Week 30: Pregnancy Week by Week

Week 30: Creating a Network of Other Moms

A friend is a gift you give yourself.

-Robert Louis Stevenson

What's Happening in Your Body?

Leg cramps, especially before bed, or during the night are not unusual. This is uncomfortable, but nothing to be concerned about. Try stretching and massaging your calves for relief.

What's Happening with Your Baby?

Your baby weighs between two and three pounds. She is slowly gaining stores of body fat and her hands are about one-inch long.

Creating a Network of Other Moms

We all need our friends, it’s true, but friends are especially critical for new mothers. Build strong relationships with other women now, so that you have support when your baby is born, as well as while you are pregnant.

Nourish Yourself

This is a great time to familiarize yourself with the benefits of fenugreek tea. Fenugreek is commonly found growing in the Mediterranean regions of southern Europe, where both the seeds and leaves are used primarily as a culinary spice.

Fenugreek is known by herbalists to aid in digestion and can be helpful for dealing with the heartburn that often goes along with pregnancy. It is also used by breastfeeding women to help increase the flow of their milk. As well, nursing mothers often find that drinking fenugreek tea reduces the amount of gas their babies experience.

Fenugreek tea is prepared by soaking 500 mg of the seed in about five ounces of cold water for at least three hours. The seeds are then strained out of the liquid before drinking the tea, which can be heated or ingested cold. You can also find prepared loose tea or teabags in most health food stores.

Body Wise

Watch Your Back. Breastfeeding is all about posture. If you can get comfortably situated in a cozy rocking chair with a big glass of water nearby, you can nurse all day. If you’re not comfortable, however, you won’t enjoy the experience. These exercises stretch your back and strengthen it for breastfeeding.

Natural Soothers

Taking time to do nice things for yourself is extra important during pregnancy. Give your hair a beauty treat by moisturizing it. Choose one of these:

• one half of a ripe, mashed avocado
• 1/2 half cup of mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup of olive oil mixed with three drops of lavender or rose essential oil

Rub the mixture into your hair, concentrating on the ends. Cover your head with a shower cap or a hot towel and leave it on for 20 minutes. Sit down and relax while your hair soaks in the benefits. Then shampoo thoroughly.

Higher Ground

As you prepare for your baby’s birth, the third trimester is a good time to start observing a Soul Day, a holy day for your family.

Image by Durga Yael Bernhard

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