The third trimester is radically different from the second. Many women find that overnight they feel larger and more weighed down by pregnancy complaints. The good news is that this period of time is when your baby is gaining weight, and developing brown fat to help them regulate their body temperature. Their lungs are also maturing rapidly.

All of these changes are great signs that pregnancy is progressing. Your uterus will rapidly expand to accommodate your growing baby. Your baby will gain about 5 pounds during this trimester. This means that you need to remain ever vigilant about your nutrition, particularly the protein, as it's the building block of every cell. Hydration will also help prevent preterm labor contractions.

As you would expect with all of these changes going on inside the uterus, your body must adapt. Exercise will help you alleviate and prevent many of the common complaints of late pregnancy. However, there are some barriers to fitness that are unique to this stage of pregnancy.

Fatigue and Insomnia

As you get closer to your due date, you may find that fatigue and insomnia once again begin to plague you. These complaints are very common for pregnant women. However, these problems can also be caused by physical or emotional reasons.

When timed appropriately, physical activity will help increase your ability to sleep. So if your problem is really a physical one, doing exercises or your fitness routine, however modified, should be done prior to the evening hours. Exercising just before bed can make sleep nearly impossible. The physical exercises can also help you address problem areas. For example, good stretches can help you alleviate and prevent backaches.

If you determine that the cause of your wakefulness is more mental and emotional, the relaxation exercises you can do will often help you learn to put these thoughts out of your mind. Training your mind to focus on certain topics will also be beneficial in labor. The ability to focus internally and deal with what the need is at hand is very useful. That's not to say you shouldn't address issues and concerns, just don't do it at bedtime.

While medications may not be useful in trying to help you turn in at night, there are other things to try. Old remedies like a warm bath (but not too warm) and a good book really can help. Sometimes practicing your labor relaxation just before bed can make it easier to fall asleep. Even the proverbial glass of milk can be helpful.

Return of Nausea

Feeling nauseated is enough to make anyone want to lie in bed all day. Unfortunately for some women, the return of nausea and vomiting in the third trimester is a reality. Be prepared to deal with it should it rear its ugly head again.

The cause of the nausea and vomiting is thought to be partially hormonal, as it was in your first trimester. However, the third trimester brings about a new issue — the baby. Sometimes the pressure of the baby's growing body and the expanding uterus on your other organs is enough to cause your stomach to be upset.

You might find that eating smaller meals will help you avoid some of these issues. You also need to try eating more frequently to make up for the smaller meals. This ensures that you and the baby are still getting adequate nutrition.

Heartburn

You might also find that nausea and vomiting are connected with heartburn. Heartburn is what you call it when you experience a burning sensation in your esophagus. It is caused from the relaxation of the sphincter muscle that guards the stomach. The relaxation is caused by the hormones of pregnancy.

When you experience this relaxation of the sphincter muscle, stomach acids are able to leak out of the stomach and into the esophagus. This is what causes the irritation. At the end of your pregnancy, the growing uterus also places a lot of pressure on your organs. This can also encourage the escape of stomach acids into the esophagus.

The good news is that there are many things you can do to help with the pain and even elimination of heartburn:

• Eat smaller meals.

• Remain upright after you eat.

• Avoid greasy or spicy foods.

• Avoid foods that seem to bring on heartburn.

• Eat more frequently throughout the day and evening.

• Try a glass of milk or a teaspoon of honey to help alleviate pain.

Blood Pressure

Blood pressure issues in pregnancy usually cause a big debate. Although true blood pressure problems are contraindications to working out during your pregnancy, many of the issues raised in pregnancy are merely unknowns. The biggest debate is what constitutes a blood pressure problem.

Let me start by saying that true blood pressure problems are very serious and need to be addressed immediately. High blood pressure can reduce blood flow to the placenta and the baby, which can lead to Fetal Growth Restriction (FGR). It can also cause the placenta to age prematurely. In very severe cases, the mom can have a stroke, or the placenta can pull away from the wall of the uterus before it is supposed to do so. This is called placental abruption.

These problems are all potentially life-threatening to you and your baby, and must be addressed quickly and efficiently by your medical team. If you believe you're having a problem, do not hesitate to call your doctor or midwife immediately.

Most women do not experience these types of problems. Rather, they experience a slow, upward progression of their blood pressure readings. Although your blood pressure numbers might be great for someone else, they could be high readings for you. That is why it is so important to always compare blood pressures to your earlier prenatal visits. The most important will be the rate of rise from the middle trimester.