Why do they say pregnancy is 9 months?

Is a pregnancy 9 or 10 months? Your 40 weeks of pregnancy are counted as nine months. That's because each month (except February) is about 4.3 weeks long.

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Why do people say pregnancy is 9 months and not 10?

Pregnancy is counted from the first day of your last menstrual period. This means an extra 2 weeks are counted at the beginning of your pregnancy when you aren't actually pregnant. So pregnancy lasts 10 months (40 weeks)—not 9 months—because of these extra weeks.

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Why 10 months for pregnancy?

If the mother's period cycle is irregular, then the delivery of the baby might be delayed. In that case, pregnancy can go up to 10 months. In case this happens, we need to go back and check the mother's menstrual history.

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Is it possible to be pregnant for 10 months?

Most pregnancies last 37 to 42 weeks, but some take longer. If your pregnancy lasts more than 42 weeks, it is called post-term (past due). This happens in a small number of pregnancies. While there are some risks in a post-term pregnancy, most post-term babies are born healthy.

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When is technically 9 months pregnant?

You might still be wondering how many weeks nine months pregnant is. There is no simple answer, as the weeks of pregnancy don't fit evenly within nine distinct months. This final month could start anywhere from 33 weeks to 36 weeks and "end" somewhere around 40 weeks with the birth of your baby.

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How Your Baby Grows Month 9

22 related questions found

Why is pregnancy considered 9 months but 40 weeks?

Is a pregnancy 9 or 10 months? Your 40 weeks of pregnancy are counted as nine months. That's because each month (except February) is about 4.3 weeks long.

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What is the longest pregnancy on record?

The longest pregnancy ever recorded was 375 days long (17 months). In comparison most women are pregnant for 280 days.

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Can a baby stay in the womb for 12 months?

“It's highly unlikely that you would have a pregnancy that would go beyond 10 or 11 months. Highly unlikely…”

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Why don t we count the 9 months?

Because some of us weren't in the womb that long, and others were there longer. Also, pregnancy is timed from the date of the last menstrual period, rather than when fertilisation takes place - which can be around a fortnight later. So pregnancy is never nine months to begin with.

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Is sperm good for the baby during pregnancy?

Not only is sperm safe, but there may be some benefits to having sex and contact with sperm before and during pregnancy: Sperm and vaginal sex can help induce labor when the time comes. Oxytocin, one of the key hormones involved in progressing labor, is released during sex, and orgasms mimic contractions.

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Is 10 months pregnancy good or 9 months pregnancy?

(fertility counselor). Even though popular belief says that pregnancies last 9 months, actually it is 10 months. The rationale for this is that, from the medical viewpoint, gestational age is counted from the date of the last menstrual period (LMP).

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Why is pregnancy 40 weeks?

The unborn baby spends around 38 weeks in the uterus, but the average length of pregnancy, or gestation, is counted at 40 weeks. Pregnancy is counted from the first day of the woman's last period, not the date of conception which generally occurs 2 weeks later.

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How early can a baby be born?

In general, infants that are born very early are not considered to be viable until after 24 weeks gestation. This means that if you give birth to an infant before they are 24 weeks old, their chance of surviving is usually less than 50 percent. Some infants are born before 24 weeks gestation and do survive.

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Can you be pregnant for 9.5 months?

Charlsie Celestine. “A full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks long, which equals 10 months. Yet commonly, people talk about pregnancy as being nine months long.”

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How long are you actually pregnant for?

Pregnancy lasts for about 280 days or 40 weeks. A preterm or premature baby is delivered before 37 weeks of your pregnancy. Extremely preterm infants are born 23 through 28 weeks.

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Why can't humans walk at birth?

That's because humans are born with brains that are largely immature, leaving babies with little control over their movements. This uniquely human attribute is the result of a lengthy evolutionary battle between big brains and narrow pelvises.

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Why do some pregnancies last longer?

Healthcare providers do not know why some women carry a pregnancy longer than others. It is often because of miscalculating the due date. You are also more likely to have a post-term pregnancy if you: Are pregnant with your first baby.

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Why do babies cry when they are born?

Crying directly after birth

When babies are delivered, they are exposed to cold air and a new environment, so that often makes them cry right away. This cry will expand the baby's lungs and expel amniotic fluid and mucus. The baby's first official cry shows that the lungs are working properly.

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How accurate are due dates?

In fact, only 6% of women deliver on their due date, Cackovic said. I tell patients that really, your due date is a date in the middle of almost a month-long period of time that you could have your baby. "The reality is that about 70% of women will have their baby within 10 days of their due date," he said.

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Do first babies come early?

Based on live births recorded in the National Survey of Family Growth, about 12% of first babies are born preterm, compared to 10% of other babies. And if “late” means after 40 weeks, first babies are more likely to be late: about 15%, compared to 10% of other babies.

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Is it possible to be pregnant for 2 years?

There is no evidence that such pregnancies exist, and doctors use the term cryptic pregnancy to describe cases where women don't realize they are pregnant, either for psychological or hormonal reasons.

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What is the shortest pregnancy ever?

Guinness World Records officially named Curtis Means, born at 21 weeks and one day at UAB Hospital, the most premature infant to survive. Videography: Andrea Reiber, Jeff Myers, Carson Young and Steve Wood.

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What's the shortest pregnancy?

The shortest known gestation is that of the Virginian opossum, about 12 days, and the longest that of the Indian elephant, about 22 months. In the course of evolution the duration of gestation has become adapted to the needs of the species.

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How many child can a woman give birth in her life?

According to research, a woman can have somewhere around 15 to 30 babies in her lifetime.

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Is full term pregnancy 39 or 40 weeks?

"Full Term" Starts at 39 Weeks

In the past, a baby born anytime between 37 weeks and 42 weeks was considered "term." A pregnancy is now considered "full term" at 39 weeks.

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