25th Week of Pregnancy: Pampering Yourself

By BabyZone's Pregnancy Week-by-Week Contributors

In this article:
What's Happening with Your Body
All About Baby
How Big Is Baby
!ost Co""on Pregnancy #uestions
!ultiple !adness
$or Your Partner
$un $act
$ollow %he Chronicles o& a 'eal-(i&e Pregnancy
With all that is going on with you and your baby-to-be, dont forget to stop and take a few moments
to rela!" schedule some #uality alone time$ And dont forget your partner% &ake a date for 'ust the
two of you to share some time together, too$
I hope you're doing your )egel e*ercises+ )egels strengthen the pel,ic &loor and tone the ,aginal and
perineal area- %o do a )egel. tighten the "uscles around the ,agina and anus and hold &or eight to /0
seconds- Con&used Practice stopping a strea" o& urine when you're on the toilet- %hese are e*ercises you
don't ha,e to get to the gy" &or+ %ry doing )egels in the car at e,ery red light-
Whats (appening with Your )ody
You "ay start to notice aches and pains in so"e unusual places as your pregnancy progresses- $or
e*a"ple. you "ay e*perience "o"ents o& shooting pains in your legs- %here are se,eral possible reasons
&or leg cra"ps. although doctors are still uncertain about the e*act cause- According to the !arch o& 1i"es.
changes in your circulation. pressure on ner,es and blood ,essels. e,en staying in the sa"e position &or too
long can lead to cra"ping- Your groin "ay also ache with the added pressure o& your baby-to-be- And
chances are. so"e o& the regular pregnancy nuisances2like &re3uent potty breaks. indigestion. and itchy
skin2are still bothering you-
*leeping in Pregnancy: Why Its +ough to ,et -nough .//s
4e*t to nausea. &atigue is one o& the top co"plaints during pregnancy- While getting "ore rest see"s to be
the easy solution. sleeping will beco"e "ore di&&icult as you get &urther along in your pregnancy-
Physical Reasons for Sleep Trouble
)elly bump: Your baby bu"p can "ake it challenging to &ind a co"&ortable snoo5ing position- I& you slept
on your back or sto"ach pre-pregnancy. you'll ha,e to ad6ust to sleeping on your side- In &act. the A"erican
Pregnancy Association 7APA8 ad,ises sleeping on your side. or 9:92as the healthiest position &or you and
your baby- %he APA goes on to say that you should sleep on your le&t side to put your body's internal organs
in the best position &or blood to circulate. replenishing your body2and your baby-to-be's2with o*ygen and
nutrients while you sleep-
)reathing issues: Your e*panding belly not only dictates your sleep position. but also how "uch air you'll
breathe as you snoo5e- As your uterus e*pands and pushes your internal organs aside. your lungs ha,e
less roo" to e*pand. "eaning you're taking shallower and "ore &re3uent breaths than in your pre-
pregnancy days-
Potty breaks: Your growing baby-to-be puts added pressure on your bladder. which is working o,erti"e
along with the rest o& your body to &lush out any i"purities in your blood supply. which 6u"ps ;0 percent
during pregnancy- 1on't be surprised i& you ha,e to wake up at least a couple o& ti"es in the night to use the
bathroo"-
Indigestion: Along with your lungs and bladder. your sto"ach is getting s3uished as your belly bu"p grows-
As your sto"ach is pushed up closer to your esophagus 7the tube through which &ood tra,els &ro" your
"outh to your sto"ach8. you're "ore likely to e*perience heartburn- Pregnancy hor"ones. which tend to
slow digestion. can also cause &ood to sit longer in your sto"ach-
Mental Reasons for Sleep Trouble
*tress: It "ay not be 6ust your body keeping you up at night- You "ay lose sleep worrying about your baby's
arri,al. stresses o& work. or about beco"ing a "other-
0reams: 'esearchers also note pregnant wo"en ha,e "ore ,i,id drea"s co"pared with non-pregnant
wo"en- <We're still not sure why this happens.< says 1r- Willia" Ca"ann. !1. director o& obstetric
anesthesia at the Brigha" and Wo"en's Hospital in Boston. !assachusetts. and coauthor o& Easy Labor-
9o"e theories are that pregnancy hor"ones play a part- <It "ay also be that you're waking up "ore o&ten so
that you're recalling "ore o& what you were drea"ing-<
1ontinued from page 2
Simple Solutions for Sleep Trouble
%ry these help&ul strategies to ensure you get so"e "uch-needed rest-
Pillows, pillows, and more pillows% While there are plenty o& pregnancy sleep pillows on the "arket. you
can also &ashion your own pillow syste" by placing se,eral s"aller pillows at your sorest points- %ry adding
one behind your lower back &or support and placing one between your legs-
3ela!ation strategies: I& pillows aren't enough. try to &ind so"e ways to rela* be&ore you go to bed- !ake
yoursel& a glass o& tea. do breathing e*ercises. and=or let your partner gi,e you're a "assage- $ind what
triggers your body to unwind and practice it be&ore bed-
0rinking smarts: You should ne,er li"it the a"ount o& water you drink. but you can li"it when you drink it-
I& you',e had one too "any "idnight bathroo" breaks. a,oid drinking an hour or two be&ore bed- !ake sure.
though. when you wake up in the "orning and throughout the day you drink enough to keep your body
hydrated-
*it up: Propping yoursel& up at night can ease heartburn- You "ay also try a,oiding acidic &oods such as
to"ato sauce or citrus &ruits-
(a4e your baby: A&ter weeks o& unco"&ortable sleep positions and aching body parts. you'll be a"a5ed at
how 3uickly you'll &ind yoursel& snoo5ing again once your baby arri,es- You "ay still &ind yoursel& waking up
in the "iddle o& the night. but it won't be because you need a bathroo" break2instead it will be your little
one who "ay need a snack or a changed diaper-
'e"e"ber to ask your healthcare pro,ider be&ore taking any o,er-the-counter sleep aids-
5ll 5bout )aby
Your baby-to-be's lungs are de,eloping rapidly. although she'd probably need a little help breathing i& she
were born at this point- Her respiratory syste" continues to de,elop. her nostrils are open. and she can
breathe2but she won't take her &irst breath o& air until deli,ery day- Her reproducti,e organs are &or"ed 7in
boys. the testes ha,e descended8- Her skin is translucent and wrinkled. and he can hear your sto"ach when
it gurgles nd your ,oice when you sing- Your baby is beco"ing "ore aware o& how she can "o,e2she's
wiggling her &ingers and toes+
(ow )ig Is )aby6
>iability :ut o& the Wo"b
From the DVD %he Biology o& Prenatal 1e,elop"ent by wwwehdor!
9ee "ore? "o,ies @ snapshots
7ideo 1redit: I"ages courtesy o& AH1
Your baby has grown to about one pound. eight ounces and she's nearly nine inches long 7crown to ru"p8-
&ost 1ommon Pregnancy 8uestions
What is 9the mask of pregnancy9 and how can I manage it6
Here is another pregnancy skin change that's caused by your &luctuating hor"ones- %he increase in
hor"ones occurring during pregnancy has an e&&ect on your body's "elanin production. and this increase in
"elanin "ani&ests itsel& as s"all brownish patches or darkened areas on the skin- 7%he "elanin increase is
also responsible &or the darkening o& your nipples and labia-8 %he der"atological ter" &or the <"ask o&
pregnancy< is melasma or chloasma
A large percentage o& wo"en will e*perience this skin change to ,arying degrees- %he reason it is called a
<"ask< is because it is "ost co""only seen on the cheekbones. nose. and &orehead- It can also be seen on
the &orear"s. hands. and other parts o& the body that are e*posed to sunlight- Wo"en with darker
pig"ented skin "ay be "ore prone to this than wo"en with lighter skin pig"ent-
$or "any wo"en. these brownish patches will &ade a&ter childbirthB howe,er. so"e wo"en "ay not see
the" co"pletely disappear- 9kin bleaching or lightening can so"eti"es be e&&ecti,e to i"pro,e the
appearance o& the skin- But ne,er use these products while pregnant 7here is a look at what skin products
are sa&e during pregnancy8-
Ci,e your body ti"e a&ter the baby is born to see what will happen with your skin- Check with your doctor or
a der"atologist &or the best "ethod o& lightening any re"aining discoloration-
Dse these pregnancy skin-&riendly tips?
Always wear sunscreen 7this "ay help pre,ent the spots &ro" getting too dark8
Dse "oisturi5er
1rink plenty o& water 7at least eight glasses per day8
!ake sure you're getting enough sleep
1ontinued from page 2
&ultiple &adness
Pampering the +hree of You%
1uring the &inal stage o& your pregnancy it's i"portant to take ti"e to pa"per yoursel&- You'll be spending
plenty o& ti"e caring &or not 6ust one. but two little ones in the co"ing "onths- It's wise to get into a pattern
o& sel&-care now- %hat way. it will be easier to continue nurturing yoursel& a&ter the babies are born 7when you
really need it8-
9chedule a "assage to help your stretching liga"ents and sore "uscles- %ake a war" shower at night-
9pend ti"e with &riends shopping. ha,ing lunch. or going to the "o,ies-
I reali5e it's been said that pregnancy is not the ti"e to try a new haircut. but on a day when you aren't
&eeling too cra5y. in,est in an easy-to-style <'do< that "akes you &eel great without re3uiring ninety "inutes
to get it in place-
I& your doctor per"its it. in,estigate a water aerobic class &or pregnant wo"en- %he weightlessness will &eel
tre"endous on your 6oints and "uscles. and the workout will be great &or e,ery inch o& you-
!any wo"en belie,e that caring &or the"sel,es. especially a&ter the babies arri,e. is sel&ish- But the &act is
it's not- It's essential that you take care o& yoursel&- A&ter all. you can only best care &or your &a"ily when
you',e got the energy and sanity to do so- 9o pick up the phone and schedule so"e you ti"e+
:or Your Partner
+aking 1are of Yourself and Your *pouse
(i&e &or you and your partner "ay get a little cra5y when your baby is born- 4ow. be&ore your newborn
arri,es. is the ti"e to pa"per yoursel,es- You "ost likely won't ha,e the chance to again until "onths 7or
years+8 a&ter your Baby enters the world-
1oes your partner like "anicures and pedicures How about "assages or getting her hair styled !aybe
e,en a spa treat"ent %hese "ake &or great treats and can help your spouse relie,e stress and &eel special
26ust how you want her to &eel-
%ry scheduling an appoint"ent &or her or look &or gi&t certi&icates so the e*perience is worry-&ree- I& &a"ily
and &riends ask you what they can get her as a baby shower gi&t. these "ake &or great suggestions
7especially i& they co"e with a <babysitting< ser,ice along with the" &or a&ter your baby is born8-
While pa"pering your lo,ed one. don't &orget about yoursel&+ 1ads-to-be deser,e "assages and spa
treat"ents. too- :r how about a pro&essional sha,e What are the things that "ake you &eel good and
special Be sure to schedule so"e o& these things &or yoursel& as well-
%he healthier you and your partner are. the better able you'll be to "anage the stresses and chaos o& ha,ing
a newborn-
:un :act
You "ay ha,e noticed your baby has bouts o& hiccups- Dnlike when you ha,e hiccups &ro" swallowing in air.
your baby-to-be's hiccups co"e &ro" taking in s"all a"ounts o& a"niotic &luid- 4o worries. the a"niotic &luid
won't hurt her2in &act it contains bene&icial nutrients-
:ollow +he 1hronicles of a 3eal-;ife Pregnancy
How do other wo"en e*perience pregnancy Cet an inside look at one wo"an's ,ery personal 6ourney to
"otherhood with candid week-by-week accounts- $ind out what happens to 9arah (o,e in week E; o& her
pregnancy-
"onderin! what is in store for you and your pre!nancy# S$ip ahead to ne%t wee$&
'urious to see how we calculate important pre!nancy dates# (e sure to re)iew our Pre!nancy 'hart&