MONTH 7
Intense Brain Development
Weeks 28 Through 31
During the seventh month, your baby’s brain is rapidly developing, and the best thing you can do is fuel it with omega-3s and B vitamins. You will find your appetite spike as your baby’s body fills out with muscle and fat. By Week 28, your bundle of joy is the size of a large eggplant. At Week 31, she or he has reached the length of a pineapple, about 16 inches, and weighs about 3.3 pounds.
YOUR BABY’S DEVELOPMENT
• In Week 28, your baby’s brain is developing at lightning speed. She or he may cough, suck, or hiccup more often.
• In Week 29, your baby is continuing to store fat.
• In Week 30, your baby’s central nervous system continues to develop.
• In Week 31, your baby’s brain receives signals from all five senses. He or she has defined patterns of sleep and wakeful hours.
CHANGES IN YOUR BODY
You will experience more of the same as you navigate your growing belly. Your baby will be active. You may feel breathless. If you have concerns about whether your baby is active, you can perform kick counts after meals. Typically, you start counting baby kicks during the third trimester, or at 28 weeks. Your doctor may recommend that you begin as early as the 24th week if you have a high-risk pregnancy. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, most healthy babies should take less than two hours for ten kicks.
IDEAL NUTRITION
Your nutrition focus is foods to enhance your baby’s brain and nerve development and blood volume. The following nutrients will help achieve this.
• B vitamins: cell division, brain formation, nervous system development
• Copper: iron utilization
• Iron: supporting blood volume
• Magnesium: heart functioning, blood glucose regulation, blood pressure control
• Manganese: bone development, thyroid, blood glucose regulation, nervous system
• Omega-3s: brain and eye development
• Phosphorus: bone development
• Potassium: nerve and muscle function
• Protein: support fetal muscle growth
• Vitamin A: cell formation, bones, teeth, central nervous system, vision
• Vitamin C: iron absorption, healthy teeth and gums, immunity
• Vitamin K: bone mineralization
PROTEIN
Eggs
Meats
Nuts: almonds, cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, walnuts, and nut butters
Pork
Poultry
Seafood (fish and shellfish): salmon (wild and Atlantic), tuna, mackerel, herring, sardines in oil, halibut, cod, catfish, canned oysters
Seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, chia, hemp seed, and flaxseed
Tahini
Tofu and tempeh
DAIRY
Cheese
Enriched plant-based milks (rice soy, and almond)
Fortified dairy milk
Fortified orange juice and other juices
Yogurt
GRAINS/LEGUMES
All-bran cereal and other fortified breakfast cereals
Beans: soy, black, navy, pinto, kidney, white, great northern, black-eyed, pink, cranberry, and cannellini
Chickpeas
Corn and flour tortillas
Cream of Wheat
Edamame
Folic acid–fortified products
Lentils
Oatmeal
Peanuts
Wheat germ
Whole grains: quinoa, barley, brown rice, bulgur, and whole wheat couscous
VEGETABLES
Artichokes
Asparagus
Avocados
Baked potato with skin on and all other potatoes
Beets
Broccoli and broccoli rabe
Brussels sprouts
Butternut squash
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Dark, leafy greens: kale, collards, mustard, Swiss chard, bok choy, and turnip greens
Hearts of palm
Mushrooms
Pumpkin
Red bell peppers
Romaine lettuce
Snow peas
Spinach
Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes and tomato juice
FRUITS
Bananas
Cantaloupe
Citrus fruits and juices: oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemonade
Dried apricots and figs
Guava
Kiwi
Lychee
Mangoes
Papaya
Prune juice
Pineapple
Raspberries
Strawberries
FATS/OTHER
Brewer’s or nutritional yeast
Olive oil
Omega-3s
Molasses, blackstrap
Seaweed, kelp, spirulina