Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Why do some people describe pregnancy as lasting ten months?

53 replies

Overthemoun · Yesterday 11:48

I have seen this a few times recently and I do not understand the thinking. Average is 40 weeks. 52 weeks in a year. 52/12=4.333. 40/4.333=9.231

Also, whilst they count your pregnancy as from your last period, it’s much more like 38 weeks.

Do the people in 10 month pregnancy have 13 month years?

OP posts:
Tillow4ever · Yesterday 11:51

Literally no-one describes pregnancy as 10 months. Like no-one. You are the only person I have ever seen to say this.

But if they do, I presume they’re going on 1 month = 4 weeks, therefore 40 weeks = 10 months.

Also - who fucking cares?

hellotomrw · Yesterday 11:52

I had a 42 weeker and then a 37 weeker. So 9 months and 10 months 😂😂

Pricelessadvice · Yesterday 11:53

I guess some people think of a month having 4 weeks and 40/4 being 10.
But obviously, some months are 5 weeks.

But honestly I’ve never actually heard anyone say 10 months 😂

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Isekaied · Yesterday 11:54

It's closer to 8 months than 10 months

Cos you aren't even pregnant for the first month

HollywentLightly · Yesterday 12:17

When you're overdue by 17 days, you can call it whatever the fuck like.

Shallotsaresmallonions · Yesterday 12:19

Tillow4ever · Yesterday 11:51

Literally no-one describes pregnancy as 10 months. Like no-one. You are the only person I have ever seen to say this.

But if they do, I presume they’re going on 1 month = 4 weeks, therefore 40 weeks = 10 months.

Also - who fucking cares?

I've seen it plenty of times...

Anyway, I assume it's because they think of a month as four weeks.

DinosaurBlue · Yesterday 12:21

I’ve seen a few people say that. Even someone I know personally went on about how it’s actually 10 months.

It’s because these people are too thick to realise that 4 weeks does not equate to one month!

LadySandwich · Yesterday 12:23

Tillow4ever · Yesterday 11:51

Literally no-one describes pregnancy as 10 months. Like no-one. You are the only person I have ever seen to say this.

But if they do, I presume they’re going on 1 month = 4 weeks, therefore 40 weeks = 10 months.

Also - who fucking cares?

I didn't care but my brother and his ex-wife did a calculation using the 10-month method to surprise me and tell me that I was a "bastard" child.

Lovely conversation with those two! I never grasped the maths but was overjoyed to learn I might have different parents since mine were telling me that whatever brother said wasn't true! 😆

SirChenjins · Yesterday 12:26

Tillow4ever · Yesterday 11:51

Literally no-one describes pregnancy as 10 months. Like no-one. You are the only person I have ever seen to say this.

But if they do, I presume they’re going on 1 month = 4 weeks, therefore 40 weeks = 10 months.

Also - who fucking cares?

Literally - you're wrong.

I've heard this too OP, and I can only imagine it's because some people think a month is 4 weeks

ThejoyofNC · Yesterday 12:28

Average month has 4 weeks. 10x4=40.

WearyAuldWumman · Yesterday 12:31

Shallotsaresmallonions · Yesterday 12:19

I've seen it plenty of times...

Anyway, I assume it's because they think of a month as four weeks.

Same. I used to wonder about it too.

Shallotsaresmallonions · Yesterday 12:32

ThejoyofNC · Yesterday 12:28

Average month has 4 weeks. 10x4=40.

They don't though? Only one month out of the year has 28 days.

WheretheFishesareFrightening · Yesterday 12:34

Pricelessadvice · Yesterday 11:53

I guess some people think of a month having 4 weeks and 40/4 being 10.
But obviously, some months are 5 weeks.

But honestly I’ve never actually heard anyone say 10 months 😂

urm… no months are 5 weeks long…

cobalt123 · Yesterday 12:36

Surely since forever pregnany has been stated to be 9 months. It’s more recently that we talk about in terms of the number of weeks at 40 weeks.

Some people mistakenly think that the average month is 4 weeks long when in fact it is 4.35. That must be why they get confused and think it’s 10 month when in fact it’s 9 months. Or 9.2 months to be exact based on 40 weeks.

That was the pedants reply for you. 😂😂

Giraffeandthedog · Yesterday 12:36

ThejoyofNC · Yesterday 12:28

Average month has 4 weeks. 10x4=40.

No, it doesn’t. An average month has 4.33 weeks.

Era · Yesterday 12:39

The answer is because they cant do maths.

Giraffeandthedog · Yesterday 12:40

WheretheFishesareFrightening · Yesterday 12:34

urm… no months are 5 weeks long…

If you are allocating weeks to months (for example for financial accounting) you allocate 4/4/5, so out of every 3 month period you have 2 months with 4 weeks and 1 month with 5 weeks.

There are 4.33 weeks in a month (52/12), and so every three month period has 13 weeks.

ANiceCuppaTeaandBiscuit · Yesterday 12:42

My last pregnancy felt like it went on a lot longer 🤪😮‍💨

TerracottaBowl · Yesterday 12:42

Fuzzy maths.

Iliketulips · Yesterday 12:43

Obviously I wasn't pregnant for ten months, but I'd already started been sick six days after conception in December. My hormones were still even after birth, and I was still being sick in the September, so close to ten months!

cobolli · Yesterday 12:44

Tillow4ever · Yesterday 11:51

Literally no-one describes pregnancy as 10 months. Like no-one. You are the only person I have ever seen to say this.

But if they do, I presume they’re going on 1 month = 4 weeks, therefore 40 weeks = 10 months.

Also - who fucking cares?

Aisling Bea does an entire segment on it in her show!

StopFeckingSnoring · Yesterday 12:44

ThejoyofNC · Yesterday 12:28

Average month has 4 weeks. 10x4=40.

This calculation is like Trump’s percentage wizardry. Utter nonsense.

Most months have 31 days which is 4.42 weeks.

Shinyhappyapple · Yesterday 12:45

Personally I think it’s clearer to count in terms of weeks and easier to see a month as a period of 4 weeks. But obviously we don’t do that. Therefore it seems logical to me that a 40 week pregnancy is 10 months not 9 months. But Ive never heard anyone else refer to it that way . As it was I did have a 9 month pregnancy - 36 weeks.

Morepositivemum · Yesterday 12:47

I had a doctor say it to me- seeing your body is 10 months as an incubator… so I actually do say 10 months too!!

fashionqueen0123 · Yesterday 12:48

DinosaurBlue · Yesterday 12:21

I’ve seen a few people say that. Even someone I know personally went on about how it’s actually 10 months.

It’s because these people are too thick to realise that 4 weeks does not equate to one month!

This. The only explanation is they are stupid!