Babies who are born just a few weeks early could go on to struggle at school, research suggests.

　　一项研究结果显示，早出生数周的婴儿长大后，学习会比较吃力。

　　Scientists found a little more time in the womb may result in greater brain development and better scores on academic tests.

　　科学家发现在子宫中多停留一段时间有利于让大脑发展更完善，从而带来更好的学校考试成绩。

　　Premature babies are newborns born before 37 weeks and are known to face increased chances for health and developmental problems.

　　早产儿是指在37周之前出生的婴儿，他们比别的孩子更容易生病，发育过程中也会遇到更多困难。

　　Full-term is generally considered to be between 37 weeks and 41 weeks and until now researchers assumed it made little difference when babies emerged during this time.

　　足月婴儿出生于37周到41周之间，到目前为止，研究人员都认为在这个时间段出生的婴儿没有明显差别。

　　Compared with 41-weekers, children born at 37 weeks faced a 33 per cent increased chance of having severe reading difficulty when they were eight years old

　　图：与41周时出生的孩子相比，37周的孩子在8岁时出现严重阅读障碍的几率要高出33%。

　　However, a new study has found that more children born at 37 or 38 weeks performed poorly in maths test when they were eight-years-old compared to youngsters born a week or two later.

　　然而，一项新研究发现，与晚出生一到两周的同龄人相比，更多出生于37周或38周的孩子在8岁时数学测试的成绩会很糟。

　　The researchers and other experts said the results suggest that the definition of prematurity should be reconsidered.

　　研究人员和其他专家认为，这项结果意味着应该重新审视早产的定义。

　　The findings also raise questions about hastening childbirth by scheduling cesarean deliveries for convenience - because women are tired of being pregnant or doctors are busy - rather than for medical reasons, the researchers say.

　　此外，这项研究还对以剖腹产的方式提前分娩提出了疑问，当然，这里所说的剖腹产是指因为准妈妈不耐烦了，或者医生太忙了而草率行事的情况，而非由于医学上的需要。

　　Women should 'at least proceed with caution before electing to have an earlier term birth,' said lead author Dr Kimberly Noble from Columbia University Medical Center.

　　准妈妈们“在决定提前分娩前，至少应该经过谨慎考虑”，研究论文的第一作者，来自哥伦比亚大学医学中心的Kimberly Noble博士认为。

　　The study involved 128,000 New York City public school children and included a sizable number of youngsters from disadvantaged families. But the authors said similar results likely would be found in other children, too.

　　该研究的对象是128000名纽约市公立学校的孩子，其中很大一部分都来自贫困家庭。但研究人员称在其他孩子当中也会发现相同的结果。

　　Of the third grade children born at 37 weeks, 2.3 per cent had severely poor reading skills and 1.1 per cent had at least moderate problems in math. That compares to 1.8 per cent and 0.9 per cent for the children born at 41 weeks.

　　在受调查的出生于37周的三年级学生中，2.3%有严重的阅读障碍，1.1%在数学方面存在至少是中等困难。而41周出生的孩子当中，这两个数据分别是1.8%和0.9%。

　　Children born at 38 weeks faced only slightly lower risks than those born at 37 weeks.

　　出生于38周的孩子们面临的风险只略低于37周的孩子。

　　Compared with 41-weekers, children born at 37 weeks faced a 33 per cent increased chance of having severe reading difficulty in third grade, and a 19 per cent greater chance of having moderate problems in math.

　　与41周时出生的孩子相比，37周的孩子在三年级出现严重阅读障碍的几率要高出33%，在数学方面存在中等程度困难的几率高出19%。

　　'These outcomes are critical and predict future academic achievement,' said Naomi Breslau, a Michigan State University professor and sociologist.

　　来自密歇根州立大学的社会学家Naomi Breslau教授说：“这项结果关系重大，预示着未来的学术成就。”

　　Her own research has linked lower IQs in 6-year-olds born weighing the same as the average birth weights at 37 and 38 weeks' gestation, compared with those born heavier.

　　她在自己的研究中发现相对于那些出生时体重更大的婴儿，6岁儿童中IQ较低者出生时的体重与在37到38周出生的婴儿平均体重相同，

　　The study was published online Monday in Pediatrics.

　　这项研究与周一发表在《儿科杂志》（Pediatrics）上。

　　The research 'will cause quite a stir,' said Dr Judy Aschner, a pediatrics professor and neonatology director at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

　　该研究“将引起不小的轰动，”范德堡大学医学中心的儿科教授和新生儿研究主任，Judy Aschner博士说道，

　　'There are still a lot of babies who are being delivered more or less electively at 37 and 38 weeks, with people thinking, "This is no big deal - these babies are full-term." I think this is a big deal,' Dr Aschner said.

　　“现在还有很多人选择让孩子在37周到38周之间提前降生，他们认为‘这不是什么大事儿，反正已经算是足月了。’但我觉得这的确是大事。”

　　Dr Aschner, who was not involved in the study, said no one is recommending trying to delay childbirth for women who go into labor at 37 weeks or 38 weeks.

　　Aschner博士并没有参与这项研究，她认为该研究并不是要让在37周到38周自然分娩的孕妇采取措施，拖延产期。

　　'I don't want to panic moms whose babies come at 37 weeks,' she said.

　　“我不希望引起在37周分娩的母亲们的恐慌，”她说，

　　'But those elective early deliveries really need to stop.'

　　“但是那些有选择的提前分娩真的应该停止了。”

　　Some hospitals including Vanderbilt require obstetricians planning elective C-sections to complete a checklist and if appropriate boxes aren't checked, the operation can't be performed, Aschner said.

　　Achner还说，包括范德堡在内的一批医院要求产科医师在安排剖腹产时准备一张清单，如果清单上的某些项没有满足，那就不能进行手术。

　　In the study, 15 per cent of children were born in C-section operations but there was no information on how many of these were elective or medically necessary procedures.

　　在这项研究中，15%的孩子是通过剖腹产出生的，但没有信息说明这些剖腹产是自选的还是从医学上必须进行的。

　　C-sections can cause birth complications that also increase chances for developmental delays. But the researchers took that into account, along with other risk factors including low birth weight, lack of prenatal care, smoking during pregnancy and neighborhood poverty - all of which could contribute to academic difficulties. And they still found that birth at 37 weeks and 38 weeks was an additional risk.

　　剖腹产可能引起并发症，提高发育迟缓的风险。但研究人员已经将这个因素考虑在内，还有其他风险因素，包括出生时体重较低、缺少产前护理、怀孕期间抽烟以及贫困的环境——所有这些都有可能导致学习吃力。尽管如此，他们还是发现，在37周或38周时出生会带来更多风险。