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Congratulations! You are now full term at 37 weeks pregnant. This means that if you were to deliver your baby this week, there is a good chance that he or she would be perfectly healthy.
Labor Can Start at Any Second
From this week in your pregnancy week by week onward, you should be on the look out for any signs of labor. A full-term baby can be born anytime between 37 weeks and 42 weeks of pregnancy.
Though your due date is three weeks away, keep in mind that only five percent of babies will be born on their estimated due date. Over 80 percent of babies are born between pregnancy week 37 and 42 weeks.
Twin Labor and Delivery
If you are pregnant with twins at 37 weeks pregnant, you should expect your babies any day now. Although the average twin pregnancy lasts about 35 weeks, some women can carry twins up until 40 weeks. Most doctors, however, will recommend inducing labor in a twin pregnancy between 38 and 40 weeks of pregnancy, to prevent complications.
Research suggests that twins that are delivered between 37 weeks pregnant and 39 weeks have the lowest rates of perinatal mortality (the number of stillbirths after 28 weeks pregnant combined with the number of newborns that die within the first week of life). So in order to minimize any complications, your twins will probably be delivered in the next two weeks.
Weight Gain During Pregnancy - Week 37
Isn't it amazing how fast time has flown? Your due date is quickly approaching, and your pregnancy weight gain at 37 weeks pregnant may be anywhere between 25 and 30 pounds! If you are carrying twins, you may have gained as much as 35 or 40 pounds.
The longer your baby stays in the womb after pregnancy week 37, the more he or she will weigh and the heavier you will be! You might gain an extra five pounds in the next three weeks.
The recommended pregnancy weight gain for a normal weight is between 25 and 35 pounds. You will want to gain more if you were underweight prior to your pregnancy (between 28 and 40 pounds). However, if you are overweight, you should only gain between 15 and 25 pounds.
Are You Having Trouble with Everyday Activities?
Since you are bigger than you've ever been at 37 weeks pregnant, you may notice that you have trouble doing every day activities, such as getting up from the sofa or fitting through doorways. You will probably also have a hard time getting comfortable while driving.
Instead of getting frustrated at these things, just try to relax and rest during pregnancy week 37. Only a few weeks left until your baby will be born.
Celebrate Your "Bump" with a Belly Cast
As you are waiting for your baby to come, a fun way to pass the time is to document your pregnancy and huge belly with a belly casting kit. You can find these kits online at low, affordable prices. (For example, Maternity and Baby Shopping Mart sells a Pregnancy Belly Casting Kit by Proud Body for only $29.99.) Do this activity with your partner, children, and the entire family and make it a bonding experience as you wait for your little one to come.
When the plaster dries, you have endless decorating possibilities. You can paint your belly cast, or decorate it with pictures and stickers. After baby grows up, you can show him or her how big mommy's belly got during pregnancy.
Belly casting kits are simply a creative way to document your pregnancy!
At 37 weeks pregnant, your baby may weigh over 6.3 pounds and he or she might be as long as 19 inches. (Remember that some babies will be smaller than this, and others will be larger.)
As your baby moves down your pelvis in preparation for labor and delivery (a process called "engagement"), you will feel less pressure underneath your rib cage. During pregnancy week 37, you may also find that you can breathe more easily than in the previous weeks, because your lungs now have more room to expand.
Your baby continues to gain weight at 37 weeks pregnant. Fat now covers his or her arms, legs, and belly. When your little bundle of joy is born, he or she will look very similar to how he or she looks now.
The lanugo hair that has covered your baby's body until now is being shed and replaced by short, fine hairs called "vellus hairs" (more commonly known as "peach fuzz").
At 37 weeks pregnant, your baby's ears are fully developed. Since noises easily penetrate the womb at this stage in your pregnancy week by week, you may notice that loud noises startle your baby. You and your partner should also spend time speaking to your baby, since he or she can hear you. In fact, it's the mother's voice that all babies first recognize after birth.
Now that you are full-term, the level of amniotic fluid surrounding your baby will slowly decrease from here on out.
At 37 weeks pregnant, your baby has already flipped into his birthing position. Most babies will be in the head-down position, which is the best position for a vaginal birth.
Breech Position and How it Complicates Labor
In some cases, your baby may be in the breech position (where his bottom or legs are close to your pelvis but his head is upward) or a transverse position (lying sideways). These abnormal positions can complicate your labor and delivery, and they may require you to have a cesarean section.
Your doctor or healthcare provider will check your baby's position at your prenatal visits. During pregnancy week 37, if your baby is breech, your doctor may attempt to "turn" your baby with a procedure called an external cephalic version (ECV).
External Cephalic Version (ECV)
During an ECV, your doctor will try to gently guide the baby into the head-down position by pressing his or her hands on your belly. This procedure can be uncomfortable and painful, so you will often be given medication to relax your uterine muscles beforehand.
To avoid any harm to your baby, the ECV procedure is monitored with an ultrasound and electronic fetal heart monitoring. If your baby shows signs of fetal distress (such as a heart rate that suddenly drops) during the procedure, it will be stopped.
Your doctor will only be able to perform the external cephalic version if you are pregnant with one baby, your baby has not dropped into the pelvis, and there is enough amniotic fluid around your baby to turn him or her.
If you have a high risk pregnancy or have experienced pregnancy complications, you will not be eligible to have this performed.
How Successful is an External Cephalic Version?
An external cephalic version has a success rate of 60 percent. In the event that an ECV procedure fails, your doctor may choose to deliver your baby via c-section. (Most cesarean sections are scheduled for 38 to 39 weeks of pregnancy).
Risks of an External Cephalic Version
If you are interested in having an external cephalic version, keep in mind that the procedure does come with certain risks. These include:
- Twisting of your baby's umbilical cord, which can restrict oxygen and blood flow to your little one. This can sometimes lead to fetal distress, that requires an emergency c-section.
- The onset of premature labor
- Premature rupture of the membranes (your water breaking before your baby is ready to be delivered)
- Your baby turns back into the breech position after the ECV procedure
- Mother or baby experience blood loss. This may cause mixing of blood from mother and baby.
Because there is a possibility of bleeding, women who are Rh-negative will be given an RH immune globulin injection to prevent their risk of their blood mixing with their baby (called Rh sensitization).
Though the risks of complications are very small, your doctor or healthcare provider may not want to perform an external cephalic version. If you want this performed at pregnancy week 37, you may want to discuss your wishes with your healthcare provider.
In the event that your doctor is not experienced with performing external cephalic version, he or she may give refer you to another healthcare provider who can do the procedure.
Read About Your Pregnancy Week by Week - 38 Weeks Pregnant
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