Due Date Calculator!
The due date calculator is pretty straightforward and will give you a good idea of the time when your baby will be born. It's always important to remember that a "due date" does not tell you exactly what day your baby will arrive. It's better to think of it as a loose estimate.
It's generally considered "safe" for your baby to come when you are between 37 and 42 weeks pregnant. This gives a five week range to look for your baby's birthday! With a healthy pregnancy you will probably carry your baby to about 40 weeks, and first time mothers are especially likely to go over their due date.
Some women like say about when they are due instead of a specific date. For instance they say "I am due in late August" instead of "August 25th." Some midwives even tell mothers to say their due date is a month later than it truly is! This may seem strange, but it won't when you're close to your due date and everyone keeps saying "you haven't had that baby yet!"
Just remember that your due date is an estimate and not set in stone. Expect your baby will be born sometime around his or her due date but probably not on it!
Factors Included on the Due Date Calculator
- Last Menstrual Period:
This is the very first day of your last period. So put in the date that your last period started on here. If you didn't write it down, get out a calendar and look it over. It may help for you to remember what was going on when you started your last period - then you may be able to recall the date you need.
- Average Length of Cycles:
How long do your periods usually last? The "average" is 28 days. But your cycle might be longer or even a little shorter. This can change your due date, so enter your cycle length if you know it. If your cycles are irregular or you do not know how long they usually are, use the default of 28 days.
- Average Luteal Phase Length:
The Luteal Phase is the time after ovulation to the beginning of your next period. If you chart your temperatures then you will know how long your luteal phase is because it will be reflected on your charts. You may also know if you use any method of tracking ovulation occurance. Many women don't really know the length of the luteal phase. It defaults to 14 days which is the average for most women.
The Due Date Calculator gives you good estimates of three dates. Date of conception is the date that your baby was probably conceived. This date is approximately two weeks after your last menstrual period. Due Date is the approximate date for when your baby will make his or her arrival. Remember this is just an estimate. Estimated fetal age tells you about many weeks of development your baby has reached. You can read more about how your baby and your body are developing the pregnancy pages.