Week 38: Almost Ready!
Your baby is nearly full-term! The brain is signaling all organs to fine-tune their functions. Baby is shedding the vernix and lanugo and may have a head full of hair.
Medically reviewed by Samantha L. Fox, RN, BSN, MSN
Nursing Informaticist · United States Navy Nurse Corps · Last reviewed
Your baby is the size of a...
🧅 Leek!
👶 Baby Development
- ✓Organ functions are being fine-tuned
- ✓Shedding vernix and lanugo
- ✓May have a full head of hair (or none — both normal!)
- ✓Producing surfactant steadily for lung function
- ✓Meconium accumulating in intestines
- ✓All systems nearly ready for life outside the womb
💊 Common Symptoms
- •Intense pelvic pressure
- •Contractions may become more regular
- •Mucus plug may come out
- •Diarrhea (body preparing for labor)
- •Extreme fatigue mixed with nesting energy
- •Emotional — crying at everything
🩺Clinical Context — From a Nurse's View
Thirty-eight weeks. Cervical changes are common at exams now — most people are at least slightly effaced and possibly 1-2 cm dilated. Don't read too much into the numbers; they're a snapshot, not a prediction. Real labor changes them; cervical exams in late pregnancy don't reliably tell you when labor is coming. The 5-1-1 rule (contractions 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute, for 1 hour straight) is the standard threshold for first-time parents to head in. Second-time labor is often faster — your provider may tell you 6-1-1 or even sooner. If your water breaks (PROM at term), most providers want you to come in even if contractions haven't started, because once the membrane is ruptured, infection risk climbs over time. About 80-90% of people will go into labor on their own within 24 hours of water breaking; if not, induction is started to reduce infection risk.
Written by Samantha L. Fox, RN, BSN, MSN — Emergency Department nurse, US Navy Nurse Corps officer.
🚨 When to Call (or Go to the ER)
- !Water breaking — go in
- !Regular contractions, 5-1-1 — go in
- !Bleeding heavier than bloody show — call
- !Decreased fetal movement — call
- !Severe headache, vision changes, RUQ pain — call
✅ Normal — Even If It Feels Worrying
- ✓Bloody show
- ✓Mucus plug loss
- ✓Diarrhea
- ✓Bursts of nesting energy mixed with exhaustion
✅ To-Do This Week
- Rest when you can — labor could start any day
- Keep hospital bag by the door
- Enjoy the last days of pregnancy
- Write a letter to your baby
- Make sure your phone and camera are charged
- Stock the house with essentials (toilet paper, paper towels, snacks)
🩺 Questions for Your Doctor
- ?Any signs that labor is approaching?
- ?What's my current dilation and effacement?
- ?If I go past my due date, when would you induce?
- ?Is the baby's estimated weight concerning?
- ?What are the signs of labor vs. false labor?
- ?What pain management should I plan for?
📚 References
- [1]ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 107: Induction of Labor. Obstet Gynecol. 2009;114(2 Pt 1):386-397.
- [2]ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 222: Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia. Obstet Gynecol. 2020;135(6):e237-e260.
Editorial review: Samantha L. Fox, RN, BSN, MSN. Last reviewed: see footer.
Your baby is the size of a...