It is Monday, and time for another week in my week by week pregnancy guide. If you want to catch up with previous weeks, scroll to the bottom.

Week 25

This was not my favorite time to be pregnant. Sure the nausea has long subsided, but now came some of the more lingering back pain. As your stomach expands, it starts really affecting your lower back as it has to support all the extra, unevenly distributed, weight. I found walking helps. As I mentioned in a few weeks ago, some people enjoyed doing yoga while pregnant. Before starting anything talk to your doctor and make sure it is safe for you.

Menstrual cramps also start happening around now. No, you are not going to be getting your period. You are just going to feel like you are. The good news is they don’t last for days at a time, just a few pangs here and there.

Sleeping became a little more difficult around this time too. Not only was I more restless, but I had a lot of difficulty finding a comfortable position. I used to be a belly sleeper, which obviously was no longer going to work. My back was now no longer comfortable either (or safe). When I would lay on my side, my knees would be at an awkward angle. I found propping pillows in all directions helped. I would lay on my left side with a pillow behind my back so I can lean into it without rolling directly onto my back, and another pillow between my knees. Some women also put a pillow in front of them for the same reason as the back pillow. Experiment with different positions and see what suits you.

One of the most vivid things I remember around this time of month was a recurring dream, or better yet nightmare. Apparently (and I really wish I had known this at the time), dreams become much more vivid and realistic around now. I had this terrible one where I either gave birth to a stillborn, or miscarried, or lost the baby shortly after giving birth. This dream stayed with me until delivery, coming back every few nights. The night before giving birth was the last time I ever had this dream (until I was pregnant again). Most sources say this is perfectly normal. Hopefully you will be one of the ones who doesn’t really get this. But if you do, and it really freaks you out, talk to your doctor. See what, if anything, he can do to reassure you.

To accompany the sleepless nights due to restlessness, discomfort, and bad dreams, I also started getting heartburn. With Munchie it was absolutely horrible, and lasted until I gave birth. With Ducky I had it just as bad, but for a much shorter time, and at this point it hadn’t started yet. There is no guarantee that you will get it, but if you do, it is not something that will linger after you give birth. Also (and I found this out about a week before giving birth to Ducky), you are allowed to take some heartburn meds while pregnant. I don’t know if I would take the super strong stuff regardless of what my doctor may say, but I would have pop a Tums once in a while had I known.Talk to your doctor.

Also, I know I keep saying “talk to your doctor” every few sentences, but I am terribly adverse to getting sued, and/or being accused of baby murder. So even though I am writing completely from research and experience, we are all different, especially when it comes to pregnancy, so what worked for me and tons of other people may in fact not work for you. Therefore, before you take my advice, speak with your doctor.

If you want to catch up with previous weeks….