MONTH 8
Growth and Immune System Development
Weeks 32 Through 35
You’re almost there. This is a big month for your baby’s growth. You may find that you’re eating a lot more to keep up with your baby’s development and rapid growth. He or she is gaining as much as ½ pound per week. This is all good news, though you may be more focused on the pain in your lower back or sides, swollen ankles, indigestion, and expanding belly! At Week 32, your baby is about 16 inches long and weighs about 3.75 pounds. Think of a large cantaloupe.
YOUR BABY’S DEVELOPMENT
• In Week 32, your baby is swallowing and sucking. Kicking is regular. His or her skin is less transparent. The brain continues to develop rapidly throughout this month.
• In Week 33, your baby’s immune system continues to mature. Bones are growing at a fast rate.
• In Week 34, the slippery coating of vernix is getting thicker.
• In Week 35, most babies are in a head-down position to get ready for birth.
CHANGES IN YOUR BODY
You might be feeling more energy, and your baby might, too, issuing more aggressive kicks, especially after you consume foods or beverages with sugar and/or caffeine. Some moms feel achiness in their lower abdomen or sides as the baby gets bigger. And some experience Braxton Hicks contractions. The usual gastrointestinal discomforts may be present. Skin issues from discoloration to itching and stretch marks may appear now or get more intense if you already had them. Difficulty sleeping is common, and some women experience leg cramps, especially at night. Shortness of breath is common, too, as well as a quicker pulse. Your breasts are getting ready to go to work; they may start leaking colostrum.
IDEAL NUTRITION
Your nutrition focus is foods to enhance your baby’s brain and bone development, blood volume, and immunity. The following nutrients will help achieve this.
• B vitamins: cell division, brain formation, nervous system development
• Calcium: bones and teeth
• Copper: iron utilization
• Iron: maternal 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
• Protein: supports fetal muscle growth
• Selenium: cell growth and immunity
• Vitamin A: cell formation, bones, teeth, central nervous system, vision
• Vitamin C: iron absorption, healthy teeth and gums, immunity
• Vitamin D: calcium absorption
• Vitamin E: cell structure and immunity
• Vitamin K: bone mineralization
• Zinc: cell structure and immunity
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-eye, pink, cranberry, Lima, 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