38 weeks pregnant
share
In our pregnancy week by week guide, you can find out what to expect when you | re 38 weeks pregnant.
On this page:
You at 38 weeks pregnant
Your baby when you | re 38 weeks pregnant
You at 38 weeks pregnant
Your breasts could be leaking colostrum. You might be experiencing more Braxton Hicks contractions. Although they can at times feel uncomfortable, they | re actually helping to prepare your uterus and cervix for labour and birth.
The placenta is about 17-18 cm across and can weigh up to 1 kg. It processes about 12 litres of blood an hour. If you have a vaginal birth, the placenta will be delivered after your baby. This is usually in the first half hour after your baby is born, although it might be longer.
It | s recommended that you have an oxytocin injection after the baby | s birth to prevent too much bleeding.
pregnancy illustration, week 38
Extra scans
If everything | s going smoothly, you | re not likely to need any more scans after 20 weeks.
But your doctor or midwife might suggest extra scans if you:
are having twins or more
have a medical condition like gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia
have had problems in previous pregnancies.
Your health professional might also want another scan to check whether your baby is growing healthily, whether baby is lying in a breech position or where the placenta is.
Child car seats
If you haven | t had a child car seat fitted yet, do this now.
It | s illegal for any baby or child under the age of 7 years to travel in a car without an approved child car seat. This includes driving home from the hospital or birth centre. Your newborn will need to be seated in a properly fastened, adjusted and approved rear-facing child car seat.
Your baby when you | re 38 weeks pregnant
A baby born this week is considered to be born at term:
Your baby is about 35 cm from head to bottom and, on average, weighs about 3.2 kg.
Most of the lanugo – the fine covering of hair on your baby | s body – has fallen out. But your baby still has a fair bit of vernix – a white, creamy substance that protects your baby | s skin from the amniotic fluid.
Your baby | s bowel is full of meconium, a dark green, tar-like substance, which will come out in the first few poos. Your baby | s poos will range from black to green to yellow as baby starts to drink milk.
After your baby is born and in your baby | s first week of life, your midwife or doctor will check your baby to make sure everything is all right.
38 weeks pregnant baby weight in kg?
