Expert: Catherine Beier MS CBE - 11/18/2011

Question
Greetings,
Is it true that the third child might be an early bird? My first 2 were @ 38 weeks. I'm due January 20, 2012 and everybody is telling me i might deliver the baby in December, can that be possible? The only complication that I'm in is an enlarged liver, headaches and varicose veins! I guess it's common for all pregnancies.
Thank You in advance!

Answer
Hello Carol,

Mothers with previous pregnancies tend to do what they've done before.  So, if your first two children were born at 38 weeks, your third is likely to come near the same time.  There is no research to support that a 3rd child might come significantly sooner than in previous pregnancies, so you shouldn't expect a preterm birth (36 weeks or earlier) just because this is your third pregnancy.

Could you deliver in December?  Yes, that's always a possibility.  Babies are considered full-term by 37 weeks, if they are born after a spontaneous labor (not induced/via c-section), so given that your due date falls less than 3 weeks after December, this baby could come full-term around 37 weeks and be born in December.  It would not be likely to arrive earlier in December as a preemie unless you have specific risk factors that make preterm birth likely (which does not sound like it's the case).

So, I would be prepared to welcome your child sometime around 38 weeks, as your body seems to have them ready by then.  Even given that, anytime between 37-42 weeks would still be considered normal, although if your first two have been early, it's less likely that this one would go longer than 40 weeks.


Best,
Catherine

P.S. As a personal anecdote, my first two children were both born at 38 weeks, 0 days.  My third arrived in just the same manner, at 38 weeks, 0 days.