If you are newly pregnant, you might be surprised at how much your body is going to change over the coming months. While your primary concern might be keeping yourself healthy in terms of eating correctly and avoiding illness that could affect your growing baby, it's just as important to keep yourself safe. Your expanding belly is going to change your sense of balance, and it will even impact what you can see near your feet. Review this list of ways that you can keep yourself safe in your home during the later months of your pregnancy.

Bathe Safely

Your obstetrician might have already told you that you need to avoid hot tubs due to their high temperatures. In fact, you should not let your core body temperature get over 102.2 degrees, so you'll need to keep an eye on the temperature of your bathwater. You are unlikely to overheat in a regular bath, as long as the water is not too hot.

A more reasonable concern when it comes to bathing has to do with slips and falls. As your center of balance changes, it can become increasingly difficult to do things like getting up from a sitting position and climbing over the edge of a bathtub. It's best if you can have someone help you in and out of the tub if you find it difficult to do so on your own. Also, avoid using bath oils, which can make the tub slippery.

Another option is to have a walk-in tub installed by a company like Twin City Stair Lifts. These open up so you can simply walk in; many even include a seat, which is easier to get up from than if you were to sit on the floor of the tub. Even better, you can use the tub during your labor before you go to the hospital and also as a safe way to bathe your baby as he or she grows into a slippery toddler!

Pick Up Loose Items

As you walk around in your home, you can see anything that's on the floor that might trip you up. Once you have a large pregnant belly to contend with, however, this is not as simple as you might think. It's easy to trip over a loose throw rug or a cord that is draped across the floor. Around the middle of your pregnancy, it's a good idea to remove items that will be easy for you to trip on. This will help out once your baby begins to walk, too, so look at it as the first step toward baby-proofing.

Do Your Nesting Safely

As the time grows closer for your little one to make his or her appearance, you will likely begin cleaning and organizing, which is also known as nesting. Folding tiny baby onesies or making up the crib with adorable pink or blue sheets is safe, of course, but there are several jobs you might want to take on that are less than ideal for a pregnant woman to be doing in the home.

Ask your partner or a friend to scrub down the bathroom with bleach or other harsh chemicals, for example. Breathing in noxious fumes is likely to make you feel nauseated. If you have to do the cleaning, consider using vinegar and baking soda or other natural cleaners. Also, don't do anything that involves climbing on a ladder; someone else can hang the duck-and-bunny wallpaper border or clean off the ceiling fans.

Late pregnancy is a special time, and you should try to enjoy the last weeks before your baby is born. Be careful around the home to avoid falls and other injuries to keep both you and your little one safe and secure.