the9months

The second trimester

If your first three months of pregnancy brought fatigue and nausea, you are probably feeling a lot better this week. Many women find that their energy and sense of well-being is highest during their second trimesters.
(more…)

Eating well and wisely

Appropriate weight gain and a healthy diet during pregnancy help keep you and your fetus healthy now and, as research suggests, may influence your baby’s health long past birth.

The amount you gain by the end of your pregnancy depends on whether you were underweight, overweight, or just right before you conceived, and if you are carrying more than one baby. Most women gain 25 to 35 pounds, only 5 to 8 of which are stored as body fat. The remaining pounds are added by your baby, amniotic fluid, placenta, increased fluids, blood, breast growth, and uterus. (more…)

Fish for dinner?

Is it safe to eat fish while you’re pregnant? While it is a great source of many of the nutrients you and your developing baby need, you may be avoiding it because of the Food and Drug Administration’s recommendations to limit how much fish you eat because of high levels of a type of mercury found in some fish. The FDA has asked women and their young children to limit their weekly portion to 12 ounces of fish (about two servings, far more than most Americans actually eat each week), and to avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish (sometimes called golden or white snapper), orange roughy, marlin, grouper, Spanish mackerel (from the Gulf of Mexico), and tuna steaks. (more…)

Visiting your medical caregiver

You may have already had your first obstetric appointment to confirm your pregnancy. If you arrived full of questions about your pregnancy and then thought of more on your way home, don’t worry. Your caregiver will be seeing you again soon enough. You’ll need to be seen:
•    about once a month now through the fifth month of pregnancy
•    every three weeks in the sixth and seventh months
•    every two weeks in the eighth month
•    weekly in the ninth month until your baby is born
(more…)

When will your baby be born?

While it is still early in your pregnancy, you are probably already wondering when your baby’s birthday will be. A healthy full-term pregnancy lasts 38 to 42 weeks from conception. Your “due date” is simply 40 weeks from the date of your last period. Just 1 in 20 babies is actually born on the due date, although most arrive within two weeks before or after.

(more…)