8 Months Pregnant

-Rest and care needed more than ever!

You are closer to actually meeting your baby than you might think when being 8 months pregnant. Most probably you are feeling excited and even irritable about meeting the little one.

In this period you should make sure to get as much rest as you can, since you won’t be resting too much after the baby arrives. This is something that you should remind yourself of when you are feeling impatient about giving birth.

Just keep in mind to take care of yourself and this way you can take care of the baby as well. Go on having a healthy nutrition and also a healthy amount of exercise.

What to Expect When you are Eight Months Pregnant?

You might imagine that as the baby grows bigger, he or she will be feeling more and more cramped inside your womb. This is why you could be experiencing pain in the abdomen or the rib cage. The little one is as active as ever, and for sure you will feel kicks and punches from him or her.

Eight Months Pregnant PicturesAs the due date draws closer you will be seeing your doctor more and more often, about once every two weeks. Your body produces a hormone called relaxin that makes your muscles and ligaments relax, and as a result you may waggle as you walk. This is something specific to pregnant women.

8th Month of Pregnancy Symptoms

1. Difficulties While Breathing

Since the little one is getting bigger, it is likely that he or she will be pushing against your rib cage and lungs, thus making it more difficult for you to breathe. In some cases it helps if you change position to catch your breath. Also try to avoid activities that make you tired because it will be even more difficult to breathe normally.

2. Colostrum

In some cases you could see a yellowish substance oozing from your breasts only during the 8th month of pregnancy. You shouldn’t be alarmed by it; it is called colostrum and it shows that your body is getting ready to feed the little one. Usually the oozing occurs in the night, and you may need some breast pads to protect your clothing.

3. Braxton Hicks Contractions

These contractions are similar to the contractions you are going to experience when going into labor, but at the beginning they are only practice contractions to prepare your body for giving birth. The truth is that they are very similar to the real contractions, so in case you have any concerns you should let your doctor know.

4. Leaking Bladder

When you are 8 months pregnant you already got used to going to the toilet often, but during this month it is also possible that you will experience some bladder leakage when you sneeze, laugh or cough. This isn’t something alarming, since it happens because the baby is pressing against your bladder.

5. Emotions

In case of the majority of women there are a lot of different feelings that they experience, including excitement, anxiety, weariness and apprehension. The good news is that it will be all over pretty soon, and there will be new kinds of emotions that you will have to deal with.

6. Constipation, Heartburn and Indigestion

These are symptoms that you could have gotten used to by the time you get eight months. They are caused by the fact that the baby is pressing against your internal organs, such as the gastrointestinal tract that causes these quite bothersome 8 months pregnant symptoms.

7. Increased Appetite

It’s no wonder if you feel hungry all the time. This happens because the baby is pressing against your stomach, that, in turn decreases its size and so you can eat less than usual during one meal. This is why it is better to have more, smaller meals, and so you can avoid feeling hungry.

8. Bleeding Gums

Because of the hormonal changes your gums could soften during the eighth month of pregnancy and you should be really gentle when brushing your teeth because you might end up having your gums bleeding. It could be important to make regular visits to your dentist to make sure that everything is alright.

9. Itchy Stomach

In case you feel like stomach is really itchy you shouldn’t be thinking that there is some dermatological problem. In fact the skin is stretching because the baby is growing, and this causes the itching, not to mention that stretch marks could also occur because of this.

10. Leg Swelling

Because of the extra weight that you have to carry around during this month it is possible that you will see some leg swelling. In order to make it better you should put your legs up every time you have the chance. Also make sure that you don’t do too much walking, and opt for shoes that come with flat heels.

8 Months Pregnant and Baby Evolution

By the end of 8 month pregnancy, the majority of the organs of the little one are already developed, except for the lungs.

8 Months Pregnant Pictures

The good news is that the little one will be moving around less in the womb. This doesn’t mean that there is something wrong, just that there is little room to move. It is possible that the little one will position himself or herself for delivery.

In the majority of the cases the babies already have the weight they are going to get born with and also the length, which could vary. At this moment you have a real baby inside your womb.

Mother’s Responsibilities in 8 Months Pregnancy

During this month it’s all about the health of the baby. This is why you should take some steps.

  • Get tested for group B strep. Since you are having bimonthly appointments with your doctor, for sure you will get tested during these appointments.
  • Consider taking Lamaze classes and joining maternity online forums for both will help with pre-birth anxiety.
  • Prepare for the hospital stay. In case you didn’t prepare your things until you got 8 months pregnant, this might be the perfect time for it. Think about all the things that you may need, and have them packed up.
  • Make sure you monitor the baby kicks which are a bit rare starting with this month.
  • Communicate with the baby, play some music to it and try reading it stories. According to a Harvard study from 2002 pre-birth mother-baby communication makes the delivery easier.

Want to know what happens next month? Here’s what to expect when you are 9 months pregnant!

photo credit: askamum

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