How Does Your Body Change During Week 29 of Pregnancy?

3 min read

Written by Gayathri Lakshminarayanan

Gayathri Lakshminarayanan

CA, B.Com

Gayathri’s passion for writing had its foundation at the very early stages of her life when she was on her college editorial board and also won several awards for writing events and book review competitions. She combines her corporate experience with her writing skills and her experience as a homemaker makes her an empathetic contributor in the parenting domain . Her shift from full-time accounting professional to a homemaker gave her career a new direction.

as pregnancy week 29

You might face breathlessness as the little one grows and pushes up the lungs. You might also feel jealous and irritated when you see people who can sleep well as you have lost your sleep long ago. The heartburn and indigestion could keep you awake for a longer time. Further, the pressure put on the bladder could make you visit the bathroom very often. You may notice that your little one becomes pleased when you put your head down to sleep. Learn more about how does your body change during week 29 of pregnancy.

How Does Your Body Change During Week 29 of Pregnancy?

The following are some of your body’s changes during week 29 of pregnancy. Let us discuss each of them in detail.

1. Varicose Veins

As the uterus expands and puts pressure on your veins which carry the blood from and to the heart to the feet and lungs, you are prone to get varicose veins. They are commonly found in the legs, rectum, and genital areas.

Varicose veins are hereditary. If your mother or grandmother experienced varicose veins when pregnant, you are at a higher risk of developing them. The following are some of the symptoms of varicose veins.

Heavy Legs
Itching in the veins
Leg Cramps
Pain and tenderness in lower legs
Swollen legs and ankles

Hormonal changes and the growing baby’s weight may also lead to varicose veins. The following are some of the hormonal changes that your body may experience.

Higher progesterone levels relax the blood vessel walls and reduce valve function.
Increase in the flow of blood in the body.
Pressure on the blood vessels.

What to do?

The following are some of the ways to reduce varicose veins:

Take short breaks to move around.
Do not keep your legs crossed while sitting
Keep your foot elevated while sitting
Use pantyhose to give gentle compression to the legs and squeeze the veins.
Do low-impact exercise daily
Sleep on your left side
Limit the amount of sodium in your diet.

2. Heaviness in Body

The growing baby makes your body heavier day by day. Even regular activities like waking up from bed or moving from the sofa could be challenging. As pregnancy progresses, the increase in blood volume in the body makes all the moms-to-be complain about heaviness and pressure in the pelvic and vaginal areas.

The joints, bones, and muscles are the first ones affected throughout the third trimester of pregnancy. The heaviness will be constant until delivery as the baby falls further into the pelvic area. The heaviness increases significantly when you make any movement, like walking or climbing.

What to do?

You can follow some tips to cope with heaviness in the body.

Perform Pelvic exercises
Relax in a soothing, warm water bath
Use pregnancy support garments, often referred to as belly slings.
Avoid making sudden movements
Get a prenatal massage
Keep your feet elevated while sitting
Do constant, simple exercises.

3. Other Symptoms

The following are a few other symptoms that you may experience during week 29 of pregnancy. They are,

Fatigue
Stretch Marks
Dizziness
Heartburn
Constipation
Backpain
Sleeplessness
Swelling or Retention of water
Hemorrhoids
Gas, Acidity or Bloating
Urinary Incontinence
Pregnancy Brain
Clumsiness

Unlike the second trimester, the third trimester comes with a bundle of unappealing symptoms of pregnancy. You may feel extra tired with constant heartburn, indigestion, and leg cramps. The second trimester would have given you some extra energy. Now, your body is draining down due to a lack of fuel. Remember to take time to care for yourself to keep yourself up and going in the pregnancy journey.

Happy Pregnancy!