My First Pregnancy: Week 29

Well, it seems that pregnancy is getting harder and harder with each passing week. Or, I just like to complain so much…
There was no much activity for this week. My overall painful problems seem to be normal for this stage of pregnancy.  I have swollen arms and legs and the best advice I could get from my OBGYN was to drink lots of water as it helps reduce swelling and to sleep on my left side with a pillow between my legs.  That seems to be helping, and I totally stopped sleeping on my back, as it is not good for either my baby or me.  I have pain in my left groin, which limits my mobility, and I try to rest as much as possible. Sitting all day at work doesn’t help either, so the best way to reduce swelling and pain is to be in my bed with my legs elevated.
Another thing I have noticed is that my heartburn becomes very strong due to certain foods I eat. I don’t eat too much of spicy food but tomato sauce or fried onions in my food are causing lots of trouble for my stomach. Again, my OBGYN advised me to try limiting this type of food as much as possible, along with caffeine intake. I only drink one regular cup of tea a day, but I wonder if that has anything to do with my heartburn too. As I don’t want to take any tablets for relief of heartburn, I found another method that is helpful: chewing a gum. It seems gum helps in getting rid of excess acid accumulated in my stomach. So far it’s been working, and I’ve been using only sugarless spearmint / peppermint gum.
I’ve noticed that my baby is hitting me stronger and more often now.  I’ve read that if I am ever in doubt about my baby not moving enough, then I should drink glass of cold orange juice or cold milk, lay down and relax. That should help baby moving more often. Baby’s movements should be counted at that time, if baby moves at least 10 times in 2 hours that is good. If baby moves less than that, OBGYN should be contacted.
So, pretty much, from this stage of pregnancy and going forward, we should be relaxing and resting more. My girlfriend who just entered into her 9th month had a pre-term baby as she was cleaning her home every day actively for a few days and then she ended up being in labour and giving birth to 4 pounds and 6 ounces baby, which is considered underweight so they will keep a baby in a hospital for a couple of more weeks.  My girlfriend’s experience scared me a little bit as I tend to overwork at home as well. Since my girlfriend delivered her baby early, I’ve decided to rest more and not do anything that might trigger pre-term labour.