What to expect when you're expecting (135 page)

Increased difficulty sleeping

More frequent and more intense Braxton Hicks contractions (some may be painful)

Increasing clumsiness and difficulty getting around

Colostrum, leaking from nipples (though this premilk substance may not appear until after delivery)

Extra fatigue or extra energy (nesting syndrome), or alternating periods of each

Increase in appetite or loss of appetite

Emotionally

More excitement, more anxiety, more apprehension, more absentmindedness

Relief that you’re almost there

Irritability and oversensitivity (especially with people who keep saying “Are you still around?”)

Impatience and restlessness

Dreaming and fantasizing about the baby

You’ll be spending more time than ever at your practitioner’s office this month (stock up on some good waiting-room reading if you’ve already plowed through the office collection), with appointments scheduled weekly. These visits will be more interesting—the practitioner will estimate baby’s size and may even venture a prediction about how close you are to delivery—with the excitement growing as you approach the big day. In general, you can expect your practitioner to check the following, though there may be variations, depending on your particular needs and your practitioner’s style of practice:

Your weight (gain generally slows down or stops)

Your blood pressure (it may be slightly higher than it was at midpregnancy)