For some reason it hit me this week -- Week 37 -- that I could go into labor at ANY minute. YIKES!!! I know I typically love surprises, but in this case it's terrifying not knowing WHEN or even WHERE baby or my body will decide "it's show time"! Instead of wondering whether we'll need a boy name or a girl name to give baby, my mind is occupied with desperately trying to predict when we'll need a name at all and how I could potentially limit any humiliation by not being out in public at the wrong time! If I feel a twinge, does that mean something's happening? Should I not walk around too much "just in case"? I've freaked myself so much that I've been sitting on a towel at home every day this week!
It's a well known fact that very few babies are born on their actual due date. I think the last statistic I read said that only ~5% of babies enter the world exactly on their due date. {Fun fact: My hubby fits into this category! Me? I was late being born, and late every day since...} I've also heard that it's most common for babies to be born anywhere from 2 weeks before to 2 weeks after their due date. BUT THAT'S A FOUR WEEK SPAN!!!! That's not a narrow enough window for me to mentally prepare! I know in my head that there is no possible way for me to find this answer, but that doesn't stop me from looking for it!!! :)
According to this Baby Center article:
The most popular day for babies to make their entrance is Tuesday, followed by Monday. Sunday is the slowest day, with 35.1 fewer births than average. Scheduled c-sections and induced labors have a big influence on the fact that far fewer babies are born on the weekend, but spontaneous (non-scheduled) deliveries occur less often on the weekend too.Interestingly, I was born on a Tuesday, while Shep was born on a Wednesday!
I'm sure many of us have heard the old wives tale that there are more births during a full moon. Though many scientific studies disprove that theory, it's worth pointing out the next full moon in NYC is May 14th! Gulp... that's *less than a week away*, though technically during the relevant window of time! {And for anyone curious, it's a Wednesday.} I don't know though, that sounds much too soon!!! I'd love a little more time if possible!
Then I stumbled upon http://whentoexpect.com/, which is a prediction calculator that compares some self-reported demographic info to public birth certificate data from the CDC's Division of Vital Statistics on live births in 2009 and 2010. {Read more about the calculated estimates here.} According to this calculator, I'm most likely to give birth during week 39.
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| Source: http://whentoexpect.com/ |
That seems a little less scary. :) One other tidbit from this prediction site: Our best guess of your baby's birth weight: 7 pounds, 12 ounces. Given my recently-developed wish for a "not too large" baby, I think I could live with that! ;)
Oh, and I can't leave out Madame Zaritska's prediction:
The day you deliver, outside will be cloudy. Your baby will arrive in the early morning. After a labor lasting approximately 10 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 5 pounds, 4 ounces, and will be 17-1/2 inches long. This child will have medium green eyes and fluffy blonde hair.
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So there you have it folks! I could have this baby on a Tuesday, or a Monday, or on Wednesday May 14th, or anytime the week of May 18th - May 24th, or on a cloudy day...... or basically any other day from now to early June. How's that for a scientifically accurate prediction? ;)
