Week 31: Pregnancy Week by Week

Week 31: Preparing for your Homebirth

I am open to the guidance of synchronicity, and do not let expectations hinder my path.

-Dalai Lama

What's Happening in Your Body?

You may notice an increase in heartburn and indigestion as your expanding uterus puts pressure on your stomach. If this happens, try to avoid hard-to-digest foods, such as very spicy dishes and large amounts of dairy products.

What's Happening with Your Baby?

You may notice the baby hiccupping more often. This will feel like a small, rhythmic jerking motion inside of your abdomen and is the result of the baby's continued attempts to practice breathing.

Preparing for your Home Birth

If you are planning to have a homebirth, this is a great time to begin preparing for it and gathering the materials that you will need. In the first stages of labor you will have ample time to get it all set up..

Nourish Yourself

If you find that eating a big dinner is making you feel too heavy and full at this point, try having salad as a meal. This lighter meal will provide you with plenty of good nutrients and some extra fiber to aid in digestion. Try our Succulent Supper Salad. You can add small amounts of meat or tofu to the recipe for extra protein, if you like.

Body Wise

Sitting Sole To Sole. This exercise is very good for limbering inner thigh muscles.

1. Sit on the floor with your spine straight, fitting the soles of your feet together. Grasp the upper part of your feet with your hands.

2. Lift your chin to the ceiling and begin inhaling. As you inhale, pull up on your feet as far as is comfortable.

3. As you exhale, keep the pull on your feet, but relax the inner thigh muscles so that you can feel your knees drop.

4. Inhale and exhale this way four times. Relax by sitting cross-legged or by lying on the floor on your back.

Natural Soothers

Pain that runs from the lower back down either leg to the foot is sciatica, a condition that often affects pregnant women. Try using cold compresses with either chamomile or lavender oil. Follow up with warm compresses. You can also massage lavender and chamomile oils, mixed with grapeseed or jojoba oils, in slow circular movements into the buttocks and upper thighs.

Some homeopathic remedies for sciatica are Arsen Alb (for intermittent pains that shoot from the thigh downward), Ignatia (for sharp pains in the low back and upper thighs) and Rhus Tox (for severe pain in the hip that radiates down to the knee, worsened by damp weather). Check with a homeopath to find appropriate dosages of these treatments.

Higher Ground

Late pregnancy is a time when fears may resurface, and art is the perfect medium to address challenging emotions. Follow this link to Paint Your Fears Away.

Image by Durga Yael Bernhard

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