Conference moira::parenting

    The nine months relates to "calendar" months, and the 10 months
    ties to "lunar" months.
    
    So, you are technically pregnant for 40 weeks, or 10 lunar months,
    but that translates to 9 calendar months (since every 3rd calendar
    month gets an extra week).
    
    Also, if you are 16 weeks, you have "completed" 4 months and are
    entering your fifth month (going by lunar months).
    
    Hope this helps...it *is* confusing at times.
    
    Noranne
    

And you didn't really get pregnant until some time after ovulation.  This
adds about 2 weeks to your pregnancy.

- Deb

    Anne Marie,
    
    I was just thinking about this this morning....counting the seconds
    until I can say I'm in my 4th month.  I'll be 12 weeks tomorrow, and 
    I'm praying for a miracle that my never-ending all-day sickness goes
    away.  I, personally, am going to use the lunar month method and 
    beginning next Friday I'll by IN my 4th month.  (I wish it was my
    10th....I've had enough!!!)
    
    Regards,
    
    Linette and the little one who's using ALL my energy :)
    

    OK, I think I get it now...
    
    I like it better now that I am in my 5th month...Now I feel like I am
    halfway there, ...the light at the end of the tunnel...
    
    my only complaint....my heartburn came back :-( Oh well, its better
    than being sick to my stomache :-)
    
    Thanks for the explaniation..
    
    Anne Marie
    

    This always confused me, too.  What I've ended up doing is looking
    at my due date and referring backwards from that date.  So, if your
    due date is, say, Dec. 15, then on Nov. 15 you'll have finished 8
    months, on Oct. 15 you'll have finished 7 months, etc.  This causes
    the first "month" to be just a little extra long, but seemed to 
    make the most sense to me.  
    
    My doctor never could explain the 9 month/40 week discrepancy to me.
    The 9 months isn't even calendar months, much less lunar months.  
    A pregnancy, according to a calendar, lasts 9 months and 3 weeks from
    the date your doctor starts counting it, or 9 months and 1 week from
    the date you probably conceived.  
    
    Jane
        

    The pregnancy lasts 42 weeks from your last menstral period.  That's a
    simple as I can explain it.  In other words, the two weeks PRIOR to
    conception are still calculated in with your 42 weeks of pregnancy.
    
    I know from personal experience, having been pregnant and also in
    working for an ambulance we (the Medical folks) prefer that you refer
    to your pregnancy in WEEKS, not months.  That makes it much easier to
    caluculate where you are in your pregnancy accurately.
    
    When you are induced because your are technically overdue, that means
    usually that you are in your 42nd week of pregnancy.  Afew more
    milestones is that babies are considered "viable" (can live outside of
    the mother) at 27 weeks.  Babies are considered a normal full term at
    anything beyone 38 weeks.  
    
    My info comes courtesy of multiple in service training courses I've
    taken to stay a certified EMT, given by Worceser Emergency Medical
    Services Inc, which is affilated with Umass Medical Center and the
    Memorial Hospital both in Worcester.
    
    Lyn

>The pregnancy lasts 42 weeks from your last menstral period.  That's a
>simple as I can explain it.  In other words, the two weeks PRIOR to
>conception are still calculated in with your 42 weeks of pregnancy.

42 weeks?!  Everything I ever read/heard was that the EDC is 40 weeks from
the last LMP.

    I was also told its 40 weeks from the LMP.....
    
    Talk about making somethign soooo Confusing.....
    
    
    Anne Marie
    

    Things to remember:
    - 9 months was always considered the time it takes throughout history.
    This was averaged out, since pregnancies were not exact, and the idea
    of close monitoring is a modern idea.
    - depending on your date of conception, 9 months until delivery will
    mean a different number of days/weeks, since months are NOT ALL THE
    SAME LENGTH IN DAYS (unlike a week which is ALWAYS 7 days).
    
    So, we can say the 40 week scale is an "absolute" (for a "procedure"
    that is never the same amount of days its a silly thing to say. but
    modern medicine is always attempting to quantify our bodies) and 
    9 months is a "relative" scale for measuring how far along you are.
    
    Because of this there are no absolute conversion tables.....
    
    Monica
    (who always found the idea of counting back to your last period pretty
    funny - *I* know when I conceived - and the doctor still ignores me!)

Since we used AI each time, we knew *exactly* when we conceived.  When we
were 2 weeks pregnant the doctors would refer to it as 4 weeks pregnant
because they always counted back those 2 weeks.

       Carol

> Since we used AI each time, we knew *exactly* when we conceived.  When we
> were 2 weeks pregnant the doctors would refer to it as 4 weeks pregnant
> because they always counted back those 2 weeks.

But did they count to 40 weeks or 42 weeks?  I also thought that the 40 weeks
included the two weeks after the last menstrual period but before conception.

                                                 Tracy

    I also new the exact date I conceived, but that did not stop them 
    counting back to my last period.
    
    Tracy, they count 40 weeks from your period to your due date.    I went
    42 weeks and was induced.
    
    
    
    Bernie

I kept telling the OB/GYN that my cycle was 35-40 days, NOT the usual 28, but he
still figured 40 weeks from the start of my last cycle (Christmas morning:-)).

According to his calculations, I was due Oct 1st and was induced on Oct 15, as
I was considered 2 weeks late. I told him that 
the baby would be born around Oct 18th, 40 weeks after conception.

Doctors.... what do they know :-)
Norma

    
    Gestation is determined based on a woman's monthly cycle. That's why
    they count from the first day of your last monthly. So due dates are
    roughly 40 weeks from that day, or 38 weeks from conception. If you
    have a long cycle then you will more than likely be late. With my first
    I was very regular, and she was born 2 days before my due date. This
    time my cycle length was longer and when I had an ultrasound at 10
    weeks the measurements should closer to 9 weeks which coincides with
    the longer cycle. It will be interesting to see if I'm late with this
    one. Just remember that the 40 weeks from the first day of your last
    monthly is only an estimater. The baby will come when ready. My sister
    was 2 weeks early with her son, but he was not pre-mature. If they had
    counted 40 weeks from conception he would have been considered 4 weeks
    early which he definitely wasn't. 
    
    Patty

    Soooo,  why do they even bother to count back if you *know* when you
    conceived?  Why tell you that you're 5 weeks along when you're only 3? 
    Sounds pretty stupid to me...not to mention telling you you're overdue
    when you are most probably exactly on time!  I've never been pregnant,
    but this sounds like a strange way of doing things.
    
    JMHO!!
    
    k.

<                      <<< Note 562.11 by NODEX::HOLMES >>>
<
<But did they count to 40 weeks or 42 weeks?  I also thought that the 40 weeks
<included the two weeks after the last menstrual period but before conception.

To 40.  They also calculated it two ways: the way they would have, and then
going by the date we conceived.  It was off by 2-3 days, I think, and they
set the due date according to the conception date.

Our first child was induced when he was 2 weeks late (I wouldn't do that again),
and our second child was just a few days early.

        Carol

    I think that an awful lot of Doctors are confused over this too!
    They should go back to school!
    
    Human gestation period is supposed to be 40 weeks from conception
    to birth according to most things I have read.  Thus if your Dr.
    uses 40 weeks from LMP to DoC (Date of Confinement ... medical
    euphemism for birth!) you are guaranteed to be 2 weeks or so late!
    
    9 months is pretty close to the 40 weeks ... because most months
    have 2 - 3 extra days on top of 4 weeks.
    
    But then again, some babies take longer and some shorter than the
    40 weeks.  The duration of your cycle should have no bearing on
    the 40 weeks --- that is partly a function of the baby's maturity.
    The only effect a long cycle might have is if the Dr uses 42 weeks
    from LMP, but that still depends on when you ovulate relative to
    LMP.  My wife was fertile very early we believe (7-10 days) after the
    onset of LMP ... others are 3 weeks into a 4 week cycle.
    
    So, there really is not an accurate "due date".
    
    Stuart
    
    
    

    One of the reasons we're all so curious about this topic is this:
    
    Books like "What to Expect When You're Expecting", and others, break
    down their chapters into Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, etc.  So you
    try to read the book but you have no idea what Month you are in.
    Is month 2 equal to weeks 4-8?  Or 1-6?  Or 2-6?  Or what?  
    
    I think the authors of "What to Expect" should have put an introduction
    in the book that explained how to calculate what month you are in, so
    that you could read the book with some relevance and accuracy!
    
    Typical conversation that I had with a co-worker this morning:
    
       Co-worker:  How far along are you?
       Me:         18 weeks.
       Co-worker:  How many months is that?
       Me:         I have no idea.  
    
    Jane
    

    Simple, simple.
    2 systems. 
    1/ calculate like doctors. They tell you how many weeks you are along,
    using they bizarre "add-two-weeks" method. 
    
    2/ calculate months as follows.
    Guess conception day - approximate if you don't know exactly.
    Count number of months from that day!
    (i.e. if you concieved on the 16th of July and it is the 18th of 
    November when someone asks you, say: FOUR MONTHS!)
    
    
    8-)
    Monica

    My second was conceived July 14 and born April 14.  39 weeks exactly -
    although my due date was April 2.  He was 9# 6oz - but can't compare
    with the first because he was something like (last date of period 9/21) 
    to June 24 - 40 weeks - 6# 4 oz.
    
    According to the pedi the first was probably 2-3 weeks early - didn't
    ask about the second.
    
    -sandy
    

    Jane
    
    you hit the nail right on the head...
    
    That is the exact reason I asked the question....I have the book.."What
    to Expect while expecting" and I was somewhat confused when reading the
    months, and trying to figure out exactly which month I should be
    reading....
    
    I am now 17 weeks, so (you are 1 week ahead of me :-)  )...so what
    month are you following...the 4th or the 5th?  I have read both, so am
    ready for just about anything..I hope..
    
    ...Monica, boy are you right about time flying....I went to the Dr's
    yesterday, and they scheduled my next appt for 4 weeks, its Sept
    10th...I am going on vacation next week, and when I return, its going
    to be September...I am starting to realize that January is going to be
    here before I know it :-)
    
    Anne Marie
    

    I was also confused by that book.  I found another one, "Your Pregnancy
    week by week." Hey, now there's a good sounding title!  It explains
    that the first two weeks you are not really pregnant but that's where
    they start you off from.  I like it because it is more specific about
    changes in you and your baby each week.  It talks alot more about the
    baby than the mom-to-be. 
    
    -Caroline (18 weeks too!) 

	If somebody asks me how far along I am, I have one of two
	answers to give:

	If the person is a recent mother and is familiar with the
	40 week method of counting, I give them the weeks.  I'll
	be 24 weeks this coming Sunday!

	Otherwise, I give them the calendar months.  If you give
	them weeks, they don't understand.  If you tell them
	6 months and you are 24 weeks, they think you have 3 months
	to go so I just tell people calendar months.  So, I say
	almost 5-1/2 months.  It's just not worth explaining to
	people since you get asked so often and the concept is
	a bit confusing.


	Karen

	Almost forgot, the book "What to Expect when your Expecting" is
	based on 9 months, not 10.  Had me confused for a while since
	I couldn't figure out what chapter I should be reading!

	Karen

    I was also thinking about this yesterday.  I am 32 weeks and my doctor 
    has calculated my due date for 42 weeks, not the normal 40.  Should I
    bring this up to him on my next visit?  I still say the little nipper
    is coming on the 29th of September which puts the date at 40 weeks
    exactely!
    
    Anyways.. I have the same book and have always read the month I will be
    entering half way through the month I am in now (get it?) so I will be
    prepared when I do enter the actual "month".  It has worked out great
    because when I start to experience certain things, I know why instead
    of getting worried and having to look up things.
    
    cj

    Karen, 
    
    24 weeks pregnant, you are just gone 5 1/2 months.
    
    Cj,
    
    Check again with your doctor about the 42 weeks.   I always understood
    it was 40 weeks.
    
    It must have been men that came up with the 40 weeks theory from date
    of our last periods to try to confuse us.   I know when I was
    expecting Daniel I was very confused by this.
    
    
    
    Bernie
    

    This is interesting ..... they just went over this in our childbirth
    class last week.
    
    Human gestation is calculated from the LMP, and is 280 days, or 10
    lunar months (a lunar month is 28 days).  So this means that you're not
    REALLY even pregnant for roughly the first 2 weeks.  Because of the way
    the calendar is (30/31 days), it translates closer to 9 mos (I think
    there's something psychological here too - 9 mos sounds nicer than 10!)
    
    I've always thought it was a plus to be able to say I was 2 weeks
    further along than I was - especially since I tend to show sooner. (-:
    
    I think there were more details in one of the books we got - I'll try
    to remember to bring it in and post it here.  
    
    -Patty

    Here's my guess as to why they go from your LMP rather than from
    the time of conception - most women can remember when they had
    their last period but can only guess when they conceived.  It
    seems that understanding and focusing on ovulation is a recent
    thing so this method of determining when you got pregnant would
    have made more sense at the time it came into use.
    
    If I remember my human biology correctly, tracking the pregnancy
    this way also makes sense from that point of view.  It's been a
    few years so please correct any errors.  The new ovum starts ripening
    at the onset of menstruation so by the time ovulation and conception
    occur the ovum would be approximately 2 weeks into development.  If
    you consider the ripening of the egg to be part of the pregnancy
    process then the 40 weeks from the LMP makes sense.
    
    Ruth

    re .28
    
    I'll go with that answer, sounds like a logical way of thinking.
    
    :)

	I went for my first prenatal visit August 6th, and was surprised
	to have been given a due date of March 1st.  (I had calculated
	March 4th - last time I calculated the same way, and came up 
	with the exact same date as my doctor.)

	Anyway, this note made me go back and count the weeks.  March 1 is
	exactly 40 weeks from my LMP.  Don't I feel silly for debating this
	with the doctor ?

	BTW, my method was to subtract 3 months from the LMP, then add 7 days.

	This usually works out to about 40 weeks from LMP, but this time, it
	didn't work out exactly.  I feel better now about the doctor's due
	date, as I was concerned with expecting the baby on the first and
	going late.

	My first came two days before her due date, although I was induced
	three days early because my water broke.  I know I ovulate on the
	early side, so I kind of expect this one to appear on time (or close
	to it).  

	Karen

    Karen,
    Again, your way was the relative method (i.e. subtracting 3 months)
    vs. the absolute way of calculating weekly. Remember, months are not
    equal in length, and weeks are.
    
    Anyway, its relatively immaterial, since neither you or the doctor
    are the ones who decide! 
    
    Monica