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Happy Easter everyone!
How your baby's growing: Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and fills out your uterus. Her eyes open and close, she's able to distinguish between light and dark, and she can even follow a light source back and forth. Once she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have a visual acuity of only 20/400 — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. ("Normal" vision in adults is 20/20.)
Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.
How your life's changing: You may be feeling a little tired these days, especially if you're having any trouble sleeping. You might also feel clumsy, which is perfectly understandable. Not only are you heavier, your balance is off and your joints are loosened, thanks to pregnancy hormones. Those loose joints can actually cause your feet to grow a shoe size --permanently.
Remember those mood swings you had earlier in pregnancy? The combination of uncomfortable symptoms and your hormones may result in a revisit of those ups and downs you felt in the first few months. It's normal to worry about what your labor will be like or whether you'll be a good parent, but if you can't shake the blues or feel increasingly anxious or irritable, talk to your doctor or midwife. You may be among the 10 percent of expectant women who battle mild to moderate depression during their pregnancies.
And if you think you might like some kind of pain relief for labor and delivery, now's a good time to look into your options.
Surprising Facts: Common labor fears
Are you nervous about labor? You're not alone! Here are some common delivery fears and how to cope with them.
• I won't be able to handle the pain (OH YES!).
One in five expectant moms says this is her top third-trimester fear, according to a BabyCenter poll. While it's true that labor and delivery are painful for most women, effective pain-releaving medications are available and you shouldn't feel guilty about asking for them. The vast majority of pregnant women use some form of pain-relieving drugs during labor. If you find that controlled breathing methods and other relaxation techniques aren't enough, don't think twice about asking your doctor or midwife for help.
• I'll need an episiotomy or I'll tear.
An episiotomy is a surgical cut in the muscular area between your vagina and anus performed right before delivery to enlarge your vaginal opening. Some women tear spontaneously in this area during delivery and the tears can range from almost undetectable to severe (requiring a significant number of stitches to repair). Once nearly standard, episiotomies are on the decline. According to a study in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, episiotomy rates in one Philadelphia hospital dropped from almost 70 percent of all births in 1983 to 19 percent of all births in 2000. Talk to your practitioner about how often and under what conditions she performs episiotomies and how she might help you avoid one, or tearing.
• I'll have a bowel movement during labor.
In a recent BabyCenter poll, 70 percent of women said they were afraid they'd poop on the delivery table, 39 percent said they actually did, and of those, only 22 percent were embarrassed by it. Though it's hard to believe now, if you do have a bowel movement during labor, no one will blink an eye. The nurses and doctors will clean it up possibly even before you know what's happened. If you're extremely worried about this, ask for an enema to clean out your bowels when you get to the hospital. Another comforting thought: Early labor often stimulates diarrhea. If this is one of your symptoms, your system will likely be cleared out.
• I'll go into labor prematurely (This has been a big fear of mine).
About 13 percent of babies in the United States are born prematurely — before 37 weeks. To reduce your chances of preterm birth, take good care of yourself: Eat well, get plenty of rest, see your practitioner regularly, manage your stress level, and pay attention to your hygiene and dental care. You may take some comfort in knowing that even if your baby arrived this week, she'd have an excellent chance of survival and with each day you stay pregnant, your odds of a healthy baby increase.
• I'll be steamrolled into unnecessary medical interventions.
The best way to deal with this fear is to have a frank conversation with your practitioner. If you trust and respect your doctor or midwife, you can rest assured that she'll be doing her best for you and your baby on the day of delivery. If she's aware of your wishes and preferences (consider writing a birth plan), she can do her best to adhere to them. Another way to ease this fear is to hire a doula — a professional labor assistant — to attend your birth. She can be your advocate at the hospital.
• I'll have to have a c-section (Yep).
Since one in five first-time pregnant women ends up having a c-section to deliver her baby, this fear is understandable. The good news is the surgery is quite safe and most women recover completely within a few weeks. If an emergency occurs during your labor and your baby is in distress, this is a lifesaving operation.
• I won't make it to the hospital on time.
Emergency home deliveries are extremely unusual, especially with first babies. But if you can't shake this fear, the next best thing is to prepare for it. See our emergency home birth instructions.
( Belly shots )
How your baby's growing: Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and fills out your uterus. Her eyes open and close, she's able to distinguish between light and dark, and she can even follow a light source back and forth. Once she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have a visual acuity of only 20/400 — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. ("Normal" vision in adults is 20/20.)
Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.
How your life's changing: You may be feeling a little tired these days, especially if you're having any trouble sleeping. You might also feel clumsy, which is perfectly understandable. Not only are you heavier, your balance is off and your joints are loosened, thanks to pregnancy hormones. Those loose joints can actually cause your feet to grow a shoe size --permanently.
Remember those mood swings you had earlier in pregnancy? The combination of uncomfortable symptoms and your hormones may result in a revisit of those ups and downs you felt in the first few months. It's normal to worry about what your labor will be like or whether you'll be a good parent, but if you can't shake the blues or feel increasingly anxious or irritable, talk to your doctor or midwife. You may be among the 10 percent of expectant women who battle mild to moderate depression during their pregnancies.
And if you think you might like some kind of pain relief for labor and delivery, now's a good time to look into your options.
Surprising Facts: Common labor fears
Are you nervous about labor? You're not alone! Here are some common delivery fears and how to cope with them.
• I won't be able to handle the pain (OH YES!).
One in five expectant moms says this is her top third-trimester fear, according to a BabyCenter poll. While it's true that labor and delivery are painful for most women, effective pain-releaving medications are available and you shouldn't feel guilty about asking for them. The vast majority of pregnant women use some form of pain-relieving drugs during labor. If you find that controlled breathing methods and other relaxation techniques aren't enough, don't think twice about asking your doctor or midwife for help.
• I'll need an episiotomy or I'll tear.
An episiotomy is a surgical cut in the muscular area between your vagina and anus performed right before delivery to enlarge your vaginal opening. Some women tear spontaneously in this area during delivery and the tears can range from almost undetectable to severe (requiring a significant number of stitches to repair). Once nearly standard, episiotomies are on the decline. According to a study in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, episiotomy rates in one Philadelphia hospital dropped from almost 70 percent of all births in 1983 to 19 percent of all births in 2000. Talk to your practitioner about how often and under what conditions she performs episiotomies and how she might help you avoid one, or tearing.
• I'll have a bowel movement during labor.
In a recent BabyCenter poll, 70 percent of women said they were afraid they'd poop on the delivery table, 39 percent said they actually did, and of those, only 22 percent were embarrassed by it. Though it's hard to believe now, if you do have a bowel movement during labor, no one will blink an eye. The nurses and doctors will clean it up possibly even before you know what's happened. If you're extremely worried about this, ask for an enema to clean out your bowels when you get to the hospital. Another comforting thought: Early labor often stimulates diarrhea. If this is one of your symptoms, your system will likely be cleared out.
• I'll go into labor prematurely (This has been a big fear of mine).
About 13 percent of babies in the United States are born prematurely — before 37 weeks. To reduce your chances of preterm birth, take good care of yourself: Eat well, get plenty of rest, see your practitioner regularly, manage your stress level, and pay attention to your hygiene and dental care. You may take some comfort in knowing that even if your baby arrived this week, she'd have an excellent chance of survival and with each day you stay pregnant, your odds of a healthy baby increase.
• I'll be steamrolled into unnecessary medical interventions.
The best way to deal with this fear is to have a frank conversation with your practitioner. If you trust and respect your doctor or midwife, you can rest assured that she'll be doing her best for you and your baby on the day of delivery. If she's aware of your wishes and preferences (consider writing a birth plan), she can do her best to adhere to them. Another way to ease this fear is to hire a doula — a professional labor assistant — to attend your birth. She can be your advocate at the hospital.
• I'll have to have a c-section (Yep).
Since one in five first-time pregnant women ends up having a c-section to deliver her baby, this fear is understandable. The good news is the surgery is quite safe and most women recover completely within a few weeks. If an emergency occurs during your labor and your baby is in distress, this is a lifesaving operation.
• I won't make it to the hospital on time.
Emergency home deliveries are extremely unusual, especially with first babies. But if you can't shake this fear, the next best thing is to prepare for it. See our emergency home birth instructions.
( Belly shots )
