Although a birth between the 37th and 42nd week of gestation is considered full term, every day the baby passes into the womb in the last stage of pregnancy is important. An investigation states that there are higher risk in children born in week 37 than in 40.
The study, prepared by the March of Dimes, a foundation specialized in helping parents of premature babies, along with other organizations, found that although the risk of death at a general level is small, it rises to more than double for children born in week 37 of gestation, when compared with babies born at week 40, for all races and ethnicities.
Even when the pregnancy has come to an end, it is crucial for the baby's health to continue, unless medical contraindication, at least until week 39. It seems that at that point the baby is already formed and two weeks can change, however choosing an early date of delivery is harmful to the baby.
The research was conducted based on data from 2006, according to which the infant mortality rate in the United States was 1.9 per thousand live births for babies born at the 40th week of gestation. The mortality rate increased to 3.9 per thousand when a baby was born just a few weeks earlier, at the 37th week of gestation.
Term babies are usually considered as a homogeneous group of healthy babies, without distinguishing those born in week 37 from those born in week 41 with no less than a month apart. But we have already seen that even being born two weeks before can affect the development of children.
Neonatal infant mortality rates are higher for children born at week 37 of gestation, and decrease with each additional week until week 40, with the lowest neonatal mortality rate.
While we are talking about minimal risks, when there is no medical justification for advancing labor, even if it is within the “term” period, it is preferable not to intervene in births that could take a few days or weeks longer.
