Week 37: Full-term pregnancy
The thirty-seventh week is a full-term pregnancy! Your baby is considered full-term.
Baby size: Kale (155-160 mm)
Baby development
Final preparations of the little genius
Your little one continues to develop. His brain is forming connections that will allow him to quickly adapt to the new world.
What’s happening this week:
- Coordination: He can already coordinate hand and eye movements, for example, grabbing his own foot.
- Head: It has the same circumference as the chest.
- Lungs: Continue producing surfactant.
- Position: Likely he has already settled into the pelvis, preparing for delivery.
Your fetus weighs about 2.8-2.9 kg, and its length is over 48 centimeters.
Changes for mom
"Calm before the storm"
You may notice that some symptoms, such as heartburn, disappear, but new ones appear related to pressure on the pelvic area.
What you may notice:
- Feeling of pressure in the lower abdomen: The baby’s head presses on the pelvic floor.
- Change in the character of the baby’s movements: Fewer sharp kicks, more rolling.
- Increased discharge: This may be a sign of the mucus plug passing.
- Nervous excitement or, conversely, complete calm: The emotional background may be unstable.
It is important to know which body signals to pay attention to. Reread our article about signs of labor onset.
Overview
Week 37: Readiness number one!
At the thirty-seventh week your little one is fully ready to meet you. All of his organs and systems have matured and are ready for independent function. Each subsequent day in the womb he will mainly be gaining fat.
He is now the size of a large bunch of kale. He is actively exercising his lungs by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, and also sucking his thumb, preparing for feeding.
For you this is a time of active anticipation. Labor can start at any moment. You may feel a mix of emotions: from impatience and excitement to fear and fatigue. This is completely normal. Your body and mind are preparing for the big event.
You are on the home stretch. Trust your body, it knows what to do. Focus on rest, positive thoughts, and preparing for the first days with your baby.
There are only a few weeks left, maybe even days. To be ready for everything, reread our detailed overview "Third trimester: what you need to know".
Tips for mom
Final preparations and mental preparation
Now is the time for final touches in preparation and gearing up for a positive birth.
What to do:
- Rest. This is your main task. Sleep whenever you feel like it.
- Prepare a "postpartum basket". Gather in one place everything you’ll need in the bathroom during the first days: hygienic pads, healing spray, comfortable underwear.
- Set a positive mindset. Read positive birth stories, listen to affirmations, visualize your meeting with the baby.
- Finish home preparation. Make sure everything is in its place.
Your psychological state is hugely important. Learn more about how to cope with anxiety in the article "How to cope with stress".
Tips for partner
Readiness for action and emotional support
Your role now is to be as focused, attentive, and ready for any development of events.
Your contribution to the joint effort:
- Be reachable 24/7. This is no longer just advice, but a requirement.
- Ensure her calm. Take on all external irritants: calls from relatives, household questions.
- Review your action plan. Who to call, what to take, where to go.
- Just be there. Sometimes the best help is silently holding a hand.
Your role in the birth is very important. Reread the article about partner births to feel more confident.
Checklist
Your action plan for week 37
Off to a low start!
- ✅ Attend the weekly doctor’s appointment.
- 🧘♀️ Practice relaxation and positive visualization.
- 🧺 Prepare comfortable clothes for the return home for yourself and the baby.
- ❄️ Check food supplies in the freezer.
- 👶 Set up the crib and dress it.
- 📚 Refresh knowledge about the postpartum period, by reading the article about postpartum anxiety.