Week 37 is full term. A birth from this week onwards is not considered early, and term covers a five-week band rather than a single date. This is the week to know the signs of labour well enough not to have to look them up.
Your body this week
Around 95% of babies are head down by now, usually facing your back, which the NHS describes as the best position for labour. If a baby is still bottom-down there is still time, and some do not move into position until labour starts.
There is often more vaginal discharge, and Braxton Hicks tightenings that can feel uncomfortable without being painful. A sudden urge to clean the house is the nesting instinct, and the sensible response to it is to not overdo it.
Mood is worth a mention now rather than later. Low mood after a birth is common and it is an illness rather than a failing — mood after birth covers what it looks like and who to tell. Reading it before the birth is easier than reading it after.
What you may notice
As the head moves down, heartburn, indigestion and constant bathroom trips often ease. Braxton Hicks continue, along with sleep problems, backache, piles, swelling, leg cramps and the rest of the third-trimester list.
Signs that labour may be starting, per the NHS: contractions or tightenings, a show — a sticky blob of mucus that may be yellow or bloodstained, an urge to go to the toilet from pressure, back pain, and waters breaking. ACOG describes the same set and adds that early labour can be slow and stop-start.
Your baby this week
Around week 37, the length quoted is about 48.6cm from head to heel — leek-length, in the NHS's comparison. Population averages, and not a measurement of your own pregnancy.
Facial expressions are being tried out, and they are random rather than emotional. By now most women know when their baby is usually active and when they are calmer, which is exactly the knowledge that matters if anything changes.
What care usually happens around now
Group B strep may be discussed if it has not been already. In some countries screening happens routinely late in pregnancy; in the UK it is managed on risk factors.
If you are expecting twins, the NHS notes that most twin pregnancies do not go beyond 38 weeks, so the timeline is different and specialist. Antenatal schedules for the last month differ between countries, and this is the point where knowing your own service's plan matters more than any general guide.
This week's tip
Call your maternity unit for anything you are unsure about, and do it without rehearsing first. From full term onwards the cost of a call that turns out to be nothing is a few minutes, and units expect them. The thing that gets people into trouble at 37 weeks is deciding in advance that a symptom is probably fine.
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
Is 37 weeks too early?
No. From 37 weeks a birth is described as full term, and term runs across a five-week band up to 42 weeks.
What is a show?
A sticky blob of mucus, sometimes yellow or bloodstained, that plugged the cervix. It can be one of the first signs labour is coming, and it can still be days away. Week 38 covers the next appointment, and week 36 covers position.