$Unique_ID{PAR00435}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Pregnancy:  The Eighth Month:  Your Changing Body}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Ellis, Jeffrey W
Ellis, Maria}
$Subject{Eighth Month Changing Body large enlarged uterus diaphragm breath
shortness breaths breathe sleep sleeping tired Backache stomach pressure baby
movement heart palpitation palpitations rapid heartbeat chest fluttering
abdomen diastasis recti vagina size joint loosening separation joints pelvis}
$Log{
Your Changing Body (Eighth Month)*0043501.tif
32-Week Fetus*0060206.tif}

Miracle of Birth


The Eighth Month:  Your Changing Body


     During the eighth month of your pregnancy, your body continues to go
through many changes.  Now, however, some of these changes are in preparation
for the actual birth of your baby.  What's more, your uterus is growing even
larger, and you may develop new discomforts related to its size.
     By now, your uterus will have grown upward into your abdomen to a level
just below the bottom of your breastbone.  Since the enlarged uterus is now
pushing up on your diaphragm (the muscle that separates the chest from the
abdomen) and lungs, you may begin to experience shortness of breath,
especially when you are sitting or lying down.  Climbing stairs or even
walking short distances may force you to stop to catch your breath.  Bending
over may also be a problem, since this position causes the uterus to press
even more firmly on your lungs.
     You may also find it more difficult to fall asleep, even though you may
be very tired.  Backache, pressure on your stomach, the movement of the baby,
and shortness of breath may all contribute to restless nights.
     Many women also begin to experience occasional heart palpitations at this
stage of pregnancy.  These sensations of rapid heartbeat and fluttering in the
chest are not abnormal; they are caused by the increase in heart rate that is
needed to supply blood to the baby and placenta.  Normally during pregnancy,
your heart rate, or pulse, will increase by about ten to 15 beats per minute.
So if your normal heartbeat before pregnancy was 75 beats per minute, don't be
surprised if your heartbeat now is about 90 beats per minute.
     Changes are occurring in your abdomen, too.  You may now notice that you
are carrying your baby farther in front than you ever did before.  It may seem
as though your abdomen has sagged and that your uterus is now pointing outward
instead of upward.  This common change occurs for two reasons.
     First, the muscles of your abdomen have weakened from eight months of
being stretched by the enlarging uterus.  Like a girdle that has lost its
elasticity, the abdomen can no longer hold up the weight, so your uterus tends
to lean forward.
     The second reason is that certain muscles in your abdomen have separated,
and the skin between them cannot hold the uterus up.  This condition, called
diastasis recti, is caused by the separation of the two thick muscular bands
that run down the middle of your abdomen from the breast bone to the pubic
bone.  In some cases, these two muscles, which are normally side-by-side, may
actually become separated by three to six inches.  If you have had a previous
baby, muscle separation and weakness may be even greater and you will carry
your baby out in front earlier in pregnancy.
     Your body is also undergoing a number of changes that will prepare it for
childbirth.  The walls of your vagina are becoming more relaxed and the size
of the vagina is increasing.  This change will make it easier for the baby to
pass through the vagina during childbirth.  Within a few weeks after delivery,
the walls of the vagina will strengthen and contract to decrease the size of
the vagina.
     Another change that occurs in preparation for childbirth is a loosening
and separation of the joints that hold the bones of the pelvis together.  This
is the body's way of enlarging the space inside your pelvis to make it easier
for the baby to pass through during delivery.  You may actually be able to
feel a separation in your pubic bones of up to one inch simply by placing a
finger in the middle of the bone that lies above your vagina.