NPR story: Doctors To Pregnant Women: Wait At Least 39 Weeks

NPR did a story the other day letting folks know about the possible dangers of choosing to have your baby early.  Some women might chose to have their baby early due to physical discomfort.  Others because of jobs or family arrival.  What caught my attention most about the article was the mention that due dates can be as much as two weeks off.  So, if you're told you're due on April 1st and schedule an induction 2 weeks prior to that, but the due date was 2 weeks off, you could potentially have a baby who is a month early.  "That could never happen!", you might be thinking to yourself.  However, it sort of happened to a client of mine.  She was told her due date was June 28th.  When she was at 42 weeks she went in for an ultrasound.  She was then told because of her menstrual cycle and the measurements of the baby, her due date should have been July 21st.  That's three weeks off.  Imagine if she had decided to induce two weeks early?  That's five weeks early.  The NPR article shows the difference between a 35-week brain versus the 39-40-week brain.  It weighs only 2/3 the weight at 35 weeks!

I have given birth to three babies.  Two in the summer.  One in late fall.  I know what it is to be uncomfortable.  I know what it is to want to meet the living, breathing baby inside my belly who kicks me at night, gives me heartburn and makes me feel an insurmountable love.  The best and most wonderful gift you could give your baby and yourself is to endure for a little while longer and let your baby develop fully and come into this world the way he or she is meant to, in his or her own time. 

*This is my advice to healthy mamas with healthy babies/fetuses.  I am not a medical professional.  Of course, if there are health risks or emergency situations, my advice is null and void.*