Good post @justincottle
To had some more points to your post, if the human baby were to be born with the same fisical development of a chimpaze baby (our closest relative) the gestation would increase from 9 months to 24 months (2 years), we are very premature when we born, but on the good side, it created in our species stronger family and tribal bonds because woman will need help when delivering a new life to our world!
Other thing is what anthropologists cal the "sponge effect": because we are born soon, we start sooner to learn sounds, smell, touch, speak, think! This in the thousands of years is a increadible evolutionary advantage over our friends chimpazes!
Peace, Carlos