7 months pregnant: A pregnancy guide for dads

Welcome to the third and final trimester!

How your baby is developing at 7 months pregnant

Week 32 - Foetal Images - 2017

By 28 weeks your baby is fully formed and weighs just over 1kg. If they were born right now they would have a good chance of survival, although they would need special care and medical intervention. If you haven’t done so already, you should read up on what childbirth actually entails and what your own role will be.

Some dads still prefer to wait in the waiting room (but please don’t hand out cigars!) while others are far more hands-on. Discuss your partner’s birthing plan and what she might want to happen when the day comes. Forewarned is forearmed, so talk to your own dad, friends who are parents and anyone else who might be able to doll out useful advice.

Antenatal appointments start to ramp up

One of the first things to happen this month will be your 28-week antenatal appointment. The midwife or doctor should check a number of things including blood pressure and testing your partner’s urine for protein. You may also be offered more screening tests.

From this point the frequency of antenatal appointments will start to speed up – first to every three weeks and then to every two. There may be work or other pressures on you attending and you don’t have to, but it can be good for both of you to be there.

The same goes for antenatal classes, which usually start in weeks 30 to 32, around 8 to 10 weeks before the due date. Some classes may be just for Mum but others will invite partners and others to attend. Individual classes may focus on different things but the classes in general will cover loads of topics, many of which would be useful for both of you to know about.

These could include:

Coping with labour and what to expect from the birth
Exercises and diet for this last stage of pregnancy
Types of pain relief available
Relaxation techniques
Caring for your baby when they finally arrive
Emotions and feelings in pregnancy and beyond

They will also go through ways you can help your partner through what is left of the pregnancy and through the birth itself, which can be invaluable information!

FIND ANTENATAL CLASSES NEAR ME

Sleep issues and pregnancy symptoms at 7 months pregnant

As you start the third trimester your partner is likely to be carrying extra weight and a substantial bump. This can lead to tiredness, breathlessness and backache – and it won’t help that her joints and ligaments are looser than usual. This is caused by a hormone with the apt name of relaxin incidentally, which relaxes the ligaments in the pelvis in preparation for childbirth but also relaxes them elsewhere at the same time. A lot of niggling aches and annoyances can be helped by your partner putting her feet up so be prepared to shoulder more chores again.

That isn’t to say that she should be inactive. Activity and exercise are still beneficial so you might want to encourage and accompany your partner, but make sure any activities are safe. Swimming, walking and yoga can all be good. Activities like full-contact sports and scuba diving are best avoided – the latter because your baby has no protection against decompression sickness and gas embolism. It’s also important not to overdo things in general.

If your partner becomes faint, light-headed or breathless during exercise, she should stop immediately. As a general rule, the NHS recommends that you should be able to hold a conversation as you exercise while pregnant. If she’s too out of breath to talk she’s probably overdoing it.

Another thing that should be kept in mind for both exercise and sleeping is that your partner shouldn’t lie flat on her back for prolonged periods. This can further affect sleeping patterns that may already be severely disrupted, for both of you. Be prepared to share your bed with even more pillows and cushions than usual as she builds a sort of fort of acceptable comfort and, if you’re affecting each other’s sleep (you don’t snore though, right?) it might be time for a couple of nights apart. That means you get the smaller, least comfortable bed or settee of course. You might not enjoy the idea of sleeping apart but if it helps either or both of you to get some actual sleep, it’s certainly worth considering.

Choosing a baby name

Other things to consider as you approach the final stretch include choosing a name for your new arrival. You might have had one picked out even before the pregnancy of course, while other couples wait until after the birth to see if they’re struck with sudden inspiration or if a name they fancy actually ‘suits’ their child. For many though, large parts of the pregnancy are spent poring through baby name books and articles. Speaking of which, check out our Baby Names Zone if you’re stuck for inspiration.