38 Week Growth...

How your baby's growing: Your baby has really fattened up. She likely weighs between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds now (boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls), and she's probably between 19 and 20 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test with your pinky! Her organs are fully developed and in place, but her lungs and brain — though developed enough for her to function now — will continue to mature right through childhood.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If your baby is born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

This is the week in which Baby begins to outgrow the watery home where she's been developing these past nine months. Baby should weigh almost seven pounds this week, but at a length of about 21 inches, Baby hasn't grown much taller. The average full-term newborn weighs between six and nine pounds and is 18 to 21 inches long.
Here are a few other developments this week:
*Although Baby's growth is slowing, fat will continue to accumulate to help insulate Baby even more for her entry to the outside world.
*Meconium (Baby's feces) will continue to build up in her intestines.
*By now, the circumference of baby's head and abdomen are about the same.

How your life's changing: It may be harder than ever to get comfortable enough to sleep well at night. Take it easy through the day — this may be your last opportunity to do so for quite a while. Keep monitoring your baby's movements, too. Though she's crowded, she should still be active.Swelling of your feet is normal in these last weeks, but if you notice any swelling of your hands or face, sudden weight gain, persistent or severe headaches, blurry vision or spots before your eyes, or upper abdominal pain, call your practitioner right away, because these are symptoms of a serious condition called preeclampsia. Encourage your partner to relax and enjoy some activities he won't have time for after the baby arrives. Also, have him check out the inspirational reading section in our bookstore. He might find some good materials for labor day.

As baby puts more pressure on your bladder this week, your need to urinate increases.
Since you're probably visiting your doctor on a weekly basis, you can ask your doctor for an estimate of the exact size of your baby. However, these estimates are only educated predictions — no one will know Baby's precise size until birth. Ultrasound is fairly accurate at this point in estimating fetal weight by measuring diameter and circumference of Baby's head and abdomen, and length of the leg bone.
Even an accurate fetal-weight estimate can't predict how easily the baby will fit through your pelvis and the birth canal. Your doctor usually won't be able to tell whether your baby will move easily down the birth canal until labor begins.