Pregnancy Due Date Calculator & Clinic Visit Planner (South Africa)

Your due date and your clinic visits, worked out together

Most due date calculators stop at the date. This free pregnancy due date calculator for South Africa goes further, it takes your due date and turns it into your actual antenatal clinic visits, on real calendar dates, following the public sector BANC+ schedule that clinics use. Enter the first day of your last period, your due date if you already have one, or the result of a dating scan, and it tells you when your baby is due, how many weeks pregnant you are today, which trimester you are in, and how long you have to go.

Below that it lays out all eight antenatal contacts as dates you can plan around, starting with the all important booking visit and then the follow ups at 20, 26, 30, 34, 36, 38 and 40 weeks, with a short, plain explanation of what happens at each. You can tick each visit off as you go, add them to your phone calendar with a reminder the day before, and print or save the whole plan for your clinic card. There is also a clear danger-signs list, the things that mean you should go to the clinic the same day rather than wait.

How your due date is worked out

A due date is counted as 40 weeks, or 280 days, from the first day of your last period, assuming a regular 28 day cycle. If your cycle runs longer or shorter than 28 days you ovulate later or earlier, so the tool lets you enter your usual cycle length and shifts the date to suit. An early dating scan, before about 14 weeks, is the most accurate way to date a pregnancy, so if your clinic gave you a date from a scan, use that. Remember a due date is the middle of a normal range, not a fixed day, a healthy baby can arrive any time from 37 to 42 weeks.

The South African antenatal schedule (BANC+)

Since 2017 South Africa has followed BANC+, Basic Antenatal Care Plus, which is eight contacts through the pregnancy rather than the old four. Seeing you more often, especially in the last weeks, catches problems like high blood pressure and slow growth much earlier. Here is the schedule the calculator builds for you.

When your baby arrives, the next set of dates to plan is the immunisations. Turn your baby's birthday into the full South African vaccine schedule with our child immunisation schedule calculator, or browse all our free South African tools and calculators.

Frequently asked questions

How is my due date calculated?

The standard way is to count 40 weeks, or 280 days, from the first day of your last period. This is what the calculator above uses, and it assumes a regular 28 day cycle. If your cycle is usually longer or shorter, it shifts the date to match, since you ovulate later or earlier. If you have had a dating scan, that is more accurate than the period date, especially early on, so use the scan option or simply enter the due date your clinic gave you. Only about one baby in twenty actually arrives on the due date itself, so treat it as the middle of a window.

How accurate is a due date?

It is an estimate, not a deadline. A normal pregnancy can end anywhere from 37 to 42 weeks, so your baby could arrive up to three weeks before the due date or a week or two after. An early dating scan, done before about 14 weeks, gives the most reliable date, because all babies are a similar size that early. Later on, size varies more, so a late scan is less exact. The calculator gives you the due date and how far along you are today, but your clinic's date always takes priority if it differs from this one.

When should I go for my first antenatal visit in South Africa?

As soon as you know you are pregnant, and ideally before 12 weeks. This first visit, called the booking visit, is the most important one. The nurse confirms your dates, checks your blood pressure and urine, and does the booking blood tests, your HIV status, syphilis, blood group and rhesus, and haemoglobin. You start on calcium, iron and folic acid, get a tetanus injection if you need one, and learn the danger signs. Booking early means any problem is picked up in good time, which is safer for you and your baby. Take your ID and clinic card with you.

How many antenatal visits do I need?

South Africa follows the BANC+ schedule, which is eight contacts across the pregnancy. That is the booking visit, then follow up visits at 20, 26, 30, 34, 36, 38 and 40 weeks. This replaced the older four visit approach, because seeing you more often, especially later in pregnancy, catches problems like high blood pressure or a baby not growing well much earlier. If you have a condition that needs closer watching, or something comes up, your clinic will add extra visits. The calculator lays out all eight as real dates so you can plan around them.

What happens at each antenatal clinic visit?

Every visit checks your blood pressure, your urine and your baby's growth and heartbeat, because these catch pre-eclampsia and other problems early. On top of that, the booking visit does the full set of blood tests and starts your supplements, haemoglobin is rechecked around 26 and 36 weeks, your HIV test is repeated around 34 weeks to catch any late infection, and from about 34 to 36 weeks the nurse checks your baby is head down and helps you prepare for labour. Near your due date the focus is on making sure you and your baby stay well until birth.

How do I know how many weeks pregnant I am?

Your pregnancy is counted in weeks from the first day of your last period, not from the day you conceived, which is why you are already four weeks pregnant about two weeks after conception. The calculator works out how many weeks and days along you are today from the date you put in, so if your last period started nine weeks ago you are about nine weeks pregnant. A dating scan can adjust this, and from around 12 weeks the scan measurement becomes the more accurate guide to how far along you are.

What are the danger signs in pregnancy?

Some things need to be seen the same day, do not wait for your next visit. Go to your clinic or hospital straight away if you have any bleeding, a bad headache or changes in your vision, sudden swelling of your face or hands, your baby moving much less than usual, your waters breaking or fluid leaking, strong or constant tummy pain, a fever, a fit, or burning when you pass urine. These can be the first sign of a serious problem, and getting seen quickly is what keeps you and your baby safe. The calculator shows this danger-signs list with your plan.

This calculator gives a general guide based on the standard 40 week due date and South Africa's public sector BANC+ antenatal schedule. It is general health information, not medical advice, and it does not replace your clinic, doctor or midwife. Private care may space visits differently, and your own carer may change the plan for your situation, so always follow the dates and advice they give you. If you have any of the danger signs, go to your clinic or hospital straight away. Everything you enter stays in your browser and is not saved or sent anywhere.