Pregnancy Week 38
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Learn about your baby's development while you're 38 weeks pregnant, plus how to deal with persistent headaches and exercising issues late in pregnancy.
How big is baby?
Your baby is about the length of a stalk of rhubarb. Connections are forming in her brain that will help her swallow and even sleep better once she's born.
Baby's Development
Your baby's hanging out, enjoying her last few weeks of snuggly comfort in your womb. However, if she were born today, she would still be considered a full-term infant. Her brain — in charge of complicated jobs like regulating breathing, digestion, and circulation — is functioning better every day. Babies come to term anywhere between 38 and 42 weeks; your 40-week due date simply marks the midpoint of this period.
Baby Week 38
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Week 38 Ultrasound
During the last few weeks of gestation, your baby has less and less room to move. A few weeks (and pounds) ago, she may have been kicking and wiggling constantly; now she simply doesn't have enough room. If you or your health care provider have any concerns about your baby's development, especially if her movement becomes too infrequent, you may have an ultrasound to check up on her. This image shows the results of monitoring a baby's heart rate in utero. At the top, the baby's heart beats; below, the lined measurements track and then determine baby's heart rate to make sure it's within the normal range.
Read MoreWatch Baby's Growth
Your Baby Is Almost Here: Week 35 of Pregnancy to Birth
Mom's changing body
Your water could break any day now, and if you're thinking that means you're doomed for an embarrassing public scene, think again. Most women start to notice a wetness running down the leg, not a sudden gushing of water to the floor, so you should have enough time to get to a bathroom and call your doctor.
Weekly Tip
Many moms-to-be may find themselves in full-on nesting mode right now. Cleaning and straightening up is a great way to stay busy during the end-of-pregnancy waiting game, but make sure you don't overdo it -- hello, you're nine months pregnant! Save up some of that energy -- you're gonna need it for labor!
Pregnancy Confidential Podcast
Baby Blues vs. Postpartum Depression: Knowing the Warning Signs
It's Week 38: you're probably bouncing up and down on your birthing ball, desperate to get this darn baby out one day, and terrified of the reality of actually being a mom the next. It's an exciting/nerve-wracking time with a lot on your mind (to keep you up at 4 a.m., thank you very much). It's often the fear of the unknown that can be the scariest of all, and one major unknown is how you'll really feel when the dust settles and you've got a newborn to take care of. With more celebs, like Hayden Panettiere, opening up about postpartum depression, you might be wondering: Will it happen to me?
Must-Reads
Pregnancy Sex Tips: Fun Sex in Your Third Trimester
Not sure how to get it on when your bump is so big? Find out how to keep things sexy through your third trimester.
Week 38 Ultrasound: What It Would Look Like
When you're 38 weeks pregnant, baby-to-be can finally practice her breathing. Find out all the other new things you can detect during this phase of pregnancy.
Your Baby Is Almost Here: Week 35 of Pregnancy to Birth
At long last, you're about to meet your son or daughter! Watch the miraculous journey your baby will go through as he (or she) exits your uterus and enters the world.
Pregnancy Confidential Podcast Week 38: Baby Blues vs. Postpartum Depression Warning Signs
Find out what's going on in week 38 of your pregnancy on this podcast episode of Pregnancy Confidential.