Pregnancy Countdown Calculator

Once you know your due date, it's hard not to start counting. Whether you're planning maternity leave, getting the nursery ready or just excited to meet your baby, a countdown makes the weeks feel a little more real.

Our Pregnancy Countdown Calculator counts down the days and weeks to your due date and the milestones along the way. Don't know your due date yet? Find it with our main Pregnancy Calculator first.

How to use the calculator (Pregnancy Countdown Calculator)

1. Choose whether to count down from your due date or the first day of your last period.
2. Enter the date. If you're using your last period, enter your average cycle length too.

You'll see the number of days until your due date, the weeks and days to go, how many weeks pregnant you are, how far through your pregnancy you are, and a countdown to each milestone.

The milestones

The calculator counts down to these points in your pregnancy:

• End of the first trimester (13 weeks): often when sickness starts to ease. Our Pregnancy Trimester Calculator shows every trimester date.
• Anomaly scan window (18 weeks): your 20-week scan happens between 18 and 21 weeks.
• Third trimester (28 weeks): the final stretch, when your baby gains most of their weight.
• Full term (37 weeks): your baby is considered full term from this point.
• Due date (40 weeks): 280 days from the first day of your last period.

A worked example

With the calculator's default settings, you'll see an example of someone 12 weeks pregnant, with 196 days (28 weeks) until their due date. They're about 30% of the way through their pregnancy, and the end of the first trimester is just days away.

Why your baby probably won't arrive on the day

Only about 1 in 20 babies are born on their due date. Most arrive between 37 and 42 weeks, so it helps to think of your due date as the middle of a five-week window rather than a fixed day.

If your pregnancy goes past 41 weeks, your midwife will usually talk to you about a membrane sweep and the option of being induced.

Planning around your due date

Your due date affects more than the countdown:

• Maternity leave: the earliest you can usually start maternity leave is 11 weeks before the week your baby is due. Our Statutory Maternity Pay Calculator shows what you'll be paid.
• Telling your employer: you need to tell them at least 15 weeks before the week your baby is due.
• Hospital bag: many people have one packed by around 36 weeks.