When we're pregnant the first thing we want to know is our due date. Once we are armed with that information we find out that a term pregnancy is defined as 37 weeks to 42 weeks. Many moms start eyeing that 37 week mark as the healthy birthday mark. The problem is that this is only the healthy birthday mark, if labor starts spontaneously. Some babies need all 42 weeks to be healthy.
At 35 weeks, your baby's brain weighs only two-thirds of what it will weigh at 40 weeks. Your baby's lungs are still maturing. Your baby is still perfect that whole suck-swallow-breathe routine that is imperative for living.
Debra Bingham, DrPH, RN, LCCE says "Late pre-term" typically describes babies born between 34 and 37 weeks, though studies have also shown babies can have difficulties when they are delivered in the 37th and 38th weeks:
- A 2007 study showed that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks were six times more likely to die during the first week of birth than babies born full-term
- Another 2007 study showed late pre-term babies were at increased risk of learning and behavioral problems
- A 2009 study showed babies born at 37 weeks were four times more likely to have serious breathing problems or be admitted to the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) and that babies born at 38 weeks had twice the risk of these health problems as babies born at 39 weeks
The problem comes in when we look at all the babies born, many "voluntarily," prior to the natural conclusion of pregnancy - spontaneous labor. When you allow your baby to start labor when he or she is ready, you can greatly reduce these risks. If you are in a medical situation where the benefits of being born sooner outweigh these risks, you are able to move forward knowing the risks and accepting them. But many moms, don't know the risks involved.
"While we don't suspect many physicians are delivering babies at 35 or 36 weeks for convenience, non-medical reasons can drive a lot of deliveries at 37, 38, or 39 weeks. These early deliveries can come with a price," said Sharon Dalrymple, RN, BN, MEd, LCCE, and president of Lamaze International. "The problem is compounded when women and their care providers pre-empt spontaneous labor and rely on due-dates that are often inaccurate."
So what can you do to ensure that your due date is accurate? You can be sure of your dates. Do not let your practitioner change your due date based on ultrasounds done later in pregnancy. These are often inaccurate or at least as accurate as your date by your period. If you are unsure of your last normal menstrual period date, then you will want to have an ultrasound as early as possible. Ultrasounds performed before 12 weeks are more accurate for dating purposes.
Related:
Sources:
Engle, W.A., et al, and the Committee on Fetus and Newborn. "Late-Preterm" Infants: A Population at Risk. Pediatrics, Volume 120, Number 6, December 2007, Pages 1390-1401.
Tomashek, K., et al. Differences in Mortality Between Late-Preterm and Term Singleton Infants in the United States. Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 15, November 2007, pages 450-456.
Engle, W.A., et al, and the Committee on Fetus and Newborn. "Late-Preterm" Infants: A Population at Risk. Pediatrics, Volume 120, Number 6, December 2007, Pages 1390-1401.
Tita, A., et al., The Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network, Timing of Elective Repeat Cesarean Delivery at Term and Neonatal Outcomes N Engl J Med 2009 360: 111-120
I think that instead of giving women a due date, we need to give them a “due month”, which would span the four week period between 38 – 42 weeks. The vast majority of babies will be born on their own, without induction, during this time period. I am a midwife, and I always recommend that my pregnant clients tell family and friends that the baby is due “sometime in January” or “between the middle of July to mid-August”. It keeps some of the pressure off, and helps the woman to realize that the baby should be the one to pick the birth date.
That is a really good idea. I’ve heard people advocate for that before. I know they are trying to do that more routinely in some other locations, I believe in Britain. I try to focus early on in pregnancy, that due dates are not written in stone and that babies cannot read calendars. Maybe we need an iPhone app that converts your due date into a “window of baby opportunity.”
Due dates are a lot of pressure. I obsessed over mine when I was pregnant. I felt guilty when my baby when my baby was overdue – stupid I know, but I felt it nonetheless!
Ophelia, That’s a pretty interesting thought… I can totally see how someone would feel that way given how we feel about time. Thanks for sharing.