In recent years, there’s been a trend toward earlier deliveries, as more women are choosing the date they’ll give birth. This is known as an elective delivery. Studies suggest that the number of elective deliveries rose dramatically from 1990 to the mid-2000s.
If there’s a particular medical reason to deliver early, then it’s best not to wait, says Dr. Catherine Spong, a pregnancy expert at NIH. “But if the mother and baby are healthy, there’s no benefit to delivering the baby early,” she says. In fact, delivering early can create lasting health problems. Even women of advanced maternal age, older than 35, should wait until at least 39 weeks unless there are medical reasons to deliver early.
“We’ve gotten to the point where people feel they can choose the timing of their delivery,” says Spong. “But in reality, that baby, in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy, is doing a huge amount of developing.”
Those last few weeks can make a big difference. At 39 to 40 weeks of pregnancy, a baby’s brain weighs one-third more than it does at 35 weeks. The lungs and liver also continue to develop up to 39 weeks. And those last few weeks allow time for layers of fat to grow under the baby’s skin, which helps keep the infant warm after birth.
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Editor's note: The Brockporter, Brockport's online news magazine, publishes articles on health topics on most Sundays.
Angela and I had nine children the last four of whom were born at home at 348 Main Street in Brockport, NY. Angela delivered big babies, 2 at 9lbs. 8oz, 1 at 10lbs. 4oz. and Ryan at 11 lbs. 6 oz. The first three were born at Lakeside and the next 2 were born at The Genesee Hospital in Rochester, NY.
One of the best documentaries on the birthing industry in the United States is Ricki Lake's documentary released on 2008 entitled The Business Of Being Born.
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