Healthy Pregnancy & Birth To Do List: Month 8

Healthy Pregnancy & Birth To-Do List: Month 8

Weeks 29-32 of pregnancy: your third trimester – getting closer! The following are helpful and healthy things you can do during this month of pregnancy.     

 Secure your doula, if you haven’t already. 

 Finalize childcare plans and deposits.  

 Care provider check in: Are you happy with your care? Any red flags? It’s still not too late to make a switch — your choice of care provider can have a significant impact on your birth care and outcome.  

 Continue taking your daily folic acid supplement and prenatal vitamin.

 Keep up with childbirth and/or body/breastfeeding classes. Taking a class taught by a local-to-you instructor can provide you with helpful resources in your area for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.  

 Mental and emotional health check: How are you really feeling? What’s your support like? If you’re feeling overwhelmed, lonely, not like yourself, etc., talk to a counselor, your care provider, or a therapist.  

 If you haven’t already, write up a birth plan. Your childbirth class should be able to help you craft a plan that outlines your preferences, while keeping in mind that birth can be unpredictable.   

 Keep making sleep (at least 7 hours a night) and rest a priority. Your body will thank you!  

 Finish up baby shower thank-you notes, if you haven’t already 

 Know the signs of preterm labor.  

 Keep up with occasional kick counts.  

 Looking to stay active and comfortable? Try swimming! The feeling of weightlessness in water combined with a low-impact full-body workout is the perfect pairing.  

 Before your energy takes a major drop in the late third trimester, take time now to make a few freezer meals for postpartum.  

 Learn about safe sleep while washing baby’s bedding in advance. 

 Take time for you. And unlike this list, don’t save it for last!