The Countdown to D-Day

Thursday 8th of August 2013 | Category: Opinion | Written by: Siobhan Thomas

When are you due? How many weeks are you? How many weeks do you have left to go? These are all questions pregnant women get on a daily basis, and by and large most are able to answer them accurately. Despite this being my third pregnancy, I am still able to tell you without pause for thought that I have 14 weeks and 3 days to go. I’m not counting down the hours, in fact they are flying by faster than I had hoped, but it’s a big event and I can’t help but be aware of how long I have left – not least because I’m asked so frequently! Pregnant with a scan

A study published in the Human Reproduction journal has revealed fascinating data on the gestation of normal pregnancies, which should make us rethink our interpretation of our calculated due dates.

The Facts

The gestation period for human beings is usually assumed to be 280 days (40 weeks) from the start of the woman’s last period. This is then reassessed at the ultrasound scan although rarely changes considerably from the initial estimate.
The study showed that in fact average pregnancies last only 38 weeks.
Only 4% of women deliver on their due date.
Even accounting for premature births, they found a 37 day variation in ‘normal’ pregnancy durations.
70% of women deliver within 10 days (before or after) their due date.

The good news…

For those who are feeling fed up with pregnancy and keen to get it all over and done with, it might come as a relief that you may not have as many weeks to go as you thought. And for those worrying about labour it might be beneficial having less time to think about it before the big day!

On the other hand…

The 37 day range of (so called) normal gestation means that plenty of babies are born after their estimated due date, and most hospitals will allow women to go up to 42 weeks before inducing labour - providing they are in good health. Having your sights set on a date that ambles on by can be demoralising after having focussed on it for the last 9 months.

What difference does it make to me?

Having a ‘target’ date in mind isn’t a bad thing even if it is inaccurate – but it is still important to be prepared for the baby to arrive within a wider time frame. This study should remind us that it isn’t sensible to wait until week 39 to go buggy or car seat shopping, and that it really is wise to get that hospital bag packed (or at least nearly packed!) with plenty of time to spare.

Think about your maternity leave too. I understand that most of us want to maximise our maternity leave after the baby arrives so that we can spend as much time as possible with them. But beginning leave only a week ahead of the due date means that there’s a reasonable chance you won’t get any time off. You’ll be straight from full time work to, well, more full time work but this job will be 24/7 and it would help if you got a good rest beforehand!