40 Weeks Key for Babies

Pregnant women take note:

If you have a choice, go for the full 40 weeks. Even being delivered one week early can make a difference in a child's chances of needing special education at school age, recent research suggests.

Babies born at a full 40 weeks have fewer learning difficulties later in life than babies born prematurely or event babies born at 37 to 39 weeks, according to a new study in UK. In the study, the children who required special educational help either had a learning difficulty such dyslexia or autism, or a physical difficulty such as deafness or poor vision. The increased risk from 40 to 39 weeks is small for an individual child. But 1/3 of all children are born in the early weeks (37-39 weeks).

Many women do not have any control when their babies are born. And even for those who do, there are so many factors that go into the best timing of a child's birth. This new finding is just one new piece of information that should be taken into account.