37-weeks pregnant: baby development and diet tips
Your baby tends to keep their head down, arms crossed, and legs folded up on their chest as there’s not much room to move around. They’ll be very glad to get out and stretch! Read more about your 37th week of pregnancy.
Baby development
The little one in your belly isn’t quite so little anymore. With the lack of space, you’ll find their movements are not as forceful as before. Still, they continue to kick, elbow or move their head to show they’re still there. The subcutaneous peach fuzz that was covering their skin, the lanugo, has come off while the waxy vernix coating gets a little thicker. Patience, they’re getting ready to meet you soon!
Your body
With a couple more weeks to go, you’re feeling both excited and apprehensive. Who wouldn’t be?!
Still, try to stay as relaxed as you can so you can give birth in optimal conditions. Keep doing your regular relaxation and breathing exercises. If you feel a wave of contractions, look calmly at your watch, lie down and relax, breathing deeply and regularly. The contractions will subside. When they come back, look at your watch again. If they are spaced more than 20 minutes apart, you’re not going into labour for now (in general, if the contractions are spaced 5 to 10 minutes apart, and/or if your water breaks, then it's time to go to the hospital). Can you believe how close you are to becoming a mom? Or, if this isn’t your first, to having another little one?! Exciting!.
Nutrition
You may have heard that during pregnancy, women need much more protein than before they were pregnant. For most healthy women, protein needs increase from about 50g to about 70g per day. An extra 20g protein is not as much as it sounds. Make it a habit to eat vegetables, fruit, whole grains and protein foods to help keep you on the mark. A 60g extra helping of meat, fish, or poultry provides about 15g of protein. One egg has about 7g of protein, and a 30g portion of cheese or 240ml glass of milk each has 7-8g of protein. All of these sources of protein contain the essential amino acids that you and your growing baby need. Just like any nutrient that has calories, if you eat more protein than needed, it can promote weight gain.
Tips
Have you finalized your birth plan yet? A birth plan is a document that you create and that expresses how your ideal delivery will go. It helps you to communicate your wishes for delivery with the hospital staff once you are in labour. Building a birth plan can also give you a chance to consider your options if things don’t go exactly as planned. Not everything can be anticipated but the hospital staff will do their best to preserve the essence of your plan if changes are required due to your needs or those of your baby. There are templates for birth plans available online from various organizations. Work on your birth with your partner and consult your doctor or midwife if you have any questions.
References:
Health Canada. Canada’s Food Guide: Healthy eating when pregnant and breastfeeding. Healthy eating when pregnant and breastfeeding - Canada's Food Guide Accessed October 2021.
The MotHERS ProgramTM. Birth Plans. Birth Plans | The MotHERS Program™ Accessed October 2021.
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