Why do people keep saying at 37 weeks you're not full term

Re: Why do people keep saying at 37 weeks you're not full term

• leighalou91 member

  July 2015

  The app is wrong. They need to change it. 37 is considered early term... No longer "preterm" but definitely not full either.

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• emshredder member

  July 2015

  37 weeks is early term which means that if you went into labor they wouldn't stop it but you're not full term until 39 weeks. The baby still does a lot of growing in the last few weeks.

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• J&D2007 member

  July 2015

  I think the confusion lies in the 'full' part. You are not full term at 37 weeks, but are considered term. Meaning that the baby won't be considered preemie if born. Whether at 37 weeks, we are 'term' or 'early term' depends on semantics.

  Me: 37, DH: 38: ttc 7 years, dx: unknown
  10/11: after 2 years, saw a RE, FSH 5.4
  11/11: BFP! (surprise after thyroid & normal hsg),
  12/11: missed m/c after 7 week u/s, 1/12: D&C
  6/12 IUI#1-IUI #3: clomid = BFP!, C/P
  IVF #1(10/12) FSH 5.4, AFC: 16 long Lupron, 5R/5M/4F, all 4 made it to 5dt, 1 blast/1-8 cell transferred=BFN
  IVF #2(12/12)AFC 21, MD lupron, 4R/4M/3F, 5dt of 1 blast and 2-8cell. BFN.
  IVF#3(4/13) Natural start antagon protocol, 12R,11F. one PGS normal at day 6 transfer. BFN.
  IVF#4 (11/13) C.CRM (ODW.U normal 8/13 Still no Diagnosis) EPP/antagonist. ER 13R/7M/6F. Only 1 made it to freeze. Abnormal. Looking into options of DE, Fresh vs frozen.
  10/14 new local RE to look into what's next. CD3 FSH 4.7, AMH 0.9. Met with DE agencies and exploring options for feb/march 2015.
  Surprise natural bfp (4 days before donor is signed). Beta #1 at 9dpo: 51.8, 2nd beta: 195 (25 hours doubling) @11dpo. 3rd beta (12/15): 516 (35 hrs doubling) 4th beta(12/17): 895 (58 hours doubling) 5th beta(12/19): 2120. U/S at 5w0d(12/22): one gestational sac with yolk sac. U/S #2 (6w0d)12/29. One little bean measuring 6w0d with HR 124. 3rd u/s(1/4)7w0d: baby measuring 7w2d. HR 134. 3/30: A/S at MFM went great except for low lying placenta. Verifi results are normal! Team Blue! Please send any positive thoughts our way! EDD:8/24/2015
  Baby Will born 8/18. He's perfect.

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• mriee member

  July 2015

  Different people calculate it differently just like different people say the trimesters start/end at different times. I think rule of thumb is once you reach 37 weeks the chances of complications are quite small so they'd let you deliver if you went into labor naturally. The longer we keep them in there the better though up to 41 weeks. Then it can get a bit dicey as apprerently the placenta starts to slack no matter how heathly your pregnancy is. If you've reached 37 weeks just breath a sigh of relief that's what I did.

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• PixelPosy member

  July 2015

  The app tells you what it means baby has developed it's most crucial functions. Crucial being the keyword. Meaning you probably won't need a steroid shot or even a trip to the NICU if baby arrives at 37 weeks. Doesn't mean baby isn't still early and has more developing to do. I was induced right at 37 weeks and we really struggled with our latch and weren't successively breastfeeding until she was about 5 weeks or so. Which is pretty common for early babies.

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• 4foxsake member

  July 2015 edited July 2015

  37 weeks is early-term. The babies systems are basically fully developed and outcomes for babies born at this time are pretty dang good. However outcomes are even better if baby stays until 39-40 weeks. At 41 weeks risks start increasing. if your baby decides to com at 37 or 38 weeks, or even 41 weeks, don't freak out, outcomes really are incredibly good for delivery anywhere between 37-42 weeks. The early-term, full-term guidelines were changed in the US mostly to cut down on inductions and csections being done too early. Lots of times the due date may actually be wrong and if a doc induces at what is thought to be 37 weeks and its truly only 35 weeks, that can be bad.

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• ElleMF728 member

  July 2015

  https://www.acog.org/About-ACOG/News-Room/News-Releases/2013/Ob-Gyns-Redefine-Meaning-of-Term-Pregnancy 

  
  

  This just reiterates what PP's said and is from 2013, I trust ACOG over The Bump App. 

  

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• puccagirl77 member

  July 2015

  Another good reference: https://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/what-is-full-term.aspx
  
  I think of it like this- it is safe for the baby to be born after 37 weeks, but not a good idea to induce prior to 39 weeks unless otherwise indicated.
  
  Personally, I would avoid inducing prior to 41 weeks, but it is a personal decision. (ask me again in 3 weeks )
  

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• sandrabrooke member

  July 2015

  Best time to have a baby is 39-41 weeks.  Buttt....37 weeks is not considered "Bad" necessarily.  Its more so that doctors aren't as induction happy at 37 weeks.  If you go on your own at 37 weeks, the outcomes are typically higher than a forced induction, for example. Also, if you went on your own, you very well could have a dating error.  

  
  

  Essentially: don't induce before 39 weeks without medical reason.  (really though..wait to 41 at least) 

  

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• SHieb member

  July 2015

  37 weeks is considered "full" term because when baby is born at that time, the need for medical intervention most likely wouldn't be needed. However, if you continue reading it also says that in the last few weeks baby is still developing and better in until 40 weeks.

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• MissusTexas member

  July 2015

  https://www.modernalternativemama.com/2015/06/02/why-the-final-5-weeks-of-pregnancy-are-critical/
  
  "In fact, a baby’s brain at 35 weeks weighs only 2/3 what it will at 39 – 40 weeks. Baby’s brain actually increases by 50% in those final weeks of pregnancy! According to one study, baby’s brain is increasing by an average of 2.3 mL per day in the third trimester."

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• CaliforniaDream87 member

  July 2015 edited July 2015

  sandrabrooke said:

  Best time to have a baby is 39-41 weeks.  Buttt....37 weeks is not considered "Bad" necessarily.  Its more so that doctors aren't as induction happy at 37 weeks.  If you go on your own at 37 weeks, the outcomes are typically higher than a forced induction, for example. Also, if you went on your own, you very well could have a dating error.  

  
  

  Essentially: don't induce before 39 weeks without medical reason.  (really though..wait to 41 at least) 

  This. OP, just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's true or accurate.

      DS born 8-16-2013

  

  

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