Due Dates are BS - 5 Reasons
Photo by Wildflowers and Twine
5 reasons I think Due Dates are BS!
Women are said to be the first mathematicians (matheme-women? yessss). They counted 10 moons til they could expect to meet their baby – this equals to be about 42 weeks.
Our poor babies, slapped with a made up expiry date and expected to evacuate on time, if you ask me that is A LOT to expect of a baby. A baby that knows exactly when they need to be born, but does not know the concept of time. I always say your gestation is a guess of how old your baby is.. and that’s it!
It is definitely from personal experience that I now see how BS due dates are (I was induced at 42 weeks and baby was showing no signs of coming anytime soon by 42+4!! she was born perfectly healthy). But since researching, doula-ing and truly believing that due dates are BS, these are my reasons:
1. Every woman is different, their cycle length, their ancestry
2. Every baby is different and needs a different length of gestation
3. The way they calculate your due date can be wildly inaccurate
4. Babies and mothers KNOW when to be born
5. The actual evidence says different
Photo my Illuminate with Nikola - Zia & Mathys
When the medicalization of birth came in, of course, the timing of pregnancy and birth needed to be controlled and planned. For a while, a woman's last menstrual period (LMP) would be used to calculate when baby might be born. Not only do woman all have different cycle lengths and ovulate on different days, (genetics can also play a part in how long you gestate for) but when they started using this equation they did not know if they were meant to be estimating 40 weeks from the first day or last day of your last period! So this method is inaccurate to say the least.
You can have a dating scan around the 8 - 12-week mark to calculate the age of your baby which is said to be more accurate than the LMP guess but does not take into consideration that every baby grows in their own time, and every baby is born at their own size and gestation (usually for a reason). Babies KNOW when they are ready to be born, whether early or later on in pregnancy.
So if your baby can’t read the calendar to know when they’re due, how does labour actually start. There are a few theories, but researchers now believe that once the baby is ready to breathe in the outside world, i.e., when their lungs and heart are fully formed, they release an enzyme to mumma's uterus that triggers her brain to know it's time. Once mumma's body is ready (physically and mentally), then labor will begin. It is such a beautiful example of the intrinsic connection between mumma and baby.
This is why we increasingly see issues with pre-labour caesareans and early inductions, with babies needing help to breathe and spending in time in NICU because they just were not ready to be outside yet.
The latest evidence shows that if we HAD to pick a date when your baby is most likely to come it would be 40weeks and 5days. This looks at a range of births and takes the average birth day, but my babe, you are NOT just average (you’re way better + cooler)!!
So if your baby knows when to be born, and we can't accurately guess when they will be ready to come out, why does our society focus so heavily on Due Dates?... Well, it's a cultural thing. It is not necessary, but has been normalized in our day-to-day life.
I think we all need to ask ourselves, and those that question us, why are we so focused on this made-up date? Why must we be so in control of our birth and when our baby is born? Why can't we trust our body and our baby?
If you ask me, focusing on 40 weeks or placing any type of 'due' label on your baby is dangerous and honestly, way too much to ask of your baby. We see so many interventions happening in and before birth just because of a made-up due label, when really all that number tells you is a guess of your babies age.
I always say to my clients “expect to give birth at 42 weeks, be prepared to give birth at 37 weeks”. And don’t tell those around you an exact ‘due date’. It can be very annoying receiving a text every morning after 40 weeks asking if your baby has arrived yet.
If you’re concentrating your whole pregnancy on baby being born at 40 weeks, it can be really disheartening to pass that date. This can lead to interventions and induction which can be serious business. We know that 40 week estimates can be inaccurate and that all babies need a different amount of time to be ready for the outside world, so you may be inducing your baby much earlier than expected. According to https://everyweekcounts.com.au/ “Every week that a baby is born before 40 weeks can impact their health - whether that’s increasing their need for medical treatment at birth or related to brain development and future learning difficulties.”
Intervention and induction has been proven to put you at higher risk of birth trauma, caesarean birth and dissatisfaction with your birth. Induction is taken so lightly in our culture without considering the ongoing impact these outcomes have on baby, mother and family. Read more here: https://midwifethinking.com/2016/07/13/induction-of-labour-balancing-risks/
So, take from this whatever resonates and leave the rest behind but I personally think due dates are BS!
Please let me know what you think of this blog by dropping a comment or get in touch.
Check out some more detailed information about due dates here: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-due-dates/
And read up on the brain development that occurs in the later weeks of pregnancy here: https://everyweekcounts.com.au/
For the record, 37 - 42 weeks is considered a normal time for a baby to gestate, i.e. a 'term' pregnancy. Before 37 weeks is considered 'pre-term', after 39 weeks is considered 'full-term', and after 42 weeks is considered 'post-term'.
Disclaimer: Please consider that this is written from my opinion and any advice is general in nature. You should seek medical advice if necessary and conduct your own research about the safety and statistics of babies being born before or after 40 weeks.
My name is Nikola, I’m a birth Doula and Photographer servicing parents in Perth’s NOR. If you feel called to connect with me you can email me on illuminatewithnikola@outlook.com
With kindness,
Nikola