How many months is 38 weeks pregnant?

38 weeks is roughly 8½ months. Months are an awkward unit in pregnancy because they do not divide evenly into weeks — a calendar month averages about 4.3 weeks, which is why 40 weeks works out a little over nine months rather than ten. Appointments and scans are always booked in weeks, so weeks are the figure worth carrying.

How big is a baby at 38 weeks?

The NHS publishes around 49.8 cm long, from head to heel for week 38. Rather than one fruit, that length is offered here against eight rulers, each object carrying its own measurement: the centrepiece of a lolly buffet (50 cm base to top), a koala joey, newly out of the pouch (50 cm head and body), Slinky Dog, fully stretched (50 cm nose to tail), a ball pump with the needle in (50 cm end to end), and four more. Published lengths are averages across many babies, not a measurement of any particular one, and a scan estimate that differs is a normal thing rather than a finding.

What trimester is 38 weeks?

Week 38 is in the third trimester, on the commonly published split of weeks 1–12, 13–26 and 27 onward. The boundaries are conventions for talking about pregnancy rather than biological switches — nothing changes overnight at week 13 or week 27.

38 weeks pregnant

What happens at 38 weeks pregnant?

At 38 weeks a baby is around 49.8 cm long, from head to heel, about the size of the centrepiece of a lolly buffet. That is roughly 8½ months, in the third trimester, with about 2 weeks to go until 40.

Published length

49.8 cm long, from head to heel

In months

Roughly 8½ months

Trimester

third · 2 weeks to go

What is developing at 38 weeks

The organs are ready. The baby is shedding vernix and lanugo and swallowing them, which becomes the contents of the first nappy. The head may be engaged in the pelvis, and the lungs are producing more surfactant by the day.

The size comparison above is the centrepiece of a lolly buffet, which measures 50 cm base to top. Every comparison on this site is a real object with a real measurement, checked against the published length. The same week is drawn in seven other sets below, from Australian animals to fast food, if this one means nothing to you.

38 weeks, in eight rulers

Every other pregnancy tool measures a baby in fruit. This one offers eight sets to choose from, and each object below carries its real measurement, checked against the 49.8 cm the NHS publishes for week 38. Pick whichever ruler you actually have a feel for. Why not fruit.

Sweet treats
the centrepiece of a lolly buffet
50 cm base to top
Australian animals
a koala joey, newly out of the pouch
50 cm head and body
The 90s
Slinky Dog, fully stretched
50 cm nose to tail
Sport
a ball pump with the needle in
50 cm end to end
Things you already own
a microwave
50 cm side to side
Gaming
a CRT television, the only kind a light gun works on
50 cm side to side
Fast food
a fryer basket
50 cm handle to basket
Toys
a toy shopping trolley
50 cm base to handle

Your dates, from 38 weeks

Set to someone who is exactly 38 weeks today, so the due date below is the one that implies. Change the date to your own and everything follows from it — nothing is saved unless you do.

How far along am I?

Your due date

Do not know your due date yet? The due date calculator estimates one from your last period. A dating ultrasound is more accurate than any calendar method — if your pregnancy care team has given you a date, use theirs.

Questions about 38 weeks

How many months is 38 weeks pregnant?: 38 weeks is roughly 8½ months. Months are an awkward unit in pregnancy because they do not divide evenly into weeks — a calendar month averages about 4.3 weeks, which is why 40 weeks works out a little over nine months rather than ten. Appointments and scans are always booked in weeks, so weeks are the figure worth carrying.
How big is a baby at 38 weeks?: The NHS publishes around 49.8 cm long, from head to heel for week 38. Rather than one fruit, that length is offered here against eight rulers, each object carrying its own measurement: the centrepiece of a lolly buffet (50 cm base to top), a koala joey, newly out of the pouch (50 cm head and body), Slinky Dog, fully stretched (50 cm nose to tail), a ball pump with the needle in (50 cm end to end), and four more. Published lengths are averages across many babies, not a measurement of any particular one, and a scan estimate that differs is a normal thing rather than a finding.
What trimester is 38 weeks?: Week 38 is in the third trimester, on the commonly published split of weeks 1–12, 13–26 and 27 onward. The boundaries are conventions for talking about pregnancy rather than biological switches — nothing changes overnight at week 13 or week 27.

Where these numbers come from

NHS — Week-by-week guide to pregnancy — The published length of a baby at each week of pregnancy — measured head to bottom until week 20 and head to heel from week 20 — and what is developing at that stage.
Pregnancy, Birth and Baby — Pregnancy week by week — The Australian Government health service’s week-by-week account of how a pregnancy is counted and what develops at each stage.

General information only, not medical advice. BubSync is not a medical device: these tools do not diagnose, treat or monitor any condition, and using one does not create a clinical relationship. Every baby is different, and these are published ranges rather than targets to hit — they may not apply to your baby, particularly if they were born preterm, are small or large for their age, or have a medical condition. Never delay or disregard advice from a health professional because of something a calculator here showed you. If you are worried about feeding, sleep, weight or wet nappies, contact your child health nurse, midwife or GP — and if your baby seems unwell, floppy, or is difficult to rouse, seek urgent medical care now (000 in Australia).

Written by the BubSync editorial team. Not yet reviewed by an independent clinician. The editorial policy says who writes these pages and how their figures are sourced. Read how we write and check these pages.

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