Conference moira::parenting_v3

    I wonder if any of this is influenced by better maternal
    nutrition?   I remember reading that malnourished women were much
    more likely to give birth prematurely, so perhaps the better
    nutrition that most middle class women get these days has actually
    lengthened the average gestation time? 
    
    --bonnie

    Good question, bonnie.  That is one of the things they want to explore
    in the large scale followup study.  The initial study was deliberately
    limited to healthy, white, middle class women.  Among other variables
    they want to take into account are race, age, sex of baby, and mother's
    history of cigarette, alchohol, and drug use.
    
    Seemingly, such studies have not been undertaken before, which is
    pretty curious in itself.
    
    		- Bruce

    RE: base note
    >>Almost all obstetricians predict due dates using Naegele's rule, which
    >>assumes gestation of 266 days (9.5 cycles) from last period.

    I believe you mean 266 from conception or 280 days from last period.
    280 days is the standard 40 weeks that everyone is counting today.

-Amy

    .3 is correct.  "Gestation" of course MEANS from conception.  Please
    mentally strike the phrase "from the last period" from the base note.
    It's 9.5 cycles from conception or 10.0 from last period.  Sorry, and 
    thanks, Amy.
    
    		- Bruce

    One other variable is that many middle-class women are so much more
    in tune with their bodies these days.  I'm all for early testing
    to determine pregnancy, yet at the same time, it just gives you
    more time to worry!! :-)

    I just recalculated my due date using these new numbers and it was the
    same. (I took the 269 number, second pregn., added 14 days for LMP,
    added it to my last period date and it equaled my current due date.
    
    Did I do something wrong or is my Dr. just progressive?
    
    Sandy_who_does_NOT_want_a_later_date!!!!!!

Well, we can't calculate your due date to see if you made a mistake
unless you give us your LMP date.  The logic you used was correct, though.

-Amy

    Bruce,
    
    Was there any information in the study (or to be looked into
    in the next study) that mentioned "heredity"? By heredity I mean that
    women often have the same type of pregnancy as their mothers. I know my
    OB must have asked my a zillion questions about my mother's pregnancies
    before he even asked me how I was feeling. I know my mother delivered
    early with both of us, weighing 6 pounds something each , and I
    delivered my first early and he weighed 6 pounds something. My sister
    delivered her second early and he weighed 6 pounds something.
    Incidently, my lifestyle is very similar to my mothers regarding
    smoking, drinking, sleep requirements, general health, etc.
    
    Just curious.
                              
    Andrea _who_is_counting_on_going_early_with_our_second

    Excuse me?  One more week?  Not in this lifetime! :-)  If I have to
    call my nearest friend with a four wheel drive vehicle on the day
    before I'm due, I'll do it.  But seriously, if I'm anything like my mom
    is, I'll deliver early.  Actually, this pregnancy is a lot different
    than any of my mom's.  I have Gestational Diabetes, and she never
    had any problems.  She also smoke and drake through all her pregnancies
    and I haven't had a cigarette or a drink since I realized I was
    pregnant.  The doctor's say I'll probably go early (after the bout of
    pre-term labor this past weekend) so we'll see what happens.
    
    Lori B.

    (.8) Interesting question, Andrea.  No, there was no mention of
    heredity (though it may be included in the followup study).
    
    Here's another thought.  I bet when you (and others) think of heredity,
    you're thinking only of your _mother's_ side.  It seems possible that
    this is influenced by your paternal genes, too.  So, you should all
    start investigating the pregnancy experiences of your paternal
    grandmothers!
    
    			- Bruce
    

Does this mean I'll get an extra week off?  :-).

    Regarding duedates - I've heard and read that a lot of it has to do
    with your period.  If you are a straight 28 day cycle, you will deliver
    pretty much on your duedate.  If you are a 30 or 32 day cycle (as I am)
    you will deliver late.
    
    I cannot speak from experience myself except from my last pregnancy,
    which went about 10 days late.  The first two went early due to
    unforseen circumstances.  But my sisters went late, my mother went
    late.  
    

    Shouldn't average length of period be taken into account?  Ovulation
    typically occurs 14 days before menses.  If the period isn't normally
    28 days, this should affect the calculation of due date.

    re .13  I want that theory to be true, but it certainly wasn't in my
    case.  I went 287 days from last period, but that translates into
    almost 11 of my normal (26.5 day) cycles.
    
    My doc said due date was 1/11; I said it was 1/14; Alex was born on
    1/19.  My method of calculation was the old quick-&-dirty method: start
    at the last period, count back 3 months and then forward 1 week (not
    bothering with 30-Days-Hath-Whatever hairsplitting).
    
    Leslie

    re .13
    
    Actually it's the other way around -- menses typically occurs 11-14
    days AFTER ovulation.  For a 28 day cycle, that means that ovulation
    probably occurs between days 14-17. For longer cycles, ovulation can be
    much later, or not at all (sometimes typical of looooonnng cycles).
    
    

re .15:

If you reread .13, that's what I said.

    Here's some interesting thoughts on my part. With my son I had very
    irregualar cycles, from 14 to 45 days.  But I was sure of my conception
    date due to the (whatever the proper word is) midcycle cramping of
    ovulation on my 19th day.  So several months later when my son was born
    in an semi-emergency C-section due to fetal distress at what we thought was 
    his 36th gestational week, we in fact realized he was more like 32 week 
    gestation, (fortunately he did weigh 5 pounds and his lungs were mature).
    There's something about the footprints that apparently don't develop until
    about the 32nd week, his were just barely there.  By the way my due date 
    was adjusted three different times during the pregnancy, because of ultra 
    sound findings.  Our first child was induced due to fetal demise on my
    duedate, again the doctor felt she too would have gone another two
    weeks, that conception was just about the 14th day of cycle.
    
    As for heredity, I was about two weeks late, my sister's only child was
    almost two weeks late, and my doctor felt that I too would have
    delivered about two weeks late.