My Growing Baby
My baby is at it again, growing right before my vary eyes. My growing baby now measures 14 ½ inches and weighs 2 ¾ pounds.*
My Pregnancy - Changes for my baby
The growth of my baby is happening fast now. The brain is developing rapidly which keeps your baby’s head growing too. The muscles and lungs and developing too. Make sure that you maintain a healthy eating habit with well balanced meals and prenatal vitamin supplements all to ensure that your baby is getting the nutrients needed for this growth and development. Your baby needs:protein, vitamin C, folic acid, iron, and calcium. You can always schedule an appointment with a nutritionist to discuss any questions that you have about your eating habits and your nutrition.*
My Pregnancy - Changes for me
Your uterus is about four inches above your belly button and your weight gain should be between 19 to 25 pounds. As noted before, constipation may be more frequent at this point. Here are some helpful hints to prevent or reduce the constipation that you experience:
- Eat a high fiber diet including: fruits, vegetables, breakfast cereals, whole grain breads, prunes, and bran.
- Drink a lot of fluids: Drink 10 to 12 cups of fluids each day.
- Exercise routinely: Walking, swimming, and other moderate exercises three times a week for 20-30 minutes each can help stimulate the bowels.
- Over-the-counter remedies such as Colace or Metamucil
- Reduce or eliminate iron supplements
Avoid the use of laxative pills and mineral oils during pregnancy.
My Pregnancy - Planning this week
Your healthcare provider may ask you to go on bed rest, may ask you to avoid certain activities and may not. You may have friends who are pregnant and get told different things than what you hear. It is always important to get clarification from your healthcare provider to any reasons related to requests that get made. Being informed is good for you and your baby and it helps provide peace of mind.
My Pregnancy - Health Tips
We have already touched on doulas, but it is important to revisit because of the potential benefits you may experience if you use one during your birth. A doula is a professional trained in childbirth who provides emotional, physical, and informational support to the woman who is expecting, in labor, or has recently given birth. The doula is there as your advocate seeking to help make sure that your birth plan is carried out as best as possible. Your doula will be nearby throughout the labor and birth process. One of the key roles they take is providing support with pain relief techniques that include things like breathing and relaxation techniques and providing massage. the doula does not take the place of your partner and is only there to parnter with both you and your partner with the goal of creating the healthiest and most possible birth experience possible.
My Pregnancy - Tips for my partner
Take some time to talk to your partner about how comfortable you are with the birth process and discuss what roles you want to take and what she wants you to take. The best thing now is to talk about these things, your concerns, your wishes. Here are just some ideas to get you started, but get the talking going:
- Comfort level around the birth
- What role will you have in her support
- What part in the childbirth classes will you take
- Do you want to cut the cord after the baby is born
* All measurements are provided as a general guide for common pregnancy development which may vary depending on the nutrition, mother’s health or accurate dating of conception. Every pregnancy is unique and may be experienced differently even for the same woman. It is important to undertand that babies develop at a different rate even before they are born. The purpose of this developmental information is to give you a general idea of how your baby is growing, and you must remember that your baby’s growth may vary from that which is outlined.