I remember the last several weeks of my pregnancy. They seemed to take FOREVER! I was carrying a 9-1/2 pound baby and was SO incredibly uncomfortable! Any fear of labor was gone – I just wanted this baby OUT. As hard as it is to wait though, it is so worth it.
A common assumption is that babies are just putting on weight during the last month of the pregnancy and it really doesn’t matter.
However, there is much more going on that that.
- The baby’s lungs are developing.
- At 35 weeks, the baby’s brain is only 2/3 the size that it would be at 39-40 weeks.
- When babies are born early, there is a risk of breathing problems due to immature lung development, and babies have a difficult time maintaining their own body temperature.
- Babies may have to spend a period of time in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), causing the baby to be separated from the parents, which can impact bonding and certainly breastfeeding.
- Breastfeeding pre-term babies is critical, as their immature digestive systems may not be able to handle anything more than breastmilk, but when mom cannot put baby to the breast or is trying to recover from major abdominal surgery (c-section), it can impact her ability to produce milk. Its a vicious cycle.
- There is help available for moms with milk production issues though. More at this link about that.)
- More serious risks of babies being born early are cerebral palsy, vision and hearing loss, learning disabilities, and even death.
All of these are good arguments against elective c-section or induction.
This article gives further information and additional resources on this subject. I encourage you to watch the short, highly informational video that it contains as well.
That said, there are certainly valid circumstances that require a baby to be induced early, or even an early c-section. When the baby or mom’s health is in jeopardy, it is absolutely the best course of action to take. If time is of the essence and the baby must be born immediately, hospital induction or c-section may be necessary and is absolutely the best course of action.
But if you’re just tired of being pregnant and if at all possible, I would suggest using herbs to get labor started. They are effective, and much more gentle than the more aggressive measures.