Week 38 is full term and mostly waiting. The appointment around now usually includes a conversation about what happens if the pregnancy goes past 41 weeks, which is a conversation worth having while nothing is urgent. Frustration and boredom are, genuinely, this week's new symptoms.
Your body this week
At the appointment, a midwife or doctor measures the bump with a tape, checks blood pressure, and looks for protein in urine — the pre-eclampsia checks that continue right to the end.
If a caesarean is planned, the NHS notes it is usually booked from at least 39 weeks, to give the lungs the best chance of being fully developed.
The induction conversation happens now rather than later. Both the NHS and ACOG describe induction as bringing labour on artificially, and both describe it as something offered and discussed rather than imposed. The NHS puts the proportion of labours started this way at around one in five.
What you may notice
Braxton Hicks contractions, sleep problems, stretch marks, sore gums, round ligament pains, piles, headaches, backache, indigestion and heartburn, bloating and constipation, leg cramps, feeling hot, dizziness, swelling, urine infections, vaginal infections, and skin and hair changes.
Everybody will now be texting to ask whether anything has happened. That is its own kind of symptom and the answer to it is a group message sent once.
Your baby this week
Around week 38, the figure given is about 49.8cm from head to heel, which the NHS compares to a stick of rhubarb. Averages across many pregnancies, not a measurement of one.
The downy lanugo hair is mostly gone, though some babies are born with patches. Meconium — the dark, sticky first stool — is collecting in the bowels and normally passes after the birth.
What care usually happens around now
In the UK an antenatal appointment around 38 weeks covers blood pressure, urine and bump measurement, and includes the discussion about going past 41 weeks.
What is offered then differs between countries and services: NHS guidance describes induction being offered if labour has not started by 41 weeks, with increased monitoring offered to women who decline, and a further offer if a pregnancy reaches 42 weeks. ACOG describes induction decisions made with a clinician on the basis of the individual pregnancy. Neither treats the due date itself as a deadline.
This week's tip
Ask now what your service does at 41 and 42 weeks, and what happens if you would rather wait. Both are real options with real trade-offs, and the version of this conversation that happens calmly at 38 weeks is a much better one than the version that happens in a clinic corridor when you are exhausted and overdue.
When to see a doctor
Contact your maternity service the same day for any change in movement, leaking fluid, regular or painful tightenings, or bleeding. Pregnancy warning signs has the full list.
Seek care now: Contact your local emergency services or go to your nearest emergency department if you have heavy bleeding, severe or one-sided tummy pain, pain just below the ribs, a severe headache with vision changes, sudden swelling of the face or hands, a fever, fluid leaking from the vagina, chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting, or a seizure. Contact your maternity service the same day for any reduction in your baby's usual pattern of movement. Femio cannot assess a pregnancy.
Frequently asked questions
Can I say no to induction?
Yes. It is offered, and declining is a decision your service should support with a plan for extra monitoring. Ask what that plan is.
Why is a planned caesarean not booked before 39 weeks?
Because the last weeks matter for lung development, so planned caesareans are usually scheduled from 39 weeks. Week 39 covers waters breaking, and week 37 covers the start of full term.