Thirty-nine weeks or more of pregnancy is the new standard of health for babies.

Why wait? Electing to deliver before 39 weeks means that your baby misses the benefits of full development that take place in the last weeks of pregnancy. Waiting for labor to begin on its own, naturally, means your baby is better prepared to meet the world.

Benefits

Until now, choosing to deliver as early as 37 weeks was considered safe for the baby. But evidence is growing that babies delivered this early are missing out on crucial benefits in development.

• The brain, lungs, liver and other important organs get the time they need to develop. The brain alone increases 50% in size in the last five weeks of pregnancy.
• Babies born before 39 weeks have more health problems than babies born at full term. There's a higher chance that they'll be hospitalized in intensive care before going home.
• Full-term (born at 39 weeks or later) babies learn to feed more easily, and need less special attention at home.
• Electing for early delivery means a greater chance that you'll need a C-section rather than normal childbirth.

• More steps you can take for a healthy pregnancy

Hospitals and Doctors Support 39 Weeks

The Mississippi Hospital Association and the Mississippi Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists both support the 39 weeks initiative. Delivery hospitals in Mississippi are supporting 39 weeks, too. Thirty-six of Mississippi's delivery hospitals – 80% of those in the state – have joined the March of Dimes Banner Program, committing to reduce unnecessary early elective deliveries (before 39 weeks) to 5% or less of all births. To date, more than a dozen hospitals have met this goal and will receive their banner.

Banner Hospitals in Mississippi

Mississippi hospitals which have met the goal of 5% or fewer early elective deliveries.

• Anderson Regional Medical Center
• Baptist Memorial Hospital, De Soto
• Baptist Memorial Hospital Union County
• Bolivar Medical Center
• Garden Park Medical Center
• Keesler Medical Center
• King's Daughters Medical Center
• Magnolia Regional Health Center
• North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo
• South Central Regional Medical Center, Laurel
• Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center
• University of Mississippi Medical Center
• Wesley Medical Center

Mississippi Hospitals in the Banner Program

Mississippi hospitals that have committed to the Banner Program's goals by pledging to reducing elective deliveries before 39 weeks of pregnancy are:

Talk to Your Doctor

Let your doctor know that you want the best for your baby. Plan for a full-term delivery, and ask about the medical reasons why early delivery might be necessary.

Find Out More

• Why at least 39 weeks is best for your baby March of Dimes
• Video: Worth the Wait National Institutes of Health
• Steps to a Healthy Pregnancy

Your input is important. We want to hear from you about maternal and child health needs, the MCH Block Grant, and programs in Mississippi. Take a moment to share your comments, ideas and concerns with us.

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