1 Month 2 Months 3 Months 4 Months 5 Months 6 Months 7 Months 8 Months 9 Months Birth 1 Month 2 Months 3 Months 4 Months 5 Months 6 Months 7 Months 8 Months 9 Months 10 Months 11 Months 12 Months 13 thru 18 Months 19 thru 24 Months

Body Shop: How you’ll change

Some of the symptoms you experienced in previous months may continue. In addition, you may feel the baby moving around more.

Whew! You’re probably having fewer mood swings, although you may still feel irritable at times. It’s okay… a little absentmindedness and forgetfulness are to be expected.1

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Mommy-Do List: Things to do this month

  • If you haven’t already chosen a physician for your baby, now’s a good time to think about it. Ask your friends who they recommend, and set up an interview appointment before the baby arrives. If possible, pick one with an office close to your home.10
  • Prepare your will and choose a guardian.
  • Are you drinking enough water? Getting a healthy 48 to 64 ounces per day can help stop constipation and prevent hemorrhoids.2

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Nutrition Watch: Eating right for two

You may not have considered water a part of your diet, but it’s important to a healthy pregnancy. Ideally, you should drink at least six to eight 8-ounce glasses per day plus one 8-ounce glass for each hour of light activity. Do juices count? Yes, but remember they also add a lot of extra calories. Don’t consider caffeinated beverages like coffee, cola and tea when you’re adding up your ounces. They’re diuretics, so they make you urinate and actually cause you to lose water.

Water’s crucial during pregnancy because it carries nutrients through your blood to the baby. It also helps prevent bladder infections, which are common during pregnancy, and it can ease constipation and help prevent hemorrhoids. In spite of what you may think, the more you drink, the less water you retain. Finally, drinking water helps prevent dehydration, which is especially critical in the third trimester when dehydration can cause contractions that can trigger pre-term labor.2

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1 “Pregnancy, Month by Month” University of Michigan Health System Web site at www.med.umich.edu

2 “Ask the Experts: How Much Water Should I Drink While I’m Pregnant?” www.babycenter.com

10 “Month by Month Pregnancy Guide” Sutter Health System Web site at www.babies.sutterhealth.org

The information on this Web site is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your pediatrician or family doctor. Please consult a doctor with any questions or concerns you might have regarding you or your child's health.

Consult your physician or dental professional if using another fluoridated product.

Helpful Tips
for Parents

Ponder the Pacifier

Whether or not to use pacifiers is an age-old debate, but the American Academy of Pediatrics gives it the thumbs up through the first year of life. Sucking is comforting, familiar and calming to babies and a pacifier can be the ideal way to provide contentment between feedings.
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Drive Time

You’re always careful to protect your baby from the sun’s harmful rays with sunscreen, clothing and a hat when he’s outdoors. But did you know he also needs protection when he rides in the car for an extended period? The glass in car windows blocks some but not all ultraviolet rays that can cause sunburn, so if possible, move his car seat out of direct sunlight and apply broad spectrum children’s sunscreen to his exposed skin.

Hand in Hand

Are you wondering whether your baby will be right-handed or left-handed? Be patient; it may be months or years before you know for sure. Most babies start showing a preference for reaching for things with their right hands between six and nine months, but it’s not until they’re 18 months or older that they start using their preferred hand more consistently. By age three or four, their handedness should be fairly evident. If it’s not, you may want to talk to your pediatrician.

Source: “How Handedness Develops in Infants,” by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P., www.drspock.com, June 10, 2001