6.0 – Month Six (Week 21-24th)

Sources:

1.     The Everything Pregnancy Organizer by Paula Ford-Martin

2.     http://www.babycenter.com/

3.     familyeducation.com

6.1            Checklist

1.     Take a day off and pamper yourself.

2.     Start putting together your birth plan.

3.     Think about who you want in the delivery room.

4.     Begin listing baby names.

6.2            Baby Development

Week 21st   -  Baby weighs 360g - Is approximately 27cm from head to heel, about the length of a carrot - You may soon feel like she is practicing martial arts as initial fluttering movements turns into full-fledged kicks and jabs - Baby’s eye brows and lids are present now - If you’re having a girl, her vagina has begun to form - If you’re having a boy, his testes will descend into his scrotum over the next few weeks

Week 22nd - She weighs nearly half a kilo at 28cm, the length of a spaghetti squash - Baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn - Her lips, eyelids and eyebrows are becoming more distinct - Baby’s eyes have formed, but the irises still lack pigment - Baby has fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body - There is also deep wrinkles on her skin that will be filled in before birth by a nice padding of fat - Her pancreas is developing steadily which is essential for the production of some important hormones

Week 23rd - Baby is nearly 29cm long and weighs over a half a kilo, about as much as a large mango. You may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes - Blood vessels in baby’s lungs are developing to prepare for breathing - Her hearing is becoming sharper - Bay’s cochlea, the inner ear mechanism that houses all components of hearing, is fully formed - She can hear what you hear, but not at the same level - The sounds and voices baby hears are muffled by the muscles around your belly, the placenta, and the amniotic fluid

Week 24th - Baby is about 30cm long, roughly the same length as a corn on the cob - She is pretty slender but her body is filling out and it will soon start to plump up - Her brain is growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop - Baby’s lungs are developing. She is creating the cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her lungs inflate once she arrives in the outside world - Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon

6.3            My Body

Estimated Due Date (EDD):

	Week 21st	Week 22nd	Week 23rd	Week 24th
Date
Time
My weight

Check off which of the following symptoms you experience this month and talk to your doctor about them and to track the progress of  your pregnancy:

	Nausea
	Fatigue
	Frequent urination
	Tender and/or swollen breasts
	Bleeding gums
	Excess mucus and saliva
	Increased in vaginal discharge
	Mild shortness of breath
	Lightheadedness or dizziness
	Headaches
	Forgetfulness
	Gas
	Heartburn
	Constipation
	Skin and hair changes
	Round ligament pain or soreness
	Lower back aches
	Mild swelling of legs, feet and hands
	Leg cramps

6.4            Activities Recommended

Week 21st
	Do your pelvic floor exercises
	Try some new foods
	Get moving
	Plan your maternity leave
	Create a baby registry

Week 22nd
	Moisturise your bump
	Take a Bumpie
	Lose the lenses
	Talk to your baby, sing, or play music

Week 23rd
	Check your rings - if they are feeling the least bit snug, take them off now before they get stuck on your finger
	Get a great haircut
	Try calf stretches
	Make a baby budget

Week 24th
	Do your pelvic floor exercises
	Pack some healthy snacks
	Tackle your home improvement projects
	Keep track of your baby’s movements

6.5            Concerns and To Read

Week 21st   -       Is it OK to wear tights during pregnancy? -       Health: Preventing varicose veins -       Eating Well: Recipe of vitamin A-boosting papaya smoothie -       Your Life: Learn about your maternity leave rights

Week 22nd   -       Is it safe to have a tattoo during pregnancy? -       Health: How will I know if I have thrush? -       Eating Well: How much water should I drink every day? -       Your Life: What’s a babymoon?

Week 23rd -       Is it safe to walk through airport screening machines while I’m pregnant? -       Health: Dealing with leg cramps -       Eating Well: Snack to ease constipation: dried fruit salad -       Your Life: Buying for your baby

Week 24th -       Is it safe to leave my piercings in during pregnancy? -       Health: Gestational diabetes -       Eating Well: Desk drawer snacks -       Your Life: The word you are searching for is “radiant”

6.6            At the Doctor’s Office

There will be more of the same this month as your provider checks your weight and fundal height, listens to your baby's heartbeat, and finds out about any new pregnancy symptoms you may be experiencing. Your doctor or midwife will also require the usual urine sample and blood pressure check.

If you weren't given an oral glucose tolerance test to screen for gestational diabetes last month, it will probably be administered now.

Prenatal Visit Notes

My Weight
Week of pregnancy
Fundal height
Blood pressure
Baby’s heart rate
Tests	Results
Additional Notes:

6.7            Birth Plan Checklist

A birth plan is a road map for your entire childbirth experience, beginning to end. It’s your chance to let everyone involved (doctors, nurses, partners) know what you want the experience to be. Use your birth plan to chart the course of labor and delivery, but remember you may have to take alternate routes occasionally depending on conditions.

1. Where will the birth take place?

Hospital

Birthing center

Home

Other:

2. Who will be there for labor support?

Husband or significant other

Doula

Friend

Family member

3. Will any room modifications or equipment be required to increase your mental and physical comfort?

Objects from home, such as pictures and a blanket and pillow

Lighting adjustments

Music

Other:

4. Do you have any special requests for labor prep procedures?

Forgo enema	Self-administer the enema	Forgo shaving
Shave self	Heparin lock instead of routine IV line	Other:

5. What do you want to eat and drink during labor?

A light snack

Water, sport drink, or other appropriate beverage

Ice chips

Other:

6. Do you want pain medication?

Analgesic, such as Stadol, Demerol or Nubain

Epidural

Other:

7. What non-pharmaceutical pain relief equipment might you want to access to?

Hydrotherapy, such as a shower or whirlpool

Warm compresses

Birth ball

Other

8. What interventions would you like to avoid unless deemed a medical necessity by doctor during labor? Specify your preferred alternatives.

Episiotomy	Forceps	Internal fetal monitoring
Pitocin (oxytocin)	Other

9. What would you like your first face-to-face with your baby to be like?

Hold off on all non-essential treatment, evaluation, and tests for a specified time

If immediate tests and evaluation is necessary, you, your partner or another support person will accompany baby

Want to nurse immediately following birth

Would like family members to meet the baby immediately following birth

Other:

10. If a Caesarean section is required, what is important to you and your partner?

Type of anesthesia (e.g. general vs. spinal block)

Having a partner or another support person present

Spending time with the baby immediately following procedure

Bonding with the baby in the recovery room

Type of post-operative pain relief and nursing considerations

Other:

11. Do you have a preference for who cuts the cord?

You

Your partner

Doctor

12. When would you like the cut to be performed?

Delay until cord stops pulsing	Cord blood will be banked. Cut per banking guidelines
Cut at doctor’s discretion	Other:

13. What kind of post-partum care will you and the baby have at the hospital?

Baby will room-in with mom	Baby will sleep in the nursery at night
Baby will breastfeed	Baby will bottle feed
Baby will not be fed any supplement formula and/or glucose water unless medically indicated	Baby will not be given a pacifier
Other:

14. What are your considerations for after discharge?

Support and short-term care for siblings	Support if you’ve had a Caesarean
Maternity leave	Other:

6.8            Milestones and Memories

Here is a place for you to record the thoughts, feelings, and physical changes you experience during your first month of pregnancy.

Time until due date: Firsts: Concerns: Looking forward: Questions for the doctor next month: Reflections from the Heart: Baby’s movements feel like Baby is most active during I first felt baby hiccup on My belly button popped on How I feel about my body now What I miss most about my non-pregnant body Forgetful moments I’ve had recently Best pregnancy advice I’ve gotten Some things about pregnancy that have surprised me Some things I wish someone had told me about pregnancy Nicest thing a stranger has said/done What I’m most looking forward to about motherhood What makes ma nervous about being a mother My message to baby Dad’s message