How do you count how many months pregnant you are??

[Anonymous]

OK, so I've been counting like this: I'm due March 23rd, and pregnancy is 9 months, so right now I'm almost 8 months pregnant -- counting by weeks, I'm almost 35 weeks. But then I've heard other women saying "I'm entering my ninth month" or that there are 10 months of pregnancy. I know this is a really stupid question, but I don't want to sound like an idiot telling people I'm 9 months pregnant when I'm really not. How does everyone else do it? I always believed pregnancy to be 9 months from start to finish. thx!

[Anonymous]

9 calendar months and one week. People vary on this, but my counting is similar to yours. I use LMP, so

1/1 LMP would make a woman 1.5 months pregnany.

[Anonymous]

I usually say how much time I have left, it's easier that way--3 more weeks now!

[Anonymous]

Just tell them in weeks.

[Anonymous]

Even the hospital sometimes says things like "until your 7th month". What is that supposed to mean? Until I reach 28 weeks? or what?

[Anonymous]

Other than February, every month is longer than 4 weeks so my biggest pet peeve is hearing people say they are 6 months pregnant when they are 24 weeks. This will get you to 10 months. And as a PP noted, the whole pregnancy is approximately 9 months and one week but you aren't ACTUALLY pregnant for the first two weeks. At conception, you are considered two weeks pregnant. I think your confusuion is also coming partly from people takling about being "in the 7th month." By that, many people mean they are six months and a day or 6 months and 2 weeks so you are in your seventh month but not a full 7 months pregnant. When talking to women who've had kids, I find the easiest thing is to talk in weeks but otherwise I just count back words from my due date. I'm due mid-April so currently I say I am 7 months pregnant (though I'm 32 weeks, so some people would say 8, which again, is a pet peeve of mine, but to each her own). Anyway, totally not a dumb question because everyone does it so differently!

[Anonymous]

I agree with 9:08. I get confused when people say they are 6 months when they are really 24 weeks b/c they still have 4 more months to go. I usually just state weeks or count backwards from due date. I am 18 weeks now and I usually just say 4 months as I'm almost exactly 5 months from my due date.

[GabbieLenzi]

According to my first ultrasound I am 28 weeks pregnant, every other ultrasound and my last period (started July 26th) would place me at closer to 30-31 weeks. I mostly tell people I am due in early May (though the doc said May 16th) just in case. Or I just say "about 3 months left!" but I am still confused by the whole thing, too. Don't sweat it, though, the baby will come when the time is right!

[Anonymous]

I only had 3 ultrasounds - one at 5.5 weeks (which stated I was 3.5 wks pregnant, another at 12.5 weeks which stated I was 12.5 weeks , and yet another at 19.5 weeks where they told me it is hard to tell the due date since it is now less accurate than the early scans. Question: do I just stick to the original calculation based on my last period?

[Anonymous]

You could look at it this way--assuming a 4 week month, 40 weeks is 10 months, right? 36 weeks is 9 months. But a month takes 4 weeks to complete so weeks 36-40, you would be in your 9th month. Does that make sense?
So if I'm 30 weeks pregnant, I am in my 7th month (7th month being from 28-32 weeks). But, I agree with PPs, it's much easier to just tell people, I have about 10 weeks left or I'm due at the end of April or whatever.
It doesn't bother me when someone who is 24 weeks pregnant says 6 months because technically that's true--and she'll also be 6 months pregnant at 27 weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could look at it this way--assuming a 4 week month, 40 weeks is 10 months, right? 36 weeks is 9 months. But a month takes 4 weeks to complete so weeks 36-40, you would be in your 9th month. Does that make sense?
So if I'm 30 weeks pregnant, I am in my 7th month (7th month being from 28-32 weeks). But, I agree with PPs, it's much easier to just tell people, I have about 10 weeks left or I'm due at the end of April or whatever.
It doesn't bother me when someone who is 24 weeks pregnant says 6 months because technically that's true--and she'll also be 6 months pregnant at 27 weeks.

But February is the only month that is only 4 weeks. Most months are 30 or 31 days -- so 4 weeks and 2 or three days. So to say you are a month pregnant when 4 weeks pregnant, fine, but when you start getting up thre, all those extra days mean, no, you're not 6 months pregnant at 24 weeks because you have not been pregnat for 6 months.

[Anonymous]

I think we might be over-thinking just a bit--if you ask someone how many weeks in a month, most people would say 4.
Obviously this is why the medical professionals gauge pregnancy in weeks but "lay people" would ask in months. I don't think there's anything wrong with saying 24 weeks is 6 months because, like PP said, the 6th month is actually several weeks long and the 24th week would be the start of that month. I don't think we need to be all that technical about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we might be over-thinking just a bit--if you ask someone how many weeks in a month, most people would say 4.
Obviously this is why the medical professionals gauge pregnancy in weeks but "lay people" would ask in months. I don't think there's anything wrong with saying 24 weeks is 6 months because, like PP said, the 6th month is actually several weeks long and the 24th week would be the start of that month. I don't think we need to be all that technical about it.

So when you have 4 weeks left to go, would you call yourself 9 months pregnant? Because any normal person is going to hear "I'm 9 months pregnant" and assume that means you are due any minute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we might be over-thinking just a bit--if you ask someone how many weeks in a month, most people would say 4.
Obviously this is why the medical professionals gauge pregnancy in weeks but "lay people" would ask in months. I don't think there's anything wrong with saying 24 weeks is 6 months because, like PP said, the 6th month is actually several weeks long and the 24th week would be the start of that month. I don't think we need to be all that technical about it.

So when you have 4 weeks left to go, would you call yourself 9 months pregnant? Because any normal person is going to hear "I'm 9 months pregnant" and assume that means you are due any minute.

Everyone tells you how huge you look and that you look like you're going to pop anyday at that point anyway - so why not tell them you're 9 months and let them feel like they're right?

[Anonymous]

OH MY GOD!!! I can't believe nobody came up with the answer yet!!!!! What did you do in hight school? Did you really pay attention to your biology and/or sex ed class? LOL

So here we go:

Your First Trimester:
1st Month = Weeks 1,2,3,4
2nd Month = Weeks 5,6,7,8
3rd Month = Weeks 9,10,11,12,13

Your Second Trimester:
4th Month = Wks 14,15,16,17
5th Month = Wks 18,19,20,21
6th Month = Wks 22,23,24,25,26

Your Third Trimester:
7th Month = Wks 27,28,29,30
8th Month = Wks 31,32,33,34,35
9th Month = Wks 36,37,38,39,40