Pregnant: What happens in week 38

Your baby's development in the 38th week of pregnancy

The 3-kilogram limit: Your baby weighs around 3 kilograms in pregnancy week 38. Until birth it is expected to gain about another 30 grams per day to gain. Boys are usually a bit heavier than girls, but in any case your little miracle has now put on enough fat reserves.

Cortisol production increases: Shortly before birth, in the body of your child, more cortisol is released. This hormone prepares the lungs for their first breath of fresh oxygen.

A fully developed little head: Over the past weeks, your baby's brain has grown and refined considerably. The head circumference has increasingly grown in proportion to the brain and measures about 10 cm in the 38th week of pregnancy. The cervix also opens to about 10 cm during birth so that your baby can pass through it without difficulty.

What can be seen on the ultrasound image?

In the 38th week of pregnancy your little miracle already measures a proud 50 cm – that's approximately the size of a rhubarb. With around 3,100 grams it now weighs again about 100 grams more than in pregnancy week 37. Your baby is already viable in the current week of pregnancy, so it won't be long until it sees the light of day.

Physical changes – what happens to the mother in pregnancy week 38?

Until birth you'll still have one or two pregnancy discomfortsback pain and increased need to urinate other complaints are now increasingly occurring. Here you will get an overview:Weight loss before birth:

Even though the belly often grows noticeably once more before birth with the baby, many women notice that the previous steady weight gain now stagnates. Some women lose a little weight in pregnancy week 38, shortly before birth, because your child presses on the stomach and they can only eat small portions anymore can.Mild diarrhea:

In pregnancy week 38 the birth is imminent. When the uterus contracts regularly and the tissue-loosening prostaglandin is increasingly is released, this also affects your digestion. Very soft stools or mild diarrhea are therefore not rare symptoms shortly before birth. Heavier discharge:

In the 38th week of pregnancy it is completely normal if you notice heavier discharge, because the blood flow to the vagina increases a bit now. If your discharge is reddish or brownish, it may be the so-called 'show'. This refers to the detachment of the mucus plug meant, which seals the cervix. The process is often a sign that the cervix is opening – labor could start soon.Nervousness:

In pregnancy week 38 the subconscious makes itself felt more strongly in many women. Especially at night, when you sleep poorly and are not distracted from everyday life, thoughts about the time after birth buzz around in your head. Try to stay calm and recharge in the coming days. If you worry too much, conversations with your partner, your midwife, your doctor, and other trusted people can help.Planned cesarean section: How will my baby be born?

It is not always possible or desired for a baby to be born vaginally. Depending on the mother's physical condition, the

health risks for mother and child are too great. If the placenta, for example, blocks the cervix or the baby's birth position is not optimal, a cesarean section is necessary. In some cases the cesarean is also an explicit wish of the mother. A planned cesarean section is generally performed in the 38th week of pregnancy, so that natural labor does not start prematurely. In addition, your little miracle is now considered fully viable.What happens during a cesarean section?

If doctors perform the cesarean planned and without complications,

it takes about an hour. The mother is locally anesthetized and experiences the birth of the child fully conscious. During the operation a incision in the bikini area is made and the layers of skin are cut through down to the uterus. Afterwards your doctor takes your baby out of the amniotic sac, clamps and cuts the umbilical cord, and removes the placenta. A gentler method, the so-called

Misgav-Ladach cesarean, provides that the skin layers are not cleanly cut, but carefully stretched and torn are created. As a result, frayed wound edges form, which can heal together faster and with less pain after birth.What risks arise for mother and child?

According to current medical knowledge, the

majority of cesarean sections proceed without complications. For the mother, a cesarean is still usually considerably riskier than for the child. Since blood clotting changes during pregnancy, thromboses or pulmonary embolisms occur more frequently or the wound edges become inflamed. Since the baby does not have to pass through the narrow birth canal during a cesarean, the amniotic fluid is not initially squeezed out of the lungs. For this reason it is suctioned directly after birth to reduce mild shortness of breath or the risk of asthma.What happens after the cesarean section?

As a rule you hold your baby in your arms immediately after the operation. Latching for breastfeeding should also not be a problem. Nevertheless you still have to be

monitored for some time, until you are allowed to go home.38th week of pregnancy: Prepare birth announcement cards

When your baby is finally here, you will probably want to tell the whole world. Why not

in the form of a cute card with a photo, birth date, weight, time and place? Until you are allowed to enter these details, it will take a little time. You can pass the time by thinking about the design and selecting people who should receive such a card. If you want to craft the cards yourselves, the time until birth may pass a little faster. In addition to the usual symptoms such as

For the 39th week of pregnancy