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If you are in your thirty-eighth week of pregnancy, you have been through eight months and two weeks of your pregnancy. You are now in the final weeks of your pregnancy, and you should have just two more weeks. At this stage, you will likely be preparing for childbirth.
You are probably anxious about what is coming in the next few weeks because you will soon welcome your baby into the world. Your baby will grow in size and weight during this time, and its response to the outside world will become more active.
Lanugo, the fine soft hair covering your baby’s body for warmth, is falling out in preparation for birth. Most of this hair falls out before a full-term baby is born, though some may remain on the baby’s shoulders and arms.
Your little one’s eyes are grey or blue right now, and they will most likely change colour once exposed to light. The final colour shows by the time your baby turns one.
Your baby’s lungs have developed, his vocal cords have enhanced, and he is prepared to communicate through cries and wails.
Lanugo, the fine soft hair covering your baby’s body for warmth, is falling out in preparation for birth. Most of this hair falls out before a full-term baby is born, though some may remain on the baby’s shoulders and arms.
Your little one’s eyes are grey or blue right now, and they will most likely change colour once exposed to light. The final colour shows by the time your baby turns one.
Your baby’s lungs have developed and his vocal cords have enhanced, meaning that he is prepared to communicate through cries and wails
At this stage, most of the fat your baby develops will likely go towards its knees, shoulders, and elbows. Your baby should already be head down, facing towards your pelvis as a sign of preparation for birth, but if your baby has not turned yet, you should likely see a health practitioner look into it.
Your baby’s vital organs are getting bigger. Even though they have developed to almost 100 percent, they still need time to get to their maximum size before birth. Between the two weeks, its brain may need to grow about two times that size compared to the baby at week 35.
The baby’s lungs and vocal cords must be fully developed as they are preparing its means to communicate with the world when born. Even its nervous system will be applying the finishing touches to itself. Now, the response to a stimulus will be more rampant.
 Your baby is also growing fingernails. Since its toes and fingers are fully formed, it will likely start increasing nails on its feet and hands, so you should be getting yourself a nail clip or nail trimmer if possible.
Your baby’s bowels are probably filled with meconium, and this is perhaps composed of all the things it swallowed while in the womb, like amniotic fluid, dead skin cells, and hair. The meconium will then come out as poo when the baby is born and will continue to go out of its body after eating enough milk.
At week eleven, your baby is about 19.61 inches in length. This roughly equals the size of a leek and weighs about 3083 grams.Â
At this stage, your baby is matured and with a weight of over 3kg, your baby bump is now at its peak.
At 38 weeks pregnant, you have 2 more weeks to complete your pregnancy journey.
Now, many pregnant women have begun leaking colostrum — a thin, yellowish liquid released by the mammary glands after birth before milk production starts. Colostrum contains antibodies that protect your newborn with more protein and less fat and sugar, which is better for your baby’s digestive system than the later-arriving milk. If you’re leaking colostrum, you should consider wearing nursing pads in your bra to safeguard your clothes — and get used to it because this is just a sign of what is to come.
It does not, however, affect all women. If not, don’t worry; your breasts will continue to produce colostrum for your baby when the time comes if you wish to breastfeed.
Right now, you must be feeling the pressure and stress of carrying a 7-pound baby everywhere, but you should remember that it will soon be over when the baby is born.
At thirty-eight weeks, you are also likely to see some changes. As your baby changes during the coming weeks, so will you. For example, as your baby changes position to face towards your pelvis, it will appear from the outside that your tummy looks like it dropped, and apart from that, you will start feeling pains, pressure, or weight on your lower abdomen.
Carrying a 7-pound baby all the time and everywhere is no small task, so you will likely feel heavy and even find it hard to sit for a long time. You even find it hard to lay down in a comfortable position, and let’s not forget the pains you will feel in your back. To help slightly ease the comfortableness, it is advisable to wear oversized clothes or clothes that don’t feel tight.
You will find it difficult to sleep well, leading to insomnia and fatigue. Even if you do manage to sleep, you will usually have very intense dreams because of the anxiety of becoming a new mom. Even the swelling will likely still be persistent in your body, but drinking water and laying down by your side can help reduce the swelling a little. In addition, you will likely experience some heartburn, even headaches that may make you feel light-headed or dizzy.
You may start having constipation, finding it hard to poop. Furthermore, you may be feeling hot every time or more frequently. Let’s not forget the frequent contractions, also known as false labour, that you will be having, and at this stage where your mind is always thinking of delivery, the contractions will come more frequently.
You may also see your bums swollen or sometimes bleeding for no external reason. You could be having a whitish discharge from your vagina.
Your hormones will likely be up the charts due to the pregnancy, causing mood swings. You will also be having morning sickness and having a taste or cravings for weird foods and, surprisingly, even a heightened sense of smell and even an increase in urination. Even your behaviour will change, and you will feel this excessive need to get everything prepared for your baby’s coming, which is called nursing instinct.
At thirty-eight weeks, you are also likely to see some changes. As your baby changes during the coming weeks, so will you. For example, as your baby changes position to face towards your pelvis, it will appear from the outside that your tummy looks like it dropped, and apart from that, you will start feeling pains, pressure, or weight on your lower abdomen.
Carrying a 7-pound baby all the time and everywhere is no small task, so you will likely feel heavy and even find it hard to sit for a long time. You even find it hard to lay down in a comfortable position, and let’s not forget the pains you will feel in your back. To help slightly ease the comfortableness, it is advisable to wear oversized clothes or clothes that don’t feel tight.
You will find it difficult to sleep well, leading to insomnia and fatigue. Even if you do manage to sleep, you will usually have very intense dreams because of the anxiety of becoming a new mom. Even the swelling will likely still be persistent in your body, but drinking water and laying down by your side can help reduce the swelling a little. In addition, you will likely experience some heartburn, even headaches that may make you feel light-headed or dizzy.
You may start having constipation, finding it hard to poop. Furthermore, you may be feeling hot every time or more frequently. Let’s not forget the frequent contractions, also known as false labour, that you will be having, and at this stage where your mind is always thinking of delivery, the contractions will come more frequently.
You may also see your bums swollen or sometimes bleeding for no external reason. You could be having a whitish discharge from your vagina.
Your hormones will likely be up the charts due to the pregnancy, causing mood swings. You will also be having morning sickness and having a taste or cravings for weird foods and, surprisingly, even a heightened sense of smell and even an increase in urination. Even your behaviour will change, and you will feel this excessive need to get everything prepared for your baby’s coming, which is called nursing instinct.
As you and your baby’s big day comes closer, it is essential to stay healthy till that sad day comes. Right now that your baby’s vital organs are becoming big, you will need a lot of protein. Though eating a balanced diet is crucial, you should slightly increase your protein consumption. At his time, you should avoid unnecessary stress or work not to put pressure on both you and the baby.
Drinking enough water will help with the issue of constipation and bloating. It also keeps you hydrated.
Doing this will help prevent unhealthy weight gain during pregnancy. It also helps improve your mood when you’re down.
You should find yourself some bras because you will see more breast leakages, and your breast will likely increase. Now breast leakages in the sense that you will be seeing some yellowish fluid coming out of your so don’t be alarmed because it’s your baby preparing to feed your soon-to-be-born baby.
 Hardwork: Avoid working too hard or going over things that will bother you as these can cause pain and also induce labor.
Chronic Illnesses: Pregnancy can worsen chronic conditions. Conditions like hypertension and diabetes can a lot of harm to you and your baby. Take all prescribed medication and exercise regularly. Also, regularly checking your blood pressure or blood sugar level is s important.
© Mindsmaking 2024
