Pregnancy Calendar Week 38

If you’ve been dreaming about the color of your baby’s eyes, you may have to wait awhile to discover his/her true eye color. For example, a baby born with brown eyes may have green, blue, or hazel eyes by his/her first birthday. Or, his/her eyes may simply remain their original color. Hair color and other distinguishing features can also change in early childhood.

If you’ve noticed a change in the number of your baby’s movements, this is quite normal for pregnancy calendar week 38. At 30 weeks, your baby averaged 25 to 40 movements per hour. Now, he/she moves between 20 and 30 times per hour. This decrease in activity is related to a drop in amniotic fluid and an increase in your baby’s muscular coordination.

Your Body during Pregnancy Calendar Week 38

Common symptoms during pregnancy calendar week 38 include constipation, heartburn, indigestion, frequent urination, leg cramps, backaches, nasal congestion, and pelvic discomfort. You may also notice an increase in vaginal discharge, a change in appetite, and increased difficulty sleeping. Some women find colostrum leaking from their nipples, although this pre-milk substance often doesn’t appear until after delivery.

While some swelling can be attributed to normal fluctuations in pregnancy hormones, excessive swelling in your hands, face, feet, or ankles can be a sign of preeclampsia. Also known as pregnancy induced hypertension or toxemia, this is a serious condition that requires close medical supervision. Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you notice unusual swelling accompanied by visual disturbances, an intense headache, abdominal pain, or fever.

Your Baby’s Position

Your baby should have settled into a head first, or vertex, position by pregnancy calendar week 38. However, about 1 in 25 full term babies are born in a breech presentation.

There are many varieties of breech presentations. A baby born in a frank breech comes out buttocks first, with his/her legs straight up and flat against the face. If your baby is in a traverse position, he/she is lying sideways in the uterus. If one or both of your baby’s legs are pointing down, he/she is in a footling breech presentation.

If your baby is in a breech presentation, your physician may try to convince him/her to change positions through external cephalic version. This procedure involves manually manipulating the abdomen to gently shift the fetus into the correct position. It has an over 50 percent success rate.

Some physicians routinely order cesarean births for babies in a breech presentation. However, others will allow the mother to attempt a vaginal birth if there are no complicating factors. If you are concerned about the possible risks associated with a cesarean birth, ask your physician if he/she will allow a trial of vaginal labor.