• Bleeding from the vagina
• Nausea or vomiting that does not stop
• A severe or continuous headache
• Sudden swelling of the face, hands, feet or ankles that goes along with sudden weight gain
• Blurring of vision or spots before your eyes
• Marked decrease in the amount of urine passed
• Pain or burning when passing urine
• Fever
• Gush or leaking of water from the vagina before your due date
• Unusual or strong pain in any part of your body
• Discharge from the vagina that causes itching or soreness
• Change in the activity of your baby, either greatly increased activity or feeling no movement for 12 hours

• Menstrual-like cramps in the lower abdomen which may come and go or be constant
• Low dull backache felt below your waistline
• Pressure in the pelvis which feels as thought the baby is pushing down - pressure comes and goes - felt in the abdomen, back and thighs
• Cramps in your abdomen, with or without diarrhea. This may be like the feeling you have when you have the flu
• Contractions of the uterus which happen every 10 minutes or more often

By the end of the 9th month, your baby will weigh approximately 6 to 9 pounds and is approximately 19 to 21 inches long.

Weight gain is healthy when you're pregnant. Women of average weight-for-height before pregnancy should gain about 25 to 35 pounds. Never try to lose weight while you are pregnant. Your health care provider will tell you what's right for you.

During your pregnancy, you should try to eliminate or cut down on caffeine. As little as 1 to 1/2 cups of coffee a day may delay conception and increase the risk of miscarriage. Caffeine also is found in tea, soft drinks and chocolate.

Cesareans are done for the following reasons:

• Cord prolapse - when the umbilical cord falls into the vagina
• Bleeding from the placenta
• Abnormal pelvic structure
• Shoulder presentation of the baby
• Serious maternal health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, etc. - when labor would not be safe for either mother or baby
• Dystocia (difficult childbirth) - which includes labor that fails to progress, prolonged labor, or when the baby is too large to pass sagely through the mother's pelvis
• Breech presentation - when the baby is buttocks or feet first
• Fetal distress - The baby may show signs of distress such as slowing of heart rate or too much acid in the blood before vaginal delivery can be completed quickly.

Most c-sections are unexpected, so it is unlikely you can do anything special to avoid one; however, you may be able to reduce your risk by doing the following:

• Get early prenatal care
• Stay fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle during your pregnancy
• Watch your weight - too much weight gain can increase the baby's size
• Watch for any signs of trouble during pregnancy and alert your provider immediately
• During early labor, drink plenty of fluids and suck on ice chips during active labor
• Remember to urinate too!

To measure how far apart your contractions are, time it from the beginning of one contraction to the beginning of the next contraction.

An epidural is a method of pain relief during labor and birth. It is a small plastic tube put in the lower part of a woman's back. The anesthetics that numb the stomach, back, legs, and bottom are given through the tube.