The 9th-month pregnancy is the time period which you have been waiting for, the sparkling number nine. Now, get ready for the arrival of the baby anytime.
The excitement of the mother is at the highest level in this stage about the birth date of the baby and future plans.
The duration is from the 36th week to the 40th week. Regularly visit your doctor and getting conscious about your EDD (Expected date of delivery). A mother gains up to 35 pounds of weight in an average in the whole pregnancy
Baby attains the most weight in this month, of around 5 to 6 pounds and 18-21 inches long. Baby is growing very fast so, you have to maintain a 9th-month pregnancy diet to be very healthy and balanced.
Table of contents
- What to eat
- What not to eat?
- Eating habits or tips
- Common discomforts with dietary solution
- Conclusion
- QnA
1. WHAT TO EAT

A healthy 9th-month pregnancy diet has many elements. Let’s discuss the importance of them.
a. CALCIUM
Calcium is the element that is required to maintain the status of our bones, strong teeth, and skeletal system. This is an important requirement for the baby’s brain, heart, muscles, hormones, and nerves. Skeletal system of the baby is growing fast in this month; calcium need is increased during
this month.
We all know that Milk is the best source of biologically available calcium.
DOSE-1000-1300mg
SOURCES-
Food | Quantity | Calciumamount |
Milk | 100ml | 118mg |
Paneer | 40gms | 190mg |
Almonds | 30gms | 68.4mg |
Methi | 100gms | 274mg |
Ragi | 30gms | 109mg |
Horsegram (Channe ki dal) | 30gms | 80.7mg |
Curry leaves | 100gms | 659mg |
b. GARLIC
In the last month of pregnancy, garlic should be included in the pregnancy diet because it reduces the risk of preterm labour, urinary, and genital tract infections. From the ancient time, the -microbial property of garlic should be known and is very helpful for pregnant ladies.
c. VITAMIN-D
Vitamin-D is crucial for the growth and development of the baby. It helps in maintaining the health of bones and teeth. Deficiency of this nutrient in pregnant women increases the risk of pre-eclampsia and the small size of the infant.
DOSE-4,000 IU/daily
SOURCES–
Sunlight is the best natural source of vitamin- D. Ultraviolet rays from the sun produces vit-D in our skin.10-15 minutes of sunlight for 2-3 times a week for pregnant women on arms, legs, hands, or face. This can meet daily vitamin-D needs.
There are other dietary sources are there like, Eggs, oily fish, milks fortified with vit-D.
d. FLUID INTAKE
Keep hydrated your body during pregnancy. Dehydration increases the risk of preterm labour. Water plays an important part in the transfer of nutrients to the fetus and to develop new cells.
8-10 glasses of water a day is sufficient.
Also include other fluids in pregnancy diet like milk, juice, soup, chaach, lemon water, etc.
e. SALADS
A variety of salads are included in the diet of last month pregnancy.Approx.4-6 cups of vegetables and fruits are to be taken daily and salads are the perfect option for this.
You can include paneer and chana salad, mixed sprouts, fruits, vegetables in salad.
Yogurt is also taken with salad by mixing them. You can also eat prepackaged salad but it is good to avoid chicken, egg, fish in prepackaged salad.
f. FIBRES
A fiber-rich diet during pregnancy decreases the risk of developing PIH(Pregnancy-induced hypertension), pre-eclampsia, constipation, and hemorrhoids.
DOSE-25-30 gms/day
SOURCES-
High -fiber food | Quantity | Amount |
Vegetables | ||
Green peas | 1 cup cooked | 8.8g |
Sweet potato | 1 cup mashed | 8.2g |
Brocooli | 1 cup cooked | 5.5g |
Fruits | ||
Dried fig | 1 cup | 14.6g |
Avocado | 1 cup | 10.1g |
Oranges | 1 orange | 7.7g |
Banana | 1 cup | 5.8 g |
Apples | 1 cup apple slices | 4.8g |
Blackberries | 1 cup | 7.6g |
Raspberries | 1 cup | 8g |
Grains and Cereals | ||
Brown rice | 1 cup cooked | 3.5g |
Whole wheat pasta | 1 cup cooked | 4.6g |
Pearled barleys | 1 cup cooked | 6g |
Bran flakes | three – fourth cup | 5.5g |
Legumes and Nuts | ||
Almonds | 1 ounce | 3.5g |
Kidney beans | 1 cup cooked | 16.5g |
Split peas | 1 cup boiled | 16.3g |
Lentils | 1 cup cooked | 15.6g |
Black beans | 1 cup cooked | 15g |
2. WHAT NOT TO EAT?
In pregnancy, you have to remove certain foods from your pregnancy diet because they might your baby.
a. AVOID RAW PAPAYA

By the time of our grandparents, we all heard this statement that papaya should not be eaten in a pregnancy diet. Let’s correct this statement, raw papaya should not be eaten by pregnant women. Papain is an enzyme present in raw papaya, which can stimulate oxytocin and prostaglandins. This can further induce preterm labour.
Fully ripe papaya is beneficial and safe in pregnancy.
b. AVOID RAW EGGS
The incidence of the presence of Salmonella bacteria is high in raw eggs. They can cause the problem of loose motions, vomiting which may be further lead to miscarriage.
Also avoid the food products made from these like, mayonnaise or mousse.
Properly cooked eggs should be eaten by a pregnant lady.
c. DON’T EAT UNDERCOOKED SPROUTS
Undercooked sprouts may contain Escherichia coli or salmonella microorganisms and this can further cause infection and other health conditions.
Ready -to -eat sprouts are also available in the market but it is better to make homemade properly cooked sprouts.
3. EATING HABITS OR TIPS
Some tips are to be kept in mind while making a dietary plan for the ninth month pregnancy.
i. 3 SURPRISING TIPS FOR EASY LABOUR WITH THE HELP OF FOOD
Every pregnant woman wants that, she can have a short, easy labour and a normal delivery. So, there are three tips which you can implement in your dietary module which can help in easy labour.
These are as follows-
a. EAT DATES(khajoor)

Add Dates in your Baby is growing very fast so, you have to maintain a 9th–month pregnancy diet because it’s very healthy and balanced.are enriched with a chemical compound, that is similar to oxytocin and helps to stimulate uterine contractions, softens the cervix and helps in easy childbirth.
Now, a question is how many and when you have to start eating dates.
It is best to start eating dates before one month of your EDD(Expected date of delivery) or on the 36th week, you have to start and eat daily 3-4 dates, which is around 60 to 80grams.
b. HEALTHY SNACKS
In the early stage of labour, you may feel exhausted and dehydrated to prevent this regularly eat healthy snacks like apple, banana, yogurt to reduce your food cravings and drink water at regular intervals to maintain hydration level.
c. EAT VITAMIN RICH FOODS
Vitamins are essential in later stages of labour, maintain hormonal balance and tonicity of the uterus.
There are two types of vitamins are there;
Fat-soluble vitamin and water-soluble vitamin
Basis | Fat-soluble vitamin | Water-soluble vitamin |
Definition | They are absorbed by fat molecules. storage site is liver and adipose tissues | They are soluble in water and easily absorbed by cells and tissues. Storage. not stored in body |
Consumption | Not need daily consumption | Water-soluble vitamin to be consumed on a daily basis |
Examples | Vitamin-A,D,E and K | Vitamin B and C |
Fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins, they both are needed for easy normal delivery in pregnant women .VitaminA, B, Cand E are commonly derived from fresh fruits and Vitamin K is from green leafy vegetables.
4. COMMON DISCOMFORTS WITH DIETARY SOLUTION
During the ninth month, a pregnant woman suffered from some discomforts which can easily be resolved by dietary modification. Some of them are –
a. ACIDITY AND HEARTBURN
Growing baby exerts pressure on the stomach then, acid contents reflect back in the esophagus and can cause problems of heartburn and acidity.
Management is done by some dietary solutions –
b. Eat small and frequent meals
Eat 6 small mini-meals instead of three meals. Mini neals are easy to digest.
Not lie down suddenly after eating
c. Increase the amount of fluids
Fluids are easy to digest and not cause the problem of indigestion or heartburn like milk, plain yogurt, etc.
d. Avoid trigger foods
Trigger foods like spicy, oily, greasy foods. They all may trigger the stomach contents and further cause digestion problems.
e. Consult with doctor
Do not consume any drug or tablet in pregnancy without the consultation of a doctor. If the acidity problem is more then, consult with a doctor.
f. URINARY PROBLEMS
In pregnancy, intraabdominal pressure is increased and uterus continuously exerts pressure on the uterus.
This can lead to problems like stress incontinence(inability to control urine urge), urinary frequency (increased urinate times a day ), and many other urinary tract infections.
Management is done by some dietary solutions –
Drink the proper amount of water a day at least 8 glasses.
Avoid spicy, oily, and caffeine-containing food products.
5. CONCLUSION
I hope that now you are able to find the answer to all your 9th-month pregnancy diet-related questions. about what to eat or not to eat, eating habits, some eating tips for an easy labor, and what are the discomforts with dietary management during the ninth month of pregnancy. If you still have any
doubt or query, then you can ask in the comment box below or inbox. Thank you so much and have a nice day.
You may also read- What Not to Eat During Pregnancy, Foods to Avoid?
Having a sudden urge to eat: Here is all about Food Cravings
7th Month Pregnancy Diet Guide And Basic Eating Habits
6. QnA
Limited exposure to sunlight is beneficial. 20 minutes a day without sunscreen is sufficient during pregnancy and meet the demand of vitamin-D.
Protein-rich food is to be taken before labour.Banana sandwich, Peanut butter, yoghurt, cheese are good food options before labour.
Citrus fruits like oranges, grapes, and lemon. These fruits are rich in vitamin- C and help in baby’s growth and development.