Changes
- Weight gain should increase by 2 kg per month, totaling 6 kg.
- More frequent urination, especially near delivery when the baby’s head moves lower.
- Easy fatigue, insomnia, restless sleep, discomfort due to the growing uterus.
- Back pain caused by the increasing weight of the uterus and baby, causing the mother to arch her back or tense back muscles more than usual, resulting in strain on various muscles.
- Leg cramps caused by the leg muscles bearing more weight than usual or from insufficient calcium intake.
What is important
- Food: Increase protein-rich foods as in the second trimester, such as meat, fish, various green leafy vegetables, and calcium-rich foods like small fish eaten whole and low-fat milk.
- Prenatal care: Prenatal check-ups will be more frequent. In this trimester, urine tests will be done to check for sugar and protein, blood pressure will be monitored, and swelling symptoms will be followed up to detect preeclampsia.
- Breast care: In the 2-3 months before delivery, the body secretes fatty substances covering the nipples and areola. Therefore, when bathing, avoid scrubbing the nipples with soap too much as it will wash away these fats, causing the nipples to dry and crack easily.
Emergency conditions and important symptoms that require immediate hospital visit
- Abdominal tightening or contractions every 5 – 10 minutes
- Bloody mucus or fresh blood from the vagina
- Water breaking (clear fluid similar to urine leakage)
- Decreased fetal movement
- Headache, blurred vision, epigastric pain, swelling
