Pregnancy week 37 - baby's development and your body

Your baby's brain and lungs are still developing, and they’re steadily growing and gaining weight. After this week, babies are generally considered developed enough to thrive outside the womb if labor starts a bit early.

Size:

Your baby is about 47 cm or 18.50 inches long, from head to foot.

Weight:

Approximately 2.9 kg or 6.39 lbs. ​

Fetal development:

Aside from the lungs and brain, all of your baby’s body parts and organs are now fully developed and ready for birth. Your baby is still gaining fat and often has a good amount of hair on their head by now.

Your baby now has longer sleep and wake cycles. When awake, they practice breathing by drawing in and pushing out amniotic fluid through their airways.

With space getting tighter, kicks may feel more like sweeping movements, stretches, or pushes. However, the frequency and strength of movements should stay the same.

Your body:

The pressure from your baby is everywhere now, making it harder to find comfortable positions for sitting, standing, or sleeping.

Contractions may be happening more frequently, and it’s common to feel pelvic pain after activity as the hormone relaxin softens the cartilage joints in your pelvis to prepare for childbirth. Some people also experience back pain as muscles tense up to compensate for relaxin’s relaxing effect.

By now, most babies are head-down and don’t have enough room to turn. If your baby has dropped into the pelvis, you might feel a bit more space under your ribs, easing the pressure on your lungs.