EDD tomorrow... I'm just having a moan really... but what is the point of saying "40 weeks"...

[Mossie]

... if, from what I hear, it's much more usual for a first pregnancy to be over 40 weeks?

I mean, in France, iirc, your due date is given as 41 weeks. So why not in the UK? It just builds up false hope for those women whose babies take longer to "cook".

And that, by the sound of it, is the majority of first time pregnancies. Or so everyone, from mil to the checkout lady in the Asda today, tells me.

They could be wrong of course, and tomorrow I could go into labour spontaneously having so far had no BH contractions, no show, no - well no anything really, apart from his head engaging.

So why 40 weeks? What's the real reason behind it? Or am I wrong and 40 weeks really is the average even for a first pregnancy?

HI was just going to say that in France they say a pg is 41 weeks.

Why they do and the rest of the world doesnt, i am not altogether sure.

It makes more sense tho, cos about 80% of the pop seems to go 'overdue' IMO !!!!

take care

i quite , quite agree....... WHO says a healthy pregnancy is between 37 - 42 weeks !! and yes, in france, 41 weeks is EDD......

some women need to carry their babies longer!

also, EDD based on 28 day cycle, which not everyone has....

if they said, your baby will be born sometime in March or towards the end of March , that is easier than a date !

also, only 5 % of babies arrive on their EDD, the vast majority clearly arrive before or after!

40 weeks is the average gestation if you have a 28 days cycle!

I really don't know. It's probably no consolation but it's equally annoying if you are always told 'first babies are always late' and you're pretty sure (from family history) that yours won't be, and it isn't.

Hi piratgirl I'm at the stage now where I'm trying to think of reasons why there might be a conspiracy to tell women a pregnancy is 40 weeks' long when it blatantly isn't. But my brain isn't functioning at full capacity atm and I just can't come up with one lol!

MI yes I see, that must be just as annoying albeit in a different way!!

Lulumama my cycle is/was more like 30 days... so should I add the extra 2 days per month on to my EDD?

and seems so mean to label poor little baby as 'late'! Late for what? Nobody told them they had a due date!

why not ! it is just as arbitary.....!!!

also, it can be an indication if the women in your family go early or later too!

Yes Saintmaybe ikwym, I mean he must have a due date but only he "knows" what it is. If that makes any sense. Not sure I am making sense there actually!

Lulumama I've no idea, I am not in touch with my side of the family unfortunately!

I know mil was late with all three of hers, but we're not related by genetics!

baby will come when he is ready

you can try to help him along, but he;ll appear in his own sweet time !

Knowing you you're going to recommend sex and nipple stim....?

Chances of me getting dh into bed atm are pretty low, and I'm not exactly very seductive with a bump the size of a gym ball!

So this nipple stim, is it, ahem, just fiddling around with your nips or is there more to it?

I did read some US research which said that ethnic group of mum and dad was a factor in pregnancy length - white caucasian couples tended to have longer pregnancies than 40 weeks whilst other ethnic groups (can't remember which) had shorter ones. In fact, they were considering allowing different ethnic groups longer/shorter pregnancies before intervention (eg induction).

40 weeks is an average - I went to 42 so you have my sympathy !!!

instructions here! can be done with a breast pump too !

did i say sex can help???

Incy that is interesting. Dh & I both white caucasian so if that is the case yet another reason I'm likely to go over!

I'm only having a moan really, as I say I'm not even at my due date yet, but I had sort of hoped that by now I'd have felt something.

sorry haven't read the whole thread but I thought the reason why pregnancy is estimated to be 40 weeks is because it's generally dated from the LMP - ie, the date which most women are assumed to remember - rather than date of conception, which is a bit of a guess.

Thanks Lulumama...

Oh don't get me started on sex. Dh just looks at me askance when I suggest it. To be fair, I'm not the svelt lingerie model I was nine months ago....... oh hang on, no, I never was that!

I do have a breast pump actually, but, well, I certainly haven't been leaking any milk / colostrum or whatever it's called, so will it hurt to use it?

Mossy, there are some advantages to having countless pregs.

Today when the lovely MW came she briefly mentioned sweeps, ways of inducing etc. and I said to her that I don't want any sort of poking or prodding. I've been down that route and it doesn't ever work for me.

Mine come when they're ready and nothing will persuade them otherwise.
Now you see I'm going on a 43 week preg and anything sooner than that will be a bonus.
I actually find now that it's other people who are getting frustrated and impatient, wanting to know when I think it will happen .
The MW today said I was obviously so uncomfortable and spd was so bad etc. I said yes but that it was only for a couple of more weeks, it was do-able.
I find red wine helps alot at this stage, as does whatever else you fancy
Sorry Mossy I have wittered on and have been of no help whatsoever

Kitty I do know what you mean actually. People keep ringing me - well actually they ring dh, because he's quicker to get to the phone! - to ask if I've gone into labour yet.

He thinks it's sweet and they are only calling because they care.

I think, "ffs, if I'd gone into labour don't you think I've have phoned / texted you myself?"

Liverpool Women's induce (ok, "offer to induce") at 41+3. I don't want to be induced (unless something is wrong I mean) but I can just see that I'll get to that stage and dh (who is lovely but can be a bit wet, iyswim) will believe their horror stories about what happens if you go over your dates and start trying to put pressure on me.

Red wine gives me heartburn but at this stage I don't see any harm in a bottle of Sol of an evening!

I was convinced both of mine would be early-even the midwife said about them both 'ah i can't see you going to full term with him/her' i carried them both so low,they were head down from about 24 weeks and stayed there,engaged from 30ish weeks.

still i was 10 days over with ds then 11 days over with dd.

the waiting game is awful-thinking of you! xx

How annoying for you!

Actually I think the thing that will annoy me the most is if I go past 31 March. The mw refused to change my edd so it was in April (and thus making me eligible for nine months' SMP rather than six) even though I had heard other mws in different parts of the country had changed edds that were close to April.

So if I do go over, I'll be bleedin' fumin' with her!

Hope you don't have to wait too long!

dh & I are white caucasian and ds1 was 4 days early even though we were both about 3 weeks late, apparently. Hope that cheers you up!

It's my birthday on 31st March so I'm sending vibes for a baby born the same date as me

I went into spontaneous labout at 39+4,i'd had no show, no BH, nothing.. we thought we were in for the longhaul

Well... today is my EDD... nothing at all!

Fortyplus yes please send me some vibes!

Kaishay I'm hoping that's what will happen; no sign but all of a sudden he'll be here....

ach, you'll probably cough a couple of times and he'll fall out !!

Yes, a nice easy labour. Actually do you think I could ask for that for my thirtieth birthday? If he's going to be late he might well be born then, and I think a nice easy labour might even be better than a stack of Doctor Who DVDs!!!