due dates ~ was your first early/late?

[michken]

Hi everyone,

this is my first time posting in the lounge, and I'm wondering about your experiences related to this. was your first baby early or late relative to the estimated due date? I'm pregnant with our first baby, and his due date is July 22nd. We're moving out-of-state on June 24th, and so I'll be changing doctors & seeing my new OB on June 26th. I'm really hoping our baby doesn't want to enter the world early. Are there any good ways to avoid this from happening?

Thanks for your advice. :)

[rebeccaravit]

I know that this is unusual, esp. for a first baby, but DS was born on his due date.

[michken]

wow, that's really nice. :) thanks for sharing.

[elliput]

I was induced three weeks early for medical reasons (pre-e). Couldn't really avoid it.

[michken]

your daughter is really cute. I like your icon of her picture. :) thanks for sharing!

[mattiew]

Our first was due on 12/1 and born 11/26. As you know babies come when they want but I would try and stay off my feet and not lift anything (all of which will be difficult in the middle of a move). Good luck!!

[jillc]

My DD was born 3 days before her due date.

We were hoping she'd come a little earlier than that b/c we had a move planned for 2 weeks after her due date, but no such luck!

Good luck w/your move. Make sure you take it easy & don't overdo it w/trying to lift, etc.

Congrats on your little one on the way! Here's hoping he's not early!

[michken]

thanks so much for your advice. :) yes, my husband will do most of the packing/moving, and my mom will be here to help out as well. we still have to hire a moving company -- thankfully we don't have very many things in this small apartment, and we're leaving most of our furniture behind.

[michken]

thank you for your congrats & wishes that he's not too early. :)

[janeybwild]

She was 9 days early. Good luck with your move and having junior stay put 'till you're ready :)

[michken]

thanks so much. :) wow, I'm so surprised that so many of you have had first babies born a little earlier than expected. Did your babies measure ahead in terms of growth in the ultrasounds? (my fundal height is one centimeter smaller than expected, but still within normal range. I haven't had an U/S since my level II one in Feb).

[ribbit1019]

Both of mine were over a week late each (9 days and 11 days). It isn't uncommon to have your first a little late, but there are health issues that can cause you to be induced earlier. Our babies (and bodies) are on their own timetable. :)

Congrats!

Christy
My Waterbabies
Maddy born 6/9/04
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040609/3/4/0/-5/.png
&
Jarred born 3/8/06, 11 lb 14.5 oz 24" @ 6 wks, a happily breastfed babe.
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Co-Owner Ribbit Baby

[juliasmom05]

Same here. DD was born on her due date.

Marci

Mom to Julia 4/05

[CharmedOne]

DS actually came 4 days after his due date. We guessed he didn't want to share the same birth month as me and DH. He decided instead to arrive on our anniversary. :)

Take it easy during the move. Your due date is more of a "guess" date. Our birthing instructor said to give ourselves 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after the due date. Your baby will come when he/she is ready.


Caroline

Precious Little Nathan
http://lilypie.com/baby1/060601/2/12/1/-8/.png[/img][/url]

[cbm]

In my case it depends on who you ask. According to the doctor, the baby came at 38 weeks. My husband's calculations put the birth of the baby at the actual date of birth (see below). He isn't a doctor, I should add. We knew exactly when the baby was conceived though. It may have made a difference. In retrospect, I should have bet something with the doctor like free delivery or something :-).
Many people I know have had the baby at 38 weeks. I think the other two weeks are added to give the doctor room to err on the date.
There nothing you can do about keeping the baby in there longer. The baby will come when the baby is ready to come :-). Congratulations!

Claudia
DS 12/18/04

[Alice523]

I was induced on my due date. My mom had me three weeks late and my sister two weeks late. I'm pretty sure I would have gone at least another week but they diagnosed me with pre-e on my due date and induced.

[Lovingliv]

Congrats on your first baby! He is due on my birthday!! Yay!
Now on to your question.
Liv was due on April 22 and arrived on April 30- 8 days late. HTH!

[southern_kali_gurl]

DS was born one day after his edd. Good luck with the move and congrats!

-Araceli
Mommy to AJ 08.03 http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif[/img] ( ([img)

http://bd.lilypie.com/8RH6m8/.png ([img)

[o_mom]

I was two days early with DS1 based on U/S dating (though right on time from my temp chart). I was right on my due date with DS2 (by 30 min).

FWIW, the mean gestation for a first time mom is something like 41.5 weeks. That means that HALF will go more than a week overdue if left alone. Seeing as you will be seeing the new OB a month before your due date, I wouldn't sweat it. If your baby comes before that you have more to worry about than just a new OB.

[maestramommy]

My DD was a week early. It worked out well because I thought it would be nice if she was a LITTLE early. Can't remember why now. I don't know of any scientific ways to delay labor, but we did it according to Murphy's Law, by not packing a hospital bag ahead of time. She really took me by surprise because at my OB 4 days before she still hadn't moved and my cervix hadn't dialated at all. We ended up packing it during contractions :-)at 4 am.

So you might want to have the bag packed 2 weeks in advance and everything in your home ready. I see you're moving a month before. Don't exert yourself physically for sure. And congratulations on your new baby!

[megs4413]

DD was two weeks early

[spanannie]

DS was due June 19, 2002...born June 19, 2002
DD was due June 20, 2004...born June 19, 2004

My kids are timely, and take just exactly 40w to bake! I think I'm an oddity, though, with them both being born on/1 day away from due date, and on each other's birthday...with no induction or assistance to speed things up.

[Momof3Labs]

DS1 was exactly two weeks early, for no apparent reason. He was fully baked, though, at 8lbs, 4oz and 22" long!

Just take it easy and try not to do much during your move; there's not much you can do to delay baby's arrival if he is bound and determined to come!

[jbowman]

My first daughter was 9 days late. My second daughter was 4 days early.

Rest, drink a lot of water, and don't do a lot of lifting.

Good luck! And congratulations! :)

[urquie]

dd was born 10 days late... i had to prove the doctors wrong who said she'd arrive at least 5 weeks pre-mature!

keeping her inside me was purely mental (i certainly wasn't following my bedrest orders very well!). i wasn't ready for her to be born early. there were too many other things going on in our lives to add her to the mix at the time. our minds can be very powerful :)

[new_mommy25]

My DS was born on his due date :)

[jennabear]

My first was born on his due date. My 2nd was induced 2 days early because of Christmas. Thank goodness. She was 9 lbs 3 oz.

[pampamz]

DS was 5 days late
DD was induced 5 days late
FUN!!!!!

[Mirthful]

My first baby was a week and a half early. This is despite me going to a reduced schedule at work (not for any pregnancy reason but rather to use up some personal time I was about to lose) and my OB saying, just that morning, that she hadn't dropped yet.

How good are your dates?

Good luck with the move! We moved right before our second child and it was.. um.. challenging. (Poor movers that had to deal with me and my pregnancy hormones)

[R2sweetboys]

DS1 was actually 4 weeks early here. Quite the surprise, let me tell ya! He was early enough to scare us a bit but he ended up being 5lbs 14 oz and was perfectly healthy. I made sure my bag was packed plenty early with DS2!(who was 2 weeks early) Looking back, it was quite funny. DH actually asked the on call doctor, at my request, what we should pack as I couldn't quite think straight. His wife got on the phone and walked us through it! :P

We really don't know why Ryan was so early. I will say that I was working full time which required lots of walking. The day my water broke I had been out shopping much of the day-thankfully for those last minute baby things! I have no idea though if it had anything to do with my going into labor early. Lots of people go all-out until the end and still go full-term. I would say your chances of going early aren't that great in general. Of course, it can happen so I might recommend at least being familiar with your local hospital now. Good luck with your move! What an exciting time for you! :)

~Leslie

SAHM to...
Ryan 8/14/00
Matthew 2/14/03

[JBaxter]

I went into labor one my due date with DS1.

[elephantmeg]

I was induced at 41 wks for low fluid levels. :)

[michken]

hi everyone,

thanks so much for sharing your experiences with your first baby. :) just for more background, I had my 28-week appointment last weekend, and I was measuring 27-cms (fundal height), so one cm below the expected measurement, which is still normal. My due date is based on the 9-week ultrasound. My original due date is actually a week earlier, based on LMP.

for those of you who delivered a bit earlier than your estimated due date, were your fundal height measurements a little ahead?

Thanks again. :)