Comments on: The Due Month

By: That Wife » Blog Archive » Pregnancy/Labor Status

That Wife » Blog Archive » Pregnancy/Labor Status — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 13:31:38 +0000

[...] to come across as grumpy pregnant lady, but there aren’t enough people out there who read this post. I know everyone is anxious to meet That 1, but I assure you, no one is more anxious than I am. [...]

By: Anne

Anne — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:58:07 +0000

If I ask when a friend is due, I happily accept any information she offers. Day, month, season (late spring, etc) – whatever feels best. I hope most others would feel the same! No need to have a public countdown so you are constantly bombarded by reminders… Take the celebrity route and just say “early next fall” or what have you. Be vague – your belly, your discomfort, your absolute right! :)

By: Clota

Clota — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:37:26 +0000

Nah, I prefer to know the exact due date, even though I know it isn’t set in stone. I have 3 beautiful children, and I’ve never once freaked out when the due date came and went. I just went with the flow. But, then again, I’m very detail-oriented, which demands an exact due date, otherwise I freak out.

By: Erin

Erin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:29:51 +0000

I had never ever thought about this before. Thanks for opening my eyes to this! .-= Erin's most recent blog post: LobotoME Giveaway =-.

By: Katy

Katy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:49:31 +0000

I think the idea of having a due month rather than date isn’t necessarily for everyone else’s benefit (and avoidance of questions), but more for the mother’s sanity! Too many women are given this specefic date then FREAK OUT when one day goes over, run to the doctor, and beg to be induced. Having a window of time rather than a date will help the anxious, waiting mother more than anyone else!

Amen sister!

By: Emily

Emily — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:25:00 +0000

Yes!!!! I always just tell people “early June”. This is not only helpful for scheduling maternity leave (no one bats an eye when I say I’m leaving after Memorial Day!) but babies come when they feel like it. I have never known a baby who came on the right day, and due dates are based on something that seems totally arbitrary (40 weeks from your last period, no matter how regular/irregular your periods are).

By: JessicaMayLords

JessicaMayLords — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:22:14 +0000

Two of my sisters-in-law had their little girls on the due date, and I was so amazed! How often does that happen?? How cool!

And then I found out they were induced.

Oh.

Okay. That makes more sense. But why deal with pitocin labor if you could just wait a couple more days or so? Then again, I’ve never been in labor, so I can’t imagine how those last days feel. :)
.-= JessicaMayLords’s most recent blog post: "We’re trading comfort for human life… and that’s not just murder, it’s suicide…." =-.

By: Erin

Erin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:51:29 +0000

I wouldn’t mind a bit if I asked a pregnant mom when she was due and she just told me a month. It would be pushy for me to ask for something more specific. If I ask at all it’s just because I want to join in her anticipation. Whenever I get pregnant though, I will probably give the estimated day. I think most people understand that it isn’t a FedEx guarantee, but just a prediction. If I trained myself to think only November I think I would be a lot more anxious on November 1st if the baby wasn’t coming, and even more so if we pushed past into December even by a day!
.-= Erin’s most recent blog post: Square Foot Gardening: Phase 2 – Planting =-.

By: Ellie

Ellie — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:45:07 +0000

I have a friend from law school who, when she was due, starting about 2 weeks before, was getting constant calls from family members and friends asking if she had had the baby yet. She was pretty annoyed. She told them that as soon as she had the baby, they would know. I may have told her to throw her cell phone under a bus.
I think that I will join you in lying. First babies are usually late, so why not just push the date back 2 weeks? Then everybody is just pleasantly surprised that the baby came early. Or you could actually have the baby and not tell anyone :-p.
In all fairness, the question “when are you due” is not specifically asking for a date, and the responder is free to say “whenever the baby wants, but probably sometime in April.”
.-= Ellie’s most recent blog post: Feel Good Friday: Craft it Forward =-.

By: Korey

Korey — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:15:42 +0000

I tend to completely ignore the due “day” because I have never known a single mom who EVER gave birth on the day. I have only ever cared about the month, so I suppose I’m already on your bandwagon! When/if (let’s hope!!!) I am pregnant, I will do the same! Great advice.