During your 25th week of pregnancy, your little one's heart is beating so loudly that friends and family will be able to hear it when they press their ears to your tummy. Also, he's about 14 inches long and getting bigger by the day.
Tip of the week:
Getting a full eight hours of sleep every night could be a simple matter of finding the right position. It's often recommended that pregnant women sleep on their left side to helps alleviate pressure on the liver. Additionally, this may help boost circulation to your baby, uterus and kidneys. You may also try positioning pillows around you and between your legs for added support and comfort.
Your baby is also likely developing capillaries under his skin and in his lungs to help deliver vital oxygen to his body once he's out of the womb. Additionally, his nostrils are beginning to open, and he's forming the vocal chords that you'll soon be very familiar with.
With all of this going on inside your belly, it's no wonder that you might be losing sleep. There are a number of mental and physical reasons why women find it difficult to fall into a restorative slumber during pregnancy.
Let's start with some of the physical reasons. If you feel like your heart is racing and you can't catch your breath when your head hits the pillow, know that these symptoms that mimic anxiety are nothing to stress about. Rapid heart rate is due to the increased amount of blood coursing through your veins, and shortness of breath occurs because pregnant women breathe deeper, but their expanding uterus can sometimes press on the diaphragm, potentially making breathing more difficult.
Other physical reasons why it may be hard to rest include a frequent need to urinate, leg cramps, backaches, heartburn and constipation. These things occur because your uterus is getting bigger and applying pressure to other organs. If you experience extreme cases of any of these symptoms, be sure to tell your health care provider.
Pregnancy can also put a lot of mental stress on women, which may keep them up at night. It's normal to feel anxious when you're expecting and maybe even experience some intense dreams that make it hard to stay asleep. While there's not much you can do to control your subconscious, you can talk to a counselor or psychiatrist about any worries you have to help ease the stress.
It may also help to calm your mind before you try to go to sleep. If you're worried about what you have to do in the upcoming days and weeks, make a to-do list before you get into bed. You can also establish a calming bedtime routine, such as taking a warm bath, meditating, doing soothing yoga stretches, deep breathing or just reading a calming book. Turn off the TV and laptop well before you turn off the lights to give your mind time to settle.
