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Day 271 of 280 · 38 weeks + 5 days

The sibling's plan

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 8 sources · Plain-text version

Thirty-eight weeks and five days. If there's an older child at home, today you settle who has them, day and night, while you're in the hospital.

Size this week
about the length of a stick of rhubarb
Length this week
around 49.8 cm from head to heel
A heavily pregnant woman in a loose red jumper kneeling on a living-room rug, helping her four-year-old daughter pack a small backpack with pyjamas and a toy, warm lamp light.

Thirty-eight weeks and five days. If you have an older child, labour is a logistics problem as well as a medical one: someone has to be there for them while you're away. If this is your first baby, skip the card and go straight to For you.

Your baby

A single stick of pink rhubarb on a plain pale wooden table, soft window light.

Around now your baby is around 49.8cm long from head to heel, about the length of a stick of rhubarb (NHS). Since week 37 the NHS has called your baby full term, probably big enough and mature enough to survive in the outside world (NHS). Any day now, a younger sibling stops being an idea.

Your body

Braxton Hicks tightenings may come and go this week (NHS), and labour can start at any hour. The AAP's last-minute list includes arranging care for other children during your hospital stay (AAP). For a child who has never spent a night without you, that plan is the thing you'll be thinking about between contractions.

Try today

  1. The sibling's hospital plan

    Time: 20 minutes

    1. Name who takes your child if labour starts in the day, and who if it starts at 3 a.m. They may not be the same person. Arranging this care is on the AAP's list (AAP).

    2. Pack your child a small bag together: pyjamas, a toothbrush, a favourite toy, and a note of their routine for whoever has them.

    3. Tell them the plan in plain words. For a preschooler, the AAP's advice is to be honest that the baby will cry and need attention (AAP).

    4. Hide a small gift for after the birth. The AAP suggests a special gift or a one-on-one outing so the focus isn't all on the new baby (AAP).

    Make it work:

    Hold off on big changes. The AAP's advice is to finish toilet training or a move from crib to bed before the baby arrives, or to postpone it until the baby is settled (AAP).

Watch for

  • Normal

    a busy baby with quieter spells.

    Call your provider

    if movement suddenly decreases and is still low after a snack and a few minutes lying down (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    more discharge late in pregnancy.

    Call your provider

    for vaginal bleeding or fluid leaking (CDC); if your waters break, tell them the time and the colour or smell (OWH).

  • Normal

    tightenings that come and go.

    Call your provider

    right away for regular, painful contractions every 5 to 10 minutes for an hour, or contractions lasting 60 to 90 seconds (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    not being sure whether something matters.

    Call your provider

    if you feel like something just isn't right, even if it isn't on any list; tell them you're pregnant and what you're feeling (CDC).

For you

Expect your older child to go backwards a little after the birth: toilet accidents, wanting a bottle. The AAP says to praise grown-up behaviour rather than scold the rest (AAP). It also notes that children whose parents have a strong, loving relationship tend to adjust better, so make time for each other (AAP). That counts for first babies too.

If your baby arrives in the days ahead, these notes follow the baby from then on: they start at your first month. Until then, the pregnancy notes carry on tomorrow.

If you're the partner: you're probably the one who does the 3 a.m. handover. Know the address, the door code, and where the bag is.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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