38 weeks pregnant

What to expect this week

What's happening in week 38

By week thirty eight you might be ready to serve an eviction notice on your little one!

Your baby at 38 weeks

Your baby is completely ready to be born now, and is at full term. The average weight at 38 weeks is around 7lbs but of course this will vary with each baby. Developmentally and size-wise they are absolutely perfect little newborns, and the only remaining part of their pregnancy journey is meeting mum and dad!

Their organs are now all fully formed and ready for life outside their home for the past 9 months. One remaining change left to happen is the eye colour of your baby which will still be changing due to the lack of pigment. It’s common for babies to be born with blue for grey eyes but for these to turn green or brown after birth.

They are most likely very low down in your tummy now, head engaged and just waiting for the release of the hormones which will get the contractions started to push them out!

You at 38 weeks pregnant

You are no doubt impatiently ticking the days off on the calendar now, and wondering every morning if today will be the day! Try and make the most of your last few days before baby arrives by getting as much rest as you can, ready to meet your newborn. 
You might be plagued by well-wishers phoning, texting and emailing to ask if 'anything is happening' yet – very annoying but also quite nice that everyone is as excited as you to meet your new little baby!
Some mums are convinced that there are natural ways to get labour started when they get to this point in their pregnancy, from eating pineapples to having sex! If you are bored of waiting to meet your new baby son or daughter, you might want to try a few of them to see if there is any truth in the rumours!

What to think about in week 38

Have you thought about setting up a memory box for your impending arrival? Many mums like to create a little archive or keepsake of their pregnancy and the first few days of their baby's life. You could put copies of your scan pics, your maternity notes, even your positive pregnancy test in it!
Once your baby is here, you'll have their hospital ID bracelets, cord clamp, new baby cards and lots of other little 'memories' to go in, too. It's not only nice to look back on once they are a bit bigger, but also lovely to share with them when they are older!
Care to share? Talk to other mums-to-be at the 38 week mark in the Bounty Community – you'll all have your newborns in your arms soon enough!