No, this isn’t coming from your 5 year old in the back seat, or a premonition of what is to come several years down the road. Rather, it is the way most women often feel during the third trimester of their pregnancy.

The longest nine months of a woman’s life has to be the nine months that she is pregnant. Holidays, summer vacations, and your baby’s first year all fly by…but the nine months that your baby is growing inside of you can seem endless.

If you aren’t one of the lucky ones, the first trimester often consists of fatigue, nausea, and frequent bathroom trips. Add in the visits to your doctors office, and there is really not much to look forward to during the first 3 months of pregnancy. With a new life growing inside of you, your life has to change in some ways as well. You will probably find that you aren’t able to stay up or out late anymore, and that you prefer to be at home in bed quite early. You also have to give up that Friday night glass of wine or margarita when you go out with friends. While the first three months of pregnancy can drag, it does end eventually!

The second trimester is when the fun begins and you should definitely try to enjoy it! During the second trimester you will probably start feeling better and find that you have more energy. You will be happy to find that you are able to stay up later to watch your favorite TV shows, or enjoy a night out with friends, minus the alcohol, of course! You will also have an ultrasound, find out the sex of your baby if you choose, do your baby registry, start shopping for baby gear, and feel the first movements. The doctor’s appointments are rather infrequent, which can make that part of the month drag, but at least you feel like having some fun in between them.

The longest part of pregnancy for most is the last trimester. Not only has the fatigue returned, but as you get bigger you may find that sleeping becomes very uncomfortable, especially if you are a tummy or back sleeper. Even if you do get comfortable sleeping, you might find that you aren’t sleeping much, because you are getting up several times a night to use the bathroom, and as soon as you drift off, your bladder starts calling.

In the third trimester, you get bigger, you may also find that it is more difficult to do common everyday tasks, like walking around, tying your shoes, and shaving your legs. Every day, as you get bigger and more uncomfortable, your due date nears and time may seem to slow down. It’s almost like the anticipation in the months leading up to a big vacation. You look forward to it, and it can’t come fast enough. Your doctor’s appointments become more frequent in the third trimester, eventually becoming weekly, so they can help speed up the pregnancy.

In the last months of pregnancy often women say, “He can come any day now,” or “He is due at the end of the month, but if he wants to come early that is fine!” In the last month, the first thing on a woman’s mind in the morning will be, “Is today going to be the day?” and the last thing at night is probably, “I hope my water doesn’t break tonight so that MAYBE I can get a good nights sleep.” Eventually even the most patient women will find themselves asking, “Are we there yet?”

During pregnancy a woman experiences many aches and pains. During the first trimester she often has fatigue and nausea. There is normally also some cramping as the uterus starts to expand and grow. There is also the constant urge to go to the bathroom as the uterus puts extra pressure on the bladder that the bladder.

During the second trimester, most of the first trimester pregnancy symptoms go away, although a new one tends to pop up. It is generally referred to as round ligament pain. But what is round ligament pain exactly?

The round ligaments are the ligaments at the bottom of your belly, which are positioned under the uterus, and expand and grow to help support your uterus as it gets bigger. As these ligaments stretch some women find it painful and are concerned. Most doctors and midwives will reassure you that these pains are a normal part of pregnancy.

During the third trimester this pain can increase as your uterus grows even bigger and the ligaments have to stretch more to support the weight of the baby, amniotic fluid, placenta and extra blood that your body is carrying in your belly. If the pain becomes unbearable, ask your provider what pain medication is safe to take while pregnant.

Some women are concerned because they don’t have round ligament pain, or they don’t seem to suffer from it as much as other women. Not every woman will experience a large amount of pain. Generally, in a first pregnancy, the pain won’t start as early or be as severe as it is in a woman’s second, third and subsequent pregnancies. This is normal and to be expected.

After you deliver the baby, remember that your body has “memory” so after your pregnancy is over, and as your belly shrinks and your body returns to normal, these round ligaments will return to their former, pre-pregnancy shape and size. This shrinking may also cause some pain, but it shouldn’t be as severe as when the ligaments originally stretched to make room for your baby.

Dehydration isn’t a big worry for most pregnant women, but for some women, it can become quite dangerous. Dehydration for anyone can cause weakness and sickness, but during pregnancy, it can also cause harm to your unborn baby or a spontaneous miscarriage.

Most of the time, dehydration during pregnancy occurs in the first trimester while the mother-to-be is dealing with morning sickness. When a woman experiences nausea and is unable to keep much of anything she eats down, including water, becoming dehydrated is very easy to do. Vomitting can deprive the body of the fluids and vitamins that it needs in order to stay healthy and to keep the baby hydrated.

Pregnant women will often end up in the hospital, and may need to be hooked up to an IV in order to be rehydrated when they are severely sick. A hospital stay can sometimes run to several days while the doctors try to get her vomiting under control. The biggest fear at this point is there not being enough amniotic fluid for the baby to grow in. Without enough amniotic fluid your baby could have deformities of the feet, legs and arms.

Later in pregnancy, during the second or third trimester, if a woman becomes dehydrated either from being sick, being too active and not drinking enough water, or during the summer months when it is very hot, it can cause different kinds of problems for both the mom-to-be and the baby. Dehydration often leads to premature labor as your uterus will start contracting. If you think this might be the case, try drinking at least two big glasses of water and laying down to rest to see if the contractions stop. Call your doctor or midwife as well to see what they suggest.

It is just as important to drink your eight glasses of water a day while pregnant as it is when you are not pregnant. Not only do you need to do it for your health, but you must do it for the health of your unborn baby as well.

What is pregnancy acne and what causes it? It isn’t a condition that affects every pregnant woman, and the women it does affect are all affected differently. Some women’s actually clears up and is smoother than ever during pregnancy, while others look like teenagers back in high school.

There are two things that make acne in pregnancy more prevalent. One is the increase of the hormone progesterone, and the other is the mother’s level of hydration. Not only does progesterone smooth the muscles of the uterus, which can lead to heartburn, but it also causes the secretions from your skin glands to increase, which leads to the increase in acne.

Staying hydrated in pregnancy is important, but as for everyone, it is recommended to a pregnant woman to drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day. More if possible. The water rehydrates the body including the skin, and it also softens the other effects of progesterone in your body, like helping with constipation and helping your uterus relax.

There is no cure for pregnancy acne and very little you can do about it besides taking steps to prevent secondary infection. You don’t want to scratch or pick at your face as it could lead to scarring. Try to wear little or no makeup in an effort to not clog the pores and wash your face well every morning and night.

Some OB/GYNs will provide prescriptions for a cream to use while pregnant. Others will refer you to a dermatologist. When this is the case, your dermatologist should work closely with your doctor to assure that they are prescribing you medication that is safe for you to take during your pregnancy.

An early sign of pregnancy, during the first trimester, are swollen or sore breasts. This can begin as early as a week after conception, often before a woman ever misses her period. The breasts might become larger, tender, and ache when they are touched. But what causes this tenderness?

A woman’s breasts are made up of fat, tissue, blood, and milk glands and their sole purpose is for breastfeeding. It is just a coincidence that the men seem to like women’s breasts as much as the babies do.

When a woman gets pregnant her breasts immediately start preparing to feed that baby nine months down the road. Extra blood begins to run through them and the milk glands grow, causing the swelling and pain that a woman might feel. A woman’s breasts will continue to grow throughout pregnancy, although the tenderness should fade after the first trimester. It is normal for a woman’s breasts to be 2-3 cup sizes bigger by the time her baby comes and she begins nursing.

Swollen and sore breasts do not necessarily mean that a woman is pregnant. Many women experience some swelling and tenderness in their breasts every month right before their period comes, or even at ovulation. Sore breasts can also be caused by a hormonal imbalance or starting, stopping, or changing birth control pills midway through a cycle. When in doubt, be sure to call your doctor.

Also referred to as “hemmies”, hemorrhoids are unfortunately a common part of pregnancy for many women. They can also appear during labor and cause trouble for women after the baby is born. What is a hemorrhoid?

A hemorrhoid is an enlarged vein that develops in and around the anal canal in both men and women. They are caused by excessive pressure to the pelvic and rectal areas. As pressure increases, blood builds up in the veins causing painful distention of the veins, leading to hemorrhoids.

The pressure that helps create a hemorrhoid is generally caused by rushing to complete a bowel movement, or from constipation. Constipation is a very common problem in pregnant women both in the first trimester, as first their organs start moving around to make space for the uterus, and in the third trimester as their intestines get cramped and crowded. Because of constipation, many women get hemorrhoids for the first time during pregnancy.

Hemorrhoids often develop during labor as a woman strains and pushes her baby out. A woman is normally told to “push like your are having a BM”, which is effective in helping the baby come down the birth canal, but it often also puts extreme pressure on the veins in the area.

Once they appear, hemorrhoids can be very painful even while you are doing the simplest things, like sitting. There are different suggestions your doctor may have to help you control and ease the henorroids. Pads soaked in witch hazel, like Tucks, can be used to wipe your hemorrhoids in an effort to help them decrease in size faster and be less painful. Some women will actually place a Tucks inside a maxi-pad in their panties so that it will sit on the hemorrhoid constantly.

Another option to help with hemorrhoids is to take a “sitz bath”. A sitz bath is a type of bath where only the woman’s hips and butt sit in warm water or a saline solution. It is used for people who have hemorrhoids or other issues like a recent surgery in the rectal area.

If your hemorrhoids do not seem to be going away, or they are increasingly painful, ask your doctor or midwife if they have any further ideas for relief.

Heartburn can pop its ugly head up at anytime during pregnancy. It is more common later in pregnancy, but many women feel it in the first trimester as well. What causes it? What can be done to help relieve it?.

When a woman gets pregnant, her placenta starts producing more of the hormone progesterone than what she normally has in her body. The progesterone coats the lining of her uterus, helping the muscles in the uterus relax in order to carry the baby. It also however, relaxes the valve between the stomach and esophagus that is intended to keep food and stomach acids down in the stomach. When this spincter muscle is relaxed, it allows the acid from the stomach to travel back up the esophagus, causing heartburn. This can also be called acid reflux.

Later during pregnancy, as your baby gets bigger and he starts pushing more on your organs, his position is likely to make the heartburn even worse! There are several things you can do to help ease the reoccurrence and discomfort of heartburn.

1. Try to stay away from foods that cause problems in the first place. These foods can include caffeine, chocolate, carbonated beverages like soda, citrus fruits such as oranges, and highly seasoned or fatty/fried foods.

    

2. Try not to eat large meals only once or twice a day. Your body needs time to digest little amounts of food in order to help keep the heartburn from starting. Eat small amounts several times a day.

    

3. Try not to eat and then go straight to bed. Take your last meal several hours before bedtime so that your food has time to digest while you are sitting up. This will lessen the chance of the acid travelling back up your esophagus when you lay down.

    

4. Don’t wear tight clothing that presses down on your belly. Keep it comfortable and loose so that you don’t have the extra pressure on the baby which can put extra pressure on your stomach and contribute to heartburn.

    

5. You should not be drinking alcohol and smoking during pregnancy anyway, but if you are, stop! Alcohol and smoking can cause heartburn on their own.

    

6. There are over the counter antacids that you might be able to take, but be sure to ask your doctor or midwife before you take them, to make sure they are safe for you in your pregnancy.

Remember, every pregnancy is different. Some women may never experience heartburn; others may find that they have terrible heartburn caused by foods they are eating that are not in this list. If you are unable to find relief, be sure to check with your health care provider as they may have a suggestion for you that will relieve your heartburn once and for all.

Whether it is their first pregnancy, or they have been pregnant before, many women have heard the term “hCG” while they are either trying to conceive, or shortly after they conceive, but they don’t necessarily know what it means.

In the medical world, hCG is short for Human chorionic gonadotropin which is a hormone that a woman makes when she is pregnant. It can be detected in a urine sample or a blood sample as early as 10 days before your period should start. However, it can take until several days after you miss your period for these levels to be high enough that they can be detected.

The hCG hormone helps sustain a woman’s pregnancy until the second trimester when the placenta starts functioning fully and takes over. It also helps create the testes, secretes estrogen, and helps develop the placenta.

For women who have faced infertility issues, or who have had problems with miscarriages, doctors will routinely draw blood to check the hCG levels 2-3 times a week in early pregnancy. This is because hCG is supposed to at least double in a 48 hour period until it reaches a certain level, when it starts to decline. If the levels are doubling, it is often a sign that the pregnancy is viable and progressing as normal. If there is only a small rise in the number, no rise in the number, or a drop, it can be the first sign to a doctor or midwife that this pregnancy may not last through the first trimester.

There is no “norm” in the range for hCG levels in a pregnancy. They generally fall into this range.

If hCG levels are taken and they not only double, but triple, quadruple or more, this is often a sign that there is more than one baby in the uterus. When a woman is pregnant with multiples, her hormones will rise much faster than they do when it is just a single pregnancy.

If you have questions about your hCG levels, be sure to ask your doctor or midwife. They are the only ones who can correctly test, judge, and give you answers regarding the health of your pregnancy.

When a woman believes she might be pregnant, the quickest way to find out is via a urine test, either at the doctor’s office or by purchasing an over-the-counter pregnancy test from a drug store. Once a woman confirms she is pregnant she should make an appointment with her doctor or midwife for a pelvic exam and pap smear.

Once a woman is about six weeks pregnant, or four weeks after conception, a doctor can tell if she is pregnant by doing a pelvic exam. In the pelvic exam, the doctor will check for the size of the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus, and can tell by the size how far the pregnancy has developed. During the pelvic exam, the doctor will also check the cervix for a hint of blue coloring which appears when a woman is pregnant.

At one of the first appointments during the first trimester a woman will also be given the option of having a pap smear done. Pap smears are recommended once every 12 months for women, but are not generally done after the first trimester, and then not again until about six weeks after your baby is born. A pap smear is done by a doctor taking a sample of the cells around the outer edge of the cervix to test for precancerous cells. If caught early enough cervical cancer can often be avoided.

Some women who have recently had a pap smear done or have a history of miscarriages or problems during pregnancy will turn down a pap smear, which can irritate the cervix. If you are unsure about whether or not you should have a pap smear, tell your doctor about your history and ask his or her opinion on the subject.

One of the first signs of pregnancy can be the increased tightening of clothes around the waistline. Pants, shorts, and shirts that once fit perfectly now are a bit uncomfortable. This isn’t because you are “showing” already, but more because your body is starting to retain fluids, and your breasts are growing in order to prepare to carry your baby through the first, second and into the third trimesters.

Tight clothing before you even have a bump can be very frustrating. If it isn’t your first pregnancy you may notice these changes earlier than other newly pregnant women. Most of the time, the first trimester is too early for maternity clothes, with their big elastic waistbands or big pouches, and yet no ome wants to have to spend money on new clothes every few weeks until the maternity clothes fit you.

If it is warm outside, your range of choices may be a bit wider than when the temperatures are colder. Try light, loose-fitting shorts with elastic waistbands for running around town, your house, or heading to the pool. Loose pull over short sleeve shirts and tank tops are perfect for avoiding your shirt stretching at the buttons over your growing breasts. Sundresses that don’t have a waist at all are a great choice, and something that you might already have in your closet. The idea is to be comfy!

If it is cooler outside and shorts are not an option, or you have to work in an office where you have a dress code, try looking for some black slacks or pants that don’t button, and instead have elastic or a draw string so that as the day goes on, there is room for you to grow and get comfortable. Black slacks can be dressed up or dressed down and can be worn with anything, so your options are unlimited. Stick to the tops in your closet that don’t have buttons if your breast size is rapidly growing, as pullovers and sweaters won’t look so stretched. On weekends or when running around town, try to stick to sweat bottoms as the elastic waist can move with your body.

When you get home for the day, there is nothing wrong with pulling out your comfortable pajama’s or a lounging outfit that has no buttons or zippers and putting it on for the evening. The third trimester, and after your baby is born, is soon enough to be uncomfortable all day, so there is no reason to be uncomfortable during the early days of your pregnancy.