More and more births are being scheduled a little early for non-medical reasons. Experts are learning that this can cause problems for both mom and baby. If possible, it's best to stay pregnant for at least 39 weeks. If your pregnancy is healthy, wait for labor to begin on its own. 👶🏻
We know you can’t wait to meet your baby face to face. But getting to at least 39 weeks gives your baby the time he needs to grow. Lots of important things happen to your baby in the last few weeks of pregnancy. For example, your baby's brain and lungs are still developing.
You may not have a choice about when to have your baby. If there are problems with your pregnancy or your baby's health, you may need to have your baby early. But if you have a choice and you're planning to schedule your baby's birth, wait until at least 39 weeks.
Babies born too early may have more health problems at birth and later in life than babies born later. Being pregnant 39 weeks gives your baby's body all the time it needs to grow.
➡️ Here's why your baby needs 39 weeks:
Important organs, like his brain, lungs and liver, get the time they need to develop.
- He is less likely to have vision and hearing problems after birth.
- He has time to gain more weight in the womb. Babies born at a healthy weight have an easier time staying warm than babies born too small.
- He can suck and swallow and stay awake long enough to eat after he's born. Babies born early sometimes can't do these things.
➡️ Can scheduling an early birth cause problems for you and your baby?
- Yes. Experts are learning that scheduling an early birth for non-medical reasons can cause problems for mom and baby. Below are examples of problems that can happen when a birth is scheduled too soon for a non-medical reason.
- Your due date may not be exactly right.
- Sometimes it's hard to know just when you got pregnant. Even with an ultrasound, your due datecan be off by as much as 2 weeks. If you schedule to induce labor or schedule a cesarean birth (also called a c-section) and your date is off by a week or 2, your baby may be born too early.
➡️ Inducing labor may cause problems for you and your baby.
These can include:
- Stronger and more frequent contractions. This happens for many women. Contractions are when the muscles of your uterus get tight and then relax.
- Possible infections
- Uterine rupture. This is when the uterus tears during labor. It happens very rarely.
Inducing labor may not work.
➡️ If your labor is induced, the medicine your doctor or certified nurse-midwife (also called CNM) gives you may not start your labor. When this happens, you may need to have a c-section.
A c-section can cause problems for your baby.
Babies born by c-section may have more breathing and other medical problems than babies born by vaginal birth. (Most babies are born by vaginal birth. The mother's uterus contracts to help push the baby out through the vagina, also called the birth canal.
C-sections can cause problems in future pregnancies.
Once you have a c-section, you may be more likely in future pregnancies to have a c-section. The more c-sections you have, the more problems you and your baby may have, including problems with the placenta.
➡️ A c-section is major surgery for mom.
It takes longer for you to recover from a c-section than from a vaginal birth. You can expect to spend 2 to 4 days in the hospital after a c-section. Then you need about 4 to 6 weeks after you go home to fully recover. You also may have complications from the surgery, like infections and bleeding. So it's important to stay in touch with your health care provider even after you go home.
The March of Dimes Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait®™ education campaign and obstetric provider groups advise that you wait until at least 39 weeks to induce labor or have a c-section if it is needed. Wait this long unless there are medical problems that make it necessary to have your baby earlier.
➡️The Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait™ education campaign was developed in response to the growing number of inductions and c-sections prior to 39 weeks for non-medical reasons. Campaign messaging is not intended for mothers who have their babies early for medical reasons or who go into early labor on their own.
What pregnancy week are you in? Is your doctor talking about inducing you? Share your story in the comments below?💕
Комментарии
i had my second at 37 weeks 3 days. and my first was born at 39 weeks 4 days. the first time i went into labor naturally. the second time my water broke and i had to be induced because i wanted to decrese the amount of time he was susceptible to the fact that i was strep b positive and he was just over two weeks early, HOWEVER my due date was actually pushed back a week and he was born at 9 lbs 3 oz. I dont think that i could have had a natural birth if my water hadnt broke and we went full term. my ob said he could have been up to 11 lbs. and as it was he got his shoulders stuck and had to be wiggled out of me by several different people. but he was perfect after he was born. passed all his tests and latched right away wonderfully.
common misconception: 39 weeks is term, 40 is full term.
so many people are making a big deal over a post every pregnancy is different
heck a lot of baby book classify some pregnancies at 38 weeks as term... so now what? do we laugh at the books for getting the knowledge from the medical field? I know the medical is constantly changing but good grief come on now term can be 38-40 weeks....
I have heard tern is 40 an now it's 39...they seriously need to make up their minds what they deem term....
@desiree918, it depends on each pregnancy. My son was born a day before 36 weeks and passed meconium in the womb @chance14 Some babies born that early require NICU stays. My son, fortunately, did not. He roomed with me, but that still didn't make him a full term baby. They all develop at their own rate. My brother was born just shy of 35 weeks. No issues. And I know of women who gave birth at 37 weeks and their baby needed a short stay at NICU. It all varies, which is why full term was changed to 39 weeks.
Thank you for posting this! The amount of medical inductions for the sake of "being done" with being pregnant is out of control. Any doctor who offers an induction for no necessary medical reason is just out for the money he/she will probably make when it turns for the worse and ends in c-section!
still term enough to have roomed in with me, I have had a preemie he was 34 weeks.... and he was in NICU...
37 is considered late preterm anything past that is term. Your baby can born healthy at 37 but that doesn't make them term @desiree918
so my daughter who was born healthy at 37 weeks isn't term...... screw that
@dede0618, this is from the March of dimes. Most doctors have switched to 39 weeks but you should always talk to your ob or midwife
If they wait too late, baby could pass their meconium before birth and ingest it and cause far more compilations than having them a week or two early. It all depends on the mom/baby but then it comes down to being 1-2 weeks within their due date, they could always be off and baby is perfectly fine/healthy 9 times out of 10. Just my personal opinion.
37 weeks isn't considered full term anymore? @preggie_usa
@ehq, if you aren't satisfied, you could get a second opinion. But it's up to you.
my last was born at 36 weeks- it was the scariest thing ive ever been through!!! Most of the time your body knows when baby needs to come... He ended up being born via emergebcy csection... My body threw me into labor because the placenta was detatching from the wall of my uterus... they rushed me into the operating room because he had no heartbeat (he ended up being okay once he was born) then after he was born i started bleeding so bad they had to give me blood transfusions...
@ssdj4, right!? i see it soo much too. smh. or ladies trying to start labor as early as entering 37weeks!
a couple years back when i had my first three children (youngest about to be 5 ) 37weeks was considered full term BUT with further studies i learned with this baby , that that information has now been changed for info that is listed above , 37-38weeks is EARLY term and 39-41 is full term.
this info isnt just "social media info" by the way, my OB and HighRiskOB have said the same
With my first son the doctor wanted to induce me at 39 weeks and I refused. I ended up being induced on my due date. With my second son I was hospitalized at 28 weeks and delivered at 29 weeks via c section due to severe pregnancy complications (severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome). I didn't have a choice but to deliver early or else I could have died. I didn't want to deliver 11 weeks early. It makes me really sad, upset, and mad when women are complaining to the point that they say they want their baby out early. I have carried to 40 weeks so I do understand it's not always fun to deal with the pregnancy complications and discomforts, but it bothers me so much when moms are willing to jeopardize their baby's health for their own comfort of to try having baby come to fit THEIR schedule.
I got induced at 38 weeks but it was for medical reasons so please wait until your baby is fully ready. lucky my baby was healthy as could be👶💙
@ehq, talk to your doctor. This article is from the March of dimes.
@arivera64, you can with the share arrow at the bottom of this post
My ob will not induce me for any reason. I have diabetes, hypertension, and had preeclampsia with my previous pregnancy. It is too much risk for this baby so I either have to go into labor on my own or have a c-section at 39 weeks if I don't go into labor before then.
@kandice_steadman86 oh how I wish you were right about no doctor will induce before 39 unless medically necessary. They do it all the time. I see it all the time on here!! I'm not starting an argument just stating what I have read.
37 weeks is preterm, 39 is full term, 41 is post term... At least what I've been told by every doctor, labor nurse, etc. but my stubborn healthy little baby has almost made it to 41 weeks already and I'm not getting induced until next week so I will be almost 42 weeks induction day.
First each patient should be following the guidance of their Ob/gyn or midwife, not social media and/or their friends. No doctor is going to induce before 39 unless the see medically fit for mom and or baby regardless of a woman begging and pleading. Anyone that goes before that it either happens on their own or for whatever reasons the medical staff deems it safer outside the womb then in. Also 37 weeks is considered full term. Numerous babies come out before 39 weeks without any issues at all.
Moms,
We've seen lots of posts about moms trying to naturally induce labor quite early. If you are interested in this kind of information, you should seek the advice of a medical professional because every pregnancy is different. For educational purposes and without any judgement, here is what the March of Dimes states about babies born too early. We will also post this on our blog this weekend.
Babies born too early may have more health problems at birth and later in life than babies born lat...
Regardless of how you deliver your baby, C-section or vaginal, you are still a mother. Too many people have misconceptions about C-section moms. Some is unintentional but many of these uninformed comments can be quite offensive and hurtful. And they are completely missing the fact, that the most important thing is that both the mom and baby are healthy and happy.👶🏽
Here are six things you should not say to a C-section mom.
1️⃣ “Too bad you couldn’t have a normal birth.”
Many cesareans are perfor...
I’m scheduled for a c section Thursday and I’m a bit nervous.
Have any of you had a c section? If so what was your experience?
My August baby decided she wanted to be a May baby like her big sister. Madison Noelle was born on Tuesday, May 24 at 3:50pm, weighing 2lbs, 13oz and 14". She was born at 27 weeks and has a long road ahead of her. Every day she has been getting stronger and amazing everyone. Please keep us in your prayers, my family and I have a long road ahead of us. Congratulations to everyone and I wish you all wonderful pregnancies and deliveries! ??❤️
C-section mommies,
What tips do you have for new moms who may need a scheduled c-section or end up having an emergency cesarean? How did you survive post-surgery? What helped you make it? We're working on a new article and want your feedback. 😁We'll add your replies to our post.
Thank you!
mom.life.usa💕
I had my daughter at 38 weeks and she was very healthy little but healthy she was 5 pounds 9 ounces. I had her c section because the cord was wrapped around her neck and her heart rate was dropping. We tried natural birth but I was not dilating and the babies heart was dropping.
I think it's silly everyone arguing over what full term is and what knot...
I think everyone should wait until baby is ready to come unless medically necessary and thats between you and the doctor.