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

In this last month, you’ll feel your baby squirming and rolling more and kicking less. Since the baby is in a lower position, you may be able to breathe easier, but you’ll have to urinate more frequently. You may go from feeling extremely tired to having extra energy and vice versa. You could be very hungry or not hungry at all.

A mixture of excitement, anxiety, apprehensiveness and relief is common. Give yourself a break if you’re irritable, overly sensitive, restless and impatient. After all, you’ve been waiting nine months!1

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Mommy-Do List: Things to do this month

  • Finalize your hospital arrangements.
  • Make a list of important phone numbers and keep them close to the phone.
  • Pack your bag for the hospital and plan how you’ll get there at different times of the day or night.
  • Shop for the things you’ll need when you come home from the hospital such as food and diapers.
  • Just because you’re reaching the end of your pregnancy doesn’t mean you should stop practicing the healthy habits you’ve formed.
  • Keep drinking water even after the baby is born to prevent hydration and help keep your energy level up.

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Nutrition Watch: Eating right for two

If you’re a skim milk drinker, there’s no need to switch to whole milk just because you’re pregnant. The only thing you’re missing is fat, which you’re probably getting enough of from other sources unless you’re consciously trying to cut back.

Doctors say 30 percent or less of your daily calories should come from fat. To get the calcium and vitamin D you need while you’re pregnant, drink four eight-ounce glasses of skim milk per day, or eat other calcium-rich foods such as yogurt, cottage cheese and calcium-fortified orange juice.9

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

9 “Ask the Expert: Should I Drink Whole Milk During Pregnancy?” www.babycenter.com

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.
More

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