Due Date

This is your estimated date of delivery (EDD) which is calculated as being 40 weeks after your last menstrual period (LMP), based on a 28-day cycle.

Babies are considered to be full term after 37 weeks of pregnancy and only 4% of babies will come on their due date.

In 2022, this is when most babies were born:

37 weeks (5.3%)
38 weeks (12.6%)
39 weeks (26.3%)
40 weeks (31.8%)
41 weeks (15.1%)
42 weeks (1%)

We focus very much on the due date but can be worth considering that your baby could come along earlier when planning your maternity leave, along with how you might be feeling at the end of your pregnancy.

Due dates are useful to assess how a baby is growing but they are an estimate: some babies will be ready sooner and others will need longer in the womb.

From week 24, your midwife will measure your bump – from your pubic bone to the top of your bump – which can match the weeks of pregnancy but even this can be +/- 3 weeks to allow for individual growth.

I’ve had three babies and I didn’t see a due date with any of them – my 8lbers were ready at around 38 weeks – and, as a doula, I am on call from around 38 weeks.

Working with parents since 2002

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