In this article, you can read all about pregnancy in week 37. You’ll get information about the baby’s development, changes in the expectant mother’s body, and useful tips for this stage of the journey. Being 37 weeks pregnant means you’re approaching the finish line!

Baby: The baby is approximately 48 cm and weighs a whopping 3 kg! 👶

Development

Your baby’s blood circulation now works as it should and the immune system is sufficiently developed to be able to protect your baby against lighter viruses, bacteria and diseases in a life outside the womb. Antibodies have been transferred from the mother to the baby during pregnancy which give the baby some protection against infections. However, this does not mean that the baby becomes immune to diseases and you should be careful with whom you meet after birth, because the baby has not built up its defenses enough to be able to fight off viruses that others carry.

Preparation for life outside the womb

The baby prepares to be born through longer periods of activities and wakefulness and sleep respectively. As the baby can recognise certain sounds, you may have noticed that when you listen to specific music or sing, the baby reacts and moves more or becomes calmer in its movements. This becomes more and more evident every week now as the baby’s brain and mind continue to mature rapidly!

Mother: When this week is over, your pregnancy is considered full-term – hooray! 🥳

Now your abdomen will slowly but surely drop to a lower position if it hasn’t already. Hopefully this will make it easier for you to breathe, so that the uterus does not press as much on the organs. The fundus (top of uterus) sinks because the baby pushes further down into your pelvis and thus prepares for childbirth.

Because your uterus takes up more space and therefore puts more pressure on the bladder, you may need to urinate more than usual. Despite many visits to the toilet, it is still good to drink a lot of liquid, even if it may feel counterintuitive to provoke even (!) more visits to the toilet.

Why does labour often start at night?

Labour can start with the amniotic membranes breaking and the water breaking, but it is most common for labour to start with pain. The fact that the pain often starts during the night is because the pregnant woman is sleeping and/or is relaxed and calm at that time. This contributes to oxytocin levels being at their highest! Oxytocin is the driving hormone during labour that makes sure to give you effective contractions to push the baby out. During the night, this hormone is not affected or inhibited by any stress hormones, therefore you see a clear connection to why the pains start during the night!

Sleep

Do you have difficulty sleeping at night? Now the body and brain begin to prepare to be awake at night, something that is usually required when the baby is born. This means that you can now wake up in the middle of the night and feel alert and wide awake – it may take several hours before you can fall back asleep. This is completely normal and a natural part of biology’s clever way of getting you ready for life as a parent!

The bigger the abdomen gets, the more pressure on the large veins in the body, while the pelvis becomes more mobile due to the hormone relaxin. Not to forget how awkward the body feels with a three kilo baby in the belly! Together, this can cause pain or discomfort when you move, and something as simple as turning over in bed can feel incredibly heavy. A large and long pillow or several smaller ones can help you find positions that feel more comfortable. Bunching up pillows between your knees is an example that usually helps many.

Sleep and Vena Cava

As the uterus grows, it is normal for it to begin to press on the vena cava nerve, which runs along the right side of the spine and carries blood to and from the heart. If the pressure becomes too high, it is usually called “superior vena cava syndrome”, which sees a drop in your blood pressure. It can cause symptoms such as dizziness, feeling faint, nausea, difficulty breathing, palpitations and numbness in the legs.

Vena cava syndrome can often occur if you lie on your back, so you should not fall asleep on your back. This is partly because the longest period of sleep often happens right after you fall asleep, so it is better for your body to fall asleep on your side. If you wake up lying on your back during the night, don’t worry, turn over to your side and go back to sleep. The body’s natural reaction if you are affected by the pressure on the large veins is to instinctively turn around. If you lie for a while on your back with the end of your head elevated and feel well, there is no cause for concern, then you are probably not affected by vena cava syndrome.

First contractions

During the last weeks of pregnancy, it is common to have tightenings that last for a while and then disappear, these are called cramps. This is the womb’s way of preparing for childbirth! It is common for the cramps to come in the evening or at night and they disappear by themselves when you rest. This doesn’t mean that labour will start, but the tightenings can cause the cervix to eventually change and then soften and finally shorten (which it needs to do for labour to start!).

Partner: When this week is over, your pregnancy is considered full-term!

In other words, the baby can decide to come out at any time. Here are some tips for the last period of pregnancy:

Skip the alcohol

This is because you should be able to be alert when it is time to support your pregnant woman during childbirth, drive a car any day and time and to be able to be in full presence of mind. Stressful or unexpected situations can arise when it’s time for the baby to arrive and then you want to be on your toes, ready for the situation.

Check off the to-do list

It is nice for the whole family to feel prepared for life with a baby. If you haven’t ticked off everything you want to prepare, now is the time to do so! Everything from major cleaning, shopping for the baby, washing baby clothes in perfume-free detergent, preparing bed space and place for nappy changes.