Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : December 17, 2014 1:01 PM IST
The most exciting part is that you will complete your second trimester and enter into your third trimester by the end of this week. This also indicates that the honeymoon period of your pregnancy is getting over and you would be up for some new, unpleasant pregnancy symptoms during the final phase.
Here is what happens during this week of your pregnancy:
Frequent bouts of constipation: As your uterus stretches out more, it also exerts pressure on the colon making constipation inevitable for some expectant mothers. The flip-side is that if you don t take adequate measures to combat the condition it could aggravate hemorrhoids that is also common during the later stages of pregnancy. The best way to deal with the problem is to have adequate amounts of water throughout the day and eat fibrous foods to ensure smooth bowel movements. Here are few tips to deal with constipation during pregnancy.
Leg cramps, backache and sciatica: As you near the final phase or the third trimester you might experience some new kind of symptoms. Leg cramps are one of them. These cramps could be severe during the night interfering with your sleep. Also with the bulging belly backache is common during this time. Posture correction and light exercises can give some respite to your back. However, sciatica could be a new problem to deal with. As your baby takes the heads-down position, its head can be pressing on the sciatica never which can send pain signals from the buttock to the lower part of the legs.
Increased fetal movements: You might experience a surge in fetal movements during this week. This is the normal progression of your pregnancy. If fetal movements are at its peak during the nights it could again disrupt your sleep. So try sleeping or resting during the time when your baby is less active to compensate for the sleep deficit.
Swelling on the hands and feet: Edema could be another persistent problem during this week making your hands and feet swell due to water retention and increased blood flow.
Apart from this, you may also experience some of the other pregnancy symptoms like vaginal discharge, leaky breasts, heartburn, abdominal cramps, insomnia, etc.
Development in your baby:
Your baby gains enough weight: This week onwards your baby is going to gain weight consistently till labour. That explains why you should expect your weight to increase exponentially during the last phase of pregnancy.
Your baby s brain development is in its final stages: Your baby s brain is in its final stages of development which means more neurons are being added to it.
Your baby prepares to take the head-down position: Most babies will take a head-down position by this week to prepare for labour. However, if your sonography shows that your baby is still in the transverse or breech position there is no need to worry as there is still time for your baby to turn in to the right position. Here are six ways to turn a breech baby into normal position.
What you should do:
Image source: Getty Images
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