A new study shows women undergoing induced labor or elective cesarean delivery even slightly before completing the full term of their pregnancy may affect their children's vital development, reports Medical Xpress.
A new study from the University of Michigan recommends the delivery of a child at 39 to 41 weeks after pregnancy despite the normal term of delivery being between 37 to 41 weeks. Researchers say that babies undergo significant developments during this period and it is beneficiary for the baby to be born after 39 weeks of pregnancy.
According to the study author Dr. Betsy Lozoff, a professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases at the University of Michigan, it is better to wait until the full term of pregnancy if there are no health risks involved and avoid elective C-sections for an early delivery.
Dr. Lozoff and her colleagues conducted a survey of 1,562 babies in Chile at age one. Researchers noted the week when the babies were delivered. The average weight of all the children was 6.6 pounds at the time of birth and all the babies were delivered after 39 weeks.
Researchers noted slight advancement in terms of mental development and body movement for every additional week. The study also noted some differences in testing, which in average showed that not all early born babies were affected, Dr. Lozoff said.
"To give some reference point, the differences observed in this study are as large as those observed with low-level lead exposure."
The study was limited to discover the cause and effects of early born babies. However, Dr. Magaly Diaz-Barbosa, medical director of neonatology for Miami Children's Hospital said the findings make sense and hopes that it would encourage doctors and women to give importance to those final weeks of pregnancy.
"Even though the definition of a full-term gestation is between 37 and 41 weeks, what I think this study shows is, that each week in the pregnancy is crucial," she said. "Some obstetricians might consider it OK to schedule a routine elective C-section after 37 weeks, but there is still important development [occurring]."
Dr. Diaz-Barbosa said that during the last few weeks of pregnancy, the babies undergo major developments which take place in the brain. "The healthiest place for the developing baby is in the womb," she said, and recommended to wait at least till 39 weeks unless there is any medical risk involved.
She further advised parents with early deliveries to be aware of their children's behavior like "a bit less mature in eating, sleeping and overall behavior," she said. But eventually it improves.
The findings of the study are published in the journal Pediatrics.
