Physical Annoyances during the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

Once you reach the third trimester of pregnancy, baby will be taking up quite a bit of space and will keep growing for almost three more months. This brings new physical annoyances that you haven’t yet experienced or haven’t dealt with since early pregnancy. See what kind of annoyances and discomforts you can expect during the last trimester.

1. Frequent Urination

As your growing uterus increases pressure on your bladder during the third trimester of pregnancy, you will need to urinate more frequently. Be sure to urinate as often as you feel the urge and empty your bladder. Do not hold your urine in, as this may increase your chances of developing a urinary tract infection or even trigger premature contractions.

2. More Breast Changes in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

Your breasts continue to enlarge, and you may start leaking thick, yellowish milk called colostrum.

3. Vaginal Pain

Occasional sharp pain in your vaginal area during the third trimester of pregnancy is normal due to the pressure on your cervix.

4. Pelvic Pains

You may experience sharp pains and a feeling of pressure in your pelvic area, especially when you lift your leg to get out of bed or put on your underwear. These are most likely due to the shifting of your pelvic bones and the loosening of the ligaments attached to these bones in preparation for the little passenger that will soon be coming through. The more pregnancies you have, the more you may experience these pelvic sensations.

5. Groin Pain in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

You may notice a sudden sharp pain when you laugh, cough, sneeze, twist, change position, or reach for something. This is caused by stretching of the ligaments that attach your uterus to your pelvis. Adjusting and changing position will ease this pain.

6. Frequent Thirst

This is your body’s signal that you need to drink a lot of water to keep up with your body’s increased fluid demands this trimester. Drink to your thirst’s content, and then some.

7. Feeling Faint

After you have been standing or active for a long time, or when you rise too quickly, you may experience a faint or dizzy feeling similar to what you felt in the first trimester. Sit or lie down immediately. Low blood sugar can contribute to this light-headed feeling, so be sure to snack frequently. Resting, eating nutritious food, and avoiding sudden moves to the upright position will lessen faintness during your third trimester of pregnancy.

8. More Vaginal Discharge

Expect more whitish vaginal discharge, enough to necessitate the use of panty liners.

9. Frequent Heartburn

During the second trimester, you may have had a reprieve from the heartburn of the first few months, but now that burning feeling reappears. In the third trimester of pregnancy, it is more the result of upward pressure of the growing uterus than of pregnancy hormones. Propping yourself upright during sleep; eating small, frequent meals; and keeping yourself upright after a meal should help.

10. Constipation During the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

In the third trimester of pregnancy, your enlarging uterus and its growing occupant seem to push your intestines aside, contributing to constipation. Your increasing need for water elsewhere in your body may steal needed fluid from your intestines, also leading to constipation. Be sure you drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. If you feel the need to take a fiber supplement, be cautious. Some gel-forming fiber supplements – such as those made with pectins, cellulose and inulin – may reduce the absorption of calcium, zinc, iron and other important minerals. We like Sunfiber and Regular Girl, which both contain galactomannan (a unique prebiotic fiber) and doesn’t have this effect. In fact, it has been clinically shown to increase absorption of minerals that are so essential during pregnancy.