Entering the third trimester? These 8 changes that occur in the mother's body

Entering the third trimester of pregnancy indicates that you are getting closer to the time of labor. The fetus in the womb also gets bigger, continues to develop and grow until the time of birth arrives. On the other hand, you will also feel a lot of body changes during pregnancy in the 3rd trimester. Anything?

Various body changes in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy

1. Increase in weight

One of the changes in the body at the beginning of the 3rd trimester is a drastic weight gain. This includes natural because it is caused by a growing fetus.

In addition, the size of the placenta, amniotic fluid, uterus, and enlarged breasts are also reasons why you gain weight.

The weight gain that is usually experienced by women - who have a normal BMI before pregnancy - in the third trimester of pregnancy is around 11-16 kg.

2. Back and pelvic pain

As you get closer to the time of delivery, the body's hormones change. This hormonal change causes the joints between the bones of the pelvis to relax.

Actually, this condition occurs to make it easier for pregnant women to release the baby during labor later. But during the third trimester this is precisely what causes back pain in pregnant women.

3. False contractions appear

Be prepared to experience several contractions during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. These contractions that occur more than once are usually fake, not real birth sign contractions, even though the symptoms and taste are almost the same.

Indeed, not all women will experience these false contractions, but it is not impossible that this can happen to you. Some of the things that distinguish false contractions from real contractions:

False contractions are usually not as painful as contractions during labor
Does not occur at regular time intervals
Can be eliminated by stopping activity or changing the position of sitting or sleeping.
Didn't happen for a long time
The more often it happens, the less pain will be

4. Breath becomes shorter

The fetus that grows bigger in the final trimester will automatically push against the uterus.

The diaphragm (the muscle under the lungs that helps the process of taking in air) also moves up about 4 cm from its pre-pregnancy position. The air spaces in the lungs are also compressed. All of these things result in you being unable to take in too much air in one breath.

5. Feel the stomach heat

One of the consequences of hormonal changes during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy are symptoms heartburnaka stomach heat. Heat sensation or heartburn this occurs when stomach acid rises into the esophagus.

In pregnant women, the hormone progesterone relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus and stomach, so that stomach acid can rise. In addition, this hormone also slows down contractions in the intestines, so digestion becomes slower.

6. Swelling in several parts of the body

During pregnancy, the body produces 50% more blood than normal conditions. This is of course to support the baby who is in the mother's womb. The bigger the mother's stomach, it will compress the blood vessels around the uterus.

This pressure makes blood flow slower and causes fluid buildup in several parts of the body. The part of the body that most often experiences swelling is the ankle and its surroundings.

7. Frequent urination

The enlarging uterus can also put pressure on the bladder - the organ that holds urine before expelling it. The position of the fetus that has moved towards the pelvis makes the bladder even more depressed.

The pressure on the bladder stimulates you to urinate more frequently. Especially when you laugh, cough, or sneeze, urine can come out suddenly because there is additional pressure from the activities you are doing at that time.

8. Hemorrhoids and varicose veins occur in the legs

Hemorrhoids or hemorrhoids occur when the blood vessels around the rectum are swollen. While varicose veins are also an inflammation of the blood vessels, but in this case they occur in the veins of the legs.

This inflammation of the blood vessels is caused by the hormone progesterone, which stimulates the blood vessels to dilate themselves during pregnancy. In addition, the pressure from the uterus which causes the blood vessels around the uterus to be blocked makes blood flow in the legs and rectum also slows down.