At 14 weeks pregnant, you may be concerned with how much weight you are gaining. Although you are “eating for two,” keep in mind that pregnant women only need to add about 300 or 400 extra calories in their diet. Don’t go overboard and overeat.

Your weight gain during pregnancy depends on what your pre-pregnancy size was. The average weight woman should only gain between 25 and 35 pounds during the 40 weeks of her pregnancy. If you are thinner than normal, you should aim to gain between 28 to 40 pounds. Overweight women should only gain between 15 and 25 pounds.

If you are worried that you are gaining more weight as your pregnancy week by week continues, talk to your doctor or healthcare provider.

Most women will gain between 2 to 4 pounds in their first trimester, and they typically gain a pound a week for the rest of their pregnancy. (Remember though that you will gain more if you are carrying twins or multiples. You will start showing sooner too!)

Read more about Pregnancy Weight Gain at Women’s Healthcare Topics.

At 38 weeks pregnant, you need to be prepared to go to the hospital at any second. If you haven’t already, you need to start packing your hospital bag. Some women like to pack three bags: one for mom, one for dad, and another for the newborn baby.

As you are deciding what to pack, you should also call your hospital or birth center and ask what they will provide. All hospitals will provide diapers for your baby, but they may also provide nipple cream for breastfeeding mothers, gowns, and other items.

In your hospital bag, you need to pack these pregnancy and delivery essentials:

• Toiletries
• Insurance information and birth plan
• Warm socks
• Robe or sweater
• Maternity bras (sans underwire) and nursing pads
• Lip balm or chap-stick
• Eyeglasses or contacts
• Camera, video camera, film, and batteries
• Cell phone and charger
• Extra pillows
• Going-home clothes

For baby, you should have your hubby or partner install an approved car seat. The hospital will not allow you to leave without a car safety seat for your little one. Also bring a going-home outfit for your baby and warm blankets.

If you want to start your baby on formula, you should bring that to the hospital too. Remember to pack cloth diapers, if you are going to use them instead of disposable ones.

You may want to pack snacks and drinks, reading material and anything else you want that will keep your husband or partner company when you and baby are sleeping. (Remember that you will be in the hospital for at least a day. Longer if you are having a c-section).

The end of your pregnancy is near. Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy week by week! Read more about 38 weeks pregnant at Women’s Healthcare Topics.

If this is your second pregnancy and you are 36 weeks pregnant, you may be entertaining the idea of a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Keep in mind that not all women are good candidates for VBAC. You should talk to your doctor or healthcare provider to see if he or she supports this idea, and if hospital policy allows a VBAC.

Many hospitals don’t allow pregnant women to try VBAC because of the controversy over how safe they are, including the potential for uterine rupture (a rare but very dangerous complication that can place mother and baby’s lives at risk). In addition, Some hospitals don’t have the resources for them. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) states that when a woman tries a VBAC delivery, there should be a medical team (including an anesthesiologist) readily available in the event that she needs an emergency C-section.

You may be a candidate for VBAC if you have have prior low-transverse c-sections, if your pelvis is large enough to allow you to deliver safely, and you have no other uterine scars, and you’ve never had a uterine rupture.

For more information about VBAC, read 36 weeks of your pregnancy week by week at Women’s Healthcare Topics.

Now that you are 33 weeks pregnant, you are zooming through your pregnancy! Your baby will be here before you know it! Only a few more weeks to go! At the the end of your third trimester, you should read up about the labor and delivery process so that you can be prepared.

Labor occurs in three distinct stages and it may last up to 24 hours for your first baby, but it is usually shorter in future births. (Have you ever heard women say that delivering a baby is usually easier the first time around?)

The first stage of labor is actually the longest of the three. It can last up to 20 hours, and it starts when your cervix (or the opening of your uterus) starts to open, or dilate. As your cervix dilates, your labor contractions get stronger and stronger. When your cervix reaches 4 to 8 centimeters, this is called the “active phase” of labor. You may experience a backache or “bloody show” (vaginal bleeding) during this stage.

You should go to the hospital or birthing center during the active stage of labor.

The second stage of labor starts when your cervix is dilated at 10 centimeters. This stage continues until after your baby delivered, and it can last up to two hours (or even longer, sometimes). You may feel a strong urge to push during this stage, and you may also receive pain medication or episiotomies (if they are requested/needed).

You should push when your healthcare provider tells you to, or when you feel you need to push.

After your baby is born, you will enter the third stage of labor, which is the delivery of the placenta and afterbirth. This is the shortest stage and it typically lasts less than 20 minutes. You may feel contractions but they are not as painful. If you experienced any tears or had an episiotomy, it will get stitched up.

For more about the stages of labor, read 33 weeks pregnant - pregnancy week by week - at Women’s Healthcare Topics.

The second trimester, at 19 weeks pregnant, this is the perfect time to do some traveling. Many common pregnancy emergencies and complications occur in the first and third trimester of pregnancy. So if you love to travel, go for it!

At this week in your pregnancy week by week, you aren’t too large. You also have more energy now than you will have in the final weeks of your pregnancy. However, when you travel, keep these in mind:

• If you are traveling by car, remember to wear your seat belt. Wear both the lap and shoulder belt. Do not turn off the air bag feature of your vehicle. Limit your driving to no more than five hours a day. Also, make frequent stops to move around and stretch your legs.
• Traveling by airplane is another safe way to travel. Try to book an aisle seat so that it is easy to get up often to stretch your flight. Avoid drinking carbonated sodas or drinks, and eating foods that cause gas during your flight. Wear your seat belt at all times and keep it belted below your abdomen.

Always let your doctor or healthcare provider know that you are taking a trips. You will not want to take a vacation if your doctor is concerned with your health or your baby’s well-being. Women with pregnancy complications may need to postpone trips.

Get more travel tips at 19 weeks pregnant at Women’s Healthcare Topics…

If you start to experience lower back pain or discomfort at 22 weeks pregnant, don’t worry. You’re not alone! It is estimated that between 50 to 70 percent of all women experience back pain during their pregnancy. It is very common in the second trimester.

Back pain during your pregnancy week by week is normal and it is caused by a number of factors, including the higher levels of hormones in your pregnant body, the additional weight (your growing baby and uterus) that you must carry around during pregnancy, bad posture and even stress.

For helpful tips on alleviating low back pain, check out pregnancy week 22 at Women’s Healthcare Topics.

You shouldn’t call your doctor or healthcare provider for regular back pain. But you may want to call them if you start to have severe back pain, or increasingly painful back discomfort, and cramping pains.  A pregnancy pillow or maternity support belt may also help alleviate some of your back discomfort.

At 24 weeks pregnant, youshould already know the gender of your unborn baby. Is it going to be a boy or a girl? As you are selecting baby bedding and decorating your baby’s nursery, this is a great time to start thinking about baby names. But where do you start and how do you choose? After all, everyone in your family has an opinion.

Your baby is going to be stuck with this name for the rest of his or her life, so you want to choose carefully. Don’t let the others in your family sway you. Discuss this with your husband and come up with a name that you both love. Plus, you are only in your second trimester of pregnancy so you have ample time to change your mind, too.

As your due date approaches, you will probably busy yourself with name books and websites. You might even want to look at lists of the most popular baby names or hot celebrity names. Take your time to research. Select one that has a special meaning to you.

According to the Social Security Administration, the top names for 2009 were:
For boys: Jacob, Ethan, Michael, Alexander, William, Joshua, Daniel, Jayden, Noah and Anthony.
For girls: Isabella, Emma, Olivia, Sophia, Ava, Emily, Madison, Abigail, Chloe, and Mia.

For more ideas on selecting the perfect baby name for your baby, take a look at pregnancy week 24 at Women’s Healthcare Topics.

Decorating your baby’s nursery can be simply fun with stylish baby bedding sets . . . but while you are waiting for your baby to come, learn all about your pregnancy from Women’s Healthcare Topics! You will be amazed at how fast and furious your little one is growing inside you.As you follow your pregnancy week by week, you’ll quickly learn how active your baby is inside your belly. If you’re in your second trimester and later, you may already be feeling all his little kicks and movement. But did you know that your baby has a life of his own inside your uterus? He’s burping, sleeping, flip-flopping, and just having a ball!

A new addition to our Baby Bedding Market blog, we’ll be providing you more information on what to expect during your pregnancy. From pregnancy symptoms to side effects you might be feeling, you will get all your pregnancy info right here! Come back and often!

In the meantime, check out Women’s Healthcare Topics for everything you want to know about your pregnancy and your baby’s development.