The third trimester of pregnancy runs from week 28 to week 40. The end of the pregnancy is in sight and your body is preparing for childbirth. Your baby also goes through a huge growth spurt in this final phase of pregnancy; he or she quadruples in weight. Your belly will therefore grow enormously during the last stages of your pregnancy and this will be accompanied by symptoms that you did not experience earlier in your pregnancy.
Leaking breasts
Towards the end of pregnancy, milk production may have already started. Foremilk, also called colostrum, then flows from the nipples. This cannot be prevented. What you can do is place compresses in your bra to absorb the leaked fluid. This prevents embarrassing situations in which you walk around with wet spots in your shirt at chest height.
Varicose veins
The uterus is dilated and must be provided with optimal blood supply. The veins are under pressure and your body has to work hard to pump the blood to the heart with enough force. In addition, the hormone progesterone causes the walls of the blood vessels to become weaker. This makes it difficult for the blood to flow back to the legs, resulting in blue, tortuous swellings on your legs. Varicose veins usually do not disappear after pregnancy, so it is best to try to prevent them. What you can do to stimulate blood flow is to regularly raise your legs so that the blood can flow back. Exercise also has a positive effect and you can alternate hot and cold water in the shower, which also has a positive effect on blood circulation.
Cramps in the calves
A phenomenon that many women struggle with in the third trimester is calf cramps. From one moment to the next, usually in the evening or at night when you are lying in bed, the cramps start. Opinions are divided as to what causes this. Some think that carrying the extra weight and the strain on the leg muscles is the cause, while others think it has to do with the blood flow in the legs, which is not optimal. In any case, taking magnesium cannot do any harm.
Pelvic instability
As the body prepares for childbirth at this stage of pregnancy, the joints and ligaments around the pelvis become more stretchy. This way the baby can find its way out more easily. When the ligaments and the muscles around them have become too weak, the bone parts can shift in the pelvis. This phenomenon is called pelvic instability and results in pain complaints. You may experience pain around the pubic bone, in the hips, in the lower back and around the tailbone. You cannot prevent this and unfortunately there is nothing you can do about it. What you can do to alleviate the complaints is to become aware of which activities cause you pain. You can learn to adjust your posture accordingly, possibly with the help of a physiotherapist.
Hard bellies
Hard bellies are caused by the involuntary contraction of the uterus. Your stomach becomes hard, but this does not hurt. When the uterus is stimulated by, for example, being too busy or making an unexpected movement, it responds by becoming hard. As long as this happens occasionally and is painless, there is no harm. If you are not yet allowed to give birth, but you often suffer from hard bellies (more than six times per hour) and the frequency does not decrease by resting and lying down, it is wise to contact your midwife. Hard bellies should not hurt at all. If this is the case and you are not yet ready to give birth, it is also advisable to contact your midwife.
