37th week of pregnancy: The 37th week of pregnancy at a glance
Your baby now sleeps a lot, dreams or sucks on the thumb. Your child has already made its way down in the 37th week of pregnancy, which can also be seen externally in your lower-seated belly.
The development of your baby in the 37th week of pregnancy
Your baby is in the 37th week of pregnancy, so at the beginning of your 9th month of pregnancy, about 47 centimeters tall and weighs about2,900 grams. The fact that it has already made its way down can also be seen externally in your lower belly. The child’s head has entered the small pelvis. In the case ofa premature rupture of the bladder, you no longer have to be afraid of an umbilical cord prolapse. Your baby now sleeps a lot, dreams, sucks on the thumb or enjoys the pleasant massages of the uterus when awake, just when it contracts foran exercise contraction.
The stay in the stomach is therefore quite comfortable, even if not many movements are possible in the 37th week of pregnancy. Your little one doesn’t kick too often anymore, but the kicks hurt even more. It has less and less space in your stomach and you can now feel a kind of stinging in the vagina. This is because your child’s head keeps pushing down. Unfortunately, there is no antidote for this, but that means that it will soon be time.
Your body in the 37th week of pregnancy
Now the last stage of pregnancy has been reached with the last month. Surely you are already quite nervous, wondering whether your child might come earlier or later. You may wonder how safe thecalculated dateis and listen more and more often to yourself whether there are alreadyfirst signs of birthin the 37th week of pregnancy.
But don’t let impatience arise, this can only trigger nervousness that takes away your strength for the birth. Trust that your baby will choose the right time to give birth. Therefore, try to be calm, enjoy the anticipation and rest as often as possible. Even if it pushes you to overactivity, it’s better to slow yourself down a bit. If, for example, you want to do a complete cleaning of the apartment before the birth in the 37th week of pregnancy, your energy is not used for wiping, but for organizing appropriate help.
Questions about the 37th week of pregnancy
Why do child movements decrease?
Towards the end of pregnancy, many women notice that the frequency and intensity of children’s movements change. The powerful boxing of the past week becomes a slow pushing and stretching and sometimes you have the feeling that nothing moves inside you. These changes are natural as your baby has less and less space for exercise. Especially if it has already entered the pelvis with the head, the scope of movement is severely restricted.
The gradually decreasing amniotic fluid can also limit your baby’s willingness to move. In addition, babies in the final phase of pregnancy, similar to newborns, take a nap from time to time. During these times, the baby in the belly seems to move little or even not at all.
All causes are completely normal in themselves and nothing to worry about. Nevertheless, you should always inform your doctor or midwife if you think that your baby has not moved for several hours. A short ultrasound examination will give you confirmation in most cases that everything is fine.
When does a baby have an increased risk of allergies?
Your baby may have an increased risk of allergies if you or your partner or existing siblings also have allergies. These include, for example, hay fever, asthma and neurodermatitis. If this is the case, you can get an allergy questionnaire from your doctor, which you can fill out before the birth and best bring with you to the delivery. Then the clinic staff can adjust to it. However, this does not mean for your child that it really gets the allergies. It is only at risk of allergy. To prevent an allergy, you should breastfeed your baby for the first 4 to 6 months. Thus, his immune system is not burdened by foreign proteins, which are contained in any complementary food.
Is it worth donating cord blood?
The so-called umbilical cord blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after your child is delivered. After delivery, this blood is no longer needed, the child now breathes itself and is supplied by breast milk. However, the stem cells contained in cord blood can be donated to help other people. This mainly affects leukemia patients.
In an interview with Dr. Dr. Alexander Schmidt, Scientific Director of the German Bone Marrow Donor Database (DKMS) and Managing Director of the DKMS Umbilical Cord Blood Bank in Dresden, we asked how exactly an umbilical cord blood donation works, what needs to be considered and whether he considers private storage to be useful. You can read this in the article “Donate or store umbilical cord blood?”.
Tips and hints for the 37th week of pregnancy
Standing is becoming increasingly difficult in the 37th week of pregnancy
From now on, you should plan a little more time than usual for the walk to the bus or subway. Limit any strenuous activity or perform it only for shorter periods of time and, if possible, sitting. If you have to bend down to pick something up, you can get back up more easily if you hold on to a safe object, squat straight and just come back up. Getting out of bed should only be done over the side: Turn to the edge of the bed, support yourself with your free hand in front of your upper body and push yourself up.
An afternoon nap is necessary
From the 37th week of pregnancy you should not miss the afternoon nap, as you probably getlittle sleepat night because of the large belly. Catch up on sleep so that you have enough energy for the birth.
Prenatal Acupuncture
From now on, specially trained midwives or doctors can give youacupuncture needlesonce a week. This is intended to shorten the birth and reduce the pain. Even during childbirth, some midwives use acupuncture to relieve pain or to stimulate the cervix to open.