38 Weeks Pregnant: What To Expect During Labor

In this article:

• Pregnancy Week 38: All About You
• Pregnancy Week 38: All About Baby
• How Big Is Baby?
• Most Common Pregnancy Questions
• Take a Break
• For Your Partner
• Fun Fact
• Follow The Chronicles of a Real-Life Pregnancy
• Tell Your Due Date Club

Are your Braxton Hicks contractions becoming more frequent and intense? At 38 weeks pregnant, you are now considered full term. Learn about what to expect during these final weeks and at the hospital.

Pack your bags and put them by the door! No need to stress about what to bring; we've got a checklist of the absolute necessities and some luxuries that might make your experience a little more comfortable and enjoyable. Even if you plan a home birth, you should pack a small suitcase.

These last few weeks of pregnancy can be so hard; you're deep in the waiting game! Braxton Hicks contractions are more frequent and intense. You may feel large and ungainly but, unless your water has broken, it's fine to have sex. As a matter of fact, intercourse and nipple stimulation are some methods people use to induce labor naturally.

Pregnancy Week 38: All About You

You're at a milestone: 38 weeks marks full-term pregnancy status! The pain of backaches and leg cramps are swallowed up by excitement about your baby's impending arrival. You may experience false contractions off and on throughout the day. Inside your body, your cervix is readying for delivery. You may notice clear to white vaginal discharge, sometimes streaked with blood, as your cervix thins (or effaces).

What to Expect During Labor
"Labor" can be a confusing term. Most often in TV and in movies, a pregnant woman announces, "It's time," rushes to the hospital, and within minutes delivers her baby. In real life, labor is more often a process than a quick event.

Labor can be divided into three phases: the first phase, or latent phase; the second phase, or active labor; and the third phase, or transitional labor, which prepares you to deliver.

The First Phase: The first phase of labor can last for a few hours or a few days, but the contractions you'll experience during this phase will be fairly short and manageable.

At this point in your labor you should be able to continue your normal routine. You can still do the dishes, fold laundry, and watch TV. In fact, your doctor or midwife has probably given you instructions to keep track of how many contractions you're having in a hour, but to wait to call her until the contractions are intense and close together (the second phase of labor).

In your body, your cervix thins and opens in response to these contractions. Your cervix will open to about three centimeters during this first phase.

Some circumstances indicate you should call your healthcare provider right away, such as your water breaking. Also, if you tested positive for the group B strep virus (a potentially harmful virus if not treated with medication), your doctor may want you to receive antibiotics in the hospital as soon as labor begins.

The Second Phase: During the second phase of labor, contractions become more regular and intense. Instead of several minutes apart, your contractions will come three to five minutes apart and last for more than 30 seconds. And how your experience the contractions will change, too. Instead of a constant dull pain, your contractions will start comfortably and then peak in an intense pain before subsiding. This phase generally doesn't last as long as the first phase, usually hours not days.

Once your contractions become regular and strong, you should let your healthcare provider know. Your doctor will probably ask you several questions about your contractions to determine if it's time to go to the hospital or whether you're still in the first phase of labor.

In your body, the cervix is being stretched apart with each contraction. The cervix wall thins (or effaces) to make it easier for your baby to pass. Your water may break during this phase, or your doctor may break it for you to speed up your labor. At the end of this phase your cervix will be opened (or dilated) to four to seven centimeters.

At the hospital, your heart rate and the baby's will be monitored. You may also receive IV fluids and medications. As the contractions intensify, you may want to start your coping strategies, whether you're practicing breathing techniques or receiving pain medications.