Remember the 1995 romantic comedy Nine Months? Well, it looks like Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore lied to us all! Well, not really; but sort of. In fact, it's always been odd that the definition of full-term pregnancy is 9 months. With 40 weeks or more spent growing a person, and a little over 4 weeks to a month, it's more like 280-plus days. So in case you didn't hear; the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), along with the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, recently changed whats considered full-term. While 37 weeks has been considered full-term up until recently, 39 to 40 weeks is the new definition (37 to 38 weeks will now be considered early term). This change came about thanks to recent breakthroughs in scientific discover. For instance: we now know that a baby's brains are still growing in the last weeks of pregnancy. Also, babies delivered later feed better and have an easier time regulating body temperature. So next time you hear the words "nine months" and pregnant" in the same sentence, please feel free to elaborate on their behalf. What other pregnancy misconceptions would you like to add to the list? Let us know in the comment section below.
Jesse Gumbarge is editor and chief blogger at JarvisCity.com - He loves old-school horror films and starting pointless debates. You can reach out at: JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com
