Thing 1 found a Pregnancy Wheel I had gotten at the DASC Banquet. He was looking at it and trying to figure out what it was. All while I was trying to get the boys out the door to an appointment.
- T1- What is this?
- Me – It helps moms figure out their due date.
- T1 – This can tell the future!
- Me – Not really, it is more of a guess then knowing for sure.
- T1- What is last menses mean?
- Me – It is the date of the moms last period, when her uterus cleans itself out.
- T1 – Still amazed “Wow, it can tell the future!”
Sadly, so many care providers and moms think that this wheel does have magical properties of telling the future. They get that due date stuck in their mind.
They think it actually means something.
Only 5% of moms actually birth on their due dates. That means 95% of moms don’t have their baby on their due date!
If everyone can keep in mind it is a guess month – a 5 week window of when a baby can come. Then so many interventions, like inductions would be lessened.
Learn more about inductions with your free video here.
You know, I always wonder when I hear that a first-time mom’s average gestational length is 41 weeks, 6 days. If that is still accurate, there must be quite a few women escaping those inductions at 39 or 40 weeks! And just what would the average be without arbitrary inductions for gestational length?
So true! Once I was past my due date, everyone was bombarding me with texts, phone calls, and facebook messages asking- “any baby yet?” It’s a shame that everyone relies on the date so much.
Anyway, I’ve been running across your stuff all over the web- blogs, youtube, etc- so I wanted to stop by your site. I love your outlook on birth and your writings about it. Keep up the great work!
I could be wrong, but I always though the 41 w 6 d calculation excluded inductions.
I thought so too. I would at least hope so!
Its an Est Due Date! not an expiration date, I wish more families would understand that 🙁