Vital info every mom-to-be needs to know
Moms-to-be shouldn't choose to induce labour or have C-sections earlier than 39 weeks, a new study says.
"There’s a common perception that if you just get to 34 or 37 weeks, everything will be fine," said Alan Fleischman, senior vice-president and medical director at the March of Dimes. But recent research suggests that's not true — and a major study released yesterday found that the risk of infant death for a 39-week pregnancy is half that of a 37-week pregnancy.
Researchers from March of Dimes, the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration analyzed over 46 million births — "basically the entire U.S. data set," Fleischman said — from 1995 to 2006. They divided them into “full-term” (39 and 40 weeks) — and “early-term” (37 and 38 weeks), and found that the although overall risk is very small, there is a substantial difference between the groups' mortality rates: 1.0 for every 1,000 live births for babies born at 40 weeks, and 3.9 per 1,000 in babies born at 37 weeks.
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Now, obviously there are times when it's medically necessary to deliver early. But Canada's intervention rates are high — our C-section rate is at 26%, well above the World Health Organization's recommended 10 to 15 percent — and many women are choosing elective births.
So how do you protect yourself? Fleischman says, "A) don’t push for delivery — there should be no elective deliveries of any kind, either induction or cesarean, before 39 weeks. And b) understand that there's a growing interventionist mentality, so ask your doctor questions. 'Why do we need to do this? Are there any other alternatives?'"
