Everyone loves a good time-lapse video, especially one that shows the glorious transformation of a woman's body throughout pregnancy. Those who are diligent enough to document the whole journey have produced some amazing keepsakes and a look at the remarkable process that takes place during those nine months. The March of Dimes has gotten in on the action as well, but for a much more pointed reason -- to let women know that ALL nine months are important for a developing baby.
With so many early inductions and scheduled c-sections, babies are often missing out on important days and weeks of growing time that could cause long-term problems in the future. The primary message: A healthy baby is worth the wait.
As someone who had no choice but to deliver my son at 27 weeks, I'll never understand someone's decision to try and have a baby early. I would have given anything for a few more days, let alone weeks to let my son grow and thrive as he was meant to. My second pregnancy was full-term, and I know how uncomfortable I was toward the end and how ready I was to meet my daughter, but that time is fleeting. The long-term complications from delivering even a week early, however, can have a lifetime of consequences for children.
The organization provides a host of reasons why scheduling an unnecessary early birth (before 39 weeks) can be problematic including the following:
Your due date may not be exactly right. Sometimes it's hard to know just when you got pregnant. Even with an ultrasound, your due date can be off by as much as two weeks. If you schedule to induce labor or schedule a cesarean birth (also called a c-section) and your date is off by a week or two, your baby may be born too early.
Inducing labor may not work. If your labor is induced, the medicine your doctor or certified nurse-midwife gives you may not start your labor. When this happens, you may need to have a c-section.
A c-section can cause problems for your baby. Babies born by c-section may have more breathing and other medical problems than babies born by vaginal birth. (Most babies are born by vaginal birth. The mother's uterus contracts to help push the baby out through the vagina, also called the birth canal.)
Hopefully this video will help get the word out, and remind women that nature makes pregnancies last 40 weeks (in most cases) for a reason.
Have you/would you induce a pregnancy early? Why or why not?
Image via YouTube
Kim and Kanye's Baby Name Predictions!
Moms Love Birthday Parties, Too!
Father Knows Best - Happy Father's Day!
Are Cheaters Entitled to Privacy? - A...
Comments 68
Definitely not. Mother Nature knows best!! There is NOTHING in my mundane life that could ever be worth risking my child's health. Nothing!!!!!!!
I let all my babies come when they wanted. I had scheduled c-sections with them both for health reasons. For my first son, he wasn't in a good position to be born although he wanted to come out. He was footling breach, and you can imagine how hard it would be for him to come out like that!!! He came at 37 weeks. Leo as well, was a C-Baby. He had his own issues with the placenta not quite working right. He was born not quite 36 weeks. But with both of my babies, I went into labor before my scheduled c-sections. It was when they wanted to come.
Get off the mommy war bullshit. I induced both mine and eill this one as well. It's no one's business but my own.
I wouldn't induce earlier than 39 weeks without a medical reason but I would induce on my due date (if I ever made it that long - my babies were early). I know so many women who went 2 weeks past their due date only to give birth to giant babies that required c-sections. Their c-sections weren't a result of being induced but a result of having babies that were 2-3lbs larger than they were at the due date. That's not a factor a lot of women recognize.
I agree with Michelle. I was induced on the day I hit 39 weeks. Was 50% effaced (my blood pressure was starting to go up, Dr said we could let it go for a bit longer but thought it would be best to go ahead and get things moving) I was ready so we were induced. My daughter weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and is perfectly healthy. The induction was a very positive experience for me. Oh and had a perfectly normal? vaginal birth. no problems
I had to be induced the first time 2 weeks early because I delevoped pre-clampsia. My 2nd child my water broke during the night but it was more like a slow leak. I went in the next day to find out it was for sure my water and because I hadn't started labor yet they went ahead and induced me that time. My 3rd child my water broke and I had her within 1/2 an hour of it. No time for much of anything with her lol
I just saw on Teen Mom where the girl wanted to be induced because she felt fat. I was amazed when they went ahead and induced her for no really good reason. We all feel fat and miserable at the end. My doctor would have never induced me early like that. He said he has only done it once in his life and that is because the Dad was getting deployed and wanted to see his child be born before he left.