full term?

[BabyOnBoard_18]

are u full term at 36 or 37 weeks?

[GeekMom1213]

See, but that's the thing Sian_Evs... that's not physically possible. It has never happened that a delivery at 20 weeks gestation has resulted in a baby that survived. She may have a story about a lucky preemie but if so she is mistaken about the timing. With current technology, it is impossible for that story to be accurate.

[Destynee2015]

I was induced at 36 weeks and my doctor told me i was only 1 week before being full term. So from what ive been told its 37 weeks. My son was fine.

[sabbylopez]

*most ob/midwife will say 37 weeks is full term

[sabbylopez]

You can have baby between 37-42 weeks. There is no set limit when baby will come but most ob/midwife will say 37 weeks but don't want you to start preparing your body for labor until 38/39 weeks just incase they are off. Say you are 37 weeks and doctor tell you to start having sex so you do and go into labor and have baby but turns out you were actually 35 weeks and baby has to be in nicu because his/her lungs are under developed. Some women can be two weeks ahead then they actually are or two weeks under.

[sabbylopez]

You can have bab

[Sian_Evs]

@Geekmom... Obviously some babies survive at 20 weeks as she said she has a niece who was born at20 weeks who survived and is now over 40.. But of course it's a very slim chance.

[GeekMom1213]

Jemma116... There is a problem with part of your post. You said a baby born at 20 weeks "may not survive" which is inaccurate. A baby born at 20 weeks WILL NOT survive. A baby born at 23 weeks only has a 17% chance of surviving - the record for the earliest preemie ever to survive was 21w6d, a medical miracle. Viability is not possible at 20 weeks.

[painttheunivers3]

39 weeks is considered full term. 35-37 is early term.

[ThreePlusOne2016]

39

[jemma116]

A full term pregnancy is one that is 40 weeks.
Do remember that when the doctor gives you the expected date of the birth of your baby, this is usually worked out on a 40 week basis, but this is not set in stone so your baby can be born before or after.  

Normally if you and the baby are fine, the pregnancy would be allowed to continue up to 2 weeks after the 40 week date and if there is no sign of the baby coming or it is found the baby is in distress, you would be induced for the baby to be born.  

A birth can happen around 2 weeks before the 40 weeks and 2 weeks after the 40 week calculation and that would be fine.

A baby may be born at the 20 week stage, but there is a risk that the baby may not survive.  I have a niece who was born at the 20 week stage, but there were complications that affected her legs due to lack of oxygen.  She is over 40 now.

The link below explains in full the stages of pregnancy which you will find very useful.

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/pregnancy-weeks-37-38-39-40.aspx#close

[RockRose]

It depends on what you're talking about.  

If you're asking if you go into labor,  will the doctor not do anything to stop it,  that's usually around 37 weeks.

If you're talking about when the doctor puts your due date on a calendar,  that's 40 weeks.

[Nickkyy]

39

[GeekMom1213]

The March of Dimes and the ACOG say that 37 weeks is "early term" and 39 weeks is "full term". The recommendations changed in 2013 to discourage non-medically-indicated inductions or c-sections before 39 weeks because so many babies needed NICU stays since they weren't ready to be born yet.
Unfortunately many doctors haven't caught up with the current standards of best practice.

[Ceri111]

My friend just had her baby at 36 weeks and she spent 2 weeks in NICU needing some help with her lungs..but some babies are born then and are pefectly healthy, so depends on the baby

[Ceri111]

I was told 38

[ChefBlu]

I always thought it was 37 weeks but it wasn't until I turned 38 that my doctor told me my son could come any day now.

[mrspike]

Its 37 weeks nowdays

[Sian_Evs]

I was told 37 by my midwife

[candybaby2]

I was told 38 weeks is full

[40415]

37 weeks is full term

[specialmom]

My obstretrician tells women 38 weeks.  

[jjolfert]

Technically 37 weeks is early term. 39 weeks is full term and 41 weeks is late term.

[EverythingN1]

^^ agreed

[G91993]

37 week