Can you still remember your prepregnancy body? The little things — like being able to zip up your coat, wear your rings, and sit on the floor with out requiring adult assistance to stand again — may be a distant memory. You will not be pregnant forever, of course, although it might sometimes feel like it.

Your Body Changes

Weight gain should start to slow down this month. If it doesn't, however, don't cut your calorie intake below 2,600 to try to stop it. You need the extra energy for both of you.

As baby settles firmly on your bladder, bathroom stops step up once again. You may even experience some stress incontinence, which is minor dribbling or leakage of urine when you sneeze, cough, laugh, or make other sudden movements. This will clear up postpartum. In the meantime, keep doing your Kegels (see Chapter 8), don't hold it in, and wear a pantyliner.

What You Feel Like

Your Weeble-like physique has you off-balance and generally klutzy. Be careful — you wobble and you can fall down. And, of course, those (say it together, everyone) pregnancy hormones have loosened up your joints and relaxed your muscles to make you a bit of a butterfingers.

Now is not the ideal time to be fitted for new contacts or glasses. Pregnancy-related fluid retention can actually change the shape of your eyes and trigger minor vision changes. Also at work is estrogen, which causes your eyes to be drier than normal and can make contact lenses uncomfortable right now. Unless you want to invest in new eyewear again postpartum, you should hold off on any such purchase for now.

Although you may not relish the thought of air travel in your current wide-body state, for most women flying is safe through week 36. Obviously if something happens while you are in the air or away from home, you would need to get care from providers you don't know (and don't know you), which can be very stressful. And it is more likely that something will happen (that is, labor) when you are close to your due date or if you are having a high-risk pregnancy. If you do need to fly late in your pregnancy, consider taking a copy of your prenatal chart if any problems do arise. Some airlines restrict air travel after a certain point in pregnancy because they don't want to deal with any complications, while others require a doctor's note for travel. Check with individual airlines regarding their policies when booking your flight. Worries about becoming dehydrated on air flights due to the low humidity in cabins can be avoided by keeping well-hydrated during the flight. There is a theoretical concern about developing blood clots while immobilized on a flight, but this has not been well-documented; moving around in your seat and walking to the bathroom will probably be enough to prevent their occurrence.

It's increasingly easy to get winded as your little one pushes up into your diaphragm. Take it slow, breathe deeply, and practice good posture. To ease breathing while you sleep, pile on a few extra pillows or use a foam bed wedge to elevate your head.

Other symptoms that may continue this month include:

Fatigue

Frequent urination

Tender and/or swollen breasts

Colostrum discharge from nipples

Bleeding gums

Excess mucus and saliva

Increase in normal vaginal discharge

Mild shortness of breath

Lightheadedness or dizziness

Headaches

Forgetfulness

Gas, heartburn, and/or constipation

Skin and hair changes

Round ligament pain or soreness

Lower backaches

Mild swelling of legs, feet, and hands

Leg cramps

Painless, irregular contractions (Braxton-Hicks)

If you experience blurry vision or visual disturbances (for example, spots), let your provider know immediately. Either one could be a sign of poor control, which is dangerous to both you and your child. These are also symptoms of preeclampsia, which can be dangerous for both you and your baby.