Month 8
What's Going on This Month?
A Month-by-Month Look at Your Pregnancy
Changes to Your Body
- You may have trouble sleeping because it is hard to get comfortable.
- Your feet and ankles may swell.
- You may experience Braxton-Hicks or “false labor” contractions. Braxton-Hicks happens only once in a while. They last only about half a minute and feel like cramps.
- Your doctor or nurse may screen you for Group B strep, the leading cause of life-threatening infections in newborns.
Baby's Progress
- Is about 18 inches long.
- Weighs about five pounds.
- Can see, blink, recognize familiar voices and move to music.
Do's
- Continue regular prenatal checkups twice this month.
- Practice the breathing and relaxation exercises you have learned in childbirth classes.
Don'ts
- Don't lift anything heavy and risk straining your back.
- Don't do heavy work, such as pushing a vacuum for more than 20 minutes without a break.
Make Plans for Child Care
Do you want your child to have care in your home, someone else's home or a state-licensed child care center?
Questions to ask:
- Is the location convenient for you?
- Has the caregiver and/or staff taken first aid and CPR classes?
- What are the plans for fire and other emergencies?
- What is the policy for a sick child, holiday or vacation?
- Is the staff friendly? What is their level of training?
- What meals and snacks does the child care center provide?
- What is the cost?
- Does the child care center have a no-smoking policy?
- Is the child care center safe and clean with room for playing and sleeping?
- Are the toys safe for the ages of the children?
Be sure to take the time to visit different sites before you make your final choice. Remember that some child care settings may have a waiting list. For help in finding child care services in your area, call the Help Me Grow Helpline at 1-800-755-GROW (4769).
This page last updated on 03/09/07.