The third trimester of your pregnancy is finally here. You’re on the home stretch and before you know it, your baby will make her debut, her grand entrance into the world. Everybody’s excited. And, most likely, you’re tired and ready to have it over with. That’s normal. Your baby is growing rapidly as she is getting ready to enter the world, and it is going to take a lot out of you. Rest frequently. Drink lots of water. As your baby grows, your body will change, too. This stage of the pregnancy is often uncomfortable for expectant mothers, but it is important that you continue to eat small, healthy meals regularly throughout the day. For the most part, eating during your third trimester is not much different that the second. By now, you’ve become a pro at knowing what kinds of food to avoid, and you should continue to avoid them. There area few additional foods to avoid during your third trimester, though. They are as follows:
- Salt. While salt is never very good for you in high quantity, you should especially limit your intake during your third trimester .Many women experience high blood pressure during the third trimester of their pregnancy, and salt should be limited. Unfortunately, that means salty snacks, too, so watch the pretzels and potato chips if you haven’t been already.
- Spicy Foods. While spicy foods aren’t really bad for you or your baby in and of themselves, you will likely be saving yourself a great deal of discomfort by avoiding them during the third trimester of your pregnancy. As your baby is growing inside of you, she’s not leaving a lot of room for the other parts of your body to function quite like they normally do. This is often the cause of the heartburn so common during the final three months of pregnancy. Spicy foods cause, or further aggravate, heartburn and indigestion. Therefore, you would be well advised to lay off the spicier dishes until after the baby comes.
- Raw Vegetables. Don’t misunderstand, you should be eating vegetables still, and lots of them. The more the better. But uncooked vegetables tend to produce gas. Many expectant moms experience uncomfortable to painful gas during their third trimester, and you don’t want to eat anything that’s going to encourage those symptoms. This, again, is more about what is likely to help you stay comfortable than any health concerns. Eat lots of vegetables, but cook them first during your third trimester.
