DD= due date? or delivery date?

When I first realized I was pregnant with Hudson, I had a general idea of what the calendar looked like. We weren’t “trying” to get pregnant, but I wasn’t completely oblivious to certain dates.

I called the doctor’s office to schedule my first appointment, and the nice lady on the phone talked with me about dates and she was able to give me a general due date of June 15. She explained that we’d come up with a more accurate due date after the first ultrasound.
I went onto BabyCenter.com to come up with my own due date calculation and it was right around June 15, too.
But at my first ultrasound, they measured little Hudson and determined that he was measuring a little bit ahead of the due date they’d given me. We received a new due date of June 10 at that time.
Around the time of my 37th week, I went to my appointment and that was when I started measuring a couple of weeks ahead. My doctor guessed that my baby was a little on the large size, but assured me that it was fine.
So they predicted a large baby, but I wasn’t progressing at all. And then I started thinking about how much I wanted my parents to be there for the birth of my baby, but they were 17 hours away. We started considering scheduling the baby’s birthday at that point.
At my 39 week appointment, I was still measuring really big and an ultrasound guestimate had my baby’s predicted weight at 8.5 lbs. They thought he was going to be a good size, but definitely not huge.
My doctor decided to do an induction on June 5 before my June 10 due date because I was measuring ahead. Looking back, being induced didn’t lead to the greatest delivery and recovery experience, but it was the decision we made at the time.
But I’m also very thankful that we did induce on June 5 because Hudson ended up being 9 lbs 6 ounces. I hadn’t progressed at all when we went in to the hospital. I know I would have been way overdue if I had waited to go into labor, and he would have been even larger.
I suppose it’s a possibility that my due date was a little off, but I really just think I had a big baby. And I am so glad that my parents were able to be there for Hudson’s arrival.
Was your due date accurate? Was your baby overdue, early, or right on time?
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Comments

  1. says

    Our son was born on his due date! I was in denial that I was really in labor because 1) It was his due date and 2) My water never broke (on it’s own). The doctor had to break it at 8 cm! L&D went so fast and easy–I guess our little guy was really ready to see us 🙂

  2. Emily says

    I also have two sons but was only induced with my first. When I went in to be induced we were told it might take awhile, but it was relatively speedy (10 hours from admit time to delivery!) and so he was born on his exact due date. With my youngest, I went into labor just after midnight on his due date and delivered six hours later. Needless to say, my boys love to stick to a schedule…even now!

  3. says

    My first was a week early and a nice 7lbs 5 oz.
    My second was induced at ’41 and a half’ weeks and 5lbs 15 oz. The first thing the nurses asked when she came out was if my dd was off because she still had a ton of the snotty hair attached to her body.

  4. says

    My little guy was due on July 16. I went in for an induction on July 18 (due to high blood pressure) and he was finally born on July 22. Little dude was just too comfy on the inside!

  5. Sara says

    I have one baby–a 9 month old boy. Mason was born at 37 weeks on the dot. They induced me for pre-eclampsia. He was only 5 lbs 14oz, a tiny little guy. Looking back I’m so thankful he was as tiny as he was because he got stuck and they had to use a vacuum to get him out. If he’d been bigger or I’d been allowed to go beyond 37 weeks, I would’ve had to have a c-section for sure.

  6. K says

    My due date was Oct 30, which was very accurate. My C section was scheduled for Oct 23. My baby was measuring big, the doctors estimated he would be between 9 to 10 lbs at birth. Because I had a high risk pregnancy, I was having non stress tests twice a week during my last month of pregnancy. While I was experiencing contractions, the tech said they were nothing of significance. On Oct 21, at around midnight, my water broke and my husband and I went to the hospital. A little over eight hours later, I gave birth to my son (I still had a C section).

  7. says

    I was induced as well because the thought of NOT KNOWING when I would go into labor was giving me panic attacks. I teach middle school and I had visions of my water breaking while leading stretches during gym class. Ugh. So she was born a week early BUT she was still 8lbs. 6oz. and 21.5 inches long. We will be scheduling the next labor and delivery as well.

  8. LMC1971 says

    My first DD was May 21st….then they moved it up to May 14th after my first ultrasound. He was born early on May 1st. My water broke the night before but when no contraction came, they induced with Pitocin the following day, he arrived at 8:01pm. He was a healthy 7lbs. 9 oz.

    Best, Lisa

  9. says

    Our due date was always being pushed back, even through we KNEW the exact date! I always guessed she would arrive in May even though the drs said she wasnt due until the end of June. Sure enough on our wedding anniversary May 23, at 36 ish weeks Little Miss made her big debut. She came out fast and furious, water broke and she was born in just a couple of hours! Best day of my life so far!

    • says

      Ok, I had to respond here b/c the similarities are hilarious. I was in labor on our anniversary, May 22 (and the 21), but my son was born a couple hours into May 23. Sadly, I had a 32 hr labor, not a fast and furious one! He was born when *I* thought my due date should be. I knew the date of conception. However, the Dr insisted on going on last period. TMI, I have a very short cycle, so I knew it was off. They told me a due date of 5/27, all along I said, “No, it’s a week earlier.” My son was born 5/23 and was 8 lb 1 oz.

  10. says

    My first due date was Nov. 10th. Then it was moved up to the 4th because he looked big, but I had been trying to get pregnant and knew that was too soon. I knew exactly when I got pregnant. At around 34 weeks I was told that he would not be allowed to go past 37.5 weeks because I’m extremely small (4’11”). I was terrified of being induced. He ended up being born on Oct. 6th by emergency c-section and only weighed 4.5 lbs. The doc then said my original due date of Nov 10th was accurate.

  11. says

    This is my first time commenting on your blog as a mama! My son was born Nov. 19th..exactly at 39 weeks. We had a {planned} homebirth. I would have loved to KNOW his arrival date since I am a planner, but I avoided an induction like the plague…pitocin scares me! He was 8 lb 4 oz at 39 weeks! Big Boy…glad he came a bit early 🙂

  12. Jerri-Rae says

    My Son Was Born On His Due Date…All Natural (no induction and no drugs)… 9 pounds 14 ounces Doctor says next time they will induce b/c of history in both our families of having large babies and then our first one being so big…Induction scares me and I hope everything goes as smooth and natural the next time around…

  13. says

    I always think it’s so interesting to hear how ultrasounds calculate estimated birth weight before delivery! We have had some friends, who like you, had much larger babies than predicted, and others who had much smaller babies than predicted. You really just never know until they are born!
    Brody was born on his due date (induced) and weighed 8.5. Jillian was born 12 days before her due date and weighed 9lbs. 🙂

  14. says

    My first baby came 11 days early. My water had broke, but I wasn’t progressing…so out came the Pitocin. I am currently pregnant with #2 and my due date is in 1 week! The baby is measuring big so they have mentionted induction early next week. I am at the point where my body and brain have already shut down and I just can’t wait for this little one to get here!

  15. Becky says

    I was totally natural with all my boys and they were ALL past their due dates – first two were 4 days late, 3rd one was NINE days late (UGH!) and the 4th one was born 6 days late. I have so many friends that were scheduled for inductions and then went into labor naturally before they had time to be induced. I think sometimes the apprehension about going into labor can sometimes cause labor to kick in.

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