$Unique_ID{PAR00411}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Pregnancy:  The Third Month:  Your Changing Body}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Ellis, Jeffrey W
Ellis, Maria}
$Subject{Third Month Changing Body changes hormones enlarging uterus
discomforts constipation progesterone vaginal discharge estrogen cervix vagina
mucus raucous plug areolae colostrum}
$Log{
Your Changing Body (Third Month)*0041101.tif
11-Week Fetus*0060207.tif
11-12 Week Fetus, in its amniotic sac, with uterus*0060205.tif
13-Week Fetus*0060208.tif}

Miracle of Birth


The Third Month:  Your Changing Body


     In your third month of pregnancy, your body continues to undergo dramatic
changes in response to your increasing levels of hormones and your rapidly
enlarging uterus.  Certain new discomforts begin at this time and tend to
remain until the end of your pregnancy.
     By now, you have probably started having problems with constipation.
There are several normal changes that your body goes through in pregnancy
that may lead to constipation.  First, pressure from your enlarging uterus
will cause crowding of the digestive organs.  This pressure may make it more
difficult for stool to pass.  Second, increasing levels of the hormone
progesterone cause the muscles in the walls of your intestines to contract
less strongly, thus slowing the passage of stool from your body.  Finally,
constipation is a common side effect of the iron tablets that your doctor
probably prescribed to supplement your diet.  Constipation is generally a
problem throughout pregnancy, but fortunately it can be easily treated (see
The First Trimester:  Coping With The Changes, Common Discomforts of the First
Trimester, Constipation).
     Also beginning in the third month of pregnancy, most women will notice an
increased amount of vaginal discharge.  This discharge is usually thin, milky
white to yellowish in color, odorless, and nonirritating.  This discharge is
caused by your increasing levels of estrogen and progesterone, which stimulate
the cells of the cervix and vagina to produce increased amounts of mucus.
Though most of this mucus escapes from the vagina, some remains within the
canal of the cervix and hardens to produce the so-called "raucous plug."  This
hardened mucus seals off the entrance of the cervix for the remainder of
pregnancy and is thought to possibly prevent bacteria and other organisms from
entering the uterus.  Several hours to days before you go into labor, this
mucous plug will come loose from the cervix and may be expelled from your
vagina.
     Since you are more likely to develop certain common vaginal infections
during pregnancy, it is important for you to be able to tell the difference
between the normal discharge of pregnancy and the discharge caused by
infection.  In general, the discharge caused by an infection is heavier, dark
yellow to green in color, itchy or irritating, and often marked by an
unpleasant odor.  If you suspect that you have a vaginal infection, you
should check with your doctor right away.
     Your breasts will also undergo further changes at this time, again in
response to the increasing levels of estrogen and progesterone being produced
by the placenta.  The areolae--the dark skin around your nipples--will enlarge
and darken.  In preparation for milk production, your breasts will begin to
produce a milky white substance called colostrum.  During your third month of
pregnancy, small amounts of colostrum can actually be expressed from the
breasts by gently squeezing the nipple.
     Toward the end of the first trimester, it is also common for pregnant
women to become more introspective.  You may ask yourself "Is this really the
best time to be pregnant?" or "Will my baby love me?"  Keep in mind that it
takes time to accept your new and special role as a mother, and your
introspection during pregnancy is a step toward that acceptance.