Due date and planned date of conception

 
Part of planning for a child is deciding when the baby should be born. The mother may want to plan the birth for a specific month, season, or around other significant events. Knowing when the optimal time to conceive is useful in such planning. As well, knowing a due date can help the mother plan around the birth and organize her life accordingly.

The beginning of pregnancy is calculated from the start of the mother's last menstrual period - about two weeks prior to actual conception. The mother can calculate the due date by counting 280 days from the first day of bleeding of her last period; or, count back three months from the date of her last period and then add seven days. Knowing this date will help the mother plan her pregnancy, and it will help her doctor by aiding him in estimating the age of the baby and in monitoring his development. It should be understood though, that due dates are approximations and only 5% of all babies are born on their due date.

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