C section at 38.5 weeks

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Hi ladies, anyone had a c section at 38.5 weeks? I thought they don't usually do them until 39 weeks.
I'm having an elective section and just received a letter stating when it will be, I'll be 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant.
Will 2 days really make a difference? Shall I ring and get it changed?
Thanks

I have at 38 weeks and it was absolutely fine. I don’t think two days will make any difference. Good luck, hope everything goes well.

Thank you, I'm also thinking 2 days shouldn't make that much difference

You might need a steroid injection.

I had my second child at 38 weeks. He was and is still fine. Was 8 and a half pounds. I needed steroid injections. That was all. They had waited until he was 38 weeks because I'd started developing problems at 37 weeks.

I had DS2 at 38.5 weeks by elective section. He was quite jaundiced but that may well have been the case whenever he was born. Happy, healthy 3 year old now!

I had my second child at 37+5 by c-section. Weighed over 7lbs and perfectly healthy.

I've been told that for any future pregnancy I need to have an 'elective' C-section at 38 weeks. The advice was there is a slightly higher chance of baby spending time in NICU post-birth but this certainly isn't a given. You will already be 5 days further in than 38 + 0.

2 days isn't much in the grand scheme of things and presumably there is a reason your elective has been scheduled in then. If you are worried then obviously ask how the timing may impact baby (so you are prepared) but I wouldn't insist on changing the date unless you and your medical team have a good reason to.

Hope all goes well.

I had mine at 38 weeks. DC was v diddy and jaundiced, but no other problems and thrived quickly.

I had an emergency section at 38+5, due to failure to progress in labour. DD was fine and had excellent Apgar scores.

That said, I thought doctors preferred to wait until 39 weeks for planned sections, to minimise the risk of the baby having breathing difficulties immediately after the birth. I would query this with the doctor. It might be that two days won’t make any difference.

In my (hypothetical future) case, the planned C section would be at 38 weeks because I'm at higher risk of uterine rupture and they'd want to avoid me going into labour or otherwise having my old scar split.

There may be other reasons for doing a planned C section before 39 weeks. The medical team should take into account the baby's situation when making this decision.

Had my first at 38 weeks by emergency c section, all was fine :)

38+2 here due to a breech baby who decided to stop wiggling for me at 33(ish?) weeks. They advised that I could have steroids if I wanted but they don't normally advise them after 38 weeks so I declined. Little one came out yelling away with perfect scores and just fine.
If you're worried of course discuss with them but hopefully all these stories reassure you!

DD1, 38weeks weighed 8lb 10.5oz was absolutely fine
DD2, 39weeks weighed 8lb 2.5oz absolutely fine
C-section with both, all good

Not a c section but vaginal at 38+3 and baby was perfect :-) I was always conscious my son was '11 days corrected age though' for the first few months. If its elective ask them to change it of it bothers you

Is the date shortly before or after Christmas?

If it is, it's because there's 8 days worth of 39 week dates (plus earlier ones if GD, multiples, etc.) to fit into the 3 working days between Christmas and New Year. It's considered better to go slightly earlier than later to reduce the risk of you going into labour.

If it helps, my DC2 was born by emergency C-section at 37+6. 8lb 1, so a good size. He was slightly mucousy at birth, which needed a little bit of suctioning, but otherwise zero breathing support. Other than that, he had a touch of jaundice, which cleared up quickly. He was (and still is!) perfect in every way.

You can Google the NICE guidelines for c-sections and if I remember correctly it explains the current thinking about what day and what, if any, additional things need to be taken into consideration.

I had an elective the day I turned 39 weeks so only 2 days later than you.

I doubt 2 days will make a difference if baby is healthy and growing normally.

I was scheduled at 38w2d and not offered steroids. Initially I was told 39w due to ‘advanced maternal age’ then it became earlier when I had GD as well and baby was breach. Baby decided to come at 38w and was fine - 6lbs11oz and no breathing problems or jaundice. She was quite sleepy for the first week or so and needed to be woken for feeds though.

Thank you all, feeling better reading all the replies, feeling less worried about it all now.