How Your Baby Grows During the Thirty-Seventh Week
Your baby is now about 6 1/2 pounds in size and she has a crown to rump length of about fourteen inches.
Your baby is practicing his breathing now with movements that expand and contract his rib cage and lungs. He is not yet getting any oxygen from his lungs yet - all of the baby's air supply comes from his mother through the umbilical cord. But these practice movements help prepare him for after birth.
He is also making digestive enzymes now, getting his body ready for his first meal after birth. Colostrum has special proteins and enzymes that help to nourish the delicate gastro-intestinal system of your baby after birth.
What the Mother Feels During the Thirty-Seventh Week
By now your weight gain is about 25-35 pounds, although these are only average numbers that fluctuate greatly from mother to mother. Your blood volume has increased so much in the past couple months and is peaking about now, so many mothers find themselves getting flushed in the face. They may also feel hot flashes sometimes.
During this last month of pregnancy it is common for expectant mothers to experience some cervical changes as well. You may notice an increase in cervical discharge, or even some pink, bloody show. If this is not your first pregnancy it is more likely for your cervix to be partially dilated and effaced even weeks before your the birth of your baby.
Resources:
Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Lesley Regan
The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger
