37 weeks pregnant: symptoms and baby development
Early term. Trying out expressions.
Third trimesterMonth 95 min read
By Solesia, from public clinical guidanceUpdated
If your baby arrived this week, they would be counted as ready rather than early. That is what early term means, even though a couple more weeks of ripening still do them good. Inside, they are practicing faces, frowning and smiling, and their breathing movements are steady. About nineteen in twenty are head down by now. For you, the week may bring a sudden urge to clean out closets and fold tiny clothes, along with more discharge and, if the baby has dropped, welcome relief from heartburn. From here on, contractions that settle into a rhythm are labor beginning, and it helps to know what that feels like.
How big is your baby at 37 weeks
About the size of a Swiss chard
19.1 in long·6.5 lb
Baby development at 37 weeks
At 37 weeks your baby measures about 19.1 inches from head to heel and weighs around 6.5 pounds, roughly a Swiss chard. They practice expressions, pulling faces you will see again in a few weeks: frowning, pursing their lips, something like a smile. Their grasp is firm enough to hold a finger.
Their breathing movements are rhythmic now, drawing amniotic fluid in and out to strengthen the lungs, and the substance that keeps the air sacs open is being made in full. The gut holds a sticky green first stool called meconium, made of swallowed fluid, skin cells and fine hair, which they will pass after birth.
Their head is down in about nineteen of twenty pregnancies by now, usually facing your back, which is the easiest way through. They are still gaining about half a pound a week and their activity has a clear rhythm you know well. In the last weeks the placenta passes them a final rush of your antibodies, which is why the last stretch matters.
Your body at 37 weeks
A burst of energy and an urge to organize, clean and finish things is expected around now, and it has a name: nesting. Follow it if you enjoy it, but keep lifting and ladders for someone else, and stop before you are exhausted. Not everyone gets it, and that is fine too.
Vaginal discharge increases this week and may be thicker than before. Thin, white or clear, and without a strong smell is expected; the cervix is softening and the mucus that has sealed it may start to come away in pieces, sometimes tinged with pink or brown. Cotton underwear and a panty liner are all it needs. A steady trickle of watery fluid is different, and that is a call to your provider.
If your baby has dropped, you will find you can eat a full meal again and breathe to the bottom of your lungs. Heartburn eases. In its place come more bathroom trips, a rolling walk and pressure low in your pelvis, which is expected. Practice contractions keep going, and may be stronger; what tells them apart from labor is that they do not build and do not settle into a rhythm.
Common pregnancy symptoms at 37 weeks
- Nesting. A hormonal push to get ready. Enjoy it; no ladders, no heavy boxes.
- More discharge. A softening cervix. Thin and white is expected; a liner and cotton underwear.
- Pelvic pressure. The head settling low. Side lying, and a warm bath.
- Heartburn easing. If the baby has dropped, your stomach has room. If not, small meals still.
- Braxton Hicks. Stronger now but still irregular. Rest and water; labor contractions build.
- Broken sleep. Bladder, pelvis and a busy mind. Rest in the day counts.
- Leg cramps. Common at night. Flex the foot and hold; stretch calves before bed.
When to call your provider at 37 weeks
From now, regular contractions are labor beginning, not a warning. Call your provider when they last about a minute and come every five, or if your water breaks.
Two things are worth a same-day call at any point in pregnancy: bleeding that is more than spotting, and pain that is severe or does not ease. From the second trimester, add fluid leaking and any change in your baby’s usual pattern of movement. You do not need to be sure something is wrong to call; that is what the number is for.
What to do at 37 weeks
- Group B strep swab. If it was not done at 36 weeks, it happens now. The result guides whether you get antibiotics in labor.
- Weekly visit. Blood pressure, urine, bump and position. Your provider may offer to check your cervix; it is optional and it does not predict when labor will start.
- Learn the signs of labor. Contractions that build, get closer and do not stop when you rest; your water breaking; a bloody show. Ask your provider when they want a call: often when contractions last about a minute and come every five for an hour.
- Car seat checked. Installed and inspected. Many hospitals will not let you leave without seeing it; a fire station or certified technician can check it in minutes.
Common questions at 37 weeks
Is 37 weeks full term?
It is early term. Babies born from 37 weeks to 38 weeks and 6 days are early term; 39 weeks to 40 weeks and 6 days is full term. A baby born now is considered ready, but the brain and lungs still gain from another week or two, so labor is left to start on its own when all is well.
What does losing the mucus plug look like?
A thick, jelly-like blob or a few days of stringy discharge, clear, white, pink or streaked with brown. It is the plug that has sealed the cervix, coming away as the cervix softens. It can happen days or weeks before labor, and it is not a reason to go in; bright red bleeding is different, and that is a call.
How do I know if it is real labor?
Real contractions get longer, stronger and closer together over an hour or so, and they keep going whether you walk, rest or take a bath. Practice contractions stay irregular and fade. When contractions last about a minute and come every five minutes for an hour, or if your water breaks, call your provider.
Why do I have so much energy at 37 weeks?
A shift in hormones near the end of pregnancy brings a burst of energy and a strong urge to prepare, called nesting. It is common and harmless. Use it for the small jobs, hand off the heavy ones, and rest afterward; you will want the energy later.
Written from public clinical guidance, including NHS: Week 37, ACOG: How your baby grows, ACOG: Changes in your body, NHS: Signs of labour, NHS: Discharge, NHS: Your baby’s movements and ACOG: Bleeding. This page is general information, not medical advice, and does not replace your provider.