Pregnancy Due Date Calendar: Track Baby's Growth, Appointments

Pregnancy is one of the most exciting periods of life. Regardless of whether or not it is the first baby, the months of pregnancy bring the most demanding but memorable moments in the lives of the parents-to-be. In the process, creating a pregnancy due date calendar can be educational and helpful with keeping up with your appointments and special schedules. And with some creativity, you can make it a diary-cum-album to cherish your pregnancy-time memories!

In fact it is a good idea to maintain a calendar since the time you begin to try for a baby. Chart your menstrual cycles and estimate your expected time of ovulation each month. Time the intercourse to overlap with your ovulation. Note the estimated dates of ovulation and the dates you attempt to conceive. This way you will have a history that can help with medical diagnosis if you have trouble conceiving. This is highly recommended for women who have irregular periods and suspect fertility problems. This history also helps women understand their bodies and comes handy when planning future pregnancies.

Once pregnant, continue logging your observations as your baby grows in the womb. A pregnancy due date calendar should have the following items to be functionally useful.

The time of your last ovulation when you conceived

The time of your last periods

Your estimated due date which is computed as 266 days from the time of ovulation or 280 days from the time of your last periods if you have a regular 28-day menstrual cycle.

Have provisions to make notes along the way and jot down important reminders on doctors' appointments, taking your periodic prenatal vitamins, birthing and parenting classes, prenatal yoga classes, etc. Also breakdown your trimester dates and mark them with expected milestones in your baby's development. That way you will get educated about your pregnancy and know what to expect as each week passes. Be sure to compare your progress with the milestones and check with your doctor if something seems abnormal. Note how and what causes nausea and see how that changes as weeks go by. Noting this is very useful because you know what to expect in your next pregnancy.

You can make this all the more exciting by creatively decorating your pregnancy due date calendar. Use art-paper or scrap-books with photo placeholders to save your memories. Do not forget to put your photos and your baby's sonogram pictures as you get them periodically. Get your husband also to log his thoughts on to the calendar on a weekly basis.

You may also use an e-calendar instead or a website that you can easily share with your friends and family. You can upload digital pictures and 3-D or 4-D sonogram videos and blog your experience about pregnancy. You can even have your family friends and family comment on your site!

Whichever type of calendar you use, make your pregnancy due date calendar the keeper of your cherished moments. And have a healthy pregnancy!

Sources:

http://www.pregnancy-duedate.com/

http://www.medicalonline.com.au/medical/contraception/pregnancy-due-date-calculator.htm