You are 33 Weeks and 5 Days 44 days to go…
You may be learning breathing and relaxation techniques at prenatal classes, but practice them at home, too.
Your baby today
At this stage your baby may lie transversely
across your uterus as here, but such a position becomes increasingly
less likely as the pregnancy advances. The more babies you have had the
more likely it is that the shape of your uterus allows this lie.
When you are tense and frightened,
pain can feel much worse, so teaching yourself to relax and stay calm
can help. With around six weeks to go, you still have plenty of time to
try out some of the breathing and relaxation techniques that will help
you during labor. It’s true that practice makes perfect and it can take
some time to train your mind to relax at will, especially if you are in
pain.
Spend a short period of
time as often as you can, every day if possible, practicing your
breathing—close your eyes and slow your breathing down, breathing in
through your nose and out through your mouth. As you breathe in, imagine
your breath entering your body and relaxing you and as you exhale you
breathe out any pain or tension. You might want to involve your partner
by asking him to breathe with you or count your breathing, a slow count
to three or five for every inhale and exhale.
Some women like to
practice using the techniques while pinching their arm temporarily to
simulate a contraction—although of course it won’t mimic the pain
exactly! Practicing these techniques in a calm, relaxed manner in late
pregnancy will help you to use them effectively on the big day.
You’re more likely to get a seat on public transportation in Japan due to the “manners squad”!
If you find that no
one gives up their seat for you on public transportation, you’re not
alone. In Japan, however, the “manners squad” mission is to patrol
trains and make sure that any seats are vacated by the young and offered
to those who need them.
… Nutrition
Fuel for fitness
Demand for nutrients is higher
when you’re exercising and even higher when you’re pregnant. This is
not the time to reach for low-nutrient, high-calorie snacks; ensure you
make careful choices when it comes to the nutrients you put into your
body.
You should be eating a
snack before you exercise, consisting of a complex carbohydrate and a
protein. You should also eat frequent small meals and snacks if you are
feeling hungry. It’s fine to snack throughout the day.
Some healthy snack ideas are as follows:
Half a bagel spread with two teaspoons of peanut butter
An apple or banana and a handful of raw almonds
A pear with two slices of Cheddar cheese
Carrot, celery, and cucumber sticks and/or breadsticks dipped into two tablespoons of humus
Cottage cheese or cream cheese spread on two large crackers or whole-wheat toast.
A banana is a fabulous fruit to eat before exercising because it gives you a slow and steady release of energy.
You are 33 Weeks and 6 Days 43 days to go…
Your baby is naturally nourished inside the uterus and her own digestive tract is now functioning well.
Your baby today
Your baby is now capable of producing all of the enzymes that
will process food within the digestive tract. If born early, your baby
could now feed normally although some will still require help since they
need to fine tune the coordination of their suckling reflexes.
Eighty percent of your baby’s energy needs
are met by carbohydrates, mainly in the form of glucose, and almost 20
percent from protein. Fat is not used as an energy source but it is used
for growth. All mineral, vitamin, and calcium needs are met from your
own reserves and your diet. Two possible exceptions are iron and folate,
a water-soluble vitamin that occurs naturally in foods; folic acid is
the synthetic version. Folate does not easily cross the placenta to
reach and nourish your baby. Your own iron reserves may already be low
if you eat little or no red meat or if this pregnancy has followed on
quickly from your last one. Your baby needs iron (and folate) to make
red blood cells and because only a small percentage of iron in your diet
is absorbed, iron supplementation is often recommended at this stage.
While all of your
baby’s gut structures were present by 20 weeks, it is not until this
stage that all the enzymes needed for digestion are activated and the
absorptive surface of the gut is established to a degree that would
enable your baby to feed if she were born now.
Getting up from lying down
After you’ve exercised on the floor, or have been resting in bed,
you may find it a struggle to get up from lying down. This simple
maneuver can put a strain on your abdominal muscles, which are
stretched, and it isn’t helped by your altered center of gravity. The
technique shown below was originally devised by yoga teachers to help
you get up safely from a lying down position.
As with any
strenuous maneuvers at this stage of pregnancy, always take your time
and remember to breathe slowly and deeply throughout.
Step one:
With your knees bent, roll on to your right side bringing the knee
beneath you up to waist level. Keep your right hand aligned with your
bent knee.
Step two:
Shift your weight onto your left hand and knee. Position your right
knee under your right hip and your right hand under your shoulder and
come up slowly on all fours.
