Don’t rush the delivery, UC Irvine’s Porto tells caregivers
April 19, 2012
IN THE NEWS: UC Irvine’s Dr. Manuel Porto addressed the the 22nd annual Perinatal Symposium organized by Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center’s Women’s and Children’s Services at the Sheraton Fairplex Conference Center, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune:
For some time, healthcare professionals have known it’s best to allow a fetus to develop in its mother’s womb until its 39th week of gestation, but that doesn’t always happen. For various non-medical reasons, expectant mothers or their physicians will schedule a birth prior to the 39th week. Sometimes, a physician will schedule an early delivery at the patient’s request.
“As obstetricians, we feel pressured to schedule the delivery,” said Dr. Manuel Porto, chairman of UC Irvine’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The woman may want to accommodate family members’ visits or is tired out from the pregnancy.
“Let’s face it. It just doesn’t feel great to be pregnant,” Porto said. Waiting until the 39th week, however, means better outcomes for mother and child, Porto told more than 600 healthcare professionals Wednesday.
