Things I'm Learning About an Early Delivery

I like to be prepared.  I like to have a plan.  Medical surprises are hard to take given William's pregnancy ending in an emergency, so this time around I'm constantly gathering info.  It makes me feel better! 

Most recent info: if you're delivering a baby early (37 weeks, scheduled c-section in my case, and not an elective delivery but a medically necessary one), there's a good chance you'll do a Fetal Lung Maturity test prior to delivery to make sure the baby is ready to come out. 

I haven't actually talked to my doctor about this yet, but know someone else who delivered her two kids at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) with another doctor in my OB's practice, so feel like the likelihood of us doing this testing is pretty high.  SO grateful to her for telling me about it because the procedure is like an amnio, big needle and all.  I've had two CVS procedures, so I know this will be fine but I like to be mentally prepared for big needles.  The advanced notice is fab! 

Here's a link explaining more about the testing:
http://www.pregnancylab.net/2011/01/tests-of-fetal-lung-maturity.html

The authors of the Pregnancy Lab blog I linked to above also point out the risks of elective early delivery, and that isn't something I'm advocating.  My OB believes 37 weeks is the right time for us because William's C-section was done with a classical incision (usually both exterior and interior incisions are horizontal, but in a classical incision the interior one is vertical).  Because of this, ACOG recommendations suggest our next C-section happen between 36 weeks and 37 weeks 5 days. 

I couldn't find the most recent report, but here's one with similar info - the goal is to reduce the risk of rupture, which is more common in cases w/ prior classical incision:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21962624

Handy medical info to have!

Love, S.