Many Women Don’t Know The Last Weeks Of Pregnancy Count

          WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., NOV. 20, 2009 -- A survey published today in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology finds that many women think it’s safe to delivery a baby at 34 to 36 weeks gestation, rather than at 39 weeks as recommended by medical experts.   The March of Dimes wants to remind everyone that a baby’s brain and lungs are still growing in the last weeks of pregnancy.  Babies born just a few weeks too early are more likely to die during their first week of life, and those who survive are more likely to suffer breathing problems, feeding difficulties, temperature instability (hypothermia), jaundice, and delayed brain development.  The March of Dimes and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists urge all pregnant women and their health care providers to go to 39 weeks of pregnancy whenever possible unless there is a medical necessity to deliver early.

         Earlier this week, the March of Dimes issued its 2nd annual Premature Birth Report Card – click here to see how the U.S. and your state are performing on key areas such as preventing late preterm births, and what you can do to help.

         Click here to read about why the last weeks of pregnancy count.  November is Prematurity Awareness Month, when the March of Dimes focuses the nation’s attention on the growing problem of premature birth.   

(“Women’s Perceptions Regarding the Safety of Births at Various Gestational Ages” by Robert L. Goldenberg, M.D. et al., Obstetrics & Gynecology, Vol. 114, No. 6, December 2009)