At 38 weeks your baby is about 48.5 cm and 3.1 kg — roughly a leek — gaining around 20-30 grams a day, with organs now fully functioning and a genuinely strong grasping reflex.
The short answer: baby keeps gaining steadily, organs are fully functioning, and the grasping reflex is strong enough to hold onto a finger. The brain continues forming new connections even now, this close to birth. For you, heavy fatigue and irritability are common and expected, swelling may worsen, and Braxton Hicks contractions often become more regular and intense — sometimes genuinely hard to tell from the real thing.
Your baby this week
Baby keeps gaining weight at a steady pace of about 20-30 grams a day. Organs are now fully functioning, and a substantial amount of meconium has accumulated in the intestines, ready for after birth. Remarkably, the brain continues forming new connections even at this late stage — development does not simply stop once baby is considered ready for birth.
The grasping reflex is now genuinely strong — strong enough that baby could hold onto a finger firmly, one of the reflexes that will be checked right after delivery.
Your body this week
Heavy fatigue and irritability are common and genuinely normal for these final weeks — carrying the extra weight, disrupted sleep, and the physical work of preparing for labour all add up, even on days when nothing feels like it is happening. Swelling may worsen, so keeping your legs elevated when you can genuinely helps manage it.
Braxton Hicks contractions often become more regular and intense now, and for some people they become genuinely difficult to distinguish from early labour. The most reliable test: real contractions grow longer, stronger, and closer together over time and do not ease off with rest, a position change, or a warm shower, while Braxton Hicks typically do calm down with one of those changes.
Tests and appointments
Weekly appointments are typical at this stage for most care pathways, continuing to check baby's position, heart rate, and your blood pressure as labour approaches.
✅ Worth doing this week
- Time any contraction pattern that feels different — length, interval, and whether it eases with rest tells you the most
- Rest whenever you get the chance, rather than pushing through the fatigue
- Try gentle fitball exercises to relax pelvic and back muscles
- Keep your legs elevated when sitting to manage worsening swelling
- Skim the postpartum recovery guide now, while you have a quiet moment to read it
When to call your doctor
Call the same day if: contractions become regular, increasingly strong, and do not ease with rest or position change — this needs assessment for labour. Also call for reduced movement, bleeding, your water breaking, a severe headache with visual disturbance, sudden swelling of the face or hands, or a temperature above 38°C.
FAQ — 38 weeks pregnant
How do I tell real contractions from Braxton Hicks at 38 weeks?
Real contractions grow longer, stronger, and more frequent over time, settling into an increasingly regular pattern, and they do not ease off with a change in position, rest, or a warm shower. Braxton Hicks stay irregular, do not intensify in the same progressive way, and often calm down with rest or movement. If you genuinely cannot tell which you are experiencing, timing them is the most reliable way to find out — a true labour pattern reveals itself within an hour or two.
Why does fatigue hit so hard at 38 weeks?
Heavy tiredness and irritability are common and expected in these final weeks — the body is carrying significant extra weight, sleep is often disrupted, and a substantial amount of physical preparation for labour is happening even when nothing feels like it is "happening." It is normal, not a sign anything is wrong, and resting whenever the opportunity comes up is a genuinely useful strategy rather than something to push through.
Can exercise really help at 38 weeks?
Gentle movement, including light bouncing on a birthing or fitness ball, can help relax the pelvic and back muscles and ease some of the pressure and discomfort of these final weeks. It is not about intensity at this stage — slow, comfortable movement is the goal, and it is worth checking with your care provider if you have any pregnancy complications.
How big is the baby at 38 weeks?
About 48.5 cm and 3.1 kg — roughly a leek. Baby is gaining around 20-30 grams a day now, organs are fully functioning, meconium has accumulated in the intestines, and the grasping reflex has become strong enough to genuinely hold onto a finger.
Week 38 at a glance
At 38 weeks your baby is about 48.5 cm and 3.1 kg, gaining 20-30 grams a day with organs fully functioning and a strong grasping reflex. For you, heavy fatigue is common, swelling may worsen, and Braxton Hicks contractions often intensify — the real test for telling them from labour is whether they ease with rest or keep building regardless.
Inside Baby Novum: the contraction timer tracks length and interval automatically, so you can watch the pattern that actually separates real labour from Braxton Hicks instead of trying to remember it under pressure.