- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
December 2011 Moms
When did the rules change
So I have been reading in ALL these magazines that babies being born or induced at 37 weeks is considered preterm and that they have a smaller brain than babies born at 40 weeks and suffer health problems more...okay my daugther was born (in 2005) at 36 weeks 5 days and she is perfect. Now almost 6 she is very smart and does not suffer from any constant health problems. You know I am just about fed up of these journal people. Some of these so called studies can be incorrect you know. I had labor pains (still having them) yesterday and my OB said that he cant admit me before 37 weeks mind you I was 36 weeks and 6 days. I think its a southern thing cause my friend in NYC gave birth to her son 36 weeks and 5 days so whats the problem.
Maybe I am just frustrated and want this to be OVER already :-)
This discussion has been closed.
Re: When did the rules change
All of the literature is correct but the way it is being conveyed is incorrect. Babies born preterm are more likely to have complications than term babies. It does not mean that preterm babies will necessarily have any issues, they are just more prone than term babies.
However this is leading to insurance companies taking a much closer look at non emergent interventions prior to 37 weeks, so many docs are waiting until 37 weeks rather than risk payment issues or increased risk of complications.
Good point...never thought about the politics side of pregnancy..Insurance Companies..LOL.
Thanks!
Make a pregnancy ticker
The science is very clear that most babies before 39 weeks still have lung and brain development going on and the medical community started seeing a trend in babies needing more NICU time if they were born early, especially if they were "forced" to be born via induction or c-section.
Here's a link to the March of Dimes article about it.
https://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/getready_atleast39weeks.html
And yeah, insurances companies don't want to have to pay for all that extra NICU care if it can be avoided, so they also started cracking down.
When you read those articles, it doesn't mean that EVERY baby born at 37 weeks or 38 weeks or whatever will have smaller brains or developmental problems. But they are at greater risk that babies born after 39 weeks.
My son was born at 37w1d and he also had no issues. But I consider that very lucky - I would much rather that he have had those last couple weeks to develop further, but it didn't work out that way. It doesn't mean the research is wrong, just that he is one of the lucky ones who didn't have problems.
There was also a good article about this not too long ago in the NY Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/health/09brody.html
I think there are a lot of factors that contribute to this, one being proper dating of the pregnancy.
In some pregnancies, dating can be off by 2-3 weeks. For those who have gotten pregnant through ART or chart, this eliminates dating inaccuracies. For me, when I am 37w, I *know* I am 37w without a doubt while Jane Doe may really be 35w which is going to affect the statistics.
So going by that math, at 39 weeks, it is pretty much a guarantee that the baby is full term even if the dating is a bit wrong, KWIM?
Insurance is a big factor in this... but like PP said... our Due date is ESTIMATED. So It can be off 2-3 weeks. So at 38 weeks you could actually be anywhere between 35-41... seems crazy, but thats just how it is. That's why most Drs now wont do anything unless in an emergency situation until you hit 37 weeks.