Third Trimester
🧅
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.
Your baby is the size of a...
🧅 Leek!
Length49.8 cm
Weight3083 g
Week38 of 40
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👶 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
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✅ 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?
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