A little over 31 weeks and I have not been more aware of having something/someone inside me as I have been over the past week. It seems with all 5 senses developed and most organs complete, all the baby wants to do now is dance. Turns out right about now babies also go through a pretty crazy growth spurt. I can feel him/her move constantly. I’m talking fist pumps, knee lifts, kicks at my ribs – this duckling is constantly on the move. The strangest part is just watching my belly move of its own accord. It’s creepy, in a total surreal but good way :)
Along with the uncomfortableness, tightness (aka Braxton hicks contractions) and pressure comes shortness of breath and a bit more fatigue then I’m accustomed to. All that pressure against the lungs as well as the increase in weight requires you to breathe a bit harder and take more breaks. My short torso doesn’t help either.
At this point you generally gain an average of 1 lb a week – since the baby is growing at its most in the 3rd trimester it makes sense that this is when you put on more weight. This is a bit harder than it sounds because the uterus is growing in a predefined space. Which means all of your other organs are getting squished, especially your stomach. The recommendation, and I can vouch for this, is to eat smaller meals more frequently. This helps you take in the calories you need, and reduces the chances of indigestion and heartburn.
Speaking of putting on the pounds, I’ve had a lot of people ask me about how much weight I’ve gained. Seems even in pregnancy we can’t cut ourselves a break and obsess about our size. From my research and reading, your optimal weight gain amount is based off of your Body Mass Index. If your BMI is normal then they say 25-35 is good. If it’s below normal, than you should gain a bit more and if it higher, you should gain a little less. Having said that it seems the average for many women is more like 30-40 so don’t sweat sticking to an exact number. You can calculate your BMI and see the chart here.
In my opinion, yes you should keep track of your weight but more than the number it’s about what you’re putting into your body that you should focus on. You need an average of 300 calories more a day during your pregnancy for your baby. That’s it. You’re not really eating for 2, more like 1.125. Combine that with the recommended daily intake of protiens, calcium, whole grains, vitamins, minerals, folic acid etc you and the baby require means you need to be a little picky about what you choose to do with those 300 lovely delicious calories. Lately for me, I’ve been giving into cravings for something sweet which is probably not the healthiest, but seeing as how for most of 2nd trimester I was craving raw veggies & fruit I’m giving myself a “get out of jail” pass. Plus I had my glucose test a few weeks back and seems my blood sugar levels are perfectly normal - HOORAY no gestational diabetes!
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