A due date provides a pregnant mother with a concrete date for the arrival of her baby. However, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control states that only about 5 percent of babies actually arrive on their due dates. So while due dates are not absolute, they do provide you with a "possible" date that is within two weeks of a full-term delivery. More importantly, due dates serve as a guide for normal fetal development and appropriate timing of prenatal tests, which often relate to pregnancy stage, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Step 1
Write down the date of your last normal menstrual period before pregnancy.
Step 2
Add seven days to the date of your last period.
Step 3
Count back three months from the month of your last period to calculate your possible due date. For example, if the first day of your last period was June 20th, your estimated due date would be March 27th. Or if the first day of your last period was October 29th, your estimated due date would be July 5th.
Tips and Warnings
- Schedule a prenatal visit with a health care professional to obtain a more definitive estimation of your due date.
- This method assumes you have a normal 28-day cycle.
References
- South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control : Information Outlined in the S.C. Women's Right to Know Act
- The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; You and Your Baby: Prenatal Care, Labor and Delivery, and Postpartum Care; January 2007
- "British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology"; Naegele's Rule: A Reappraisal; Thomas Baskett, eta al.; November 2000
