In this article you will be able to read about everything related to being pregnant in week 37. You'll find information about the baby's development, how the mother's body is changing and tips you might need along the way.

Baby: The immune system is developed

The baby is about 48 cm long and weighs 3 kg!

Development
The baby's blood circulation is now functioning properly and the immune system is sufficiently developed to protect the baby against minor viruses, bacteria and diseases in life outside the womb. Antibodies have been transferred from the mother to the baby during pregnancy, giving the baby some protection against infections. However, this does not make the baby immune to disease and you should be careful about who you meet after birth, as the baby has not built up its defenses enough to fight viruses carried by others.

Preparing for life outside the womb
The baby prepares for birth through longer periods of activity and wakefulness or sleep. As the baby is able to recognize certain sounds, you may have noticed that when you listen to specific music or sing, the baby reacts and moves more or becomes calmer in its movements. This is becoming more and more noticeable every week as the baby's brain and mind continue to mature rapidly!

Mom: Pregnant in week 37

When this week is over, the pregnancy is considered full term - hooray! 🥳

Now your stomach will slowly but surely drop to a lower position if it has not already done so. Hopefully, this will make it easier for you to breathe, so that the uterus does not press as hard on your organs. Your belly drops as the baby pushes further down into your pelvis, preparing for birth. 

Because your uterus takes up more space and puts more pressure on your bladder, you may need to pee more than usual. Despite many visits to the toilet, it is still a good idea to drink plenty of fluids, even though it may feel tiring to induce even (!) more visits to the toilet.

Sleep
Do you have trouble sleeping at night? This is when your body and brain start preparing to stay awake at night, which is usually required once the baby is born. As a result, you may now wake up in the middle of the night feeling alert and awake - it may take several hours before you can go back to sleep. This is perfectly normal and a natural part of biology's clever way of getting you ready for life as a parent!

The bigger the belly gets, the more the pressure on large veins in the body increases, while the pelvis becomes more mobile due to the hormone relaxin. Not to mention how unwieldy your body feels with a three-kilogram baby in your belly! Together, this can cause pain or discomfort when you move, and something as simple as turning over in bed can feel incredibly heavy. A large and long pillow or several smaller ones can help you find positions that feel more comfortable. Putting pillows between your knees is an example that helps many people.

Why does childbirth often start at night?
Labor can start with a rupture of the membranes and the breaking of the waters, but most commonly labor starts with contractions. The reason that labor often starts during the night is that the pregnant woman is sleeping and/or relaxed and calm. This helps to ensure that oxytocin levels are at their highest! Oxytocin is the driving hormone during labor that ensures you have effective contractions to push the baby out. During the night, this hormone is not affected or inhibited by any stress hormones, so there is a clear link to why labor starts at night!

Sleep and the vena cava
Vena cava syndrome can often occur if you lie on your back, so you should not fall asleep lying on your back. This is partly because the longest period of sleep often occurs when you have fallen asleep, so it is better for your body to fall asleep on your side. However, if you do wake up lying on your back during the night, don't worry, turn over to your side and go back to sleep. Your body's natural reaction to pressure on the large veins is to instinctively roll over. If you lie on your back for a while with your head elevated and you feel fine, there is no cause for concern and you are probably not affected by vena cava syndrome.

Exacerbates
During the last weeks of pregnancy, it is common to have contractions that last for a while and then disappear; these are called preeclampsia. This is the uterus's way of preparing for childbirth! It is common for contractions to come in the evening or at night and go away on their own by resting. Pre-eclampsia does not mean that you are in labor, but it can cause the uterine septum to mature, then soften and finally shorten (which it must do for labor to start!).

Here you can read about week 36.

You can read about week 38 here.