Your Baby
Your baby’s eyes are sensitive to various levels of light and darkness but can’t detect objects yet. Since the light waves of the visible spectrum carry visual information to your baby’s brain, the baby’s eyes are preparing to see after birth.
The baby’s brain can now direct rhythmic breathing and control body temperature. This means that if your baby is born now, its brain can usually stimulate it to breathe and sustain that activity without medical intervention. It also means that the baby’s body can help regulate its own temperature, taking steps to cool down when too warm or warm up when too cold.
Each day that passes brings your baby closer to birth and closer to completing the prenatal phase of their development. The baby’s ability to thrive outside your womb improves with each passing day.
Did You Know?
The surface of your baby’s skin is smoother and whiter as body fat accumulates under its surface. The fat your baby is putting on is white fat, not the brown fat that is used in temperature regulation earlier in the pregnancy. White fat is insulating and is an energy source; fat babies aren’t necessarily healthier babies, but some fat is needed for normal body functioning. |
Your blood pressure may begin to rise somewhat during this month. Slight increases are considered normal. Contact your practitioner immediately if you experience severe headaches, blurry vision, sudden weight gain, or severe swelling in the hands, feet, ankles, or face. These symptoms can indicate high blood pressure, which can be dangerous for both you and your baby.
Your uterus goes from weighing 2 ounces (56 g) to nearly 2 1/4 pounds (986 g) by the end of your pregnancy. This month your weekly weight gain should taper off to 3⁄4 pound (336 g) and then next month to 1⁄2 pound (224 g).
The bladder is usually a convex (rounded) organ, but is rendered concave (squashed) from external pressure during pregnancy. Thus, its retention capacity is greatly reduced.
