Pregnancy Guide: Week 37

Congratulations. If your baby were born this week, he might need some special attention, but he would be just fine! He’s still breathing amniotic fluid and blinking a lot as practice for his entrance.

He has dexterity enough to grab small objects, like his nose or his toes. He may be sucking his thumb a lot in preparation for latching and feeding.

37 weeks pregnant is how many months?

You are eight months and one week pregnant. You only have three weeks until your due date but hang in there because it could be a bit longer.

Your Baby at 37 Weeks

Your baby is moving and kicking plenty these days, and his lungs are mature enough for this world, but he’s still not done growing yet. Until the end of next week, he’s still early-term, but he’s safe to be born anytime without too many complications.

Boy moms eat more on average than girl moms and boys tend to be bigger than girls, which means that if you’re having a boy, it’s crowded in there. He is probably doing a lot of rolling and stretching instead of kicking.

He’s busy practising until he arrives. He’s breathing amniotic fluid, blinking, and sucking his thumb. All these things help him build the tools he needs to survive on the outside, like breath, eat, and sleep.

Not to freak you out, but your baby’s head is about as big around as his chest. However, his skull bones are soft and malleable, making it easier for him to exit. His shoulders and hips are plumping out more, too.

Fat is spreading across his body, causing cute little dimples in his knees, shoulders, and elbows. It also makes folds in his neck and wrists that you won’t be able to resist for long, if at all.

How big is a baby at 37 weeks?

Your baby is the size of a head of romaine lettuce, although he’s a bit heavier at 3028 grams. He is 48.9 centimetres long and is still gaining fat. If you’re having a boy, he may be heavier than a girl. Every baby is unique, however, and grows at their own pace.

Your Body at 37 Weeks

There’s no hard and fast rule for when you will start to dilate and efface, but your body has been preparing. Those practice contractions are prepping your uterus for delivery and could be helping you make some progress.

Dilation is the opening of your cervix. Effacement is the thinning of your cervix. You must be 10 centimetres dilated and 100% effaced before you can deliver, so sometimes it feels like a long road.

Some women experience this progression over the last several months of pregnancy, while others may experience it overnight. There’s no science behind it, but your doctor will be issuing a pelvic exam at every weekly appointment from now until delivery.

In preparation for the big day, you can massage your perineum. It sounds unusual, but stretching your perineum – the area between your vagina and your rectum – can help your muscles prepare.

Make sure your thumbs are clean, use lubrication, and begin by putting them in your vagina and pressing down toward your rectum and sliding them out. If you can’t reach, get your spouse involved. This gentle encouragement may prepare your vagina for opening and reduce the risk of tearing.

Symptoms

You’ll notice even more changes in foetal activity as your baby drops into the birth canal because he’ll have even less room. You should still feel twists or squirms, so keep counting. However, he is behaving more like a baby and has periods of deep sleep without movement, so eat something sugary to wake him up if you haven’t felt him in a while.

As your cervix dilates, the blood vessels within may rupture, causing what’s called a bloody show. Don’t panic if you see this, your pink-tinged mucus plug, or increased vaginal discharge. Your body is getting ready.

Pelvic pain may be getting worse as your baby descends, and your ligaments and joints continue to loosen. You’ll begin to feel a lot more pressure on your birth canal as you prepare. If you’re uncomfortable, try a sling to support your belly, taking the pressure off your pelvis and hips.

As your belly stretches to the point of no return—or feels like it—you may get stretch marks. There’s nothing you can do about it now, so use lotion if you feel dry and itchy, and know that these marks will fade in colour as your belly shrinks back to normal.

You have way too much to keep track of and fewer brain cells to do it now. Your pregnancy brain is in full effect, and even after birth, you may struggle a bit to recuperate your thoughts. Carry a notebook with you and write everything down.

Sleep eludes you as your pain and anxiety increase. Go to bed early, nap if you can, and give yourself plenty of time to relax. Take a warm bath or ask your spouse for a foot rub. Read up on things you’re wondering about e.g. why babies cry, can they drink cold breastmilk, and is baby falling asleep while nursing ok. A lot will be going on before long so it’s a good idea to get as much information and also rest as possible before they arrive.

Tips/Things to do

Finish up your baby’s nursery. He’ll need it soon. Some babies are late, and some are early, so you may have time, or you may not. 

Don’t overdo it, but getting in there and organizing a bit can’t hurt.

Your weight gain may have slowed by now, and that’s normal. You may not gain as much in the last month, so don’t worry if you’re not gaining at the rate you were. Stay hydrated, keep up with the low-impact exercise, and get some rest.

If you feel like you can’t possibly keep up with the exercise, get an exercise ball. It’s safe for working out your core muscles during pregnancy and can even help you relax during labour.

Keep up with your perineal massage. Doing five minutes of stretching every day from now until the baby comes will help your vaginal muscles prepare for delivery and reduce your risk of tears.

If you’re on bed rest, stock the mini-fridge by the bed with plenty of healthy drinks and snacks. Grab the phone, the remote, your phone, and plenty of books. Vary the routine by spending your morning on the couch, followed by a relaxing bath and an afternoon in bed, so you don’t go crazy in one position all day.

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