When you are newly pregnant you always wonder when you will start to show. Some woman start seeing changes in their waistline very early in their pregnancy, however some women are even 8 months pregnant and not showing. If you have experienced pregnancy before your abdominal muscles and uterus is more relaxed and your pregnant belly may pop out straight away. However, every woman is different about this and even if you say “I am 8 months pregnant and concerned why I am not showing” then do not worry, it is sometimes still very normal.
Baby
During the earlier months of pregnancy, slimmer women normally does not show much weight gain but at the end of 8 months, normally a baby weighs between 5 to 6 pounds and gains 0.5 pounds every week, usually in fat deposits. The baby measure almost 18 to 20 inches in length and is less wrinkled and plumper. I am 8 months pregnant and do not feel much kicking but more wriggling and twisting, as the baby is short of room to move here and there. The baby may have moved to head down posture to prepare for delivery. Your baby now sleeps through regular REM periods as well as deep sleep. He also experiences quiet but active wakefulness where he keeps exploring the environment around him. Very soon he will be a new born baby!
Mom
I am 8 months pregnant and feel like my baby’s feet jammed in my ribs. When the baby turns, I experience some pokes and kicks in my ribs, and his head pressed against my cervix when he stretches. The Relaxin hormone as well as his weight causes me to waddle when I walk. The relaxin makes the joints of pregnant woman relax allowing the pelvis to widen for easier delivery. I am 8 months pregnant and it appears that I have shrunk a bit in height.
In the 8th month, a pregnant woman is tested for Group B strep, and the appointments with your doctor will be biweekly or more frequent. During this month, an increase in Braxton Hicks contractions, leakage of colostrum in breasts, and while sneezing, coughing, or laughing a leaking bladder at times. Emotionally you might experience excitement, anxiety, weariness, apprehension by being pregnant.
Some other symptoms include heart burn, indigestion, constipation, headaches, bloating, nasal congestion, dizziness, bleeding gums, leg cramps, varicose veins, increased appetite, itchy stomach, hot flashed, skin changes, protruding naval, backache, fuller breast, tingly feet and hands, carpal tunnel, lower leg pain, skin eruptions, fetal hiccups, and clumsiness. I am 8 months pregnant and experiencing back pain, my doctor suggested me to get a good pregnancy pillow.
Some women are 8 months pregnant and not showing there isn’t anything to worry about. If you are slim and you have a physique that does not gain weight easily then just stay calm. If you are overweight during the first few months of pregnancy, you will not gain much by the end of your pregnancy.
These are some commonly observed things during the 8th month of pregnancy in woman as well as child. This information is only intended for educational purposes – remember that all pregnancies develop at their own rates. If you want to know about your baby’s growth, please contact your midwife or doctor.