Help for breathlessness, and why your baby kicks at night
 

To accommodate you and your baby’s growing needs, your blood volume has

 increased 40 to 50 percent since you got pregnant. With your uterus pushing

 up near your diaphragm and crowding your stomach, the consequences may

 be shortness of breath and heartburn. To help relieve your discomfort,

try sleeping propped up with pillows and eating smaller meals more often.

 You may have increasing lower-back pain as your pregnancy advances.

Both hormonal and other factors may be contributing to this discomfort:

Hormones make your ligaments more lax, your abdominal muscles

are stretched, your growing uterus may put pressure on some nerves,

and the extra weight you’re carrying up front changes your posture

and further strains your back. You might feel some pain in your buttocks

and thighs as well.

Breathlessness
Huffing and puffing more than usual? To cope:
• Take it slow. Be realistic about what you can and can’t do, and listen to your body. If an activity seems too taxing, it is.
• Watch your posture. Your lungs will have more room to expand if you hold your shoulders back to keep from slumping over.
• Prop yourself up. You may find that you’re able to breathe more deeply at night if you elevate your head and chest with extra pillows.

Why does my baby always kick at night?

Many moms-to-be report that

their babies seem more active at night, but why this is, nobody knows.

The traditional explanation has been that pregnant women are more

likely to notice movement when they’re still and quiet.

But at least one study has found a different answer:

Researchers in Canada monitored pregnant women on bed rest and

determined that their babies were most active late at night —

 even when their mothers spent 24 hours a day lying flat.

One possible explanation for this is that babies like to move,

and when you’re sleeping, your baby has more incentive to move

on her own, according to Dr. Mark Taslimi, a professor of obstetrics

and gynecology at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, California.