Is the growing baby causing you sciatica pain -- that sharp, shooting pain that also sends a feeling of numbness? Try our yoga for relief. You may be experiencing dry skin this week. Your heart is working hard to pump blood to meet the growing needs, so drink lots of water and take a break when feeling dizzy. Your baby’s brain is still developing, but the central nervous system has developed enough to allow your baby to begin to control his body temperature. Tell your spouse to give you a massage when those feet hurt!

Garbha Vriddhi

सप्तमे सर्वांगप्रत्यंग विभागः प्रव्यक्ततरः। (सुश्रुत शारीरस्थान)

Ayurveda says that a good differentiation of all major and minor parts of the foetus becomes amply clear in this month.

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Your Baby's Development

Brain triples in weight

Your baby's brain is adding billions of new nerve cells. His senses of hearing, smell, and touch are nicely operational now. The third trimester has begun and in this period, the brain triples in weight. The cerebrum develops deep, convoluted grooves that provide extra surface area without taking up more room in the skull. A protective covering of myelin begins to form around his nerves during this trimester, a process that will continue for a year after he's born.

Facial features

Babies often stick out their tongues at this age. While we don’t know why they do that, it does possibly mean that your baby is tasting your amniotic fluid. He is also opening and closing his eyes, fluttering those newly-acquired eye-lashes!

Baby's getting into position

Your baby is settling into the right position for birth, which will be head-down. But, some babies may be in the breech position at this stage, with their head up and their bottom down. Don’t worry though - most babies will move into the head-down position by the time they are born.

Sweetly dreaming

Your baby begins to experience REM (rapid eye movement) sleep that points towards dreaming. Although we cannot say for certain that they are actually dreaming in this state, this still indicates that they are mentally active while asleep.

Your Pregnancy Symptoms

Sciatica (tingling leg pain)

The third trimester is here. As your baby grows, the additional weight puts pressure on unstable joints and muscles. In some cases, the baby's position may be the cause of sciatic nerve compression. Watch your posture especially while sitting. If in pain, take a warm bath or use a gentle foam roller on your buttocks and lower legs.

Blocked nose

Again, the hormones, estrogen and progesterone increase blood flow to the mucous membranes in your nose, causing them to swell. Use a nasal spray on doctor’s advice.

Inflamed gums

Your hormones may cause gums to swell and bleed. This might make your mouth more vulnerable to bacteria and plaque. So, while brushing your teeth, remember to brush your tongue as well as to minimize the amount of bacteria in your mouth.

Braxton Hicks contractions

These are practice contractions and are preparing your body for birth. They can occur at any time. However, they don’t open your cervix, so you’re not actually going into labour. You may feel sensations ranging from a slight tightness in your abdomen to something more painful. These contractions are more likely to hit in the evening or after physical activity like exercise or sex. They can get stronger as your pregnancy progresses, and sometimes it can be tricky to tell whether you’re experiencing Braxton Hicks or true labor contractions. If you have any concerns about what you’re experiencing, ask your healthcare provider for advice.

Bloating and gas

The weight of the uterus adds pressure on your rectum, causing you to lose some control over the muscles in your rear. In addition, the pregnancy hormones that relax your intestinal muscles cause bloating and gas. Try to eat six small meals a day instead of three to ease this.

iMumz Wellness Tip

When you learn to breathe deeply,  you are lowering your heart rate, regulating blood pressure, and helping you relax, all of which help decrease how much of the stress hormone cortisol is released into your body.

In pregnancy, deep breathing or Deergha Shwasan is done in this specific manner from this week onwards. Inhale for 4 seconds  through your nose and exhale deeply for  6 seconds  through your mouth.

Pregnant women tend to breathe superficially due to the pressure of the uterus on the diaphragm muscle. This kind of breathing fills their lungs till the last  alveoli with oxygen.

Practicing from now on will give you a good mastery over breathing that will help in labour. It will make the contractions easy to bear and also conserve your energy till the end.

Your Pregnancy check-ups

At 28 weeks, you’ll have two appointments per month (every other week), and by 36 weeks pregnant, you’ll be going weekly .The Tdap vaccine is advised during 28-36 weeks of pregnancy.

Tdap (tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis) is a vaccine that protects against three serious diseases: Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious disease that causes severe coughing. Newborns and babies are at high risk of severe whooping cough, which can be life-threatening.

The growth scan is usually done at week 32. However, it will be done this week in case it is a  high risk pregnancy or if a slow growth was spotted in the anomaly scan. It is important to do this scan now for small-for-gestational-age babies and uncontrolled gestational diabetic mums.

What should you eat in this week of pregnancy?

Your body will need an extra dose of iron in the third trimester of your pregnancy to prevent anaemia or haemorrhage during delivery or even premature delivery. You would need approximately 6-7 mg of iron every day in this trimester. Dark green vegetables like spinach, turnip leaves, dried fruits like raisins and apricots, pumpkin and sesame seeds, soya beans, are all iron-rich foods that you can include in your diet.

Cashew & Peas Curry Recipe: This yummy Sri Lankan recipe is made with iron-rich cashew nuts and peas. 100 gram cashews contain 6.68 mg of iron! How about adding some spinach to get more iron in it?!

Ingredients  

• 250 gms dry kaju or cashew nuts.
• 1 tsp fenugreek
• 3-4 tsp chilli powder
• 50 gms onion, chopped
• 200 ml coconut milk extracts
• 1 cardamom
• 1 cinnamon
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 clove
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• Half-bowl spinach leaves

METHOD

• Soak the cashew nuts overnight in a bowl of water that has been brought to boiling point. Add a teaspoon of bicarbonate soda.  
• Next morning, wash thrice with fresh water. Boil until tender but do not make cashews soft. Wash in cold water after boiling.
• Heat oil in a pan and add curry leaves, onion and fry till onions are light brown.
• Add the cashew nuts mixed well with the powdered ingredients and salt. Add chopped spinach. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
• Add coconut milk. Bring to a boil and simmer till done.