umm...anyone know anything about cycles/gestation length?

[ehunter27]

Hi.
I'm a day past our ultrasound dated due date, and 3 past our lmp due date...
My first child was a couple days before the due date...
However, I had only had one period before this conception, so I doubt my cycles were regular...
Could this throw our due date off? And by how much?
I ask b/c I do not want to be induced, and my OB made a comment about "we'll be making a plan for induction at your appt next week (wednesday)...
She also goes by LMP (so why did I have to pay for that ultrasound at 12 weeks, anyway?????)
I guess I"m just thinking things out in my head and wondering if due date is a little off...
not that a couple days over is anything, really!
And, I've been having BH/prodromal stuff for two weeks...I do think she is coming soon.
Congrats to all those new or once again Mamas in our due date club...I love reading the updates.
And best wishes to those of us still playing the waiting game!

[GriffsKat]

I had a hard time figuring this out, but maybe you can. One of the other ladies posted this great reference that was a comfort to me. Here is the thread for that, in that thread is the link. I'd check it out. An early ultrasound (around 7 weeks) is the most accurate for dates, as you get further along the margin of error is larger. For around 7 weeks the margin of error is 3-5 days, I think. We had a u/s right at 7 weeks. It put us due at Sept 24, my conception date (I know when I O) was Sept 28, so I figure, hopefully the latest I'll go is Sept 29. I'm not banking on it, but....

My DD was dated at August 14, and she was born August 8, so 6 days early. We had an early u/s with her too, at 6 weeks.

I hope that helps you out!

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

I was starting to wonder about my dates also. I had baby one day after LMP projected, 7 days after u/s edd. Then on top of that..the midwife stated that baby had several signs of postdate and my placenta had started to calcify and showed sins of postdate baby. So i'm not sure what happened in my case. But according to my baby's weight 10+2 and his appearnace he looks postdate. So go figure. But know that your baby will come when ready, take this time to relax as much as possible and maybe miss your next ob appointment or reschedule for the next monday. Sometimes being nervous or afraid can hinder labor. So find your zone mama and jump in and relax your whole body and focus on baby and you. Praying that baby will come in due time.

[Earthylady]

Every pregnancy is so different. Even if you know the exact date of conception (which I have with all my babies) the time frame in which they may be born still varies widely.

Every baby will take a different amount of time to be ready to be born on their own. That's just the way it is. Every baby is as unique in when it will be ready to be born, as it is in every other way.

The "average" is 7-10 days post EDD for a first time mother, and then 5-7 days post EDD for a second time mother. That's just average though. Some go longer, some not. With all the inductions these days...I don't know how that's still the average! But, anyway...if you don't know your date of ovulation, your due date could easily be a week or more off. AND, it's just a guesstimate, really...because every baby and every momma will go into labor differently.

Not a lot of help there, huh? Sorry!

My first pg was c-sectioned at 40 weeks 2 days and was only having prodromal labor...nothing active. So, could have been a week or more before labor began.

Baby #2 came all on his own at 39 weeks. Shocked the heck out of me! I was totally expecting to go a week or two late!

Baby #3, I'm now at 39 weeks and it appears it may be at least another week...maybe longer.

All this to say...you're totally normal. Don't let your doctor bully you into something you don't want to do. And they absolutely Can Not make you get an induction, you HAVE to agree to it.

[srneda78]

As the PP mentioned, the later the u/s is done, the more variance there is. Around 7 weeks is pretty accurate. I had an u/s at 6w6d (estimated by u/s) and it estimated my due date within +/- 0.9 weeks according to the report. So even that early, there can be about a week for margin of error. So, at 12 weeks, I would think it could be even more of a margin or error. I was unable to find a source for this online, though (not very good at search engines).

My LMP EDD was 9/16 and my U/S EDD is 9/26. Either way, still no baby. My cycles are pretty regular, but long. I don't think my original HCP took that into account.

Anyway, sorry I'm not much help. I just wanted to say that dating can be way off. In almost all cases, babies know when to be born. I would not let them induce you if you do not feel comfortable with it. Before doing that, I would try acupuncture, herbals, etc.

Good luck to you!