In the eighth month, the nerves and muscles of the fetus diaphragm may cause it to hiccup. The amount of amniotic fluid reaches two pints. In the last month of pregnancy, the fetus is gaining weight and continues brain development. It is important for the mother to continue eating well as the fetus adds to its body weight. The fetus determines when the labor will start.
Contractions start when the baby is ready to be born.
Most full term babies weigh between six to nine pounds and measure 17 to 22 inches. When the baby arrives, the mother will see the results of her efforts to eat well, choose her birth team carefully, and the reason for taking such good care of herself during her pregnancy. Karen E. Wallace teaches Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth classes with her husband, Jeff Dean, in East Berlin, Connecticut. They have four children.