37 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby may be engaging. Learn what's going on with you and your baby-to-be while 37 weeks pregnant.

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• Your Baby
• You
• 10th Month of Pregnancy Video
• Diary of a Daughter

Your Baby

With only approximately 4 more weeks to go, your little one is also getting ready for their big entrance into the world!

Some babies will engage during this time, which will place their head further down into your pelvis in order to prepare them for their birth date and position them into the birth canal. This can lighten up on some discomforts for some women such as heartburn or having shortness of breath, but it can also create extreme pressure in the pelvic region causing a whole new brand of discomforts for the next few weeks.

The new family member should weigh approximately 6 pounds and measure around 14 inches in length from crown to rump, but can still vary greatly as each baby is an individual and may be larger or smaller than average upon birth.

Each day your baby is gaining fat stores that can measure at almost half an ounce a day which gives them a more plump appearance at birth rather than having pink, wrinkly skin.

Although if born today your baby would be perfectly fine and not need any necessary medical intervention, it is still best for your little one to grow and gain fatty tissue the longer they stay in utero.

You

There may be times where you are thinking about how you can't sleep comfortably, aren't able to bend over to tie your shoes (or even see your shoes for that matter!) and walk for long distances. Not to mention trimming that bikini line... ;-D

But soon your pregnancy will be over and all of the discomforts of the last few weeks will be a distant memory. Try to focus on the positive aspects of the last few weeks of your pregnancy, and how you will have a new baby in just a few short weeks and will be able to focus your time and energy elsewhere in no time at all. If you use your time at home waiting for your baby in order to prepare you and your home for the new arrival, you may find the time going by faster as you wait in anticipation.

Some women will find that they lose their mucus plug in the last month of pregnancy as their body gets ready for the birth, while others may not lose their mucus plug until shortly before they begin the labor process. Each woman's body is different, so you may find that your mucus plug is expelled early or you may not notice it at all.

Try not to compare you and your baby to other women since each birth is unique, but it is helpful to familiarize yourself with many different scenarios and signs of labor in order to prepare yourself for the big day. By knowing what to look for and the many signals your body gives off before labor, you will be able to prepare you and your partner for the big event.

Being 37 weeks pregnant, some women will find their breasts begin to increase in size as their body prepares for the task of feeding your baby once they are born. You may even notice a small amount of colostrum fluid leaking as well as you come closer to your due date. This is perfectly normal, and many women find it exciting to know that their body is also preparing for the baby's arrival.

I bet you have already started to prepare for D-day? If not, don't wait. Knowing about the process and what to expect really helps, trust me... ;-)

Visit our section about giving birth here.

10th Month of Pregnancy Video

Instructions: When watching the video clips, start the videos by clicking the small arrow down to the left, not the large one in the middle of the screen. If you're using Internet Explorer as your browser and the video doesn't start, try clicking twice on the small arrow.

Diary of a Daughter

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