You are now entering the third trimester of your pregnancy! As your growing baby’s mental & physical development continues to develop rapidly from week 28 onwards. Learn more tipsabout adding DHA in your diet for you and your developing baby

Your developing baby is having sweet dreams, now that he or she is experiencing REM (rapid eye movement) sleepi. His or her heartbeat can easily be heard with a stethoscope. 

Meanwhile, the amount of your growing baby’s brain tissue continues to increase this week, and your growing baby’s brain begins to form its characteristic grooves on the previously smooth surfaceii. Notably, over 50% of his or her energy will be directed towards brain growth over the next few weeksiii. 

From this week onwards and through your final trimester, your developing baby will start to rapidly gain body fat.   

The size of a very cute cucumber, your growing baby is around 14.75 inches from head to toe (37 centimeters) and weighs almost 2.25 pounds (1 kilogram).ii 

The weight you have gained so far puts stress on your leg muscles, and may lead to leg and foot cramps.iv 

Make this last stretch of your pregnancy comfortable and alleviate the muscle spasms with these steps: 

• Massage your calves to loosen the muscle when cramps occur. You may also want to try some simple leg exercises to keep the blood flowing. 
• Elevate your legs. This relieves pressure and lets your muscles get some rest. 
• Exercise regularly. It may have a preventative effect on leg cramps during pregnancy, but do consult your doctor first about appropriate exercises that you can do. 

Engage in regular gentle exercise (with your doctor’s approval) to help keep blood sugar levels at a healthy level – something that your doctor should have already checked by this pregnancy stage to determine if you have gestational diabetesv. 

Do keep consuming DHA-rich foods through your final trimester to support the incremental needs for you and your growing baby’s mental & physical development and also food rich in other essential nutrients like iron, zinc, copper, choline and folate which are also important for your growing baby’s brain development.vi 

Now that you are in your final trimester, you might be starting to visualize what things will be like. Keep track of these thoughts by writing about your dreams and hopes for your little one in a diary. Some day when your child is grown up, you could give this diary to him or her as a precious keepsake from your pregnancy days.