When is a Pregnancy Considered Full Term?

A viewer wants to know, "What is considered a full-term delivery? I thought 38 weeks was ok, but my doctor says it is not." Well, it's very important to note that medical experts have reconfirmed that a full-term delivery is a gestational age of 39 to 41 weeks. So, why is this important? Well there's something called early-elective deliveries. And this is the elective delivery of a baby either through induction or C-section for non-medical reasons. And of note research has shown that this the rates of early-elective deliveries have increased significantly over the past couple of decades. And even a recent study or survey of women show that 90 percent of them thought that it was ok to delivery a baby at 38 weeks. So, why is this an issue? Well, those last critical weeks of a baby's gestational age is really important for weight gain and for the development of their vital organs. So, if a baby is delivered for non-medical reasons or for any reason early, they could have difficulties in breathing, so respiratory problems, difficulties in feeding, maintaining their body weight. They can also really need to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit instead of the well baby unit. Also, if a woman is induced for non-medical reasons, there may be problems in the labor itself, and also could lead to more cesarean sections. So, what's being done for these elective deliveries or these early-elective deliveries for non-medical reasons. Doctors and hospitals and even organizations, such as the March of Dimes, they're all working to make sure policies and procedures are in place to avoid these types of procedures for non-medical reasons. So, if you have any questions, make sure you have a good dialogue a good discussion with your doctor about ways to deliver a healthy new born.