Pregnant Woman Body Changes During Eighth Month:
You will feel that you have been pregnant for ages now. You will yearn for pre-pregnancy days where you were independent.
Note: Pregnant women often get confused between stress incontinence and leakage of amniotic fluid. If you leak urine every time you sneeze then it is stress incontinence. But if the leak is not related to body stress and the leak is steady then it maybe amniotic fluid.
Amniotic fluids have a faint sweet smell and maybe clear to straw colored. In rare cases it can be tinged green or brown.
Your Body Changes:
Weight gain will slow down this month. But don’t cut down your regular intake of calories if weight gain hasn’t slowed down. Both you and your baby will need extra energy now.
Your visits to the bathroom will increase again when the baby settles down firmly on the bladder. You will experience leakage of urine in small quantities when you laugh, sneeze or cough or make sudden movements.
What You Feel Like:
Your pregnant body will have you off balance sometimes. Be careful, because if you wobble you cannot regain control and you may fall down. There can be minor changes in vision during pregnancy. So this is not the right time to buy new glasses or contact lenses. The fluid retention during pregnancy can actually change the shape of your eyes and vision. Besides estrogen hormones dries your eyes then normal and make contact lenses pretty uncomfortable now. So it is better to postpone things.
Other symptoms that may start or continue this month include:
- Frequent urination
- Bleeding gums
- Increase in normal discharge
- Tender and/or swollen breasts
- Discharge of colostrums from nipples
- Mild shortness of breath
- Headaches
- Gas, heartburn and/or constipation
- Round ligament pain or soreness
- Mild swelling of hands, legs and feet
- Lower back aches.
- Leg cramps
- Skin and hair changes
- Forgetfulness
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Excess mucus and saliva
- Fatigue
- Braxton-hicks (painless, irregular contractions)
Inform your health provider immediately if you experience visual disturbances like – spots or blurry vision and you are a diabetic or have high Blood Pressure. This situation can be dangerous to both you and your child.
Note: If your pregnancy is totally normal and you have to travel to a distant place urgently then you have to consult your doctor in the first place. Generally under normal circumstances you can travel by air upto thirty six weeks.
But stay well hydrated, wear support stockings and move your legs frequently to prevent blood clots. However women suffering from sickle cell disease, diabetes, pregnancy induced hypertension and with placental abnormalities or those who are at risk for premature labor should avoid travel by air.