pregnancy week 38
38 weeks pregnant.
All systems are go — the baby is ready for birth and just adding final touches of fat and brain connections.
Updated 29 July 2026 · Sources: NHS and ACOG
Your baby this week
Plump and ready. Most of the vernix is gone except in skin folds. Hair on head varies — from full to none.
- Final fat layers
- Vernix mostly gone
- Practice breathing strong
- Brain continues growing
What may be changing in your body
You may feel impatient and uncomfortable. Pelvic pressure, lightning crotch (sharp pelvic zings), and Braxton-Hicks are routine.
Lightning crotch intensifying
The zaps get more frequent as the head sits deep in the pelvis. Sudden and startling, but brief and harmless — a change of position is the only real remedy.
Period-like cramping
Low, dull cramps that come and go reflect early cervical work. If they organise into a regular rhythm and strengthen, that is early labour — start timing and call your unit as advised.
Increased pressure on the bladder
With the head fully down, bathroom trips are constant and small leaks common. Keep drinking normally — dehydration causes more problems than the extra trips.
Emotional restlessness
Impatience, weepiness, and done-with-this feelings are near universal now. Small daily plans — a walk, a film, a coffee out — keep the wait from swallowing you.
Swollen feet at their peak
Late-pregnancy swelling is at maximum. Keep to the elevation-and-compression routine, and remember sudden swelling with headache or vision changes is a same-day call to your midwife or doctor.
Sleep in fragments
Two-hour stretches are the honest norm now. Any horizontal rest counts; stop measuring against pre-pregnancy nights.
Your week 38 checklist
- Confirm the car has fuel, the seat is fitted, and the bags plus notes are by the door.
- Plan one small pleasant activity per day to make the waiting period kinder.
- Check your freezer meal stock and top up household basics for the coming month.
- Keep tracking movements daily — call your maternity unit immediately about any reduction, even this close to birth.
A useful partner move this week
The wait is mentally the hardest part, so become the activity director: plan one gentle outing or treat each day and absorb the 'any baby yet?' messages from relatives so she does not have to. Keep the car fuelled and your own bag in it from now on.
What comes next
Most babies are born between weeks 39 and 41. If labor hasn't started by week 41, your provider may discuss induction.
Common questions
Which natural ways to start labour actually work and are safe?
Evidence is modest for all of them: walking, birth ball sitting, and nipple stimulation have some physiological logic, dates and raspberry leaf have weak evidence, and sex is fine if your waters have not broken. None reliably start labour before the body is ready, and some popular methods — castor oil in particular — are not recommended. Run anything beyond walking and patience past your midwife first, especially if your pregnancy has any complications.
Do cervical checks tell me when labour will start?
Not really — you can be two centimetres dilated for weeks or completely closed the day before labour begins. Dilation at a single check is a poor predictor of timing, which is why routine late-pregnancy examinations are optional in many care systems. If you are offered a check or a membrane sweep, ask what the finding would change; declining or accepting are both reasonable choices.
Can I eat and drink during early labour?
Yes — in early labour at home, light carbohydrate-rich snacks and regular fluids help maintain the energy labour demands, so eat when you feel like it. Once in established labour many people naturally stop wanting food, and some units limit intake if certain interventions become likely, which staff will explain at the time. Isotonic drinks and honey sticks in the hospital bag cover the middle ground well.
How many months is 38 weeks pregnant?
Pregnancy months do not divide evenly into weeks, so clinicians date pregnancy in weeks. At 38 weeks, you are in trimester three.