33 Weeks Pregnant

About 83 percent of women try breastfeeding after giving birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Will you be one of them?

If so, now’s a great time to attend a breastfeeding class, talk to your practitioner about it or watch an instructional video.

If you don’t already know it, find out your hospital’s policy on rooming-in — which is sharing a room with your baby 24/7 after you give birth. Studies have shown that it’s good for baby, you and the bond you’ll share. But it’s okay if you decide not to room-share too!

If milk leaves a sour taste in your mouth, there are plenty of other ways to sneak your calcium in. Blend milk into smoothies or soups, or bypass it altogether and cash in on calcium from other dairy products.

One cup of yogurt has the same amount of calcium as a cup of milk, and an ounce of cheese also serves up a serving, as does a quarter-cup of grated cheese.

Or you can score your calcium fix in fortified fruit juice — think orange, grapefruit, apple, cranberry and others — or calcium-enriched soy milk and cheese.

Keep in mind that skipping milk means missing not only its calcium but also its vitamin D. Yogurt and cheese might be good sources of the former but not so much the latter.

Luckily, getting vitamin D is as easy as soaking up the sun for a few minutes a day since your body manufactures it in response to sunlight. Check, too, that the sunshine vitamin is in your prenatal tablet. If you're drinking soy milk, look for a brand that's enriched with vitamin D.

Yes, weight training increases muscle tone — and even prevents bone loss — but during pregnancy it's important to lighten up.

Lifting heavy weights increases pressure in your body, which causes you to hold your breath and could compromise blood flow to the uterus. Plus, loosened ligaments could lead to injury.

Your best bet: Switch to light weights and do more reps — or just wait on weights until after delivery.

You've got so many hopes and dreams about your baby, and each one is worth remembering and sharing. Record them before you forget by writing a letter — or a series of letters — to your baby.

Feel a little funny writing to a fetus? Just speak from the heart. Talk about what this pregnancy means to you and how it's changing your body and your world. Recount the foods you craved, the way you finally chose your baby’s name and what colors you picked for the nursery.

Share your reaction when you first found out you were pregnant, when you felt those first kicks and when you found out your baby's sex (if you have). Imagine what you'll do together in the future. Do you see yourself pushing a swing in the park or tossing a football on the front lawn? Or imagine what your baby's future might be like.

Your letter to your baby is certain to become one of your most treasured possessions — and eventually, your child's.

If your body has trouble digesting lactose (a type of sugar), you may find that drinking milk can lead to cramps, gas, bloating and diarrhea.

Sure, you could buy lactose-free milk or pop a lactase capsule before downing a glass of the stuff, but there are other ways to crank up your calcium consumption and avoid an upset stomach.

One solution: Eat naturally aged hard cheeses like cheddar, Parmesan and Swiss (they lose more than half their lactose during processing). Or get active with active yogurt cultures: They harbor good bacteria that break down lactose.

You can also cut back on the amount of milk you drink. It’s possible that your stomach can handle smaller servings, like a half a cup at one sitting or a thin slice of mozzarella.

Lastly, since lactose is easier to digest when mixed with other foods, particularly high-fiber ones, take your milk with whole grain cereal, or melt that cheese on a slice of whole wheat bread.

It’s been a few months since you’ve been able to sleep on your back — or your belly, for that matter — but now that you're officially a side sleeper, consider rolling onto your left side at night (though either side works).

Why? Some experts say that the left side is the ideal sleeping position for both you and your baby, since it allows for maximum blood flow and nutrients to the placenta. It may also help ease the swelling in your feet, ankles and hands.

If you do roll onto your back during the night or just can’t get comfortable on your side, tilt your hips to one side and place a pillow under one side of your bottom for support.