3rd Month Pregnancy Care – Symptoms, Precautions and Baby Growth

Cheers on its your third month pregnancy journey. This is the right time to break the news to friends and family as miscarriage risks and any other pregnancy issues are comparatively much lesser. Also this is the time when you start feeling a slight baby bump. The third month pregnancy symptoms begin with a rapid growth and development of your baby. The foetal growth is faster and you may even feel his movements. Lets discuss 3rd month pregnancy care in detail.

Secondly, the level of hormones in your bloodstream is at its peak. It is believed that this is the time when the pregnant woman starts glowing. It is difficult to ignore the shiny glowing skin, sparkling happy eyes and the growing bump. The feeling is surely exciting. Right Your 3rd month pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness, vomiting, tiredness will not intensify but will start to subside from this month.

Mood swings will still persist even in the 3rd month. Also the uterus will start growing rapidly and your body will start changing. You can feel the movement of your baby as the bones of the baby will be hardening. At this stage it is still difficult to differentiate whether it’s a boy or a girl. By now you must enroll yourself with a good gynecologist. They will recommend you the following checkups and medical tests.

A complete scan for the first time in your pregnancy will be done at 3rd month.
Your blood pressure, weight, examination of uterus.
Blood test including hemoglobin and anemia tests
Urine test to check sugar, protein levels etc.
Doctors will also check for baby’s heartbeat.

Make sure you go to doctor with a plethora of questions and doubts you have in your mind so that you don’t have any anxiety or pregnancy related fears.

3rd Month Pregnancy Care

Let me discuss everything in detail. What kind of precautions are required. How much your baby grow by end of 3rd month. what you have to do and what not in month 3 of pregnancy.

BABY DEVELOPMENT during 3rd month of pregnancy

The third month is one of the most important moments during pregnancy. In this month your baby will grow triple in size. Following are the baby developments that will take place this month.

The baby bones will start to take shape and harden.
Eyes will be wide open and large. Eyelids will form at a later stage though.
External ears will be formed at this stage.
The mouth starts to join together, lips take shape and the nostrils are also formed.

As mentioned above you still cannot differentiate between a baby boy and girl at this stage. External genitalia will begin to form but reproductive organ formation will still take some time. Baby is not a foetus anymore. The tail will disappear. Head will form half the size of baby’s body. It is completely normal as brain cells develop faster. the neurological system of foetus is undergoing tremendous growth than the rest of the body. The skeleton continues to form including the joints.

The cardiovascular system, pulmonary, digestive system, and respiratory system will be also in place. This month will be start of foetal development as far as mobility and touch is concerned. Toes and fingers start taking shape. First sense is touch that comes into play. This generally requires specific cells in the skin, spinal cord, and also the brain. They detect pain and contact. Considerable changes will start happening in the already established organs and systems. Baby will be around 3.-3.5 inches in height and around 28 gm in weight. Now that you have entered the third month of pregnancy, the embryo can officially be called a foetus. The bones begin to become more solid in this, the final month of the first trimester.

3rd Month Pregnancy symptoms

Pregnant women will start gaining weight from this month. But don’t be scared as your body is preparing for nursing the baby and breast feeding. Your uterus will start growing considerably. Your pregnancy won’t be noticeable to people yet unless you announce the news. During this phase your body will go under a rapid transformation and the following 3rd month pregnancy symptoms will be visible and will start happening.

One of the common 3rd month pregnancy symptoms is breasts enlarging. Breasts will continue to grow. This fat accumulation is bodies way to prepare you for breastfeeding. The areolas will start darkening and your nipples will change too.
3rd month pregnancy symptoms like frequent urge to go to pee will become less frequent this month as compared to beginning of your pregnancy.
Your gums may also bleed due to hormonal changes.
3rd month pregnancy symptoms like constipation and bloating will continue this month as well since the intestines have slowed down. Keep an eye on your food and make sure you eat healthy and fresh meals. Eat a lot of fruits, and green vegetables. Increase the fibre content in your diet.
Weight gain is subjective depending on whether you have food cravings or aversions.
Morning sickness may get intense or reduce in the 3rd month of pregnancy. You are likely to feel dizzier and throw up more often than before. If you are a working woman than you must take special care in this month especially due to this particular 3 month pregnancy symptoms, so make sure you talk to your doctor on how to deal with the frequent vomiting and uneasiness.

Must Check – Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator

The vaginal discharge might increase.
Mood swings will continue or may even intensify. Hormone levels are at its peak and you may experience a roller coaster of emotions.
3rd month pregnancy symptoms like Headache and Backache will be common. This majorly happens as you tend to lean more. Since your babies weight is increasing at the front, it comes naturally to all the mothers.
Fatigue is a 3rd month pregnancy symptom which comes and stays like an unwelcome guest. You are likely to feel more tired, sleepy and exhausted than before.
Your uterus will expand as all the nearby muscles and ligaments continue to expand. This is considered to be a good sign indicating that miscarriage chances are very low.
You will continue to crave for foods and will remain surprised with the type of cravings.
A dark line starts to develop down the middle of your tummy till your pubic bone. This 3rd month pregnancy symptom is due to the hormonal changes.
Some women also experience changes in hair growth, skin colour etc.

PRECAUTIONS during pregnancy to be taken in the 3rd month

You will have to make an additional effort from here on. Dealing with the sudden changes in your body is not going to be easy. However, ensuring that you are well prepared to tackle the challenges will help win the battle. Below are few precautions during pregnancy that you must keep in mind while dealing with changes.

1) Diet precautions during early pregnancy
In this month, pay attention to your diet. Eat balanced meals and try to eat small portions of meals throughout the day. Your doctor will guide you about pregnancy care and on nutritious value of different foods. Make sure you eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, cereals and fibre. This will also ease your constipation issue and help in weight gain. It is a good idea to avoid Carbs and sugars instead include more of protein, vitamins and healthy fats in your meals. It’s better to take precaution during pregnancy by avoiding foods that may cause stomach swelling, such as cabbage, onion, fried food, sugar. A Big NO NO to junk foods, spicy/oily foods.

Take prescribed supplements of folic acid, iron, vitamin D, iodine etc. Drink lot of water. Stay hydrated. If you don’t like the idea of drinking plain water than squeeze some lemon and honey in there. Also intake of fluids is important in pregnancy to combat the ongoing constipation and hemorrhoids.

2) Monitor your Emotions as pregnancy precautions
To begin with do not take stress. As your hormones are going crazy, body is changing due to weight gain. It is possible that you may start feeling unattractive. These feelings are common and all pregnant women experience them. Don’t make it worry you anymore. You find that you get upset very easily on small things. You will either experience heightened happiness and pleasure or you may be depressed, angry and moody. This is beyond your control.

So take necessary precautions during early pregnancy by talking to your spouse and get yourself surrounded by happy people. Speak with your doctor regarding all your worries. Listen to soothing songs. Do not go silent, instead clear your doubts and come out of your shell as a part of precautions during early pregnancy. Remember, this mood swings are happening due to hormones and are very common. You must keep a watch if you are undergoing major depression. If yes than it is best to take advice from a counsellor.

3) Precautions during pregnancy about Fatigue and Dizziness
It’s common to faint and feel dizzy. This happens because there is increased pressure on heart for blood production in the 3rd month of pregnancy. Take enough sleep. Make sure to take short breaks if you are working. Remember, this month you will feel very tired. So take enough rest. Sleep if you feel tired. Don’t try battling this phase. Taking power naps during the day will make you feel you much better.

4) Get some Exercise
Fitness and exercising daily is a must as one of the pregnancy precautions. Remember to do exercise under supervision of a professional. Meditation and Yoga helps a lot to focus your thoughts.

5) Personal hygiene
You will experience vaginal discharge more than before. Make sure you take proper pregnancy care by keeping your vaginal area dry and clean all the time. Maintain good hygiene in genital areas to reduce bacterial and yeast infections. Brush teeth well and also pay attention to habits of oral hygiene since hormones can be the reason for bleeding gums. Take dentist’s appointment to treat your teeth problems. This duty should be taken seriously as the hidden infections can trouble your pregnancy and health of the baby.

6) Sex during third month of pregnancy
Sex during third month of pregnancy is OK only if there is no complication. Consult your doctor for better guidance. Avoid intercourse as precautions in pregnancy if there has been a previous miscarriage or there is light bleeding during the first few weeks of pregnancy. Man should be gentle & thoughtful during intercourse. Try only comfortable positions.

7) Bad Habits
Avoid smoking and coffee, alcohol and drugs as they would influence the baby’s development. During 3rd month of pregnancy, it’s mandatory that you bid adieu to all bad habits which can affect health of your baby. This is going to be a major aspect of your pregnancy care. Say No to stressful and strong activities like heavy object lifting which can put pressure on the womb thereby harming your baby. Start wearing comfortable footwear and stop wearing heels. You tend to get more tired by wearing high heels. Furthermore, do not take any painkillers for headache, backache etc without discussing with your doctor.

8) Sauna
Avoid Hot tubs and saunas during the first trimester of pregnancy. The high temperature in fact affects the normal development of the foetus. Since these involve staying in an environment that is above normal body temperature.

Make the most of this special time by taking enough pregnancy care and enjoy your 3rd month of pregnancy. Do not take stress and overcome the 3rd month pregnancy symptoms so your baby will be able to develop in the best conditions. Keep your family and friends close to you at this time. As a woman, nothing can beat the happiness of being pregnant but it also makes them the most nervous because it is natural for all women to want everything to go perfectly and smoothly for their child.