- 38. week of pregnancy: how your baby develops
- How to survive with a newborn?
- 38 week: what's going on with you
- 38. week of pregnancy: the most important recommendations
Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!
By 38 weeks of pregnancy, your baby is fully developed, and you may be expecting to give birth any minute - and it may be. Therefore, in the 38th week of pregnancy, it is worth having a selected hospital and a packed birth bag. The good news is that at 38 weeks of pregnancy, you will certainly not be in a preterm labor.
Contents:
- 38. week of pregnancy: how is your baby developing?
- 38. week of pregnancy: what's happening to you?
- 38. week of pregnancy: the most important recommendations
38. week of pregnancy: how your baby develops
A fetus in the 38th week of pregnancy weighs 3-3.1 kg, sometimes more, and measures 50-55 cm. The uterus is very tight and uncomfortable - apart from him, in the uterus, there is also amniotic fluid (about a liter) and a placenta, the diameter of which is more than 15 cm, and weight - about 3 kg.
As the placenta ages (calcium lumps and clots form), it works less efficiently, so your baby won't grow too much.
- How does a fetus develop? Week by week
38. week of pregnancy is the 9th month and the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.
In the 38th week of pregnancy, the baby is ready to live outside the belly. The fetal head has already inserted into the pelvis and the uterus has lowered. You will probably notice it standing sideways in front of the mirror, because your tummy now has a different shape than it was a few weeks ago.
There is already meconium in the intestines of the fetus, the first pile - it contains components of the amniotic fluid, exfoliated epidermis, fetal nap. After birth, the baby was released within the first two or three days of his life.
- What is meconium aspiration syndrome?
The baby's movements may be even less than last week. You only feel them as - quite strong - thrusts and nudges. However, when you suddenly begin to forcefully push and drill, you may soon be in labor.
A fetus in the 38th week of pregnancy behaves like a radar - it clearly perceives and senses your emotions. She especially knows when you are angry or stressed, when you feel anxious or happy.
This is thanks to the hormones that circulate in your blood - both endorphins and cortisol, known as the stress hormone - that are passed on to the fetus via the placenta.
- How do hormones work in pregnancy?
How to survive with a newborn?
38 week: what's going on with you
In 38 weeks of pregnancy, you may be distracted and irritable, and you may also feel fear of childbirth with redoubled strength. There is nothing to cheat - after all, you will be born any minute.
- Tokophobia, or panic fear of childbirth
Such fears, especially whether you will make it to the hospital, will you be able to give birth naturally, whether the baby will be born he althy, and whether nothing bad will happen during the birth, are completely natural.
You will experience contractions more and more. However, you don't have to go to the hospital right away - they usually do not announce that you are about to give birth, but are designed to gradually shorten and soften the cervix so that it can expand at the right time.
- How are your contractions in the first phase of labor?
The pressure in the lower abdomen is one of those things in the 38th week that you just have to get used to, because there is no way to reduce it - it is the effect of the head inserting into the birth canal.
38. week of pregnancy: the most important recommendations
Remember to visit your doctor weekly. They are very important because during them the gynecologist assesses if everything is okay with the baby and also checks if there has been a dilation. Be prepared for the fact that you can go to the hospital straight from such a visit, because the dilation will be so large that the doctor will decide that the labor has just started.
In the 38th week of pregnancy - by the 39th week at the latest - you should have a complete blood count and urine test. This is the last such test before childbirth.
- Formalities and pre-delivery tests
In the 38th week, you may not gain weight anymore, more - you may even lose a little weight. This is nothing to worry about.
The swelling on the feet and hands may be disturbing. If they are large and do not disappear after a night, be sure to show them to the doctor, because their causes may be, among others. circulatory or kidney problems.
- Gymnastics in the last trimester of pregnancy
In your 38th week of pregnancy, your mucus plug may come off. You will know it easily, because your underwear will then show an odorless, jelly-like discharge, tinted with blood. However, if it is not there, do not stress - it happens that the mucus plug falls off piece by piece for the next few weeks (it is easy to miss), or it only goes away in the delivery room.
If you want to speed up your labor, it is worth having sex more often, although with a large belly it is quite a lotchallenge. There are prostaglandins in semen that accelerate the shortening of the cervix, and stimulation of the nipples causes oxytocin to be released, which can also help you deliver your baby faster.
Also read:
- Third trimester of pregnancy
- 37. week of pregnancy
- 39. week of pregnancy
- 40. week of pregnancy