In the third trimester of pregnancy, the position of the fetus in the abdomen continues to decline, causing pregnant women to feel distended in the lower abdomen. The digestive function of pregnant women may deteriorate, and symptoms such as constipation, frequent urination, and edema may also occur. Due to the effects of hormones, you may develop brown spots and freckles on your face, and the color around your nipples, belly, and vulva may become darker. Fortunately, most pigmentation will gradually disappear after delivery, so there is no need to worry. Too worried.
In the third trimester of pregnancy, the fetus\’s head gradually enters the pelvis to find a suitable fetal position for delivery. Some fetuses are smaller and enter the pelvis earlier. During this time, the most important thing is to get enough rest, because the little life is coming soon.
Analysis of common symptoms in late pregnancy
I have severe constipation. Should I go to the hospital?
Many expectant mothers suffer from constipation, which becomes more severe in the third trimester. Various methods have been tried, but the effect is not obvious. Constipation, do you need to see a doctor?
In the third trimester of pregnancy, due to the reduced activity of pregnant women, the peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract is also relatively weakened. Food residues remain in the intestines for a long time, which can cause constipation and even hemorrhoids.
Countermeasures
If constipation is severe, go to the hospital. If you remain ignorant of bowel movements, toxins will be absorbed by the body. Under what circumstances should you go to the hospital? This needs to be compared with what is usually the case. If the interval between defecation is much longer than usual, the stool is hard and difficult to defecate, there is a feeling of distension in the abdomen, or even blood in the stool, then you need to go to the hospital.
Why do I urinate frequently again?
During the comfortable second trimester, the problem of frequent urination returned. I keep thinking about going to the toilet, it’s so troublesome! At the end of pregnancy, due to the descent of the fetal head and pressure on the bladder, the frequency of urination in pregnant women will increase. This is a normal physiological phenomenon during pregnancy.
Countermeasures
Urinate promptly and do not hold urine.
Don\’t drink water 1-2 hours before going to bed to reduce the number of night awakenings.
If it is accompanied by urgency and painful urination at the same time, it is abnormal. Drink plenty of water and go to the hospital for a checkup.
Lower limb edema
In the third trimester of pregnancy, many pregnant women’s hands and feet become visibly swollen. What should we do in the face of edema?
Pregnant women have obvious lower limb edema in the third trimester of pregnancy. This is due to endocrine changes after pregnancy, which leads to water and sodium retention in the body. The pregnant uterus compresses the veins from the pelvic cavity to the lower limbs, blocking the blood flow to the lower limbs, causing edema of the lower limbs.
Countermeasures
In normal people, edema does not exceed the ankle joint. No special handling is required.
Try to avoid standing and squatting for long periods of time, elevate your lower limbs appropriately when sleeping, and sleep on your left side.
Rest with your feet elevated while sitting on a couch or chair, while rotating your ankles and feet to increase circulation.
doubleLift your hands overhead and flex them, then straighten each finger to help reduce finger swelling.
If the swelling is particularly obvious and the leg edema exceeds the knee, you need to go to the hospital.
Eating low-salt meals can reduce the occurrence of edema.
no appetite
In the third trimester of pregnancy, some pregnant mothers will feel a large appetite; however, there are also many pregnant mothers who have a poor appetite and eat less every time.
Loss of appetite does not mean there is a gastrointestinal problem. This is because in the third trimester of pregnancy, the enlarged uterus presses on the stomach, reducing the capacity of the stomach and making you feel full after eating a little.
Countermeasures
Change your eating habits and eat smaller meals more often. It is best to eat 6 meals a day, 3 big meals and 3 small meals.
In the third trimester of pregnancy, if a pregnant woman\’s weight gain is less than 0.4 kilograms per week, special attention should be paid to nutritional intake.
Heartburn, it hurts!
In the third trimester of pregnancy, some pregnant women will feel numbness and burning sensation in their stomach every time after eating, especially at night. Heartburn is very uncomfortable and can even affect sleep.
The main cause of heartburn in late pregnancy is endocrine changes and acid reflux, which stimulates pain receptors in the lower esophagus and causes a burning sensation. In addition, the huge uterus and fetus during pregnancy put greater pressure on the stomach, which slows down gastric emptying and causes gastric juice to stay in the stomach for a long time, which can easily cause gastric acid to reflux into the lower esophagus.
Countermeasures
This type of heartburn will go away on its own after delivery. Do not take medications for indigestion without your doctor\’s approval.
Eat slowly and in a relaxed environment to avoid overeating every time.
Heartburn can be relieved by standing upright slowly after eating.
Take a walk after dinner.
Drinking a glass of hot milk before going to bed also has a good effect.
Expert reminder
Some people will develop various problems such as stomachaches and headaches in the late stages, and it seems that everything is wrong. Normally, as long as it does not affect your normal work and rest, you don\’t need to go to the hospital, and you don\’t need to pay too much attention. In the third trimester of pregnancy, the ligaments of pregnant women completely relax due to the influence of hormones. The bones are almost falling apart, so it feels like the bones are falling apart.
irregular stomach pain
During the last month of my pregnancy, I had occasional abdominal pain. Are these contractions? Before giving birth, if you feel irregular pain in your stomach, don’t take it too seriously. Contractions start about a month before delivery. Some people don\’t feel anything at first and only feel contractions when they touch their belly with their hands. In the third trimester of pregnancy, these ineffective contractions will occur frequently and with increasing frequency.
Countermeasures
Medications are not necessary and usually do not provide much relief.
When this happens, you should rest and avoid irritating your abdomen.
If the pain makes you restless and affects your work and life, you need to go to the hospital.
Chloasma on face
Spots began to appear on my originally clean face, which was ugly! The appearance of pregnancy spots troubles many pregnant mothers. Due to the increased secretion of melanocyte-stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland during pregnancy, melanin can be deposited on the skin, causing symmetrical yellow patches or spots on the face of some pregnant women.
Countermeasures
Don\’t worry, stretch marks will disappear on their own after delivery and won\’t require treatment.
Expert Profile Xu Xianming was interviewed by the Director of Obstetrics Department of Shanghai First People’s Hospital/Xiaomi Expert/Xu Xianming (Director of Obstetrics Department)
pregnancy self-monitoring
Count fetal movements:
Fetal movement is the best signal for expectant mothers to grasp and understand the status of the fetus.
The third trimester of pregnancy is a period of frequent fetal activity, and pregnant women will also feel it very clearly. During the prenatal check-up, the doctor will teach you how to self-monitor fetal movements. Learn it carefully, carefully count fetal movements at home, and monitor the fetal condition according to the pattern of fetal movements. Normally, fetal movements are more than 3 times per hour, and fetal movements more than 30 times in 12 hours indicate that the fetus is in good condition. If it is less than 20 times, it means that the fetus has intrauterine hypoxia. If it is less than 10 times, it means that the fetus is in danger and needs to go to the hospital for examination.
Measure the uterine height:
The length from the pubic symphysis in the lower abdomen to the fundus of the uterus is the uterine height. At 32-34 weeks of pregnancy, the palace height should reach 1-2 transverse fingers below the xiphoid process. If there is no change in uterine height for 2 consecutive weeks, pregnant women need to go to the hospital immediately.
Measuring abdominal circumference:
Use a measuring tape to measure once a week around the level of your umbilicus. After 34 weeks of pregnancy, abdominal girth growth slows down. If the abdominal circumference increases too quickly, you should be alert to polyhydramnios.
When is the best time for pregnant women to stop working?
Pregnant women generally do not have health problems if they insist on working as usual. However, after the third trimester of pregnancy, you should avoid working night shifts, standing for long periods of time, lifting heavy objects, and jobs with high turbulence. When working, pay attention to the balance between work and rest. Once you feel tired, you can stop and rest. Even try to find time to take a nap.
According to national regulations, women of childbearing age can enjoy no less than 90 days of maternity leave. Two weeks of the 90 days of maternity leave are actually for prenatal preparation. Therefore, pregnant women who are 38 weeks pregnant can rest at home to adjust their bodies and make some material preparations for labor.
Of course, if there are abnormal conditions such as premature birth and pregnancy-induced hypertension, and the doctor recommends rest or hospitalization for monitoring, the pregnant woman should absolutely obey the doctor\’s instructions and stop working.
When is the right time to stop working normally? This varies from person to person. Generally speaking, pregnant women are in good health, everything is normal, and their work is relatively easy, and they can be pregnant two days before the expected date of delivery.Stop working after about 10 weeks, and some pregnant women with good health and working conditions may not be too late even if they work until they show signs of labor. However, if the pregnant woman suffers from a more serious disease, or has significant abnormalities found in prenatal examination, or has important pregnancy complications, she should rest in advance. When to start, follow your doctor\’s advice.