Nutrition checklist

Your pregnancy: weeks 36-40. It’s time for the final preparations before the big day. Your baby is considered full term at 37 weeks and is ready for the world however about half of all pregnancies will go beyond 40 weeks.

Pregnant women will tell you they experience almost irrepressible cravings for certain foods – salty, sweet, spicy or fatty foods. Some think it’s the body signaling what the growing baby needs. More likely, they’re due to hormones playing havoc (again!) with your senses of smell and taste – and your dietary habits.

The influence of hormonal changes, and the effect of the changes in the size of the growing uterus, can lead to eating complications during pregnancy.

Your pregnancy: weeks 14-17. Your baby's individual features and sensory organs are now being fine tuned. Iron requirements increase during this period as the blood volume increases due to the building of the reserves of the foetus and placenta.

Your pregnancy: weeks 23-27. Your baby develops movements that will later help it take its first whiff of air in the world, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid. You may feel rhythmic movements which is your baby hiccupping.

Your pregnancy: weeks 28-31. The changes in your body continue to take place as you enter your third trimester! As baby prepares for its future exit: its eyelids are uncovered and eyelashes have formed, meaning your baby can blink.

Ideally, you should assess your health and fitness. You may need to make some changes to your lifestyle

Foetal movement counts (after 28 weeks)
Be aware of your baby’s pattern of movements on a daily basis by counting four foetal movements in the hour after a meal every day.

Exercise leads to improved circulation, which in turn can reduce the severity of varicosities (varicose veins).

Varicosities are when you develop swollen veins, that are often distinguished by repetitive twists, turns and bends. Building muscular strength may help women reduce the discomfort of varicose veins.

Instructor’s credentials, for example, midwife, physiotherapist.

Instructor’s specialised training in childbirth education.

Physical changes

During the third trimester, your uterus starts to fill up most of your abdomen and probably reaches about 11 cm above your navel. This is when you may start to experience pain from the round ligaments that lie on either side of the uterus.

*Check whether the maternity ward has a list of the items you will need.

Items for hospital stay

There are many factors to consider before dedicating yourself to raising and budgeting a child for the next 18 years or more. 

We’ve laid out a few things to consider and guide you with regards to budgeting for a baby before you embark on the greatest journey of your life: parenthood. 

Having a baby is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences in life, but it’s also one of the more costly experiences. 

Your biggest costs will be your medical bills.

Your nutritional status at the time of conception and in the crucial early weeks of pregnancy is significant for the successful outcome of the pregnancy. 

A detailed medical history, of you and your partner, will be recorded at your first prenatal visit.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is a method of observing your baby, placenta and internal organs, using high frequency sound waves that are beamed into your abdomen and reflected onto a video screen.