The pregnancy is reaching its final stretch. From week 37, the gestation is considered to have reached term, so that delivery can occur at any time and the baby is fully ready to adapt to extrauterine life. Therefore, you will have to finalize all the necessary preparations, such as preparing the hospital bag and placing the car seat in the car.
The baby will continue to grow until the moment it is born. However, because of this and the reduction in amniotic fluid, he has less and less room to move inside the uterus. So that each time you will feel less her movements, although they will still be perceptible. If you notice the absence of fetal movements and contractions appear, it is time to go to the hospital.
The baby in the 38th week of pregnancy measures around 50 centimeters and weighs about three kilos. During the last weeks of gestation, his brain continues to develop and will continue to do so until he is born. The formation of her liver is another process that is completed in this period.
Since his digestive system is already mature, his first bowel movements when he is born will be meconium. It will expel the contents of the amniotic fluid that it has swallowed in recent weeks, which also consists of dead skin cells and lanugo, that fine hair that appears all over the body and has been gradually losing. However, some children are born with traces of it and lose it in their first weeks of life. It also decreases the vernix caseosa, a layer of fat that covers your body.
Although its skeleton is already hardened, the skull remains soft and flexible, in order to descend correctly through the birth canal. The soft parts, called the fontanelle, will close in their first two years of life. Your baby will be born with longer nails than finger level, so it may be necessary to file them and put mitts on them to prevent scratching.
Since the time to give birth is imminent, it may be necessary for you to go to monitors, where they will record the baby’s heartbeat. It may also be necessary to check the state of dilation and effacement of the cervix by means of an examination.
You will notice the lower belly, as the uterus descends towards the birth canal. Thanks to this, your lungs are less oppressed, you will breathe better, you will be less fatigued and your stomach burning will decrease. However, it will increase the pressure in the pelvic and bladder area, so you will feel a frequent need to go to the bathroom and you may even have small urine leaks.
Back pain will also be accentuated, especially in the lower back. Another recurring symptom in the 38th week of pregnancy is swelling of the legs, ankles and feet, with possible cramps. Also, the discomfort will make it difficult for you to fall asleep.
