Even though your due date is another three weeks away, your baby is now considered “full term”. If you would give birth now her lungs would most likely be mature enough to adjust to real life. If you are having a scheduled c-section though, your doctor would most likely not schedule it until 39 weeks because some babies do need a little more time.

At 37 weeks your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a little bit over 19 inches from head to toe. Many babies are born with a full head of hair, but don’t be concerned if she doesn’t.

The contractions that you have been experiencing are more frequent, last longer and are more uncomfortable now. You may also notice some sort of vaginal discharge. If you see this discharge it may look like mucus mixed with a tinge of blood and this means that labor may be a few days away. Remember to ask your doctor about the results of your Group B strep culture. Because if it’s positive and you need antibiotics, you may have to ask for it if it wasn’t put on your chart yet.

It may be really hard to get into a comfortable position at night. Try to take it easy during the day because this may be the last few days that you can for a while. Continue monitoring your baby’s movements and if there is any decrease in activity be sure to let your doctor know.

In response to the question, “How can I know if I’m in labor or it’s false labor pains?” – Theresa K. from Philadelphia

It’s actually very hard to tell the difference, but here are a few ways that may help you.

1. False labor contractions are not as predictable as real contractions. They come at irregular intervals and are not the same in length and intensity. Even though true labor contractions at first may be irregular, after some time they come at regular and shorter intervals, become more intense, and last much longer.
2. The pain from the contractions in false labor pains is usually centered in your lower abdomen. With true labor pains, you usually feel the pain start in your lower back and wrap all the way around to your abdomen.
3. False labor contractions usually stop  on their own, or when you change positions or activity. True labor contractions will continue and get worse no matter what you do.

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 19th, 2010 at 3:43 pm and is filed under Childbirth, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Diaries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.