3 Month Pregnant: What to Expect?

Are you in or approaching the third month of pregnancy? This stage can be the most challenging so you might want to know what to expect. Well, you have come to right place as this article has information to help you learn about the symptoms that you can expect in your third month of pregnancy.

Third Month of Pregnancy – What to Expect

This stage of pregnancy can be challenging for you, both physically and emotionally. Your uterus is growing and you might notice that your waistline is thickening.

Your pregnancy might still not be obvious to others unless you share the good news. Your baby’s growth will cause you to feel some movement, but the exciting sensations can be accompanied by some discomfort and other symptoms.

Here is what you can expect:

Backache: When you gain extra weight during pregnancy, this will put more pressure on the back and make you feel sore and achy. Your hips and pelvis might also make you feel discomfort as the ligaments loosen in preparation for labor [1]. Some of the ways to get relief is to sit upright with good posture in a chair that will provide excellent back support, put a pillow between your legs while sleeping on your side, wear comfortable low-heeled shoes with great arch support, apply ice ick or heating pad to the painful area, and so on.

Enlarged breasts: Your breasts can grow to about two pounds by the end of your pregnancy. A yellowish fluid can be seen coming from your nipples when you are closer to the due date. This is the colostrum and it will give your baby nourishment within the first few days after birth. In the third month, the area around your nipple, which is the areola, might grow darker and larger [2]. You might experience outbreaks if you are prone to acne.

Tenderness of breast: Aside from the difference in your breast size and the growth and darkening of the areolas, you might notice heaviness and tenderness.

Fatigue: Your energy level might drop significantly since you’re carrying an extra weight, waking up several times to use the bathroom at night, and so on. At this stage, you need to exercise regularly, eat healthily as well as take naps or sit down for a few minutes when you become tired.

Discharge: The third month might come with more vaginal discharge. This might be clear, thick, or bit blood-tinged, especially near to your delivery date. If the fluid gushes down suddenly, you should call your mid-wife or doctor as early as possible.

Frequent urination: When your baby’s head gets bigger, the extra pressure on your bladder will cause you to use the bathroom more often. In addition, you might start to experience “stress incontinence” i.e. leakage of urine whenever you sneeze, cough, exercise or laugh. You should inform your doctor if you are experiencing any burning sensation or pain with urination as these could be signs of an infection.

Dizziness and nausea: Most women might not experience any of these symptoms after the first trimester of pregnancy. However, you can still experience them in the third month.

Constipation and heartburn: These symptoms are usually triggered by the increase in progesterone hormone production which causes certain muscles to relax. If you are really bothered by constipation or heartburn, you can get recommendations from your doctor about the best medications to use. [3]

Swelling: Excessive fluid retention can cause mild swelling in the third month. The growing uterus will put pressure on the veins which return blood from your legs and feet, causing these your ankles and feet to become swollen. The swelling in your arms, hands, or legs can pressure the nerves and cause numbness or tingling. Moreover, progesterone causes systemic vasodilation, resulting in more fluid retention and swelling/edema. [4]

Hemorrhoids: These are dilated swollen veins around the anus. In advanced stages, they may prolapse outside the anus and can be felt digitally. There is widespread vasodilation during pregnancy, added with increase intraabdominal pressure leads to hemorrhoids formation.

Varicose and spider veins: Blood circulation will increase to send more blood to your growing baby. Pregnancy is a hyper-estrogenic state, increase levels of circulating estrogen causes spider veins (small red veins) to appear on the skin, especially in the skin above the umbilicus. The growing baby exerts a pressure on the veins draining the legs, this result in accumulation of blood in lower extremities causing the superficial veins to become dilated, tortuous and painful [5]. Such veins are called varicose veins and women are advised bed rest with limb elevation to drain them.

Weight gain: You could gain about twenty-five to thirty five pounds by the ending of your pregnancy. The extra pounds that you put on will be made up of your baby’s weight, the placenta, extra breast tissue, increased fluid and blood volume, as well as the amniotic fluid. Women don’t normally gain a lot of weight in the first three months of pregnancy, often about two pounds. Those who are underweight or overweight might experience different levels of weight gain.

There are some red flag symptoms of pregnancy that you should look for. These include bleeding, severe abdominal cramps or pain, burning or pain during urination, severe vomiting or nausea, severe dizziness, and rapid or too little weight gain. If you are experiencing any of these it could be an indication that something is wrong and you should not wait for the regular prenatal check-up to consult your doctor.

Overall, most of the symptoms that you should expect during the third month of pregnancy will be normal ones.