Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Fuzzy Math & The Forgotten Month?

How many months pregnant am I?  I'm 21 weeks.  I've got two pregnancy books both of which disagree on what month I'm in.  I say 6 months, but every time I do the math I end up with some extra weeks at the end of the pregnancy.  Here's what I keep coming up with:
    1 - 4 weeks = 1 month
    5 - 8 weeks = 2 months
    9  - 12 weeks = 3 months
    13 - 16 weeks = 4 months
    17 - 20 weeks = 5 months
    21 - 24 weeks = 6 months
    25 - 28 weeks = 7 months
    29 - 32 weeks = 8 months
    33 - 36 weeks = 9 months
    37 - 40 weeks = 10 months

    Does this mean women are pregnant for 10 months but someone forgot to inform society?  I've been trying to take belly photos every month and now wonder what to do at 37 weeks (two 9 month photos?).  

    After some careful Internet research I've found the error of my logic.  Apparently I'm using a lunar calendar to track my pregnancy.  Lunar calendars follow one full moon cycle which is 4 weeks.  While the Georgian calendar, followed by most of humanity, says a month is 4.333 weeks (probably where the 9 months came from).  

    If I calculated my pregnancy using the Georgian calendar my due date would be July 22, 2009--exactly 40 weeks from October 15, 2008.  Which conveniently computes to 9 months (+1 week):
    November 15 = 1 month
    December 15 = 2 months
    January 15 = 3 months
    February 15 = 4 months
    March 15 = 5 months
    April 15 = 6 months
    May 15 = 7 months
    June 15 = 8 months
    July 15 = 9 months (my official due date per doctors)
    Apparently Grandma was right (she often is).  She told me I was 4 months pregnant and I told her I was 6 months pregnant.  We were obviously using different calendars.  So Grandma, you are not losing your mind, I am 4 months pregnant though I feel and look about 6 months pregnant and could possibly be 6 months pregnant if we all started following the lunar calendar.

    1 comment:

    Zoo Keeper said...

    I say that maternity math = acounting.

    Whereby REAL MATH:
    1 + 1 = 2
    Accounting:
    1 + 1 does NOT equal 2. It could equal zebras, $328.35, maple tree, -$5.17, you name it

    Therefore accounting and maternity math are not real math.

    Thus, this is why I could get an A in calculus and almost fail accounting. Good thing I did not become an ObGyn.

    just sayin'