Third Trimester of Pregnancy – The Pleasant Cargo

Third Trimester Symptoms

In the third trimester of pregnancy, the uterus significantly increases in size. Your child has become more active. Sometimes shortness of breath may occur. This happens because your child is growing. Shortness of breath will pass (or decrease) 4 weeks before birth when the fetus will drop in the pelvic region.

Many mothers say that they feel better during the last month of pregnancy, so maybe you will be one of those lucky mothers! In the later stages of pregnancy, many women may have sleep disorders. Some of them may even suffer from insomnia. This happens due to changes in body proportions, you have gained weight, and it is hard to find a comfortable position to rest and sleep.

Also, pregnant women are psychologically unstable, which also affects sleep. All of these malaises may be referred to as fatigue. Due to the fact that your weight increases up to about 4.6 kilograms during pregnancy, then there may be poor coordination, clumsiness, frequent back pain. All this occurs because of increased pressure of the uterus, which is constantly growing in size. In rare cases, toxemia and nausea in the mornings can torment a pregnant woman.

Possible Complications

In the third trimester of pregnancy, there is a possibility of bleeding. It occurs due to the low-lying placenta and placenta previa. Usually, bleeding begins suddenly, it is painless, and the blood is bright red. The reason for this phenomenon may be any physical activity, sexual intercourse, or even a cough. If you have to bleed, then your first step should be seeing a doctor! It doesn’t threaten the child’s life, but a cesarean section may be assigned.

Every fourth case of bleeding in the last trimester of pregnancy is due to placenta previa. In 90% of cases, the expectant mother and the child are absolutely healthy, they feel great, the only negative aspect – is that the connection between them is broken. At this stage of pregnancy, there are no fetal movements. If you feel the decrease in fetal activity, you should immediately consult a doctor! Often it turns out that the baby just sleeps, but, as the saying goes: “Better safe than sorry!”. It is better to once again make sure that your pregnancy is going fine.

Nutrition During the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

Now the baby is already developed and actively gaining weight, your task is to provide him with all necessary nutrients and minerals. Thus, your diet must include a daily intake of protein, which is found in boiled lean meat and fish. But be careful: some varieties of fish contain a large amount of mercury, which is harmful to the baby.

The best “option” for pregnant women – is cod, salmon, tuna. Also do not forget about eggs, milk, and dairy products which are rich in calcium. It is advisable to eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit – they contain enough fiber, which helps to prevent constipation. Useful products for pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy are beef, beef liver, pomegranate, and tomato juice, they maintain hemoglobin levels and prevent anemia. It is better to abandon bakery products, confectionery, sweets, sweet drinks – they can trigger extra weight gain.

In addition, fatty and spicy food should be excluded from the diet: besides the fact that such food may be the cause of heartburn, it also retains fluid in the body that causes edema. To avoid such a situation you should limit the intake of salt, and carefully follow a drinking-water regime: the amount of fluid intake per day should not exceed 1.5 liters, including juices, soups, milk, fruit. Eat more often but in small portions.

Food should be healthy and natural, fast food and all kinds of semi-finished products should be abandoned. In general, you should eat about 3000 kcal a day.