STM+ Due date accuracy

lovesclimbing

I saw this in another BMB, and thought it'd be fun. If you have more than one child already, just choose whichever child you want and then add the other(s) in the comments.

I hope the options are clear and the pluses and minuses don't get mixed up. "Due date minus 15+ days" means your baby was born more than 15 days before your due date. I was going to break up c-sections and inductions, but the poll function doesn't allow more than 10 options.

maggiemadeit

Scheduled induction at 41, baby finally arrived at 41+3 

keikilove

Both my babies arrived naturally on their own time at 41 + 3 days. The second one came on the day the doctor wanted to induce.

keikilove

Not to kill the fun aspect of this poll, but I just read a super interesting article (link below) that researched the most common actual delivery dates versus due dates. About 50% of first-time Moms will go into labor naturally at 40+5, and STMoms most often go into labor at 40+3. Apparently, in the US doctors arbitrarily calculate 40 weeks of pregnancy from the first day of the last menstrual cycle but it is more accurate to calculate it from the LAST day of the last menstrual cycle. It also states that only 10% of Moms had their babies by 39 weeks, and only 25% gave birth by 39+5– adding to evidence of why we shouldn’t be so rushed to “get this baby out”. 

“The authors found that the most accurate time to perform an ultrasound to determine the gestational age was 11-14 weeks. About 68% of people gave birth ±11 days of their estimated due date as calculated by ultrasound at 11-14 weeks. This was a more accurate result than any of the other ultrasound scans, and more accurate than the LMP.”

Very thoroughly researched scientific article is here:

https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-inducing-labor-for-going-past-your-due-date/

meggyme

I have a friend from France that recently had a baby here in the US. She told me that the French calculate due date with ten more days than in the US, but they won’t let you go any later than that. I thought that was interesting and never thought about other countries calculating due dates differently.

mayoduck

@keikilove oh no! I hope that's wrong for me! 40 weeks + 5 days takes me to my birthday and I don't mind sharing that day with baby but I'd much rather spend that day at home with my newborn than at the hospital tired, hungry, and possibly without baby still for many hours. I have my fingers crossed baby decides to be very punctual! Although, in the end, as long as he/she is healthy, I can probably forgive for labor on my birthday.

mschanandlerbong1214

Both my boys were pretty much the same. 

DS1 was 41+2 even after being induced at 41w

DS2 was 41+3 and came 6hrs before his scheduled induction was supposed to start. 

Not expecting DS3 to be any different lol

mamakate1616

My daughter came the day after my birthday at 39+5. I was really hoping for either my birthday or her due date or later. At the time I wasn’t keen on my baby being born on the “6th” of a month or on a Wednesday/Thursday due to that damn poem. Obviously I’m over it and know how ridiculous that was lol. 

novelblessings

I was induced at 39 weeks due to high blood pressure. Hoping to avoid that this time, so who knows!

mayoduck

@mamakate1616 what poem is that?
The other downside to my child being born on or after my birthday is (heads up American, March week 2 mom's!) every time his/her birthday falls on a Sunday, it will be 23 hours long because of daylight savings.

mamakate1616

It’s called Mondays Child. When I was little my mom had a porcelain thing that said Tuesday’s child is full of grace and the poem hanging in my room so I guess it imprinted on me lol. 

Monday’s child is fair of face
Tuesday’s child is full of grace
Wednesday’s child is full of woe
Thursday’s child has far to go
Friday’s child is loving and giving
Saturday’s child works hard for his living
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

mschanandlerbong1214

@mayoduck could be worse! My friend gave birth on leap day. Her sons birthday is technically only every 4 years lol

I was so obsessed with DS1s actual birth day that I was miserable the last 4 weeks. DS2 was due a week before my birthday but I was more relaxed than with DS1. Baby will come when they come. Don’t stress on the day or time or whatever. The more you worry about it, the more you will drive yourself crazy at the end, and trust me the last couple weeks are looooong enough with the added stress lol

mamakate1616

@mschanandlerbong1214 that is so true. I did some crazy things trying to get baby to come once I hit the week of her due date. Just relax and eat ice cream! 

meggyme

@mschanandlerbong1214 Preach! I had DD at 41+3, 2 days before my induction date and the night before I went into labor I was so emotionally and physically DONE. We were at a beach cookout the night before and my friends still tell me that’s the most miserable they had ever seen me.

mayoduck

@mschanandlerbong1214 I'm not sure it's worse. Leap day babies just choose the day before or after to celebrate and they still get 24 hours. Speaking from experience (and on my 21st birthday no less) it sucks to have an hour cut out of your birthday and birthday weekend. That lost hour takes a toll!

zionsmama85

I had a scheduled c section at 39 weeks exactly with  my first, and my doc has already said we are doing it again with this one...not mad about it. I am proud of all you that did the vaginal thing...but im SCARED. and i dont have a high pain threshold. lol! my c-section actually went really well all things considered, no issues with the incision or anything...so to me its a relief to have no waiting game..and if things go accordingly i already know baby's birthday...but you never know...she could have different plans LOL...

hummingbird35

DS came 7 days early and I couldn’t have been happier hope this one decides to come at 39 weeks too!
ETA he was 8 lbs 8 oz and that was enough for me to push!

swanbrooner

I was induced at 39 weeks. 

lovesclimbing

I completely agree, @keikilove. If anything, I'd say that's why polls like these are good because most people aren't going to look up statistics on when babies come. I have so many friends who post their 37-week bump shot and something to the effect of, "we're full term, time to come out, baby!" Well, yes, but full term also stretches all the way to 42 weeks. And then they get disappointed and are like, "come on already" when they hit the day after their due date, and the baby is still inside. They're feeling "so huge" or are "so uncomfortable" with this "late baby." 

Umm, no, that's not how it works, sorry. I think all pregnant women need to have a realistic idea of when babies can come, and hopefully this poll helps with that!

As for me, my daughter was born 3 days before her due date. Interestingly, that was my adjusted due date, adjusted based on my longer-than-average cycles. My original 280-days-after-first-day-of-last-cycle due date was the day I went into labor, and she was born the next morning. 

Pooka8

Induced at 40 and 2 but my body wasn't ready  she was born at 40 and 4.  Second dd, went into labor after having. Membranes swept, she was born 40 and 3 (missed matching her sisters 40 and 4 by 30 min) 

laur84ns

@lovesclimbing I couldn't agree more re: the (usually first time) moms eager for baby to come as soon as they hit 37 weeks. Of course there are exceptions, but in general baby is better off cooking a few extra weeks for lung development, etc. 
My DD was born 4 days after my due date and I wasn't worried or impatient or stressed about it all. I took it easy for the last few weeks and just tried to enjoy my last few days of pregnancy before all the chaos started

chocolatelemons

My son was due May 15th and he came on the 18th. I went into labor on the 17th, but they broke my water because I had a low fever (long story and one of the reasons I switched to a midwife this time). I think he would have been a day later, though, if they hadn’t partially induced me.

m3ganmc

1st: 41+2 (scheduled induction)
2nd: 40+3 (day before induction)

lelkcot

DS decided to show up 4 days before his due date.

chocolatelemons

@lovesclimbing I agree that it’s good for FTM’s to have a realistic idea of when baby will actually be born vs. the due date. I read that in France, full term is actually 41 weeks for FTMs. 

With that said, I think a lot of FTMs are just anxious and excited which leads them to post things like that (“37 weeks, full term!”) on Facebook. I know I was pretty anxious when I was “full term” and maybe made comments to DH about how I’m just ready to have the baby. Personally, though, I wasn’t actually expecting to give birth right then and knew that baby is better off coming when ready. Hopefully, moms who are posting these sorts of things, are aware that +\- 2 weeks from “due date” is normal.

ashley14598

DS came one day early via induction due to my high blood pressure. I was on the highest possible dose of medicine she could have given me and I had been on bed rest for 4 weeks at the end of my pregnancy. I did NOT want an induction and was VERY scared of it but I knew it was the best thing for both of us. Thankfully my body was ready and he came out in less than 12 hours after they started. 

dtspmama

@zionsmama85 I'm with you on the scheduling thing. I had to have a c-section with DD1 because she was breech (we tried to turn her with an ECV but she was STUCK) so I had the c-section at 39+1.  It all went so well (including recovery) that I scheduled a RCS for DD2 at 39+1.  That one was harder, both the surgery itself and the recovery (we were prepping for Irma).  I have another RCS scheduled this time around, again at 39+1.  

Props to all you mamas who give birth vaginally!  You are warriors!

HoneyBear40

DD was served an eviction notice with induction at 41 weeks so I really haven't been holding my breath that this kid will come before April. Although there's still that unknown stress of what going into labor on my own is actually like...

maggiemadeit

@HoneyBear40 Are you anxious to find out? It sounds silly but I somehow feel like I missed out on something by not having experienced going into labor on my own. I am hoping to find out this time around! 

kristimh80

FTM here and wanted to say thank you girls for this thread! It helps a lot to know not to have any expectations with the due date itself   

lelkcot

@HoneyBear40 I’ve not been induced, so only know one side, but supposedly it’s easier if you go into labor spontaneously vs being induced! 

HoneyBear40

@maggiemadeit Yeah I'm anxious. That was the only part that really bugged me towards the end last time was "when? how? where?" you know, those fun questions. I'm definitely with you on wanting to experience it on my own I just don't like those unknowns - I'm a planner that's ok for Team Green but if baby could give me a definite date that would be great LOL

@lelkcot I've heard that too actually so I'm interested in being able to compare. My problem when I was induced was the nurse gave a huge dose to start with for some unknown reason? DD's heartrate dropped when I rolled on my side and that was the end of that game - wasn't allowed on my right side or out of the bed because I had to have a monitor on the whole time. Kind of hoping to be able to labor by walking and doing anything not in a bed! A coworker (who never had kids of her own just lives through everyone else) declared when someone else was pregnant "oh my goodness being induced is terrible! My mom said it was the worst thing." I told her "well I don't know any other way at this point and baby has to come out somehow?" 

ElleestJenn

Dd came 36 weeks on the dot. My ultrasounds measures were always right on dot to my due date too. This baby is throwing us for a loop this time. Calculating from LMP would put me March 30, doc at first said the 29th and a month ago the baby was measuring almost a full week ahead. I go back this and we should get our new official due date as long as the baby is still measuring ahead by the same amount of days.