Listen Live
Stone Soul Vendor Graphics
99.3-105.7 Kiss FM
CLOSE

A study by Netherlands researchers found that babies who were overdue are twice as likely to have behavioral problems in early childhood. Babies born after 42 weeks, when normal gestation is 40 weeks, are twice as likely to have problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), researchers found.

Experts from the International Journal of Epidemiology allude to the need for more options for women to deliver, such as medical induction methods or a caesarean if their pregnancy extends beyond 40 weeks.

“As we get to 41 weeks of pregnancy and beyond, it gets to be more and more dangerous to keep the baby inside the mom’s body because the placenta may no longer give the baby enough nourishment, particularly if the mother is over 35,” explained NYC obstetrician Dr. Christina Senor.

The researchers studied 5,145 babies in Rotterdam for three years to investigate the relationship between the time they spent in the womb and long-term behavioral/emotional problems.