How to calculate the time of birth using the last menstruation. The first signs of impending labor in multiparous women

Pregnancy is one of the most exciting and at the same time responsible periods in the life of every woman, and therefore it is not at all surprising that each of us wants to know the date of birth as soon as possible. However, this issue often causes numerous disagreements and disputes. Expectant mothers “torture” doctors with their questions, because they want to prepare for important event, however, they just shrug their shoulders, because they are not able to accurately determine the date of birth of the long-awaited baby.
In order to Calculate the due date, click the “find out due date” button.

Today: 27.07.2019
Date of the first day of last menstruation:
Conception most likely occurred (+-2 days):

Estimated due date:
Time left before giving birth:

The estimated date of birth (EDD) is calculated in several ways, each of which is approximate. That is, if according to calculations the baby should be born on January 1, then it is not a fact that this will happen with one hundred percent accuracy on this very day. Very often there are deviations from the expected date in one direction or another. And labor can begin either 2 weeks earlier or later. I bring to your attention a fairly simple, but very effective way to find out the probable due date of a child, which has been successfully used by many doctors in clinics for quite a long time.

Calculation based on the last day of menstruation

So, to independently calculate gestational age and using it to determine the expected day of birth, you need to remember the date of the start of your last menstruation. It is on this basis that all calculations are made. From this date you need to subtract 3 months and add another 7 days to the result.
The resulting number will be the expected due date of your long-awaited baby.
For example, the date of the last menstruation is April 22. This means that 3 months must be subtracted from this date.

We take away and receive - January 22. We add another 7 days to this figure and get January 29 - this day will be the expected date of birth.

1. You can find out the due date with fairly high accuracy by visiting a gynecologist’s office. The doctor will not order any tests for this, he will simply measure the size of the uterus, which will increase in size according to the age of the fetus. However, this method of calculating the date of birth of the baby is effective only in the first trimester of pregnancy. In the later stages (in the 2nd and 3rd trimester) in each woman, an increase in the size of the uterus occurs with varying intensity, depending on the individual characteristics of the body.
2. You can calculate the date of birth based on ovulation, which is the most favorable period in which conception most likely occurs. On such days, a woman usually experiences increased sexual desire. In addition, her discharge (cervical fluid) becomes stickier and thicker, basal body temperature rises by several tenths of a degree, the cervix rises, and the mammary glands become dense and painful.

So, to find out when your baby will be born based on ovulation, you need to add 280 days to this day (the duration of pregnancy). The resulting period will be the date of birth. If the period in which ovulation occurred is unknown, then calculate the middle of the last menstrual cycle, and then add the rest to it.
In the same way, you can perform calculations based on the date of conception. However, you should be aware that this period does not always coincide with the day on which sexual intercourse occurred. Fertilization of the egg, as a rule, occurs only on the third day.

3. Hardware calculation using ultrasonic waves can also be considered one of the most effective methods that allow you to determine the due date with an accuracy of 1-3 days. The most accurate calculations will be if an ultrasound is done during the 11-14 weeks of pregnancy.
4. His first movement, which usually occurs at the 20th week (for first-time mothers) and at the 18th for the second and subsequent pregnancies, will help declassify the secret of your child’s date of birth. In ancient times, when there was no ultrasound, this method of calculating the due date was almost the only one.

As soon as the expectant mother feels the first tangible tremors of her baby in her stomach, 20 weeks should be counted from that moment. The resulting date will be the probable day of birth of the child. If the birth is not the first, movements are usually felt earlier - at 18 weeks, so you will have to add not 20, but 22 weeks to this period.

The effectiveness of hardware methods in calculating the due date

Examination of the fetus in the third trimester using an ultrasound machine makes it possible to accurately determine the date of pregnancy, and therefore the expected due date. The fact is that only with the help of ultrasound diagnostics can a doctor observe the condition of the placenta, the position of the baby’s head in relation to the entrance to the pelvis, the level of opening cervix, signs of fetal maturity, as well as many others important factors. All these parameters are decisive in determining the readiness of the unborn baby and his mother for childbirth.

Is deviation from the deadline normal?

As mentioned above, all calculations of the expected due date are nothing more than a rough guideline that should not be relied heavily on. According to statistics, only 17% of women give birth on the appointed day, while the remaining 83% either earlier or later. Thus, we can conclude that it is possible to predict with high accuracy the start date labor activity no specialist is capable of this, no matter how smart and qualified he may be.
Normally, birth can occur between 38 and 42 weeks. pregnancy. The birth of a child will be neither premature nor late, but normal and physiological. Sometimes, for certain reasons, labor may begin prematurely. This happens due to abnormalities in fetal development,
stressful situations , various pathological processes occurring in the mother’s body, hereditary factors, etc..

Pregnancy often goes beyond that due to complications in the first trimester. In addition, maternal inheritance should be taken into account. If your mother and grandmother gave birth much later than the due date, then most likely the same thing awaits you. Therefore, it is very important to realize that calculating the due date is a very complex, conditional and individual question for each

expectant mother

Date of birth: are there accurate methods for determining it?

The date of birth is the main thing that worries women who are carrying a child. Every pregnant woman wants some certainty. Only after learning about the onset of a long-awaited pregnancy does the expectant mother want to know the date of her expected birth. But how to do it correctly? Many women try to calculate the due date based on the date of conception. And they don’t really do it the right way, adding 9 months to the estimated date of conception to calculate the due date. But this method of determining the date of birth by the date of conception is not entirely correct. Pregnancy lasts not exactly 9 months, but 280 days (10 lunar months). So how can you correctly determine the date of birth based on the date of conception? Are there other methods for determining the due date? Which one is the most accurate?

Determining the date of birth by the date of conception and the day of ovulation.

The date of birth is determined quite simply by the date of conception. As you know, the female body is capable of conception only during the period of ovulation - the release of a mature egg from the ovary. The female menstrual cycle lasts on average 28-35 days. And ovulation occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle. Knowing your ovulation date, you can easily predict your due date. Some women feel their ovulation. During this period, they feel a stabbing or aching sensation in the lower abdomen, the amount of vaginal discharge increases, and the sexual desire, and some even begin to experience mild spotting (bloody) vaginal discharge. Ovulation is accurately determined by ultrasound. But how can you determine the date of birth if you don’t know exactly the day of ovulation? To do this, you can simply calculate the middle of your menstrual cycle and add 280 days to this day. This way, you will calculate the approximate due date based on the date of conception. For example, if your menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, then ovulation occurs somewhere on days 12-14 of the cycle. Add 10 lunar months (280 days) to the date of expected conception and get the approximate date of birth. If you calculate the date of birth based on the date of sexual intercourse, then this option is even more reliable, especially if sexual intercourse was last menstrual cycle was a one-off. But it is worth remembering that the date of conception may not coincide with the day of sexual intercourse. Sperm can "live" in female body up to several days. That is, if unprotected sexual intercourse occurred on the 10th day of the cycle, then ovulation and conception could occur on the 12-13th day. And you need to calculate the date of birth based on the date of conception, that is, starting from the day of ovulation.

Determining the date of birth based on the date of the last menstruation.

When you come for a consultation with a gynecologist, usually the first thing the doctor asks is when your last menstruation was. Young, inexperienced girls, for the most part, do not particularly monitor the regularity of their menstrual cycle and cannot name the exact date. Others begin to remember the start and end dates of menstruation. Although the doctor only needs to know the first day of your menstruation to determine the duration of your pregnancy and the date of expected birth. It is from this day that the menstrual cycle is counted and its duration is calculated.

The most simple formula, which gynecologists themselves use to determine the date of birth - this is the Naegele formula. In order to calculate the date of birth using it, you need to subtract three months from the first day of your menstrual cycle and add seven days. For example, your last period started on April 3rd. We subtract three months - it turns out to be January 3. Now we add 7 days to January 3. It turns out that January 10 is the expected date of birth.

But this method of determining the date of birth is not always highly accurate. Since it is designed to determine the approximate date of birth for women whose menstrual cycle is exactly 28 days. If it is longer, then the due date will most likely come a little later and vice versa. This is due to the fact that with a long menstrual cycle, ovulation occurs later, and with a short one, earlier, 12-14 days, with the calculation for which this formula is derived. With an irregular menstrual cycle, it is very difficult to determine the date of ovulation and use this method to determine due dates is considered incorrect.

Determining the date of birth using ultrasound.

It is considered the most accurate to determine the date of birth using ultrasound examination. early stages pregnancy, up to 12 weeks. Having undergone an ultrasound scan at a very early stage, you can find out the duration of your pregnancy with an accuracy of literally one day, and in accordance with this, calculate the approximate date of conception and date of birth.

The pregnancy period is determined by ultrasound and more later pregnancy, in accordance with the size of the head and limbs of the fetus. But the conclusion of such an ultrasound can no longer be taken as a basis for determining the date of birth, since all babies develop in their own way, individually. And some babies are born weighing 5 kg, while others weigh 3 kg. Both are the norm. But only in the first case, a woman’s ultrasound in the second and third trimester of pregnancy will be given a due date that is a couple of weeks later than the present one and, accordingly, the due date will be given earlier. Childbirth, most likely, will begin later, and doctors, and the woman herself, will rush things, thinking that the pregnancy is post-term, and the expected date of birth has already passed. And vice versa, short, thin parents give birth to children with the same constitution. And on an ultrasound, a woman is diagnosed with “intrauterine growth retardation” or simply given a gestational age shorter than it actually is, thereby pushing back the correctly set date of birth to a later date.

Establishing an approximate date of birth based on the results of a gynecological examination.

A gynecologist who conducts a manual examination of a woman’s genitals can determine pregnancy “by touch.” The pregnancy period can be determined absolutely accurately, starting from 3-4 weeks. It is worth knowing that at later stages (more than 12 weeks) it will be almost impossible to set the exact date of pregnancy and determine the approximate date of birth. The reason for this is the same as when performing an ultrasound in later stages - this is that each child develops in its own way, individually. So, what does a gynecologist pay attention to during an examination? First of all, it is the size and shape of the uterus. In pregnant women, the uterus takes on a spherical shape (in non-pregnant healthy women, the uterus is pear-shaped) and increases in size. A more or less experienced gynecologist gives the gestational age and approximate due date, based on the size of the uterus.

Determining the due date in later stages of pregnancy.

There are times when it is difficult to determine the date of birth based on the date of conception. In such cases, you can use such a proven technique as determining the date of birth by the date of the baby’s first movement.

The baby in the womb begins to make its first movements quite early, around 12 weeks. But a pregnant woman does not feel them, since the baby is still very small. A primiparous woman begins to feel real movements at 20 weeks, and a multiparous woman at 18 weeks. Thus, to calculate the date of birth, in the first case you need to add 20 weeks to the day of the first movement, in the second case - 22 weeks. Thus, we will get an almost exact date of birth. Many women say that they begin to feel the first movements much earlier than expected - at 16 or even 14 weeks. Gynecologists usually do not take such statements seriously, attributing the baby’s alleged movements to intestinal contractions. But such sensitive women still exist and, in their case, determining the date of birth by the date of the baby’s first movement will be incorrect.

Somewhere from 14-16 weeks of pregnancy, a gynecologist can accurately determine the duration of pregnancy and the approximate date of birth through a routine examination (not on a gynecological chair). By touch, he will determine the height of the uterine fundus, on the basis of which it will be possible to judge the gestational age and calculate the date of birth not based on the date of conception. At 16 weeks, the fundus of the uterus is between the pubis and the navel, at 24 weeks - in the navel area, at 28 weeks - 4-6 cm above the navel, etc. There is another method for determining the gestational age and date of birth - measuring the abdominal circumference. But it does not differ in accuracy, since we are all different and initially our waist size is also different. In women who are prone to obesity, the volume of the abdomen will, in any case, be greater than that of a thin woman who has been given exactly the same due date. Measuring the length of the uterus is much more informative for calculating the date of upcoming birth.

Why is the date of birth called not exact, but only approximate?

Indeed, it is not possible to calculate the exact date of birth even based on the date of conception. We discussed the reasons for errors in calculating the date of birth based on conception at the beginning of this article. A relatively small percentage of women give birth exactly at the time determined by the gynecologist. Although they say that pregnancy should last exactly 40 weeks, in many cases this is not the case. The due date can occur at 38 weeks and this is also not a pathology. In case of multiple pregnancy, birth almost always occurs earlier than the date determined by the gynecologist. The date of birth, or more precisely its onset, may be influenced by some other factors, such as polyhydramnios, high pressure in a pregnant woman, diabetes, etc. You can calculate the due date based on the date of conception using an online calculator.

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Estimated date of birth(PDF) is the day when the pregnancy is exactly 40 weeks. Although a full-term pregnancy is considered to have reached a full 37 weeks, and in some cases a healthy full-term baby can be born at 42 weeks of pregnancy, it is still customary to focus on 40 weeks, since most births begin at this period.

Importance of Calculation expected date the birth of a baby is beyond doubt, and the point here is not only the desire of the parents to prepare for the arrival of a new family member. The medical side of the matter is also important. Let us list the reasons why a doctor managing a pregnancy needs to know the expected date of birth.

Fetal growth and development. It is important for a doctor monitoring the course of pregnancy to know how the developing baby corresponds in size to the gestational age (which is calculated based on the expected date of birth) in order to promptly diagnose such a serious complication as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), which is a consequence of placental insufficiency (pathology , in which the placenta does not fully perform the functions of providing the fetus with everything necessary for growth and development). Timely adequate diagnosis, and therefore treatment of this complication, has great importance for the further full development of the baby.

Preventing pregnancy complications. During the observation process, the obstetrician remembers that at various stages of pregnancy the development of certain complications is possible, and therefore the time frame within which it is necessary to carry out diagnostic measures to identify complications, their prevention and treatment is determined (for example, prenatal screening - diagnosis birth defects fetal development - must be carried out within clearly established periods of pregnancy, and if these terms are not met, its diagnostic value is sharply reduced). For diseases such as diabetes mellitus and hypertonic disease– if the course of the disease worsens or treatment does not have a positive effect, it may be necessary to deliver the child before labor begins on its own. Then the doctor needs to know in order to ensure the maximum possible degree of fetal maturity in a given clinical situation.

When to go to the maternity hospital

If there are indications for early hospitalization before delivery, it is important to correctly determine the timing within which the pregnant woman should go to the maternity hospital. Indeed, if hospitalization is too late (for example, on the eve of a planned caesarean section) there is a risk of not having time to carry out the required amount of examination and preparation for delivery, and too early hospitalization is not advisable, since a long stay of the expectant mother in the hospital can lead to increased level anxiety, stress on the eve of childbirth. The duration of prenatal hospitalization for various complications during pregnancy may vary. For example, when diabetes mellitus It is necessary to hospitalize a pregnant woman no later than 36 weeks. In case of transverse position of the fetus and placenta previa, the expectant mother should be in a hospital setting no later than 37 weeks (since during this period the processes of preparing the body for childbirth begin, which poses a great danger due to prenatal rupture of amniotic fluid in the case of transverse position of the fetus and the development of bleeding during presentation placenta). Women with breech presentation and anatomically narrow pelvis are sent to prenatal hospitalization at 38–39 weeks of pregnancy in order to have time to conduct a full examination, choose a method of delivery, and prevent post-term pregnancy.

How to calculate your due date

For determining expected date of birth Several methods are used.

Obstetric term(by date of last menstruation). It is generally accepted that the starting date of the menstrual cycle is the date of the first day of the last menstruation - that is, the full menstrual cycle is calculated as the interval from the first day of menstruation to the first day of the next menstruation.

For calculation expected date of birth There are two ways to determine the date of your period:

280 days are added to the date of the first day of the last menstruation (this is the average duration of pregnancy, counting from the date of menstruation).

Naegele's formula: 3 months are subtracted from the first day of the last menstruation and 7 days are added. For example, the last menstruation was on May 10 - subtracting 3 months, we get February 10, and adding 7 days, we get February 17 - this will be the expected date of birth based on the date of menstruation (we will assume that on February 17, the gestational age will be a full 40 weeks, and therefore, labor should begin around this time).

Embryonic term(by date of conception or ovulation). The probability of pregnancy is greatest on the day when ovulation occurs - the process of the release of a mature egg from the ovary. This usually occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle (for example, if the menstrual cycle is 28 days, then ovulation occurs on the 14th day, and if the cycle is 32 days, then on the 16th day).

Considering that the egg is capable of fertilization within 24 hours after ovulation, and the lifespan of the sperm is on average 72 hours (in some cases it can reach 4-5 days), then the probability of fertilization is not 1 day, but much earlier - starting from 9 -10th day of the menstrual cycle (with a 28-day cycle). This circumstance makes it much more difficult to determine the expected due date based on the date of conception. It is possible to establish the due date by conception in cases where a woman knows exactly the date of ovulation (for example, she monitored basal temperature or for medical reasons, ultrasound monitoring of folliculogenesis, the process of egg maturation, was carried out). To determine the PDP, 266 days are added to the date of conception (since this is the true duration of pregnancy) or 38 weeks.

With a regular menstrual cycle (28 days long), there is no difference between calculations based on the date of the last menstruation and the date of conception, therefore it is most convenient and informative to determine by the date of menstruation.

By date of first appearance antenatal clinic . This method Determining the duration of pregnancy and childbirth will be as informative as possible if the expectant mother consults a doctor before 12 weeks of pregnancy. When registering, in order to verify the presence of pregnancy and determine its duration, the doctor will perform an examination on a gynecological chair to determine the size of the uterus. It begins to increase from 5-6 weeks of pregnancy and takes on a spherical shape. In addition, during pregnancy the uterus becomes soft (outside of pregnancy, the uterus is pear-shaped and has a dense consistency).

When determining the size of the uterus during a gynecological examination, the doctor specifies which gestational age corresponds to an enlarged uterus. For example, at 5-6 weeks the uterus becomes the size of egg, at 7-8 weeks - the size of a goose egg, by 12 weeks it reaches the size of a newborn’s head and its bottom (so-called top part uterus) it is already possible to palpate (feel) through the anterior abdominal wall without resorting to vaginal examination. Starting from the second trimester, the height of the uterine fundus can be used to approximately determine the duration of pregnancy: by 16 weeks, the uterine fundus is in the middle of the distance between the womb and the navel, by 24 weeks - at the level of the navel.

It is important to remember that the longer the gestational age, the higher the error may be when determining it by this parameter, since the height of the uterine fundus depends on many individual characteristics: the number of births in history, the size of the fetus, gynecological diseases(for example, with uterine fibroids, the size of this organ will be larger than normal for given period), anatomical features of the expectant mother’s body, etc. Therefore highest value to determine the PDD by attending the antenatal clinic, an examination was carried out before 12 weeks of pregnancy - then the doctor will be able to determine the gestational age based on the size of the uterus.

According to ultrasound data. Determination of gestational age and expected date of birth It can be done quite accurately if an ultrasound is performed in the first trimester of pregnancy (up to 12 weeks). When conducting an ultrasound examination at the earliest stages (and it is possible to see the fertilized egg by ultrasound from 3-5 weeks of pregnancy, the embryo begins to be clearly visualized a little later - starting from 5-6 weeks of pregnancy) the average internal diameter is measured ovum and the coccygeal-parietal size of the CTE of the unborn child. For each stage of pregnancy, there are certain CTE standards, measured in millimeters, by comparing which with the data obtained, you can quite accurately determine the expected date of birth.

In the second and third trimesters gestational age is established based on the measurement of certain dimensions of the fetus: such as biparietal size (the distance between the parietal tubercles, or the large transverse size of the fetal head), head circumference, abdominal circumference, diameter of the chest and abdomen of the fetus, length of the femur. The data obtained also allows us to judge the gestational age, but it must be remembered that the longer it is, the greater the likelihood of error. This is explained by the fact that as the fetus develops, depending on the characteristics of the pregnancy, the presence of maternal diseases, hereditary factors, the size of the fetus, by which the gestational age is judged, will vary significantly. One mother will have a child weighing 2600 g and a height of 48 cm, and the other will have a child weighing 4500 g and a height of 57 cm, which is completely normal, since all people have individual anthropometric characteristics. Thus, it is possible to determine the gestational age as accurately as possible using ultrasound data in I trimester of pregnancy or at about 20 weeks, when there is the greatest correspondence between the size of the fetus and the gestational age.

By date of first movement fetus PDP can also be determined by such a parameter as the date of the first fetal movement. In this situation, it is more correct to talk about the date when the pregnant woman first felt the fetal movements, since the fetus begins to actively move in the uterus from 8 weeks of pregnancy, the mother simply does not feel this due to the too small size of the child. It is believed that primiparous women first feel fetal movements on average from 20 weeks of pregnancy, and multiparous women - from 18 weeks, therefore, to determine the expected due date for this parameter, 20 weeks are added to the date of the first fetal movement in primiparous women, and 22 weeks in multiparous women.

It should be noted that this method definitions of traffic rules is considered additional, or auxiliary, since fetal movements are a very subjective sensation, and moreover, expectant mothers do not always notice it for the first time within the above periods. For example, first-time mothers may feel fetal movements for the first time later in pregnancy - after all, this is a sensation that is still unfamiliar to them, and at first they may confuse it with intestinal motility or simply not notice it. Women with a pronounced layer of subcutaneous fat may first feel fetal movements 1-2 weeks later. Multiparous women, on the contrary, can notice the first movements at an earlier date (at 16-17 weeks), since they already know how it happens. These circumstances may reduce the accuracy of determining the expected due date based on the date of the first fetal movement.

For what calculate the maximum allowance according to several parameters?

The need to calculate expected date of birth according to several methods is simultaneously caused by the following factors. Firstly, despite the presence state-of-the-art methods Estimating the duration of pregnancy, predicting when a woman will go into labor (with an accuracy of the day) is almost impossible. Secondly, some data from which it is customary to calculate the expected date of birth, due to various reasons may not be informative. For example, if you have an irregular menstrual cycle, calculating the gestational age based on the date of the last menstruation will not be accurate, and if you arrive late at the antenatal clinic, have gynecological diseases (uterine fibroids), or are overweight, it will be difficult to determine the gestational age based on the size of the uterus. Taking these circumstances into account, the doctor sets the expected due date according to maximum number data to clarify the time interval in which labor is most likely to begin. As a result expected due date most often it is defined not as one specific date (for example, January 15), but as a time period (for example, from January 12 to 17).

However, even at the expected date of birth, which is correctly calculated based on all data, not all pregnant women begin, since the duration of pregnancy in each case depends on many factors. That is why the date of birth is called estimated.

Length of pregnancy, and therefore the period when regular labor will develop, are individual, and are also calculated based on the fact that labor will begin upon reaching a full 40 weeks, but the pregnancy is considered full-term after 37 weeks, so labor can begin in 2-3 weeks before the expected due date. A variant of the norm is the development of labor in the 41st week of pregnancy.

Thus, on duration of pregnancy and the timing of labor are influenced by many factors, among which an important role is played by the history of the expectant mother, the number of previous births, the presence of miscarriages, premature births and/or abortions in the past, existing chronic diseases. In addition to these features, for a period onset of labor The characteristics of the course of a given pregnancy also influence. For example, during a multiple pregnancy, labor often begins earlier than during a singleton pregnancy, and the gestation period is inversely proportional to the number of fetuses (the more fetuses, the shorter the period), which is due to overdistension of the uterus. With the development of placental insufficiency (a pathology of pregnancy in which one or more functions of the placenta are disrupted, leading to insufficient provision of the fetus with everything necessary for growth and development), it is possible that early development labor activity, as well as an increase in the duration of pregnancy by 1-2 weeks.

Despite the absolute impossibility precise definition due date, it is still necessary to correctly calculate the maximum allowance. Focusing on the expected date of birth, the degree of biological readiness of the expectant mother’s body for childbirth (determined by a doctor based on a number of signs, one of the main ones is the degree of maturity of the cervix - the presence of biological readiness for childbirth is the key to the physiological course of labor and a favorable outcome for the mother and fetus) and condition fetus, the doctor will be able to promptly resolve the issue of the need for preparation for childbirth, prenatal hospitalization, drug treatment and so on.

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Expecting a second pregnancy in the early stages does not raise any special questions - the woman already has a similar experience. But with the last weeks of the term, the matter is more complicated: it often reacts faster and more sensitively than in the run-up to the first birth. It is better to prepare for this in advance, any doctor will tell you this. Let's consider what signs and symptoms indicate an imminent onset in multiparous women.

Abdominal prolapse

This happens to most women giving birth, although not to all. If your stomach is clearly “lowered”, get ready, it won’t be long before giving birth.

In terms of physiology, this is due to the fact that many babies in the womb are positioned upside down, and before birth their head drops lower, fixing itself in the so-called lower pelvis.

At the same time, the upper part goes down a little, and the expectant mother feels the following:

It becomes easier to breathe.

Disappear or burp.
Due to the displacement of the uterus, its pressure is placed on the urinary tract and rectum. There is discomfort when sitting and walking, as well as during walking (it is difficult to find a comfortable position).
Pain in the pelvis and perineum increases.
The urge to go to the restroom becomes more frequent.

Important! It is impossible to “transfer” the experience of the first birth to the birth of the second baby: almost all prenatal processes in the body occur much faster. Therefore, it is better to take care of your visit to the maternity hospital in advance.

Gynecologists emphasize that prolapse of the abdomen (as well as its constant position) is a purely individual matter, and it is impossible to calculate the baby’s date of birth based on this sign alone; pay attention to other features.
True, in almost all such mothers the stomach drops a day (or even several hours) before giving birth.

Throughout, dense and thick mucus closes the cervical canal, thereby protecting the fetus from infection.

At the final stage, the cervix itself begins to smooth out and gradually open slightly, pushing out this “shutter.” That's how:

this plug comes off just before childbirth in multiparous women
Mucus is secreted in small volumes (2 – 3 ml).
The consistency is denser than usual vaginal ones, colorless or with slight blood streaks.

Detachment can be immediate, but even if the characteristic lumps partially come out, you should not be alarmed.

There is no clearly designated time for its departure, but keep in mind - there are a few hours left.

If such discharge occurs more than 2 weeks before the calculated date and has a bright bloody color, consult a doctor immediately.

This is one of the surest signals. Approximately 2 - 3 weeks before, the set stops and a small “reset” begins. Usually this is 1 - 2 kilograms, but the woman in labor feels their loss.

At this time, the body increases the amount of secretions, thereby getting rid of excess fluid.
This is expressed in a decrease. Eat simple way make sure of this: just look at your feet. If previously the elastic bands from socks dug into the skin, now there will be no trace of these strips.

Changing your posture

They immediately catch the eye of loved ones. It is difficult not to notice them: the gait becomes even more sedate and duck-like - you have to move, as if waddling from foot to foot. The head is tilted back a little.

Important! With such changes in gait, it is better to limit walking (and movement in general). The load on the lumbar and cervical segments of the spine increases sharply at this time, and after childbirth pain may appear in these places.

The fact is that the downward movement of the uterus, characteristic of the end of term, changes the entire “weight distribution” of the body: the center of gravity is temporarily lowered, which creates difficulties during normal walking. The head plays the role of a counterweight.

Such sensations have a pronounced “aching” character: there are no sharp pains, but they are still quite unpleasant. It is noted that in women before their second birth they are observed less frequently than in less experienced “colleagues”.

Here are their main causes and manifestations:

Stretching of the muscles and ligaments that hold the uterus.
Irregular false contractions, which increase the load on the muscles of the back, lower back and abdomen.
The bottom suddenly “turns to stone” and stretches out painfully. If the mucus has passed before this, be prepared for the onset of labor soon.

Heavy discharge

With repeated births, they come out much more large quantities than with the first ones.

The lower half of the amniotic sac surrounding the baby peels off from the “uterine” walls and indicates an imminent visit to the maternity hospital.

Such fluids exit through the genitourinary tract. This is the moment that scares many women in labor - they begin to worry that amniotic fluid is leaking. Did you know?-When a baby is born, the heart beats 120–160 beats per minute. For comparison

in adults, such numbers appear only during moments of increased activity (for example, after a game of tennis).
There is no need to panic: the discharge can be easily checked for the presence of amniotic fluid, which is determined by the results of a rapid test.

In the third trimester, especially towards its end, visits to the toilet become more frequent. This is logical - the uterus simply puts pressure on the bladder, causing a rapid release of fluid.

Now about the chair. Of course, in pregnant women it is far from ideal, but it can still be stable. A sudden upset bowel movement for no apparent reason is a sure sign that there are 1–2 days left before delivery.
For women in labor expecting their second child, such manifestations at 38–39 weeks are very unpleasant: often accompanied by severe and frequent vomiting.

There is only one solution - run to the maternity hospital. Some, fearing poisoning, run to the “infectious diseases”, but this is not the case, and in such a situation, every minute counts.

Baby's behavior

Pay attention to the child's activity. Before their first “outing into the world,” even the wild little ones quiet down. But this calm is just a respite.

Important! Having noticed several signs from this list, get ready for the appearance of the baby in the next 24 hours– two. Longer delays are rare.

If the baby has developed excessive activity in the womb, know: he is already preparing, looking for better position for childbirth. The wait won't be long.

Flurry of activity

It has become easier to breathe, the pain has subsided a little - why not do some housework or clean the room. This is what many mothers think.

We already know that a feeling of lightness appears due to the “unloading” of the lungs and part of the gastrointestinal tract. At this time you need to be prepared.

A purely psychological factor is also added. At the level of instinct, a woman begins to prepare the home for the reception of a new tenant - she cleans the nursery, endlessly spreads or mixes something. Psychologists call this behavior “nesting.”

This is where loved ones come into play. If expectant mother Yesterday she could hardly walk around the apartment, and today she is busy around the house, glowing with happiness - prepare her for the voyage to the maternity hospital.

Perhaps this is the first thing that comes to mind before answering the question of what signs can be used to understand that labor has almost begun in multiparous women.

There is one caveat here: in such cases, the water begins to come out even before the contractions begin (unlike the first birth, where the fluid comes out after them).
The volume of such secretions may be quite insignificant, but this should not be misleading. If the deadlines are already running out, this means that labor is about to start.

Such fluids exit through the genitourinary tract. This is the moment that scares many women in labor - they begin to worry that amniotic fluid is leaking. The popular belief is that the sex of a baby can be determined by its heart rate.-it is a myth. There is no connection, although many stubbornly believe that if the heart beats faster, there will be a girl (and eventually a boy).

In cases where pregnancy is accompanied by underlying diseases or complications, water often comes out suddenly and in large quantities. This should be taken into account long before visiting the maternity hospital.

Contractions

Everyone has heard about how contractions begin, including in multiparous women, the sensations are really strong and memorable.
It is important here not to confuse labor contractions with training contractions. It turns out that this is not the case for everyone, so let’s list the features of real fights:

They are regular (while false ones appear periodically and unevenly).
Gradual strengthening.
The painless intervals between them are only getting shorter.
Contractions are accompanied by brownish discharge.

With such symptoms, it is better to lay the woman in labor on her side, placing a pillow between her legs, and immediately call an ambulance. No massages, enemas, showers or rubbing - they stimulate uterine contractions and are therefore contraindicated.

Important! Many women in labor recall with horror how during their first birth the medical staff tried to speed up the process of increasing contractions. When you re-enter maternity hospital the likelihood of this is very low-everything happens very quickly.

You can go to the maternity hospital in your own car or by taxi, but then the woman will have to be placed in the back seat (necessarily sideways).
Such a rapid development of the situation should not be scary - it is natural. But prolonged contractions alert doctors: the baby may be positioned incorrectly or the woman in labor may have a deformed pelvis.

Other harbingers

Among other harbingers imminent birth In multiparous women, it is worth highlighting the following manifestations:

Appetite may change up to complete refusal of food. Food during this period even causes disgust and vomiting.
Chills appear. Most often this happens in the late afternoon or at night.
The temperature rises slightly.
Many people feel a not particularly painful, but rather unpleasant bloating from the inside, which increases daily.
If the situation in the house is far from ideal, it can even lead to slight dizziness. The understanding and care of loved ones is important here.

Such fluids exit through the genitourinary tract. This is the moment that scares many women in labor - they begin to worry that amniotic fluid is leaking. Before childbirth, a real hormonal “explosion” occurs in a woman’s body.-the level of estrogen production in just one day reaches 3 “usual” annual norms!

We found out how the last stage before the onset of the second birth differs. We hope this data will help in practice. You shouldn’t forget about medical consultations either - specialists will warn you about the body’s reactions in a particular case. Health to the kids and patience to the parents!

Finding out the due date is a natural desire of a woman carrying a baby. This helps to better prepare for the birth of a child and mentally tune in to the process of childbirth. If there are several ways to calculate the due date yourself.

Estimated date of birth (EDD) is the date when labor should begin after forty weeks of gestation. These are approximate figures, since thirty-seven weeks is the period from which the pregnancy is considered full-term. The baby can be born at forty-one weeks and even at forty-two weeks, and this is also considered a normal period, but usually doctors do not allow the expectant mother to go through such a long transition and stimulate labor artificially.

Not a single specialist, including the most highly qualified doctor, can name exact number when labor begins.

The timing of a baby's birth is largely influenced by individual characteristics the expectant mother and the condition of the baby. For this reason, the day of birth can only be calculated approximately.

There are several methods for calculating your due date. It is recommended to use all methods at once in order to compare the results later.

By date of conception

This method can only be used by a woman who is sure on what specific day of intimacy conception occurred. Calculation of the approximate date of birth of the baby is carried out according to the formula:

“The day of conception + 266 days = day of birth.”

You need to add 3-5 days to the resulting date or subtract the same amount. This error is due to the fact that a man’s seed can remain viable in a woman’s body for a week.

If pregnancy occurs on this day, then the expected date of birth of the baby is calculated using the formula:

“Day of ovulation + 268 days = date of birth of the baby.”

The error is also 3-5 days.

By last menstruation

When calculating the date of birth based on the last menstruation, two methods are used.

280 days are added to the first day of menstruation. The resulting date will be the expected date of birth. The essence of this calculation is that the difference between the beginning of the cycle and the day of ovulation is two weeks.
According to Nägel's formula. It is based on the fact that the gestation period for a baby is 280 days. According to this, in order to calculate the expected date of birth of the baby, it is recommended to subtract 3 months from the first day of menstruation, and add a week to the result obtained. On this day, exactly one year from now, the birth should take place, taking into account the error of several days.

The use of any of the options is relevant only when a woman has regular cycle. If menstruation begins in different time, then the data obtained will be inaccurate with an error of thirty days.

When calculating the due date, medical workers usually use the second method.

An ultrasound scan shows the day on which ovulation occurred, as well as the gestational age. This is one of the few methods that determines the exact date of pregnancy to the day. To do this, it is recommended to carry it out in the first trimester. Knowing the period, the date of ovulation or menstruation is determined. This allows you to calculate the expected date of birth of the baby in several ways.

The ultrasound itself can also provide information about the day of delivery. To do this, the procedure is carried out after the 20th week of pregnancy. In this case, the specialist clearly sees at what stage of development the fetus is and can determine when it is time for the baby to be born.

If an ultrasound examination reveals that the baby has begun to develop faster, the specialist may be confused in his calculations. In this case, he states that the gestational age of the baby was incorrectly determined and moves the date of the start of labor.

According to the first movements

If the expectant mother was able not to miss the time of the baby’s first movement, confusing it with the natural processes occurring in the intestines, then she can calculate the date of birth of the child from this moment.

According to statistics, the baby begins to move after the 20th week of conception, if this is the first pregnancy. If the mother carries the baby for the second and subsequent times, the baby will make itself known after the 18th week. As practice shows, a woman can feel the first movements 14 days ahead of schedule. This also happens two weeks later than expected. For this reason, the error in calculating the approximate date of birth is plus or minus 14 days.

To find out using this method what date the baby should be born, during the first pregnancy, 20 weeks are added to the date of movement. If this is the mother’s second birth and subsequent ones, then 22 weeks are added to the date. The resulting figure will be the estimated date of onset of labor.

Based on the results of a gynecological examination

Based on the results of the examination, an experienced doctor can determine what date a woman should give birth. The specialist makes his assumptions based on the size of the uterus and its condition. The technique is relevant only in the first trimester of pregnancy.

If a woman comes later than this period, even a gynecologist with extensive experience will not say when the baby will be born, since the size of the uterus changes differently for each woman. The dimensions of the organ are influenced by the individual characteristics of the expectant mother and a number of other factors.

When determining the expected date of birth, the doctor is based on the duration of pregnancy at 40 weeks. This is the average norm for carrying a baby.

In the early stages of conception, a gynecological examination does not provide information about when labor will begin. This is due to the fact that the uterus cannot be felt through the abdominal wall during external examination. In this case, the due date can be determined by an obstetric examination. These data are also approximate as the result depends on internal sensations doctor and his work experience.

Clinical studies show that when pregnancy reaches four weeks, the uterus becomes the size of a chicken egg. In the eighth week of gestation, the baby's dimensions increase to the size of a goose egg. At the twelfth week of pregnancy, the uterus enlarges to such a state that it reaches the edge of the pubic bone.

In this way, the doctor will determine the date of birth of the baby only in the first trimester. If the expectant mother applied at a later date, she is recommended to use other methods to correctly determine the due date.

Which method is considered the most effective?

Ultrasound examination is considered the most effective method for determining the date of onset of labor.

It shows the condition of the placenta, how the baby’s head is positioned relative to the entrance to the pelvis, the level of development of the child and the size of the opening of the cervix. Having compared all these factors, the specialist names the gestational age of the baby as accurately as possible, and based on this, the due date is calculated.

Another effective method calculating the onset of labor - examination by a gynecologist. This method provides relatively accurate information if you consult a specialist in the early stages of pregnancy.

Gynecological specialists often determine the date of expected birth based on menstruation. They use Nägel's formula for this. To use this method of calculation, the doctor must ask the expectant mother whether she regularly has periods or not.

If the answer is negative, the specialist must use other methods of calculating the date of onset of labor, otherwise inaccuracy may be made, which will lead to the onset of labor outside the hospital or the woman’s stay in the maternity hospital for too long.

Other methods can be used as additional methods to calculate the day of birth as accurately as possible.

Why are the results of establishing PDR considered approximate?

According to statistics, only 5% of mothers give birth to babies on the date they calculated or were told by a specialist. No method has been developed that will allow one to determine the exact day of birth. Each method has an error of 3-5 days and even two weeks.

An ultrasound may also be inaccurate if the baby is in an awkward position in the uterus. Deviations in deadlines provoke and multiple pregnancy. In this case, several factors are compared in order to at least approximately understand when the birth of children will take place.

The following factors influence the baby's birth date:

age of the expectant mother;
pathologies that a woman suffered during pregnancy or chronic diseases that arose before pregnancy;
location of the placenta;
environmental situation in the region of residence;
state of the nervous system;
harmful addictions;
baby size and multiple pregnancy;
child's development level;
repeat pregnancy;
heredity.

The main point that influences the onset of labor is the course of pregnancy. If there are no complications, labor may begin several days earlier or later than the expected due date. The discrepancy is usually from 3 to 5 days.

Conclusion

How to calculate the due date as accurately as possible? Unfortunately, even a specialist can only give an approximate date for the baby’s birth. But such data is usually enough to mentally prepare for childbirth and prepare everything necessary for the baby for this day.

Online services have appeared on the Internet in which women are asked to enter some information and find out the date of birth. This method is also only an estimate and is not recommended to be relied upon with 100% certainty.