Definition
The third month seems to be the most frustrating of all the months of pregnancy: in the first part of this month you don’t feel very pregnant, you certainly don’t look pregnant yet and it’s very possible that you still can’t believe you’re pregnant; but you still notice with horror that the tight clothes from before the pregnancy no longer fit you in any way, and in the loose pregnancy clothes you feel that you would become ridiculous if you got dressed. However, towards the end of this month, coquetry will have to give way to pragmatism, at least from a clothing point of view. In this month, your baby begins to take on an increasingly human aspect. Also, your visit to the doctor will take interesting turns. Let’s discuss the third(3rd) month pregnancy details below.
Table of Content
1. Overview
2. Mother’s symptoms
3. Fetal development
4. Visit to the doctor
5. Problems that may arise
Mother’s symptoms
The increasing levels of hormones as well as the fetus, which is in full growth, will continue to make its presence felt during this month. Nausea, vomiting, heartburn or constipation can often upset you during this period, but fortunately, they usually decrease in intensity towards the end of the month. In addition to these discomforts that you are already used to from the previous months, other physical “oddities” may appear.
Abdominal discomfort. Even if you don’t yet start to show this from the point of view of the external aspect, already from this month you start to feel that something important is happening inside your abdomen, more precisely in the pelvis. You may have a feeling of fullness in your lower abdomen. You can sometimes feel small discomforts or pains when you suddenly change your body position (these appear because as your uterus grows to accommodate the growing fetus, the ligaments that support it in position stretch and thus these can appear as small stings). To avoid these inconveniences, it is good to change your position as smoothly as possible. It is good to get used to this method of postural modification because, if in the first trimester, the uterus is not so large in size, in the II and III trimesters the uterus, which is in continuous growth, will stretch these ligaments even more, making these pains become even more intense and unpleasant. Also Read: What Happens Fourth(4th) Month Pregnancy – Definition, Symptoms and Signs
Breast changes. During this month, it is possible that your breasts will start to look stronger, in addition to the fact that they have visibly increased in size. However, part of the pregnant women can only notice that their breasts have become stronger without noticing a change in their size, and another part notice the increase of the breasts without them significantly changing their consistency. An explanation of this phenomenon is that some women can have breasts of a size that conforms to the needs of the body, so they no longer need an increase in size, while other pregnant women do not have breasts developed enough to cope with a production adequate amounts of milk, so that their sizes will increase accordingly. Also in this month, it is possible that the venous network that made its presence felt during the last month will become even more obvious, emphasizing the congestive processes described above. The pigmented areola around the nipple can grow even more, sometimes reaching dimensions that you are definitely not used to. These spectacular changes in the size of the breasts together with the change in their external appearance (enlarged nipples, areolas more pigmented and stretched on the surface, the venous network clearly drawn on the entire surface of the breast) will make you get used to the idea that you are pregnant and they will prepare you for the coming months when the changes in your abdomen will betray the state of pregnancy.
Nausea. Unfortunately, some of you, who have been tormented with these endless states of nausea throughout the first two months, will continue to have the same symptoms during this month as well, for some of you these states may reach a paroxysm during this period. Fortunately, towards the end of the month the levels of the hormones responsible for these unpleasantness will begin to decrease and at the end of the month these symptoms will already be an unpleasant memory.
Fatigue. If you haven’t already noticed this from last month, as you move forward in this month of pregnancy, your energy shows visible signs that it is returning to the levels before being pregnant. You will notice, even if you did not follow my advice to do regular physical exercises, that it is increasingly easier for you to do household chores or to move somewhere without feeling the need to catch your breath from time to time. It is a sign that your body has already started to get used to and cope with the necessary needs of two beings. Also Read: What Happens Fifth(5th) Month Pregnancy – Definition, Symptoms and Signs
Frequent urination. During this month, your body begins to get used to the hormonal levels specific to pregnancy, so the need to urinate more abundantly and more frequently will decrease. But, because there is always a gift, it is very possible to get rid of it only for a short period of time because the uterus that is continuously growing will start to irritate the bladder more and more, causing you to go to the toilet more often. often as usual.
Constipation. Constipation can still make its presence felt during this month, and this appears due to the combination of two factors: increased hormonal levels (which contribute to pelvic congestion) and the growing uterus (which will start to press on the rectum). The weight of these two factors will start to differ starting this month: the pregnant uterus will produce more mechanical discomfort on the intestines than the congestion due to hormones will. If constipation is bothersome and you haven’t decided to change your eating habits, it’s good not to do any treatment without notifying your doctor. However, avoid laxatives in any form!
Bloating. It is obvious that most women are not willing to talk about certain functions of their body as men are used to. Bloating, and not infrequently accompanied by flatulence, can be very frequent during pregnancy. The idea is not to be too embarrassed by the appearance of bloating or flatulence, they are normal, but if they become bothersome it is good not to shy away from communicating this to your doctor.
Thickened waist. Starting with this month of pregnancy, your waist will undergo substantial changes. Once due to the fact that the uterus also grows in such a way that it will become visible from the outside as well. On the other hand, you will start to gain weight due to the increased appetite. A weight gain of 3-4 kilograms should not depress you… Be optimistic, you will gain even more weight during the following months.
Skin changes. Surely everyone at work or in the family admired that pregnancy-specific “glow”. And it’s not just about that joy that you will have a baby, it’s even a physical change that takes place in your skin. This integumentary change is due to the increased blood volume and the presence of pregnancy-specific hormones. These changes lead to increased blood flow to the skin and increased secretion of natural oils by your integumentary glands, all resulting in this smooth, fluffy and glowing appearance of your skin. In certain circumstances, the increased secretion of fats by the integumentary glands can lead to the appearance of a form of temporary acne.
Headache. Headaches during pregnancy can be relatively common and this is due to increased hormone levels or increased blood flow during pregnancy. It is good not to take any kind of medication against headaches, or at least not before consulting your doctor. Also Read: What Happens Six(6th) Month Pregnancy – Definition, Symptoms and Signs
Changes in the emotional state
Starting this month, you will definitely become more and more confident in yourself and in the fact that your pregnancy will proceed normally. The feelings of fear or uncertainty so pregnant in the first two months of pregnancy begin to decrease in intensity. Sometimes you can feel frustrated by the fact that you no longer feel pregnant if the usual morning sickness has left you. But besides that, it is possible that your emotional states will continue to play tricks on you. Some women can go through pregnancy without having any emotional discomfort, others can burst into tears just at the sight of children’s clothes. It is good to remember the fact that it is absolutely normal to go through all kinds of such emotional states as long as you do not produce an atomic disaster around you! The good news is that this month the hormonal levels will reach a maximum, which means that all these special manifestations will at least not become more annoying. My advice? Simply ignore those who give you strange looks if they bring you to tears when you look in the window of a store for toys or children’s items (somewhere it’s normal, some women start crying when they see the prices even if they’re not pregnant), or if you become more irritated in the restaurant when the waiter is late with dinner. Also Read: What Happens Seven(7th) Month Pregnancy – Definition, Symptoms and Signs
Fetal development
During this month, the formation of all the organs that we find in the newborn is finalized. During this period, the fetus doubles its length and weight, growing from approximately 4 cm at the end of the second month to approximately 10 cm at the end of this month, its weight now being approximately 25-30 grams. His brain is fully formed and from now on your baby can feel the pain!
The hands and feet are also fully formed, but although the fetus begins to move them, it is still too early for the mother to perceive these movements. Your child can even start sucking his finger from now on.
His eyes are covered by fine eyelids, and they will remain closed until approximately the seventh month, protecting the delicate fetal retina. Hair may already be grown on the child’s scalp, and the fingers and toes already have nails that are very soft. The mouth is completely formed and the buds of the 20 milk teeth of the fetus appear inside the gums. The vocal cords are almost completely developed, so sometimes you can hear the fetus softly crying.
His heart has four chambers and beats with a frequency of 120 to 160 per minute. The fetal kidney begins to function: if you have not changed diapers until now, you are given a break, your fetus urinates in the amniotic fluid for the time being. The fetal liver, spleen and especially the bone marrow begin to form white and red cells. Fetal circulation starts to become functional, at the end of this month the umbilical cord and placenta are already formed.
If you saw your little boy now, at the end of the third month, you could swear that you have a genius in your belly: his head is about three times bigger than the rest of his body. The elements of the face are formed: a fleshy nose, a small chin, the small ears have reached their final position, but it is still too early to tell who it looks like. Instead, the external genital organs are differentiated so that you can tell if it is a boy or a girl. Also Read: What Happens Eight(8th) Month Pregnancy – Definition, Symptoms and Signs
Visit to the doctor
It’s time to make your second visit to the doctor this month. You will go to him “endowed” or not with your partner, but you must definitely not forget the results of the tests that the doctor gave you to do at the first visit, nor the problems you encountered during the interval about which you must ask him in detail. You don’t have to feel embarrassed to ask him all kinds of nonsense, first of all you have the right to information and secondly, he is definitely an experienced doctor so he has heard other things and even more in his life. What should you expect from this visit? First of all, to ask you how you feel. On the side of this information that you will give him, there will be a series of discussions that must clarify the problems that have arisen (if any). Then he will want to check your weight and blood pressure. The obstetric consultation he will do will examine the condition of the vagina and especially the cervix, as well as the size of your pregnant uterus, making a correlation between what he finds on palpation and the period of amenorrhea.
Blood pressure
Why is this test done? Blood pressure measurement. Should I take this test? Advisable. When should I take this test? At all visits, especially in the last quarter. How is this test done? Blood pressure is measured using a sphygmomanometer placed on the arm. When are the results ready? Immediate.
Weight
Why is this test done? Weight measurement. Should I take this test? Advisable. When should I take this test? At all visits, especially in trimesters II and III. How is this test done? Body weight is measured with the help of a precise medical scale and compared with the results of the previous month, observing the weight gain. When are the results ready? Immediate. Also Read: What Happens Nine(9th) Month Pregnancy – Definition, Symptoms and Signs
Ultrasound
Why is this test done? It collects valuable information about the development of the fetus, the placenta, the uterus. Should I take this test? The benefits of the ultrasound exam this month are priceless:
– Certify the fact that you are pregnant, especially if it is the first time you go to the doctor.
– It can detect a possible implantation of the pregnancy outside the uterus ( ectopic pregnancy ).
– It can give valuable data about the placenta and its implantation site.
– It can determine or exclude certain causes of bleeding during this month of pregnancy – it gives more accurate information about the gestational age of the fetus, a real correlation can be made between the estimated date of pregnancy (measured in weeks of amenorrhea), the size of the uterus and the age determined sonographically.
– Evaluates the morphological development of the fetus, including its internal organs (heart, liver, central nervous system, kidneys, etc.) being able to discover certain malformations in due time.
– Certifies that the fetus is viable by visualizing the heartbeat.
– Detects the presence of a twin pregnancy.
– Clarifies certain anomalies of the uterus if they are present (important if there are pregnancies lost by the pregnant woman and before this pregnancy).
– Gives invaluable help in carrying out invasive investigations such as chorionic villi biopsy (later in the pregnancy, other invasive investigations assisted by echography can be done).
– It can measure if the amount of amniotic fluid is sufficient.
– Starting with this month, the gender of the fetus can be determined, depending on the experience of the doctor performing the ultrasound.
When should I take this test? It is advisable to do it, if possible, on the occasion of each visit to the doctor. How is this test done? You should have a full bladder, which is sometimes quite unpleasant. The doctor visualizes on a screen similar to a computer monitor the data collected with the help of an ultrasound probe that he walks on your abdomen. The most unpleasant part is the fact that they will have to put a gel on your skin to be able to collect the echoes more correctly. Sometimes it is possible that the doctor wants to perform this procedure using an intravaginal probe, especially in problematic cases where a higher-quality image is needed. When are the results ready? Immediate.
BCFs
Why is this test done? Auscultation of fetal heartbeats. Should I take this test? Advisable. When should I take this test? At all visits. How is this test done? During this month, it is most likely that the fetal heartbeat (to which the medical personnel in obstetrics refer using the acronym BCF) can only be heard using a special electronic acoustic device (a kind of microphone that is placed on your lower abdomen in various places until the area with the best acoustics is located). Do not panic if these BCFs are not captured, they can best be auscultated after the beginning of the 4th month. When are the results ready? Immediate.
Biopsy of chorionic villi
Why is this test done? In addition to the absolutely trivial tests described above, in the follow-up of a pregnant woman there is a series of special tests that are performed under special conditions and only in certain circumstances, of which only the placental biopsy is performed in the third month. Roughly speaking, chorionic villi are projections of the placenta in the form of fingers that bathe in maternal blood. With their help, nutrients and oxygen are exchanged between the fetus and the mother. From a genetic point of view, the placenta is made of the same material as the fetus, so obtaining a fragment of these villi can give extremely valuable information on the existence or not of a genetic anomaly such as Down’s syndrome. The advantage of this new method over amniocentesis (the extraction of amniotic fluid containing fetal cells) is that it can be performed earlier so that a timely family planning decision can be made. Should I take this test? If you are over 35 years old and have one or more cases of genetic disorders in your family (but it also applies if your partner has), or you had a child with a congenital anomaly before this pregnancy, your doctor should definitely I recommend you to do this test. It is good to know that this test is not without risks: there is a chance of spontaneous abortion of 0.5-1%. It can also cause prematurity or a delay in fetal growth, but only in exceptional cases. Other minor risks are infection and small bleeding. Of course, a lot depends on the experience and skill of the doctor who performs this test.
When should I take this test? Starting with the age of 10 – 12 weeks of pregnancy How is this test done? There are 2 ways to perform this test:
– transcervical – under ultrasound monitoring (that is, everything is done “visible” using ultrasound to visualize the entire procedure) a small tube is inserted through the cervix up to the level of the placental insertion on the uterine wall and aspirated gently a few fragments of placental tissue. No anesthetic is required.
– transabdominal – in this case, a long needle is inserted through the abdominal wall up to the level of the placenta, the procedure also assisted by echography. It minimizes the risk of intrauterine infections and also reduces the risk of spontaneous abortions. After the procedure, the doctor must check the BCFs. About two hours of rest are necessary after this test.
When are the results ready? In less than a week for Down Syndrome and in two weeks for a more complete genetic analysis.
Problems that may arise
Nausea, vomiting. During this month, it is very likely that the symptoms of intense nausea that have accompanied you since the past months will reach a paroxysm: just the simple sight of food or sometimes just the thought that you should eat can turn your stomach upside down. Absolutely everything you eat or drink is not supported by your body, there is a danger of depriving the body of the nutrients, minerals and vitamins necessary for the growth of the fetus. It is absolutely imperative to contact your doctor if nausea and vomiting become so severe.
Bleeding. And during this month it is possible to have an unpleasant surprise or to discover that you are bleeding. Regardless of whether you only notice that your panties are stained or that you are bleeding freely, contact your doctor. Bleeding can be caused by a serious pathological process such as an ectopic pregnancy or a threatened abortion if not even a spontaneous abortion. Among the more benign causes can be bleeding with a cervical starting point (neck) or a placenta in the full process of accommodation.
Pains. The pains that appear during this month can portend something very serious. A cramp-like pain that persists in the lower abdominal floor and is accompanied by bleeding can herald the onset of a spontaneous abortion. A sharp pain like a stabbing in one part of the uterus or another can be a sign of the rupture of an ectopic pregnancy. It is particularly important to notify your doctor whenever a suspicious pain occurs in the lower abdominal area.
Problems that can occur without any symptoms. The third month is the month in which all the organs of the fetus become fully developed. Unfortunately, there are certain developmental defects of certain organs or parts of the fetal body that are not incompatible with life, so they may go unnoticed if a series of tests are not done. Most congenital malformations are discovered during a routine but meticulous ultrasound examination. At this age of pregnancy, the most easily detectable are those at the level of the heart, at the level of the spinal cord or the central nervous system (spina bifida or anencephaly), at the level of the limbs, or at the level of the kidneys or abdominal organs. Also through an ultrasound examination, a pregnancy stopped in evolution can be highlighted. Also, an ectopic pregnancy can be discovered without the pregnant woman having even a symptom. Among other particularly serious conditions that can be accidentally discovered during this month, there is hydatidiform mole, which is a development disorder of the product of conception characterized by the fact that most of the time the embryo is completely missing or is incompletely developed, what develops in the pregnant uterus, aberrantly, however, being the placental tissue…