Pregnancy week 38
Trimester 3 · Baby is about a leek
The baby continues gaining fat and shedding the fine body hair.
How your body may feel
- • Pelvic pressure and difficulty walking far.
- • Swelling in feet and ankles.
- • Broken sleep.
Self-care this week
- • Watch for regular, strengthening contractions.
- • Keep counting movements every day.
- • Have your birth bag by the door.
Milestone
True labour: regular, painful contractions that build.
Seek care urgently if you notice
- • Reduced, absent or changed baby movement — call immediately, day or night
- • Severe headache, blurred vision or pain under the ribs
- • Waters breaking before 37 weeks, or green or bloody fluid
- • Vaginal bleeding of any amount
- • Regular painful contractions before 37 weeks
- • Difficulty breathing, chest pain, or a seizure — call emergency services
Related resources
Related articles
Related FAQs
Related warning signs
- Heavy bleeding — Soaking a pad in under an hour, or passing large clots
- Severe headache that won't ease — Especially with blurred vision or sudden swelling
- Difficulty breathing — Breathlessness at rest or when lying down
- Chest pain or a racing heart — Pressure, tightness or fluttering that doesn't settle
Ask Nestora About This Week
Your Companion can explain week 38 in your own words — symptoms, nutrition, what to raise at your next visit.
Ask Nestora About This Week