In this article, you can read everything about pregnancy in week 38. You’ll get information about the baby’s development, changes in the mother’s body, and useful tips for this stage of the journey.

Baby: Now your baby is approximately 49 cm and weighs around 3.1 kg. The pregnancy is now considered full-term!

Should the baby decide to come out now and you went through a normal birth, the baby is fully ready to; breathe, feed and keep its systems and functions running – it is simply ready! 💕

The Sucking Reflex

The foetus continues to practice breathing by swallowing amniotic fluid, hiccups and making breathing-like movements. In order for the baby to be able to take in food via breastfeeding or a feeding bottle after birth, they train their sucking reflexes by sucking on their thumb, hand or fingers. As a newborn, the baby has innate sucking reflexes and by sucking on the chest, its own hand or fingers, the baby can calm down and feel calm.

Your baby is gaining weight!

Childbirth is a great stress for your child, and to cope with it, they collect extra nutrition and energy in their organs now, which can then be used when needed.

It is common for a newborn baby to lose weight in the first few days. If the birth was normal, there are energy reserves left which your baby consumes during the first 24 hours. A baby who feels well after birth and shows no signs of stress, lack of oxygen, difficulty breathing or low blood sugar can sleep through its first day. After that, your baby needs to replenish its energy reserves and be breastfed or eat regularly, at least eight times a day. However, there is no maximum limit to how many times your baby can feed– some feed slowly and others faster. In addition, the amount of feeding can differ significantly!

After a couple of days, the birth weight drops, normally to within ten per cent and then will gain to pass the birth weight again. If your baby then needs to feed more, a midwife or paediatric nurse will guide and provide you with information about this.

Mother: Remember that you should feel the baby’s movements every day 🤰

Midwife visit

This week it is probably time for a return visit to the midwife to check your uterus and that the baby is growing as it should. You will also summarise the pregnancy and write down your thoughts and expectations before the birth in your maternal health care journal. At the visit, the midwife will check your values in the usual order and you will listen to the baby’s heart. A urine sample will be taken and blood pressure noted. Scans and bloods checked, any other referrals in place and plan of care reviewed..

If the baby’s head has sunk even further into the pelvis and can no longer be adjusted from the outside, this is a great sign baby is getting ready! The midwife usually says that the head is movable or engaged; If the head is higher up in the pelvis and can be moved laterally or high enough that it has not sunk into the pelvic inlet yet, the head is considered mobile. When the labour pains start, the baby’s head almost always sinks into an engaged position.

Partner: Are you counting the days now, and how does it feel to you? Whether you feel excited, scared, worried, nervous, happy, tense or rather indifferent, all emotions are completely normal.

Here are a couple of tips on how to strengthen the relationship with your newborn, now that it’s really getting closer and they will soon be here.

– Talk and sing to your baby
– Bathe the baby in a tub (or bathe together in a bathtub!)
– Change nappies, put on/off clothes and make it a cozy moment together
– Carry the baby in a sling or sling to be close
– Cozy up! Let baby sleep on your chest, carry and cuddle lots.

Paternity Leave

You may well be eligible for; 1-2 weeks paid paternity leave in connection with the birth of your baby, Paternity pay and shared Paternal Leave and Pay. It gives you the opportunity to be with your baby and bond properly for the first time. These days are also to support the mother who has gone through one of the biggest and most stressful things a woman can go through – both physically and emotionally.

You may not get both leave and pay, and there are rules on how to claim and when your leave can start. Please read more HERE The first days after giving birth go by incredibly fast and there is a lot of practicality combined with emotional reactions that have time to land. The foundation for you and your child’s relationship is laid early, so it’s time well invested to invest if you have the opportunity.