Third trimester · 38 weeks pregnant
Week 38: finishing touches
Organs are ready; the brain and lungs keep refining.
Your baby's organs are ready for life outside, while the brain and lungs continue fine-tuning. The grasp is firm, eye colour is set for now (often changing after birth) and the head is about the same circumference as the abdomen.
Size and weight
About the size of
a leek
Length
49.8 cm
Weight
3.1 kg
Averages from standard growth charts. Measured crown to rump until week 20 and head to heel afterwards.
How your baby is developing
- All organs are ready; the brain and lungs keep maturing.
- The baby has a firm grasp and may have a full head of hair, or none.
- Eye colour is often blue or grey at birth and may change over months.
- Head and abdomen are about the same circumference.
How you may feel
- Swollen feet and ankles
- Braxton Hicks that may be hard to tell from early labour
- Pelvic pressure
- Back pain
- Broken sleep
- Frequent urination
- Bursts of energy
Real labour contractions become longer, stronger and closer together and do not fade when you change position or rest. Braxton Hicks do.
What's next
Tests and appointments
- Weekly visit: blood pressure and urine protein (preeclampsia check), fundal height, position, movements.
What to do this week
- Time tightenings when they start: note how long each lasts and the gap between them.
- Call your maternity hospital or 103 when contractions are about five minutes apart, lasting a minute, for an hour; or sooner if told to.
- Keep eating and drinking in early labour to keep your energy up.
Call your doctor or maternity hospital if
- Your baby is moving less than usual, or the pattern has changed
- Vaginal bleeding, or your waters break, especially if the fluid is green or brown
- A severe headache, vision changes, pain under the right ribs, or sudden swelling of your face and hands
- Regular painful tightenings before 37 weeks, or severe itching of your palms and soles
If something feels wrong, trust yourself and call 103 or your maternity hospital. You will never be wasting anyone's time.
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