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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

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Original poster

Due Date Confusion

16 replies

Londoner5s · 05/02/2021 15:17

Hi all,

Thanks in advance to anyone who can give me advice on this and sorry if I'm coming across as woefully ignorant! I'm not actually pregnant but TTC our first, on cycle 3 now, so this is theoretical.

So I've read online that to calculate your due date once you're pregnant it's 9 months from the date that your last period ends, which seems a bit bizarre as most people ovulate about 2 weeks after that so surely all these due dates are 2 weeks short of a full 9 months?

Then I know once pregnant women have a dating scan at 8-12 weeks, does this dating scan then give you a more accurate due date and your due date changes from the original estimate of 9 months from the day of your last period?

You can probably guess where I'm going with this, assuming we don't get pregnant this month, next month is March and would lead to December babies. I don't have an issue with an early or mid December baby but I'm trying to work out how likely it is that I'd end up with a baby due on or very close to Christmas day if we fell pregnant in March. I know it's not the end of the world to have a Christmas birthday but I have a friend who absolutely hates it and is grumpy every year about it, and I also don't think it would be the end of the world to skip one month of TTC.

What are other people's thoughts on a Christmas baby? Am I over-worrying? (Very likely, I am a worrier!).

OP posts:

Blughbablugh · 05/02/2021 15:23

Your due date is calculated at first from the first day of your last period. So women are technically around 4 weeks pregnant before they even find out. This is the date that midwives go off initially and will then give you an accurate due date at your 12 week scan based on babies measurements. I think its only 2% of babies actually arrive on their due dates and so you can be a week or two earlier or a week or two after.
With regards to December birthdays. Mine is exactly 1 week before Christmas. To be honest it doesn't really bother me and of course that's all I've known. It makes it a bit more special with all the Christmas decorations and celebrations.

Blughbablugh · 05/02/2021 15:26

And... the due dates are usually only a few dates out from your first estimated due date from your period and 12 week scan. I'm currently pregnant with my second and going off my period amdate was due around the 5tg July, at my 12 week scan they put it to the 2nd July. My dd was also born 10 days before her due date.

Original poster

Londoner5s · 05/02/2021 15:29

Thanks for the reply! So really you can't guarantee at all that the date the scan gives you will actually be anything like the date that you conceived the baby, it could be a couple of weeks either side and then you could be a couple of weeks earlier or later than that due date.

I absolutely wouldn't mind a birthday a week before Christmas, it's having a birthday on xmas eve, xmas day or boxing day that bothers me. I wonder would my child be annoyed for all their lives at having a Christmas birthday when I knew I could have just skipped one month of TTC and avoided it. I think my friend feels like this which doesn't help!

OP posts:

Blughbablugh · 05/02/2021 15:37

I don't think it's an exact science as every pregnancy is different and babies arrive at different times depending on lots of different things, usually with regards to how the pregnancy is going towards the end. I know a lot of women, me included that have needed to be induced before 40 weeks, but then there are a lot who go over to 42 weeks.

Original poster

Londoner5s · 05/02/2021 15:40

Thanks. I think I'm probably better off skipping a month then if I'm worried about a Christmas baby. I'm only 30 so I feel like I can afford to skip a month without worrying too much about wasting time. Although I might regret it if I'm still TTC this time next year...

OP posts:

FurryPlant · 05/02/2021 15:49

I was wondering similarly. So if women labour happens on average between 37 and 42 weeks then you should have a TTC break if your period starts between 15/4 - 19/5. But... That doesn’t sound right... Maybe I counted wrong...

I don’t know anyone with a Christmas birthday to ask how they feel about it. But someone I know with a New Years birthday has mixed feelings about it.

Original poster

Londoner5s · 05/02/2021 15:55

I'm glad it's not just me wondering about it! My friend with the Christmas birthday also hates Christmas which I think is so sad and I absolutely love Christmas.

I'm now wondering if I would need to take 2 months off from TTC, which feels a bit ridiculous.

My period starts on 20th, finishes on 25th (I'm very regular each month). I ovulate around the 5th.

So for my Feb period I would start on 20th then (if I was lucky!) conceive on 5th March. This would give me a due date of anytime from 20th November to maybe 10th December (allowing for it not being perfectly accurate). If I did get the 10th December due date and then was 2 weeks overdue this would exactly lead to a Christmas day baby.

For my March period I'd start on 20th and (if I was lucky!) get pregnant on 5th April. My due date could then be anything from 20th December to 10th January. If I wasn't overdue this would lead exactly to a Christmas baby.

So if I wanted to avoid a Christmas baby I would need to skip 2 months of TTC? Am I missing anything here? Or am I completely mad and need to chill out...

OP posts:

Blughbablugh · 05/02/2021 15:58

@FurryPlant it can also depend on ovulation. Some women ovulate early and some a bit later but as I said it's not an exact science anyway and my last baby came at just over 38 weeks. I'd say that if you are not keen on having a Christmas baby then its best to take a break for a month.

Sparkles512 · 05/02/2021 21:25

We are continuing TTC even with the possibility of a Christmas baby.

I was due to be born in February and was premature and born beginning of December.

I have a friend who was due the end of January and had her baby 23rd December.

So unless you miss out March, April and possibly May you could have a baby around Christmas time.

Arrierttyclock · 06/02/2021 10:02

Me and my friend are TTC and she's stopping trying all through March and April. I've spoken to my husband and he would rather have a Xmas baby then an august/July baby (which we both are) I realllllly don't want a Xmas baby but I know so many people who went early/late you just can't predict it. My husbands also saying what if that's the only month it works for us but this is only our first month ttc anyway so I'm reallllllly hoping I catch this cycle and have a lovely November baby

LizzeyBenett · 06/02/2021 10:50

no help with due dates but i will be actively trying to avoid a December baby when i start trying, My partners a December baby and he always says its a bit of a bummer it all happens at once birthday and Christmas.

SatsumasOrClementines · 06/02/2021 11:16

That’s interesting @Arrierttyclock why do you both dislike August/July birthdays?

I know it can be tricky for Summer born children at school sometimes.

Arrierttyclock · 06/02/2021 11:36

@SatsumasOrClementines yeah that's the only reason. We both really struggled in school and my husband just really dosent want that for our child. He ended up going to private school as he wasn't getting any support so he just thinks it's like that for all schools/ summer born babies. I personally love my birthday but he's so against it.

BuffaloCauliflower · 06/02/2021 13:33

I’m not currently TTC but I’d also rather a Christmas baby than a summer born, speaking as someone with a December birthday. It’s harder for them at school, also birthday parties when friends are away for holidays and things.

Juno231 · 06/02/2021 13:55

@SatsumasOrClementines the stats for July August babies are pretty terrible when it comes to school so ideally I've always wanted to avoid them as well. @Londoner5s in fact I'd rather have a Dec baby than an August one!

Just to add to this - I'm a Jan baby and that's terrible from a birthday perspective as well. Everyone is tired of socialising after Xmas, it's the poorest month of the year and people are inevitably doing dry Jan or dieting.

Point is, there's loads of months that are less than ideal... I'm starting cycle 15 soon and will gladly take a baby any time of the year now.

(PS I know quite a few people that love their Dec birthdays as it's such a festive time and people love getting together that time of the year!)

Chanel05 · 06/02/2021 13:57

As other posters have said, your due date is calculated from the first day of your last period. I had 35ish day cycles and didn't ovulate until cd20 the month I fell pregnant, so I told the midwives my period started a week later than it did to get the 28 day. My dates were always accurate on scans and I actually went into labour on the day I'd calculated as my due date.

For reference, my birthday is between Christmas and New Year and I absolutely love having a birthday then. It's a lovely family time, even in my adult years we always come together (pre and hopefully post COVID) for a nice meal and the world seems so beautifully lit up.

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