Month 5: Your baby is developing a fine hair, called lanugo, which covers body. Likewise, her eyelashes and eyebrows are developing. Her fingerprints and footprints are now developed. She begins to suck and swallow and may even be found sucking her thumb. Vernix, a white lanolin-like covering, appears on baby to protect her skin. Her ears are developed as well and she may be able to hear you now. Your baby is approximately 7-8 inches long and weighs 3/4-1 pound by end of this month.

Month 6: Your baby's immune system is developing and she is beginning to create her own antibodies. She has developed a hand grip reflex and startle reflex. Her lungs are beginning to develop and alveoli are forming. She is growing and filling out. She looks more and more like person she will be when she is born. By end of this month, she is approximately 9-10 inches long and weigh in at about 1 1/2-2 1/4 pounds.

Month 7: Your baby's eyes are open and she is able to cry. She may be very active now and others may be able to see her movements. She may have hiccups which will feel like a jumpy movement. She is increasing in body fat and her bones are fully developed now. By end of this month, she is approximately 11 inches long and weighs around 3-3 1/2 pounds.

Month 8: At this point of your pregnancy, there is not a whole lot of new development. However, your baby is growing and maturing and preparing for life outside womb. Your baby sleeps most of time now and has periods of REM sleep. Baby is becoming increasingly cramped for space, but she is still very active. Your baby is approximately 13 inches long and weighs around 5-6 pounds at end of this month.

Month 9: In your 9th month, which actually extends a little further than 9 calendar months, your baby is preparing for birth. She will spend a lot of time resting, but she should still have plenty of active periods. She should be facing head down in preparation for birth. Babies weight and length vary considerably at birth, but a typical range would be between 7-8 pounds and 19-21 inches in length.

There are some drawbacks to body mass calculation as every person is different. Common sense should be used to evaluate findings, even those who fall in middle of a specified range of index. Those with more athletic builds and leaner builds certainly need to understand objectivity of BMI. Even though there is some grey area, body mass indexing is still quite useful.

Goal Setting and Index

The index is useful on a variety of fronts, but major application is weight control. Those with a low body weight should get it up into normal range, as those with excessive weight should bring it down. Those that are on cusp of trouble areas can probably do well on their own, while those closer to extreme should consult a medical doctor. Health professionals are well equipped to get you on right program and give you best advice for your individual situation.

If your plans are to begin some sort of diet and exercise routine, your ultimate goal should leave you in normal range. Goal setting is important in weight loss as in many other arenas, but your body requires some special consideration. It’s only one you have.

An ideal weight goal is necessary to have, but if it is only one, you may become discouraged with your progress. Setting and meeting intermediate goals give inspiration that it takes to get to next step. Fitness and weight loss don’t happen overnight, no matter how hard you try. Taking measured steps with frequent evaluation ensures that you are making progress.