Pregnancy Week By Week (Week 31)

Week 31 Fetus

Must-ask Questions this Week (Week 31)

I am not able to get good night's sleep and that is tiring me a lot. Any tips?

Here are some tips to help you cope with sleeping problems during pregnancy:

• Surround yourself with pillows; everyday pillows or oversized ones

• Keep your room temperature at comfortable level. If you are too warm you will find it difficult to relax and sleep

• Sleep on your side with your legs and knees bent. Tuck a pillow under your abdomen and another one between your knees. Tuck one underneath your hip to remove the pressure off your hip

• Don't exercise too close to bedtime as it may actually keep your awake

• Don't eat heavy meal within 2-3 hours of going to bed as this will cause your metabolism to go into overdrive

• Skip the midnight snack if heartburn and indigestion are causing you grief

• Stretch your calves to prevent middle of the night cramps

• Drink a cup of warm milk

• Have a warm bath

• Practice relaxation breathing in bed

• Go do something else rather than tossing and turning in bed. Hit the sack once again when you start to feel tired.


I am a fit person but of late I can't seem to handle even a flight of stairs. Is this normal?

The breathlessness is a common third trimester complaint. Your growing uterus is causing pressure on the diaphragm. However the hormone progesterone, is helping you by causing you to breathe more deeply. This ensures your baby receives plenty of oxygen despite your diminished lung capacity. Although there is no cure other than giving birth, there are a couple of things you do to ease the situation. Make a habit of sitting and standing with your back straight and your shoulders back. Prop yourself on a pile of pillows or lie on your side so that some of the pressure will be taken off the diaphragm when you are resting in bed. However there isn't much you can do to reduce your breathlessness when taking a flight of stairs, besides climbing slowly.

Some Basic Pointers (Week 31)

Facts in a Gist

• Resist the temptation to overshop for baby by differentiating the essentials from the frills

• Don't feel pressured to buy everything before baby is born for its first year of life. You can gradually pick up stuff later

• If you are planning on using a car seat for baby, purchase a brand new one. That way you do not have to worry about whether it has been involved in a car accident

• Don't be alarmed by problems with insomnia or breathlessness - two common third trimester complaints


Breathlessness

You may find yourself short of breath on a more frequent basis. This is because your uterus pushes up, placing pressure on the diaphragm. First time mums find relief faster as they move into the last weeks of pregnancy when the fetus moves down into position. Women who have had a baby before will have to wait until labor begins before they feel any relief.


Leg Cramps

Another complaint is leg cramps which happens because of poor circulation, fatigue, compressed nerves and an imbalance of essential minerals. Don't point your toes as this only brings on the cramping. Warm compresses, massage and gentle exercises to stretch your legs and feet muscles are helpful. Diet evaluation to check what is lacking on your part and your doctor may advise calcium supplements to change the balance of minerals in your system can help too. Read Full Article


Backache Prevention Tips

Check with your doctor on some safe exercises to strengthen your back and abdominal muscles. Partial sit-ups and the pelvic tilt can help. Also:

• Lift items by bending your legs, not your back. Carry items close to your body

• Place a small cushion at the small of your back while sitting down

• Swim to reduce back strain

• Wear supportive shoes

• When sleeping, lie on your side with a pillow between your knees

Your Nutrition (Week 31)

Your blood volume is increasing still so you need to be good with your iron and vitamin C intake. Your weight gain is higher now than at any other time of your pregnancy. Your body is preparing itself for breast-feeding. It is important to take in the right kinds of fat i.e. polyunsaturated - to obtain the essential fatty acids. Baby's brain is growing faster than ever. The brain cells is increasing at a rate of 100,000 cells a minute! 70% of the calories your baby receives are used for brain growth. When your baby is born, its brain weighs about 350g of which 60% is fat (20% of this is a long chain of polyunsaturated fatty acids or LCPs). There is evidence that DHA (an active form of Omega 3) help prevent pregnancy induced hypertension, reduce the likelihood of premature birth, increases a baby's birth weight, improves its IQ, visual and cognitive brain function and protects against heart disease.






ESSENTIAL DIETARY NUTRIENTS

Nutrient	Mother	Baby
Vitamin A This is a powerful antioxidant	For production of hormones for lactation and good immunity	For maintaining healthy mucous membranes
B Vitamins This is needed in increased amounts	B1 for energy production, B6 for protein metabolism, folate to make DNA and with B12 to make red blood cells	B1 for energy production
Vitamin E This is a powerful antioxidant	Speeds up wound healing, increases skin suppleness, may strengthen uterine muscles	For development of nervous system and heart
Other Vitamins K is developed naturally in the gut but not in baby's so may given orally at birth	C for iron absorption, hormone production and resistance to infection. K for blood clotting	K for blood clotting
Calcium Fetus takes up at a rate of 350mg a day	For prevention of preeclampsia and raised BP; (with vitamin D to ease labor pains)	For development of bones and teeth
Zinc Boys take five times as much zinc as girls; deficiency is linked to undescended testicles	For hormonal balance; may help prevent stretch marks	For development and growth of reproductive system
Other minerals Iron intake must be kept high because it takes 6 weeks to build up supplies	Iron for manufacture of red blood cells (vitamins C, B6, B12 and folate improve absorption)	Selenium for brain development, phosphorus for bone development