39 Weeks

Every Week Counts

We know, you can’t wait to meet your baby face-to-face. Experts, however, are learning that scheduling a birth earlier than 39 weeks for non-medical reasons can cause problems for both mom and baby.

Castleview Hospital wants to encourage all of our expectant moms to know that going to full 40 weeks is what your baby needs to grow and develop. Labor should only be induced for medical reasons, not for convenience or scheduling concerns.

Here’s why your baby needs the full 40 weeks of pregnancy:

• Important organs like their brain, lungs and liver get the time they need to develop.
• A baby’s brain at 35 weeks weighs only two-thirds of what it will weigh at 29 to 40 weeks.
• Baby is less likely to have vision and hearing problems after birth.
• Baby has time to gain more weight in the womb. Babies born at a healthy weight have an easier time staying warm than babies born too small.
• Baby can suck and swallow and stay awake long enough to eat after they’re born. Babies born early sometimes can’t do these things.

To learn more about Castleview’s Childbirth Services and our physicians, call 435.636.4854.