traits.
So, it’s important to choose clothing that best showcases your growing baby bump.
Consider these factors when choosing maternity clothes:
Fit: You’ll want to purchase clothes that fit well, both now and when you are pregnant in a few months.
Colour: While many people think you should stay away from coloured clothing, this is not the case during pregnancy.
Colours help stimulate the baby’s brain, so wearing a colour that lights up your mood.
Fabric: Staying away from fabrics with patterns is ideal, as these can be confusing for your baby’s brain.
Pregnancy Symptoms and Body Changes
In this section, we’ll go over a few of the more common signs and symptoms of pregnancy and the changes you can expect to see during your second trimester.
Again, keep in mind that these are not an exhaustive list, so if you don’t feel something is quite right, speak up!
nausea
fatigue
bloating
nausea
constipation
irritability
brain fog
sleep problems
muscle cramps
diarrhoea
breast tenderness
increased libido
pregnancy weight gain
premature contractions
Tips for the Second Half of Your pregnancy
Keep a pregnancy journal: This will help you remember all of the wonderful things that are happening during your pregnancy and serve as a great keepsake for your baby once they arrive.
Exercise regularly: Now is the time to get moving, both for your health and muscles to be toned for when you resume your normal activities.
Prenatal yoga: Prenatal yoga is a great way to start bonding with your growing baby while toning your muscles simultaneously.
Maintain a healthy diet: You’ve been eating healthy throughout your pregnancy, and now is the time to make sure that you continue to do so.
Get enough sleep: Sleep is not only necessary to help you maintain a healthy mind. It is essential to your health and well-being.
The Bottom Line
Calculating your pregnancy due date can be tricky, but don’t worry! We’ve got you covered.
You can calculate your pregnancy due date based on the days between your last period and your estimated due date or use one of many online pregnancy calculators.
Calculating your due date is important so you can plan for your pregnancy and prepare for the second half by staying healthy and maintaining a healthy weight.
You can use the first day of your last period as the starting point when you calculate your due date. Or, you can use the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP) or the day you think you conceived.
Remember that each method is only a guideline and not an exact science.
