The time is going by really fast and you may or may not have revealed the big news to your family and friends yet. You may be planning a big reveal whether it’s a pregnancy announcement or a gender reveal! This month is a little bitter sweet because you’re starting to gain some pounds but that little baby bump is still nowhere to be found. You feel pregnant and you want to tell everyone that you’re having a baby but you look like you’ve just been eating two dinners every night. Especially with first pregnancies, this can lead to some serious body image issues.

When I was pregnant with V, we didn’t tell a soul that we were expecting until I was past the first trimester. My husband was actually away in Florida for a medical rotation and I was home alone in Jersey from the moment I took my pregnancy test at 5 weeks until about 11 weeks. And I’m not going to lie, it was rough hiding the news and how I was feeling from our families. We wanted to be together when we shared the news but that meant waiting until he was home, and that wasn’t going to be for a while. So all my ObGyn appointments happened alone and all the food I was eating had to be made by me, myself, and I. This typically wouldn’t have been a problem if I didn’t have such an aversion to the smell of my kitchen. We had those Febreze scented garbage bags and I literally couldn’t stand to go into the kitchen because of the horrible smell they gave off. Our body’s are a bit miraculous, Ayurveda teaches to never deprive a woman of her cravings. Cravings are signs of what our body needs and aversions are things we should avoid. I guess it was my body’s way of telling me that I shouldn’t be breathing in those chemicals.

I totally just went off on a tangent but any how, all I wanted to do was lay on the couch during my 3rd month, this pregnancy as well as my last. The hormones are off the walls and the fatigue is real. The weight is creeping up but you’re still not ready for the world to know that you’re pregnant.

Gaining weight is a normal part of pregnancy, something that all women come to terms with eventually. Based on one’s Dosha (find out your Dosha here!), you are able to gain more or less weight to maintain a healthy pregnancy. Kapha types are able to gain extreme weights faster than the other two Doshas. However, it is advisable that if they are already on the heavier side, they monitor their weight gain closely. Vata types are usually underweight and can afford to gain a couple of extra pounds and Pitta types are very aware of their weight gain and will usually only gain an average 25-35 pounds.

It is best to let your body “do its thing” and not become obsessed with how much weight you gain or how your body looks. You only create a baby once and you have the rest of your life to lose the weight if you choose to do so. Your baby needs the proper nourishment for its development and consuming yourself with how your body is changing is not helping you or your growing baby. Restriction of calories during pregnancy can lead to a plethora of issues like low birth weight, growth restriction, prematurity among other things that can have life long consequences.

So this month, learn to think positively about your body 🙂

What’s happening inside your body:

In Month 2, we left off with the fetus looking like a lump (male) or an elongated object (female). Now, after a couple more weeks of development, the fetus has a tail, two arms, two legs, and a head. Your fetus will look like a mini-baby when you have your next Ultrasound. Most of the organ systems have began to develop and all of the sense organs are completely formed by the end of this month. The heart has began beating and pumping blood throughout the body. 5 fingers and 5 toes are visible on each hand and foot. The gender is also sometimes apparent by this stage. 

What you’re feeling:

The nausea and fatigue may reach an all time high this month. For some women, sleep may also become a concern. Well future-mama, this is the beginning of many years of lack of sleep to come. The good news is that insomnia this early in pregnancy is usually triggered by hormonal changes which can easily be reversed with simple dietary and lifestyle changes so that you can get those much needed Zzzzs. 

Diet Guidelines Specific to Month 3:

For general dietary guidelines throughout pregnancy, read my post on Month 1 of my Ayurvedic Pregnancy!

• Try to have a quarter cup of cooked rice with either milk or ghee with a little bit of honey every day
• To help with sleep, boil a cup of milk  of choice (Ayurveda refers to unpasteurized raw cow’s milk) and add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp cardamon powder with a little bit of sweetener (honey, sucanat, or jaggery). This will help calm the nerves and promote sound sleep. 
• Continue eating a Satvik diet consisting of fresh, organic fruit, fruit juices, and vegetables 

Lifestyle Guidelines for Month 3: 

• Continue daily walking in the mornings
• Continue daily meditation and deep breathing (Pranayama)
• Continue sesame oil massage to the soles of the feet
• Continue to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night, sleep by 10pm and wake up by 6am

If you’re still suffering from morning sickness and nausea, read more about natural remedies here. All of these symptoms that have been weighing you down for the past 2-3 months are about to come to an end very soon so stay positive and stay tuned for Month 4 of My Ayurvedic Pregnancy in the upcoming weeks!

Namaste.