any babies born at 38 weeks with lung issues via c section?

[elizaregina]

as above - just wondered if for any reasons babies had been born at 38 weeks and had issues with breathing - ie serious issues...

i read that 38 weeks IS classified as full term but I dont know...

Mine was born at 38+2 with no issues at all.

Mine were 38+5 and 38+6 with no lung issues

Mine was born bang on 38 weeks, no problems at all, good Apgar score, no breathing/lung problems.

mine were all c-sections - 36, 38, 38 & 37 weeks (last three all electives) - no breathing issues with any of them. Benefits out weighed the potential risk in my case I had steroids before the 37 week section.

Ds was born at 39 weeks by elcs and had respiratory distress syndrome, he was in nicu on cpap for 2 day and in scbu for 8 days.

At the time his consultant said that it could be that my dates were wrong, as although he was a big boy (8lb 9oz) he showed several signs of prematurity. She said that it could also be because in an elcs, the baby's lungs haven't been 'primed' by labour starting, they also haven't been squooshed through the birth canal.

I should add, that ds has since had many problems (including recurrent chest problems) that could be the result of a genetic disorder, so his breathing difficulties could have been due to that, and exacerbated by the csection.

However, his consultant did say that she saw lots of babies in scbu with wet lungs and rds following elcs, and that the closer to 39 weeks the better the results.

ELCS at 37+5, as I had PROM - no breathing problems, APGAR of 9 and 10.

My first baby was a section at 38+1, no breathing or lung problems whatsoever. I had not had any labour before he was delivered.

Third baby delivered on Monday by elective section but she was 39+2, again no breathing problems and I reckon she was actually more like 38+4 according to my own dates.

Hope that helps!

My baby (twin) was born at 37 + 1. He did have lung issues but it was a chest infection, so nothing to do with the timing of birth (in fact, I do wonder if he would have survived any longer in utero as I had a bad infection the week before and something must have got through as he had it from the moment he was born).

Well the RCOG guidelines are based on research of 1000s of babies so I would imagine that the answer is yes. Even if you don't find anyone on MN who's been in this situation.

You will get plenty of babies who were born at 38 weeks with no problems but the research was finding too many that did have problems which is why guidelines have changed.

38 weeks is full term but the thinking is that firstly these babies aren't stimulated by the stress of labour and being squeezed through the birth canal so their lungs aren't as ready as babies been born vaginally. Also the research was looking at elective sections - so possibly at 38 weeks these babies weren't ready whereas perhaps a baby where a labour starts naturally is more ready.