Months? Lunar months? Weeks? Days? Trimesters?
How far along am I anyway?

If you are confused, you are not alone. While most people talk about pregnancy being 9 months long (divided into three trimesters), most midwives and health care providers refer to a pregnancy as being 40 weeks long, starting with your last known menstrual period. You might like to know that this is also equal to 280 days, or 10 Lunar Months. Phew!

OK, so when is my due date?

The traditional way to calculate a due date is to add 9 months from the first day of the LNMP (last normal menstrual period) and then add seven days.

For example:

1.Your LNMP was Feb 1
2.Add nine months, bringing you to November 1.
3.Add seven days, bringing you to your due date of November 8
4.Thus, your due date becomes November 8!

Some people prefer to do it this way:

1. Your LNMP was Feb 1
2. Add 1 day
3. On your calendar, count forward 40 weeks to determine your due date. Making matters even worse, many women do not have typical 28-day cycles. Midwives and practitioners may adjust the EDD to reflect the shorter or longer cycle length.

Remember, calculation of your due date is certainly not precise (after all, women get pregnant in all the months of the calendar, some of which have 28, 29, 30 and 31 days!). Also, all women do not have a 'typical' 28 day cycle! This is why your due date is usually referred to as your EDD or Estimated Due Date!

As if it was not already hard enough, some women may be unable to recall their LNMP or may have very irregular or infrequent cycles. When you visit your midwife or health care provider, try to give as close an estimate as possible. The closer the estimate, the less likely both you and your midwife or practitioner will worry or experience stress if your baby does not come on the EDD. Only about five percent of expecting moms deliver on their EDD anyway!

An experienced midwife or practitioner may also rely on physical clues to determine the baby's due date. Most of these clues are most evident within the first two months of pregnancy. They include:

• Examination of uterine size. Palpable uterine enlargement can be felt internally at about 7 weeks. It can be felt abdominally at about 12 to 14 weeks.



• Identification of audible fetal heart tones. Fetal heart tones can be heard by doppler at about 10 to 12 weeks. Using a stethoscope or fetoscope, they will be heard at about 18 to 20 weeks.



• Ultrasound examination prior to 26 weeks from LNMP.

This all sounds fine, but if you calculate the due date from LNMP, are you not counting weeks before conception?

Although it may be confusing at first, midwives and health care providers begin counting the pregnancy from day one of the LNMP. Yes, before you even conceived!

MONTHS: Measured as nine months on the calendar - starting one week after your LNMP.

TRIMESTERS: Three periods of three months each. Months 1 - 3 are the first trimester, months 4 - 6 are the second trimester, and months 7 - 9 are the third trimester.

LUNAR MONTHS: Prenatal development is often measured in lunar months. Each lunar month consists of 28 days, organized into four weeks of seven days each. That means a pregnancy is 10 lunar months long!

WEEKS: 40 weeks from the start of your LNMP. Gestation is 38 weeks from conception to birth.

DAYS: 280 days from your LNMP. No matter what method is used to determine EDD.

No matter how you measure your pregnancy, even the best estimated due date can be inaccurate. Even when calculations are accurate, your baby will usually be born sometime between 37 weeks and 42 weeks (about a 5 week window before and after your EDD) and when he or she is ready! The best thing to do is take care of yourself and your growing baby and prepare the best you can before the estimated time of arrival, allowing nature to do her own thing when it is time for the baby to arrive.

MoonDragon's Pregnancy Information: Due Date Calculator & Information

MoonDragon's Pregnancy Information: Printable Hand Held Gestational Calculator

MoonDragon's Pregnancy Information: Web Site Pregnancy Due Date Calculator

---

PREGNANCY RELATED LINKS

MoonDragon's Pregnancy Information & Survival Tips

MoonDragon's Pregnancy Information Index

MoonDragon's Pediatric Information Index

MoonDragon's Parenting Information Index

MoonDragon's Nutrition Information Index

---

HERBS, OILS, & SUPPLIES

MoonDragon's Health & Wellness: Manufacturers & Distributors

See all our merchant banners below for products, remedies and supplements recommended on this web site.

HELPFUL PRODUCTS & FURTHER EDUCATION Prescription for Nutritional Healing: The A-To-Z Guide To Supplements -- by Phyllis A. Balch, James F. Balch - 2nd Edition Prescription for Nutritional Healing: The A-To-Z Guide To Supplements -- by Phyllis A. Balch, James F. Balch - 4th Edition Prescription for Herbal Healing: The A-To-Z Reference To Common Disorders -- by Phyllis A. Balch The Complete Guide to Natural Healing This is only a small sample of educational materials and products available through Amazon.com. Use the search box provided below to search for a particular item. If you see a suggested Amazon product "not there" as indicated by an orange box with the Amazon logo, this only means the specific product link has been changed by Amazon.com. Use the "click here" icon on the orange box and it will bring you to Amazon.com and you can do a search for a specific product using keywords and a new list of available products and prices will show. Their product and resource links are constantly changing and being upgraded. Many times there are more than one link to a specific product. Prices will vary between product distributors so it pays to shop around and do price comparisons. Educational materials and health products are available through Amazon.com. Use the search box provided below to search for a particular item.

For a full list of available products from Mountain Rose Herbs, click on banner below:
Mountain Rose Bulk Herbs
Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs A Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs B Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs C Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs D Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs E Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs F Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs G Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs H Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs I Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs J Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs K Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs L	Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs M Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs N Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs O Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs P Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs R Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs S Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs T Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs U Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs V Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs W Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herbs Y

Mountain Rose Aromatherapy Oils

Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils A-B Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils C-E Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils F-L Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils M-P Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils Q-Z Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils: Oil Blends & Resins Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils: Diffusers, Nebulizers, & Burners Mountain Rose Herbs, Aromatherapy Oils: Oil Kits

Mountain Rose Herbs.com: Order Online
Accessories & Tools Aroma Sprays & Flower Waters Body & Bath Bulk Herbs Bulk Ingredients Bulk Oils Butters Capsules Clays Essential Oils	Facial Care Hair Care Herbal Extracts Herbal Oils Herbal Salves & Balms Herbal Teas Herbs For Pets Incense, Resins & Candles Massage Oils Medicinal Herb Seeds Tea Brewing Supplies

GOLD CROWN PREMIUM NATURAL HEALTH PRODUCTS

---

MoonDragon's Nutrition Information Index

MoonDragon's Health & Wellness: Nutrition Basics Index

MoonDragon's Health & Wellness: Therapy Index

MoonDragon's Nutrition Therapy Index

MoonDragon's Alternative Health Information Index

MoonDragon's Aromatherapy Information Index

MoonDragon's Health & Wellness Index

MoonDragon's ObGyn Womens Health Information Index by Subject Order

MoonDragon's ObGyn Womens Health Information Index by Alphabetical Order

MoonDragon's Main Indexlisting

MoonDragon's Home Page