You are now 38 weeks pregnant, which is the beginning of week 39. With around two weeks to go, your baby may be about 49 cm long (19.2 inches) and approximately 3,200 grams in weight (3.2 kg or just over 7lb).
The fine covering of hair on your baby's body (called lanugo) all but disappears now, but their skin is still covered with thick, greasy, white cream called vernix. If your baby is a boy, his testes have now descended from their groin area into his scrotum. Your baby's placenta now covers about one third of the inner surface of your uterus and processes around 12 litres of blood per hour (or 600 pints every 24 hours)!
What is my body doing at 38 weeks?
You might feel you’re spending most of your life on the toilet – the pressure on your bladder is so extreme now that it’s squished into a pancake (seriously!). But, annoying as it is, you should keep hydrated. Another reason you might have to set up camp in the loo is that you could have diarrhoea now, too. Oh the joy!
If so, it’s your body making room for the baby to emerge – yep, it’s a sign your small one is on his or her way soon. Word of advice: avoid rich, fatty or fibre rich foods and instead eat light soups, toast and ice lollies.
And if leaking from your bottom end isn’t enough, your boobs (which by now might be of gigantic proportions) could be discharging a thin, yellowish fluid called colostrum.
It’s basically the first milk your baby will get, which is full of antibodies, and has less fat and sugar and more protein than the milk that arrives later. If this affects you, it’s probably not the time to wear your best floaty, silk Whistles top. And if it’s more full-on seepage than mere droplets, pop some nursing pads in your bra. Your last antenatal appointment is this week, unless you go overdue, so make a list of any last minute questions to ask your midwife.
Common symptoms to look out for:
Emotional reactions
Feeling ready
Prelabour is the preparation for the labour. The body and the baby beginning, getting ready, for the woman to say YES to the labour, whatever that may bring.
Are you prepared for your hospital stay?
Other considerations
Newborn screening blood test is a heel-prick test usually offered routinely to babies at about 3 to 5 days after birth. It aims to detect selected disorders so that treatment can commence before the baby shows signs of illness.
Hepatitis B vaccinations are routinely offered to newborn babies before they are discharged from hospital.
Jaundice is a yellowing of the baby's skin and eyes due to a build up of a substance called bilirubin. Up to 50% of newborns become jaundiced, with most just requiring closer observation. A few babies need treatments such as phototherapy.
Boys - care of foreskin. A baby boy's foreskin (or prepuce) is naturally adhered from birth and gradually separates on its own by the time the child is about 2 to 5 years of age. In a few boys it remains attached until puberty (this is not a problem).
Your new baby
Bonding with your baby
There has been a great deal of emphasis placed on the concept of bonding or attachment in recent decades. The media often portrays the image that bonding occurs within minutes after birth, as if the parents are suddenly struck by a thunderbolt of emotions for their newborn baby. While this may certainly be the case for some parents, for many others bonding is a gradual process that ignites and grows in the following days, weeks or sometimes months after birth.
Feeding your baby
Most women make the decision about how they wish to feed their baby well before the birth. Some find this choice easy, others are unsure and may take a wait and see approach. The decision-making process is usually influenced by many factors reflecting the woman's cultural, social and personal beliefs, past experiences, her perception of her body, the society she lives in, her plans to return to work, how her mother fed her babies and sometimes her partner's preferences.
Newborn examinations
Most newborns have several head-to-toe checks performed by various caregivers at different times in the hours, days, weeks and months after birth.
What to expect from your baby's caregivers
As soon as your baby is born the priority of their caregiver is to ensure they have a smooth transition to life. Once this has happened, keeping your baby warm, making sure they have fed and performing expected routine procedures such as weighing, measuring and checking them physically all happen in good time.
The fine covering of hair on your baby's body (called lanugo) all but disappears now, but their skin is still covered with thick, greasy, white cream called vernix. If your baby is a boy, his testes have now descended from their groin area into his scrotum. Your baby's placenta now covers about one third of the inner surface of your uterus and processes around 12 litres of blood per hour (or 600 pints every 24 hours)!
What is my body doing at 38 weeks?
You might feel you’re spending most of your life on the toilet – the pressure on your bladder is so extreme now that it’s squished into a pancake (seriously!). But, annoying as it is, you should keep hydrated. Another reason you might have to set up camp in the loo is that you could have diarrhoea now, too. Oh the joy!
If so, it’s your body making room for the baby to emerge – yep, it’s a sign your small one is on his or her way soon. Word of advice: avoid rich, fatty or fibre rich foods and instead eat light soups, toast and ice lollies.
And if leaking from your bottom end isn’t enough, your boobs (which by now might be of gigantic proportions) could be discharging a thin, yellowish fluid called colostrum.
It’s basically the first milk your baby will get, which is full of antibodies, and has less fat and sugar and more protein than the milk that arrives later. If this affects you, it’s probably not the time to wear your best floaty, silk Whistles top. And if it’s more full-on seepage than mere droplets, pop some nursing pads in your bra. Your last antenatal appointment is this week, unless you go overdue, so make a list of any last minute questions to ask your midwife.
Common symptoms to look out for:
- Constant urination: Thanks to the position of your baby’s head in your pelvis, there’s less room for your bladder, but the trips to the toilet are becoming a more and more frequent event. Don’t cut out liquids as hydration is more important than ever as you get close to the birth, but consider skipping caffeine as it could make these bathroom visits even more frequent.
- Braxton Hicks: If you’ve noticed more frequent and intense Braxton Hicks contractions, this usually signals that labour is not far away. Get your partner to practise your breathing and visualisation techniques with you.
- Nesting instinct: The urge to clean has never been so strong! Although it’s understandable you want to make a beautiful home for your baby, make sure you’re not using your valuable childbirth energy all up on scrubbing the sink.
- Bloody show: The mucus discharge tinged with pink, brown or red blood will soon be making an appearance: keep your eyes peeled for it and call your doctor or midwife once it appears as it usually means labour is not far off.
Physical changes
Prelabour
Many women experience some form of prelabour for weeks, days or several hours before their labour starts in earnest. Prelabour is essentially feeling some physical signs indicating labour could be starting, such as a 'show', having loose bowel motions, nausea (possibly vomiting), backache, period pain, perhaps the waters breaking or some mild to moderate regular or irregular contractions. During prelabour the cervix softens and ripens, thins out and starts to open or dilate slightly, up to 1 to 3 centimetres or so.
If you have to ask "Is this it?", then it's generally not. However, each woman's body differs and even the most experienced caregivers can get it wrong! Prelabour contractions vary considerably, but are usually further apart, shorter (or longer) in length, and more erratic, than established labour contractions. They are also not usually strong enough to stop you talking or doing normal tasks.
Many women wonder if an increase in mucous secretions is actually a show.
Many women experience some form of prelabour for weeks, days or several hours before their labour starts in earnest. Prelabour is essentially feeling some physical signs indicating labour could be starting, such as a 'show', having loose bowel motions, nausea (possibly vomiting), backache, period pain, perhaps the waters breaking or some mild to moderate regular or irregular contractions. During prelabour the cervix softens and ripens, thins out and starts to open or dilate slightly, up to 1 to 3 centimetres or so.
If you have to ask "Is this it?", then it's generally not. However, each woman's body differs and even the most experienced caregivers can get it wrong! Prelabour contractions vary considerably, but are usually further apart, shorter (or longer) in length, and more erratic, than established labour contractions. They are also not usually strong enough to stop you talking or doing normal tasks.
Many women wonder if an increase in mucous secretions is actually a show.
Emotional reactions
Feeling fed up
Late pregnancy often brings many discomforts and as your baby grows bigger and your belly grows heavier feeling tired of being pregnant, and generally fed up with the whole process are common emotions. Most women come to this point at some stage, with impatience making you feel like you would give almost anything to have your baby born.
It is often said that you need to get to the point of 'having enough' before you can move into physical labour. Perhaps this is Nature's way of making fears of labour pain dissipate, as you yearn for your baby to be with you.
Talk about your feelings with your caregiver and/or partner (if you have one), or with someone else you trust. Sometimes labour does not start until you feel you have resolved your feelings to some degree and are emotionally ready to have your baby.
Late pregnancy often brings many discomforts and as your baby grows bigger and your belly grows heavier feeling tired of being pregnant, and generally fed up with the whole process are common emotions. Most women come to this point at some stage, with impatience making you feel like you would give almost anything to have your baby born.
It is often said that you need to get to the point of 'having enough' before you can move into physical labour. Perhaps this is Nature's way of making fears of labour pain dissipate, as you yearn for your baby to be with you.
Talk about your feelings with your caregiver and/or partner (if you have one), or with someone else you trust. Sometimes labour does not start until you feel you have resolved your feelings to some degree and are emotionally ready to have your baby.
Feeling ready
Prelabour is the preparation for the labour. The body and the baby beginning, getting ready, for the woman to say YES to the labour, whatever that may bring.
Are you prepared for your hospital stay?
Other considerations
Newborn screening blood test is a heel-prick test usually offered routinely to babies at about 3 to 5 days after birth. It aims to detect selected disorders so that treatment can commence before the baby shows signs of illness.
Hepatitis B vaccinations are routinely offered to newborn babies before they are discharged from hospital.
Jaundice is a yellowing of the baby's skin and eyes due to a build up of a substance called bilirubin. Up to 50% of newborns become jaundiced, with most just requiring closer observation. A few babies need treatments such as phototherapy.
Boys - care of foreskin. A baby boy's foreskin (or prepuce) is naturally adhered from birth and gradually separates on its own by the time the child is about 2 to 5 years of age. In a few boys it remains attached until puberty (this is not a problem).
Your new baby
Bonding with your baby
There has been a great deal of emphasis placed on the concept of bonding or attachment in recent decades. The media often portrays the image that bonding occurs within minutes after birth, as if the parents are suddenly struck by a thunderbolt of emotions for their newborn baby. While this may certainly be the case for some parents, for many others bonding is a gradual process that ignites and grows in the following days, weeks or sometimes months after birth.
Feeding your baby
Most women make the decision about how they wish to feed their baby well before the birth. Some find this choice easy, others are unsure and may take a wait and see approach. The decision-making process is usually influenced by many factors reflecting the woman's cultural, social and personal beliefs, past experiences, her perception of her body, the society she lives in, her plans to return to work, how her mother fed her babies and sometimes her partner's preferences.
Newborn examinations
Most newborns have several head-to-toe checks performed by various caregivers at different times in the hours, days, weeks and months after birth.
What to expect from your baby's caregivers
As soon as your baby is born the priority of their caregiver is to ensure they have a smooth transition to life. Once this has happened, keeping your baby warm, making sure they have fed and performing expected routine procedures such as weighing, measuring and checking them physically all happen in good time.
What to do this week:
Make a dad-to-be checklist! Some fathers feel like they’re a spare part around now – but they’re far from it. There are loads of things they can do to help you out. Make a list and stick it to the fridge – it’ll make him feel needed and important, which of course he is, and it’ll also help you feel more in control of what's going on. Here’s some ideas of things he can do:
Make a dad-to-be checklist! Some fathers feel like they’re a spare part around now – but they’re far from it. There are loads of things they can do to help you out. Make a list and stick it to the fridge – it’ll make him feel needed and important, which of course he is, and it’ll also help you feel more in control of what's going on. Here’s some ideas of things he can do:
- Make a list of emails and phone numbers of all the doctors, antenatal experts and friends you can call on for advice and support.
- Stock up on a month’s worth of grocery essentials, and some simple ready meals you can freeze. (Or, if he’s handy in the kitchen, get him to cook loads of things that you can freeze for nights when you’re both just too busy to cook.)
- Plan a ‘date night’ for this week: an evening during which you make each other feel loved and special.
- Clean out the bath! Your stomach is too big to do this now, and a warm bath can be really relaxing in the early stages of labour.
- Get yourself a pedicure. You haven’t been able to see your toes for a while, let alone groom them!
- Check that the baby car seat is installed properly.
- Ensure the car has enough petrol in it at all times.
- Learn more about postnatal depression and warning signs to watch out for.
- Create a labour playlist together.
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