Chorevia

Day 272 of 280 · 38 weeks + 6 days

Bare is best

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 6 sources · Plain-text version

Thirty-eight weeks and six days. The crib gets one fitted sheet and nothing else. Today you strip it bare, move it from the window, and agree on the rules.

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 grey t-shirt hands a folded quilt to her partner beside a bare white crib with one fitted sheet, curtains tied back, soft morning light.

Thirty-eight weeks and six days: the last day of week 38. The crib has probably been filling up with gifts. Today it gets emptied, down to one sheet, and you both agree on how it's used.

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). Most of the fine body hair, the lanugo, has disappeared, though some babies are born with a few patches (NHS).

A baby this new can't lift their head away from something soft. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission names bumpers, blankets, pillows, and sleep positioners as suffocation risks for exactly that reason (CPSC). That is the whole argument for a bare crib.

Your body

This week's antenatal checks are your bump size, your blood pressure, and a urine test for protein, which is how pre-eclampsia is looked for (NHS). Braxton Hicks tightenings carry on, earlier symptoms may come back, and frustration or boredom is on the NHS's list too (NHS).

A job you can do sitting down, mostly directing, is a good job for this week.

Try today

  1. The safe-sleep setup

    Time: 15 minutes · Safe sleep, every sleep in the guide

    1. Take everything out of the crib, bassinet, or play yard, then put back one fitted sheet. The CPSC calls it "Bare is Best": no pillows, no blankets (CPSC). Bumper pads go too (AAP).

    2. Set aside any weighted blanket or weighted swaddle; the CPSC says not to use them (CPSC).

    3. Move the crib away from windows and radiators, and put blind and curtain cords out of reach (AAP).

    4. Say the two rules out loud to each other: on the back, every time, and if the baby falls asleep somewhere else, move them to the crib (CPSC).

    Make it work:

    Swings, rockers, and gliders are for awake time. The CPSC says inclined products over a 10º angle should never be used for sleep (CPSC).

Watch for

  • Normal

    earlier symptoms coming back for a while, which the NHS says can happen now (NHS).

    Call your provider

    for any bleeding; late in pregnancy, MedlinePlus says to always report bleeding right away (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    swollen feet by evening that ease with your feet up (OWH).

    Call your provider

    for sudden swelling in your hands or feet, or rapid weight gain, which may signal preeclampsia (OWH).

  • Normal

    a dull headache after a bad night.

    Call your provider

    for headaches, vision changes, or blind spots (MedlinePlus).

For you

People will give you lovely soft things for the crib. You can say thank you and keep them for later: the AAP says pillows, bulky comforters, heavy blankets, and large stuffed animals don't belong in a crib (AAP). A quilt from a grandmother can go on the wall, or over the chair you'll feed in.

If you're the partner: you'll put the baby down at least as often as she does, often at 3 a.m. Know the rules as well as she does, and be the one who quietly takes the toy back out.

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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