What to expect at 38 weeks pregnant

Your baby

Your baby continues to put on weight as the waiting game continues. Its bowels are now filled with meconium, the sticky dark substance which is the accumulation of everything the baby has been ingesting during its time in the womb. This will be the first movement that your baby will pass when born and the first of many nappy changes to come for you!

How you’re feeling

Waiting, waiting WAITING! You’re probably analysing every movement, every feeling – everything. Hoping it’s going to happen but also scared that it might actually be happening.If you haven’t already, you should “drop” any time now, which means baby is getting into position and ready to make an appearance. It can happen anytime from a couple of weeks before birth, to a couple of hours – while some women never experience it at all – but if you do, it should hopefully make you feel a little more comfortable and take a little pressure off some of your organs, although it will then feel a little extra heavy down below.

Weekly tip

Make sure you have your doctor/midwife/hospital number saved so that when the moment does come and you can call them and let them know. If you do go into labour start keeping track of your contractions as they will ask you how far apart they are so they can make the call as to whether you need to head straight to hospital or if you need to stay home and ride it out a little longer. As a general rule when contractions are coming every 5 minutes, or if you are really uncomfortable or worried, they will advise you to go to hospital.