40 weeks =/= 10 months

tmacwin

I was browsing over on the Chit Chat board, and someone had made a comment that a pregnancy is actually 10 months because it lasts 40 weeks. 

Does anyone else find it odd that at this age, women don't realize that 4 weeks doesn't always equal 1 month?  Hello!  Months are not limited to just 28 days!  Or don't you think if 40 weeks actually did equal 10 months that doctors and the general public would say that a pregnancy was 10 months versus 9 months?

Just a random thought and pet peeve I get when people can't calculate time frames.  /rant.

AudgiePodge

In terms of pregnancy, 4 weeks=1 month. I don't know the exact reasons why, but it does.

DanieKA

It still kind of confuses me as to why doctors count the first two weeks of "pregnancy" ie the period before egg and sperm meet. Does that bother anyone else. I get it, I just don't like it. Like when people are 4 weeks pregnant or 6 weeks pregnant, it's actually been 2 weeks or 4 weeks since egg met sperm. Maybe its just me. 

ETA: I was reading something recently actually that women were confused about how old their babies were, or actually how to count weeks after birth. SInce 4 weeks doesn't equal a month, or 4 weeks might not actually fall on the actual numerical date your baby was born. The consensus was to count by date. If you are born on June 12, you would be 4 weeks old on July 12, although technically you might be 3 weeks 5 days old. Or 4 weeks 1 day old. 

Am I just confusing everyone?

Hazel_B

That is likely because they are basing it more off the mother's cycle at such an early stage than the development of the baby.

SassyFlats

You mean since they count from your last period and not the actual sexy time?

I have been reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility and it talks about how by charting every cycle (and including intercourse), you can actually tell pretty closely when you got pregnant, thus calculating more accurately than some doctors will, and avoiding the potential worry about them saying the fetus is too small for the week or whatever.

I don't know, I've never been pregnant, but I just started charting and I must say that between the book and keeping track of my own cycle I've learned a LOT about my reproductive system in a very short amount of time. It's pretty neat.

Elle1036

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_40-weeks-10-months?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:8209e1c3-a1bb-4f2f-a589-ba27bcc176bePost:12305369-ff11-41d9-8aa8-d95bee42738b">Re: 40 weeks =/= 10 months</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>It still kind of confuses me as to why doctors count the first two weeks of "pregnancy" ie the period before egg and sperm meet. </strong>Does that bother anyone else. I get it, I just don't like it. Like when people are 4 weeks pregnant or 6 weeks pregnant, it's actually been 2 weeks or 4 weeks since egg met sperm. Maybe its just me.  ETA: I was reading something recently actually that women were confused about how old their babies were, or actually how to count weeks after birth. SInce 4 weeks doesn't equal a month, or 4 weeks might not actually fall on the actual numerical date your baby was born. The consensus was to count by date. If you are born on June 12, you would be 4 weeks old on July 12, although technically you might be 3 weeks 5 days old. Or 4 weeks 1 day old.  Am I just confusing everyone?
Posted by DanieKA[/QUOTE]

Yep, that's always bugged me, too.  They count pregnancy as starting from the end of the previous cycle, but there's no pregnancy for that first two weeks.  There's not even an egg.  I would love to hear an explanantion for this if anybody has one.

DanieKA

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_40-weeks-10-months?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:8209e1c3-a1bb-4f2f-a589-ba27bcc176bePost:c710df29-153b-4c7d-a1a7-499c43b9c9b8">Re: 40 weeks =/= 10 months</a>:
[QUOTE]You mean since they count from your last period and not the actual sexy time? 
Posted by SassyFlats[/QUOTE]

<div>Yeah. I know they count from the start of your cycle, it's just funny to think that on any given cycle you get pregnant on, you could be on your period and say "I'm Pregnant!" Haha. For some reason that made me laugh internally. Sometimes I think I'm funnier than I am. </div>

tmacwin

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_40-weeks-10-months?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:8209e1c3-a1bb-4f2f-a589-ba27bcc176bePost:2a306933-05d5-41a8-9f04-2036f8035ca4">Re: 40 weeks =/= 10 months</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: 40 weeks =/= 10 months : Yeah. I know they count from the start of your cycle, it's just funny to think that on any given cycle you get pregnant on, you could be on your period and say "I'm Pregnant!" Haha. For some reason that made me laugh internally. Sometimes I think I'm funnier than I am. 
Posted by DanieKA[/QUOTE]

Haha, this just made me laugh!  Maybe once I get to the point of TTC, I'll understand it all more, but really, it seems like it should be so basic. 

Sidenote, I hope I can't pinpoint the actual date that baby is conceived because I plan on getting more sexy time than that!

SassyFlats

LOL, I think you're funnier than you are, too.

But that did always bug me as well. I always have to KNOW what's going on... I'm curious and I don't like to just take people's word for things, even doctors. I guess that's why I find charting my cycles to be so interesting and kind of empowering. Like, HA! I know that my temp just went up and that means I ovulated and the egg is now gone! Sexy time for everyone!

It's a little bit more involved than that... that's the Cliffs Notes version. lol

bourgehm

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_40-weeks-10-months?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:8209e1c3-a1bb-4f2f-a589-ba27bcc176bePost:81bf999c-5fd9-4b17-925e-6ea1e08c36dd">Re: 40 weeks =/= 10 months</a>:
[QUOTE]LOL, I think you're funnier than you are, too. But that did always bug me as well. I always have to KNOW what's going on... I'm curious and I don't like to just take people's word for things, even doctors. I guess that's why I find charting my cycles to be so interesting and kind of empowering. Like, HA! I know that my temp just went up and that means I ovulated and the egg is now gone! Sexy time for everyone! It's a little bit more involved than that... that's the Cliffs Notes version. lol
Posted by SassyFlats[/QUOTE]

I've been working on charting too- just started it up again. I used to do it, but sort of stopped. Charting buddies, UNITE!!

SassyFlats

YES! Charting buddies FTW!

SassyFlats

Well, our other nickname for it is business time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGOohBytKTU

cu97tiger

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_40-weeks-10-months?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:8209e1c3-a1bb-4f2f-a589-ba27bcc176bePost:6228d55a-30c7-4403-acbf-a6503adf1f42">Re: 40 weeks =/= 10 months</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: 40 weeks =/= 10 months : I'm glad I'm not the only one who calls it that.  I think we might be lingo sisters.
Posted by sunbird627[/QUOTE]

<div>We call it sexy time, too. It makes me laugh, but kind of gets me in the mood, too...</div>

sapphirebaby926

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_40-weeks-10-months?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:8209e1c3-a1bb-4f2f-a589-ba27bcc176bePost:12305369-ff11-41d9-8aa8-d95bee42738b">Re: 40 weeks =/= 10 months</a>:
[QUOTE]It still kind of confuses me as to why doctors count the first two weeks of "pregnancy" ie the period before egg and sperm meet. Does that bother anyone else. I get it, I just don't like it. Like when people are 4 weeks pregnant or 6 weeks pregnant, it's actually been 2 weeks or 4 weeks since egg met sperm. Maybe its just me.  ETA: I was reading something recently actually that women were confused about how old their babies were, or actually how to count weeks after birth. SInce 4 weeks doesn't equal a month, or 4 weeks might not actually fall on the actual numerical date your baby was born. The consensus was to count by date. If you are born on June 12, you would be 4 weeks old on July 12, although technically you might be 3 weeks 5 days old. Or 4 weeks 1 day old.  Am I just confusing everyone?
Posted by DanieKA[/QUOTE]

It annoys me too but from what I've been told it's because most women don't know their cycle and they don't know when ovulation happened so they just go from the beginning of the last cycle because it's a universal starting point since cycles can vary greatly from one person to the next : /

Elle1036

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_40-weeks-10-months?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:8209e1c3-a1bb-4f2f-a589-ba27bcc176bePost:f008f000-95ac-4490-a5e2-1aab4c849fce">Re: 40 weeks =/= 10 months</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: 40 weeks =/= 10 months : It annoys me too but from what I've been told it's because most women don't know their cycle and they don't know when ovulation happened so they just go from the beginning of the last cycle because it's a universal starting point since cycles can vary greatly from one person to the next : /
Posted by sapphirebaby926[/QUOTE]

This is kinda what I've always figured, and it still bugs me. 

desertsun

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_40-weeks-10-months?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:8209e1c3-a1bb-4f2f-a589-ba27bcc176bePost:fc33f688-2d3c-445a-a812-f805a7266911">Re: 40 weeks =/= 10 months</a>:
[QUOTE]Well, our other nickname for it is business time. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGOohBytKTU" rel='nofollow'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGOohBytKTU</a>
Posted by SassyFlats[/QUOTE]

<div>ZOMG this makes me laugh hysterically every.single.time. </div><div>
</div><div>Business socks. BWAHAHAHAHAHA!</div><div>
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