Nutrition is essential in all phases of life but becomes more crucial during pregnancy. Why? This is when for a woman, she eats not only for her, but also for her baby. The fetus completes its structure from the mother's nutrition, this is why it is important for mothers to ensure they are eating well.

It is especially important in the 9th month, the last month when the baby completes the full development and prepares to be born. Here is a guide that pregnant woman can use to ensure a healthy and nutritious diet in their 9th month.

Why 9th Month Is So Important?

At the 9th month, the mother goes through many contractions so she often eats less. This is also the time when the mother needs to control the amount of salt in the diet and minimise body oedema. During this month, fibre is the main nutrient that helps with bowel movements and prevents constipation. This is also helpful because when the fetus grows, it increases the burden on the mother and causes constipation, which may lead to internal haemorrhoids or external haemorrhoids in future.

What Vitamins And Minerals Should They Focus On?

Apart from fibre through bread, celery, carrots, sweet potatoes, bean sprouts, cauliflower, vegetables and fresh fruits, it is also important to consume iron, calcium and thiamine. Lack of thiamine in the body can lead to a mother feeling nauseated and depressed. It can also lead to prolonged labour and difficulty during delivery.

What Should A Mother Eat In Her 9th Month?

• Fibre: Corn, brown rice, fruits, beans of all kinds, artichoke flowers, fresh vegetables, nuts, whole wheat bread
• Iron: Salmon, chicken, red meat, raisins, pumpkin seeds, egg yolks, broccoli, spinach
• Folic acid: This helps fight birth defects in children and supports formation of red blood cells and DNA structure. You can consume dark green vegetables, citrus fruits, sunflower seeds, broccoli, egg yolks, asparagus, cantaloupe, and avocado.
• Calcium: Fish, eggs, lean meat, bananas, oats, almonds, nuts, green leafy vegetables
• DHA-rich foods: This helps with brain development and can be consumed through cooked egg yolks, avocados, peanuts, fresh milk, cereals, pumpkin, and shrimp.
• Vitamin A: carrots, tomatoes, watermelon, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, spinach
• Protein: Egg whites, beans, milk, mushrooms
• Vitamin C: Oranges, cauliflower, strawberries, tomatoes

What To Avoid?

• Unpasteurised milk
• Alcoholic drinks
• Caffeine
• Smoking

Many breakthroughs in medicine, and now there is also a baby conceived without a womb, but from an artificial intelligence based fertilization (IVF) system.

This happened in Guadalajara, Mexico, where a 40-year-old woman gave birth to the world's first baby conceived through an AI-assisted IVF process. The groundbreaking event was made possible by a sperm-injecting robot, which was remotely operated by fertility specialists based in New York.

How the Technology Works

The innovation was made possible by the process called Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), a method where a single sperm is injected directly into an egg under a microscope.

Traditionally, this delicate task requires the steady hands and precision of highly skilled embryologists. However, even the most experienced professionals face limitations in accuracy and consistency.

That’s where AI comes in. The AI-powered robot, developed by the New York-based biotech firm Conceivable Life Sciences, follows 23 precise programmed steps: from sperm selection to injection, with remarkable accuracy. In this experiment, five eggs were fertilized, four developed into embryos, and on the second transfer attempt, the world’s first AI-assisted baby was born.

Why Is It A Turning Point?

IVF has long been a mix of science and art, heavily dependent on human judgment and precision. Success rates vary widely depending on expertise and timing. But with automation, the process can become standardized and more predictable, reducing the room for error.

Experts suggest that AI can not only perform fertilization but also learn from each cycle. Its algorithms can analyze which sperm are healthiest, which embryos are most viable, and which steps produce the best outcomes. In essence, it acts like a tireless embryologist, one that doesn’t fatigue or make emotional decisions.

A More Accessible Future for IVF

AI-assisted technology could also help make fertility treatments more affordable and accessible. In India, IVF costs range between ₹1.5 lakh to ₹3 lakh per cycle, and many couples require multiple attempts. By automating intricate steps, clinics could eventually lower costs and reduce waiting times.

According to reproductive endocrinology experts, automation will allow fertility centers to scale up care, reaching people who currently lack access to advanced reproductive services. Conceivable Life Sciences co-founder Alejandro Chavez-Badiola envisions a future where every IVF lab is equipped with a robotic assistant working alongside human specialists, ensuring precision, consistency, and faster results.

Restoring Hope for Millions

Infertility affects over 48 million couples worldwide, often leading to deep emotional and financial distress. Each failed IVF attempt can feel devastating. The AI-IVF breakthrough offers a new ray of hope, potentially improving success rates by minimizing embryo damage and accurately identifying the most viable ones. For many couples, this could mean fewer procedures and quicker success.

Ethical and Human Questions

However, the rise of AI in reproduction raises important ethical and accountability questions. Should AI decide which embryo is chosen? Who is responsible if something goes wrong? Would it be the doctor, the programmer, or the machine?

Medical experts agree that while AI can enhance accuracy, human oversight remains essential. The emotional and ethical aspects of creating life cannot be reduced to algorithms. As one expert noted, “AI may handle the how, but humans must still decide the why.”

Catherine Paiz, is pregnant at 35 and is expecting her fourth baby. This is her first with husband Igon Ten. Paiz shared the news on her Instagram page and wrote that she was "so shocked" to learn the news about her pregnancy.

On her Instagram post, she wrote: "I'm pregnant!!!!! Still so shocked ahhhhh". She also included videos of her taking the pregnancy test, where she could be heard saying, "Last night I peed about five times and I'm curious. I'm confused. I'm exactly one month from the day I got married today. It is the 27th of October."

Also Read: What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy for Menopause? What Will Change Under Recent FDA Guidelines?

Paiz pregnancy at 35 has yet again sparked spotlight on late motherhood trends. In fact, data also shows the same trend.

The Trend Of Late Motherhood

The average age of mothers in the US have continued to rise, a new report released on June 13 by the National Vital Statistic System (NVSS), provides the shift in age trends between 2016 and 2023. The study, conducted by Andrea D. Brown, Ph.D., M.P.H., and her colleagues at the National Center for Health Statistics.

The researchers found a clear increase in the mean age of mothers at the time of their first birth. In 2016, the average age of a first-time mother was 26.6 years. By 2023, this had risen to 27.5 years — nearly a full year’s difference in just seven years.

Also Read: Intermittent Fasting and Brain Health: Is There a Risk of Cognitive Decline?

But the trend isn’t limited to first-time mothers. In Paiz's case, she is having her fourth child at 35.

Is Late Pregnancy Healthy?

The National Institute of Health (NIH), US (2022), 20% of women in the US are now having their first child after the age of 35. While it is the new trend, the NIH doctor Dr Alan Decherney, a fertility expert explains that "As women age, they are still fertile, but their odds of pregnancy are decreased because they are not making as many good eggs that will fertile and divide normally and turn out to be an embryo."

After age 30, a woman's fertility decreases ever year, notes the NIH July 2022 issue. It notes: "The number and quality of her eggs goes down until she reaches menopause."

However, experts do point out that getting pregnant in your 30s need not be a stressful affair at all times. As it is at this age when you experience more stability, and also someone you know who have a personal experience in handling one. Most important, you are more mature at this age, which you may not be in your 20s.

Also Read: Davina McCall Reveals Breast Cancer Surgery A Year After Her Brain Tumor Surgery

What Must You Keep In Mind If You Plan Pregnancy After 30?

Quit Habits: If you are a smoker, or consume alcohol, this is a good time to leave it.

Reduce Stress: While pregnancy for some can bring stress, try to find activities that help you release it.

Healthy Weight: Ensure that your weight is right, reduce your waist to bring it to a healthy range for a healthy pregnancy.

Food Habits: Stop eating junk and start eating more whole grains.

Exercise: A sedentary lifestyle can impact negatively on the child. You do not have to do HIIT, however, regular easy workouts can make both the pregnancy and delivery easy.

Dr Michelle Y Owens, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and a practicing maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, writes for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) that "the longer your eggs have been around, the more likely they are to produce a pregnancy with a chromosome problem that can lead to a condition like Down syndrome. The risk goes up significantly after 35." However, she says, there is a good news. Now, we have tools to detect and respond to pregnancy complications early.

Since October 19, the PM2.5 levels, which is one of the key pollutants, in Delhi has hovered well above 120 micrograms, while even crossing 200 a couple of times. While the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend the average PM2.5 levels to be at 15 micrograms per day, reported Healthy Policy Watch. In June 2023, when New York hit PM2.5 levels of 117 micrograms, advisories were issued to shut down schools, for people to remain indoors, and to wear masks. However, there have been no such advisory in Delhi so far.

The data on Delhi pollution has been unreliable, several media outlets have reported the discrepancy between the official data and the on ground data. Many videos online have also shown the gap between these data where people are using their private AQI machines to measure the air quality. Furthermore, a video from opposition legislator Saurabh Bharadwaj that showed water being sprinkled around a government-run air monitoring station in the city on Diwali night have also raised questions on whether the data was tampered.

Amid all this, while doctors have time and again have asked everyone to stay safe, wear mask, and avoid going out during peak hours, studies too have shown fatal links with worsening air pollution. Now, there is an increased risk for infants too. Dr Anjana Singh, director and head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Fortis, Noida, as told to the Indian Express said, "Nowadays each newborn is spending a longer time in the nursery before they can be discharged because they are born with respiratory problems and their lung function needs to be stabilised. Some of them have delayed lung development and congenital asthma later. More and more babies are being born with jaundice."

Pollution And Infant Health

The doctor points out that pollution has a deep impact on fetal development than one may think. "It is the reason why we are seeing many more cases of miscarriage, pre-term births, stillbirths, birth defects, congenital heart disease and neural tube defects (the brain and spine do not develop properly)," the doctor explains.

Toxic particles can cross the placenta, the temporary organ that links a baby to the mother through the umbilical cord, and disrupt normal development. They trigger inflammation in the placenta, which creates resistance to blood flow. Over time, the blood vessels become damaged, reducing the amount of blood reaching the fetus.

Air pollution can mess with how nutrients reach the baby, which often leads to low birth weight. Research also shows that when a pregnant woman is exposed to polluted air, the risk of stillbirth goes up, especially in the third trimester.

High levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are linked to low birth weight and premature birth, both of which can cause other health problems. Tiny sooty particles can move through the mother’s bloodstream to the placenta and affect the baby’s lung development, raising the risk of lifelong breathing issues like asthma.

Pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and PAHs which come from things like burning food, coal, oil or gas can disrupt how organs form. This can increase the chances of conditions like congenital heart defects, neural tube problems or cleft palate. Some studies also suggest that heavy exposure to air pollution during pregnancy may raise the risk of autism spectrum disorder.

Air pollution can also push the mother’s blood pressure up, increasing the risk of preeclampsia, which is dangerous for both mom and baby.

Microplastics in the air come from synthetic clothes, car tires and broken down plastic waste. They act as endocrine disruptors, meaning they can interfere with hormones during key stages of development. They’ve been linked to gestational diabetes, inflammation and gut microbiome imbalance. Microplastics have even been found in the placenta, umbilical cord and cord blood, showing they can reach the baby and interfere with organ and nervous system development.