{"id":8161,"date":"2024-08-20T22:37:23","date_gmt":"2024-08-20T12:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/?p=8161"},"modified":"2024-08-20T22:37:24","modified_gmt":"2024-08-20T12:37:24","slug":"rethinking-pregnancy-due-dates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/rethinking-pregnancy-due-dates\/","title":{"rendered":"Why It\u2019s Time to Rethink Pregnancy Due Dates: A Modern Doula\u2019s Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Alice Worthy, The Modern Doula<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think it\u2019s about time we re\u2013branded Due Dates for good, and to be clear, I mean pregnancy due dates (please continue following use\u2013by dates for dairy, meat and other fresh produce)! Due Dates are not only totally out of date (no pun intended), but they are inaccurate 96% of the time and usually do more harm than good by putting unnecessary pressure on mothers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So\u2026 how did we come to getting these EDDs (estimated due dates)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, way back in 1744 (I\u2019m not joking), a professor from the Netherlands worked out the EDD based on 100 pregnant women\u2019s records. He took the dates of their last period and added 7 days and 9 months. Alternatively, you can add 280 days from the first day of your last menstrual period. It\u2019s also important to know, that all of these dates are based off the presumption that every woman has a 28 day cycle and ovulates on day 14, which we know is wildly inaccurate.
So, despite all the wonderful advancements of modern medicine and science, we are still using a method from the 18th century and using it to determine when a baby will be born, when it\u2019s time to induce, and how big or small a baby (and a mother) should be against these dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, as Dr Sara Wickham puts it in her book In Your Own Time, \u201cestimated due dates are just that: estimates. They are not appointments. They aren\u2019t use\u2013by, sell\u2013by or best\u2013before dates\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is, we have so much pressure on these dates for many reasons, and they can be more harmful than helpful. Firstly, we have societal pressure. The constant \u201cwhen are you due?!\u201d comments, friends putting the date in their calendar to remind them to check in on you, your mum\u2019s friends wanting to know the exact date just\u2026 because, the dreaded barrage of text messages when you pass 40 weeks, or the assumptions that because you didn\u2019t post to Instagram in 24 hours that you be in labour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, we have pressure from the hospital system. Majority of first\u2013time mums are induced purely for going beyond their EDD with no other risk factors. We know that induction carries it\u2019s own set of risks, which often outweigh the risks of going beyond the EDD considering a normal pregnancy is classed between 38\u201342 weeks, but this is rarely communicated to women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, we have our own internal pressures. Being pregnant isn\u2019t easy, and when you\u2019ve been doing it for 9+ months, you\u2019re just excited to meet your baby. Those final weeks carry an intense amount of anticipation and there\u2019s a sense of wanting to have some ounce of control in order to plan your final weeks. Going \u201cover due\u201d also carries a bit of worry and doubt when you\u2019re stuck wondering if your body will ever do it on it\u2019s own (it will).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So with all this in mind, I propose a rebrand to Due Dates and I have some alternative options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due Month:<\/strong>
This is a much more broad way of speaking to your date. It provides those around you who are eager to know your EDD with a period of time that is still quite specific, yet holds less pressure on you as the mama to have your baby a certain date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due Window:
<\/strong>The window of time can be referred to as your dates between 38 and 42 weeks. It comes with a sense of control (\u201cI will have a baby between X and X\u201d), yet allows for flexibility in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due Season:
<\/strong>I love the due season. If you\u2019re in the middle of a season and you\u2019re guaranteed to have a baby in it, this is an amazing way to tell people your due date while keeping the actual date to yourself. I think \u201cI\u2019m having a summer baby\u201d has a great ring to it, don\u2019t you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due Year:
<\/strong>This is for the mama\u2019s that really want to leave the date totally out of conversation. When anyone asks you your due date you can respond \u201clate 2024\u201d or \u201cearly next year\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Modern Doula<\/strong> supports women and their families through pregnancy, birth and beyond without the woo\u2013woo! Alice is a \u2018modern doula\u2019, combining ancient principles of birth support in a modern way that is easy to understand and implement for a more calm and confident birth experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alice Worthy, The Modern Doula I think it\u2019s about time we re\u2013branded Due Dates for good, and to be clear, I mean pregnancy due dates (please continue following use\u2013by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sync_status":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[],"series":[170],"class_list":["post-8161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-events","series-on-the-coast-families"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/pregnant-woman-makes-notes-looking-ultrasound-image-medical-documents.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/feed\/podcast\/on-the-coast-families","embedCode":"

Why It\u2019s Time to Rethink Pregnancy Due Dates: A Modern Doula\u2019s Perspective<\/a><\/blockquote>