I apologize for being so absent over the past couple of weeks. Not only have I been swamped with work as I near closing the clinic before maternity leave begins but I am also finishing up my Ayurvedic Counselor program and I had to catch up on all of my assignments. Thankfully, the Practitioner program doesn’t start for a couple of months so I will get a little break from the schoolwork and time to focus on V and the newborn.

Regardless, Month 5! The halfway point!  

I’m going to have to back track and think of how I felt when Month 5 hit because it’s very different from how I feel at present! My energy levels were great, we took a mini-babymoon to California and got some much needed sun and pool time, and overall, I was feeling great!

During this month, you will likely also experience the same growing energy. You will also feel your growing baby and feel those kicks getting stronger. It is important to learn to trust your intuition and your instincts during this time because chances are, now that your belly is growing – your family and your friends will all want to give you advice.  What you could and should be doing. What you shouldn’t be doing. And this will continue until well after the baby is born.

This is a good time for you to take your health and your baby’s health into your own hands based on your own intuition. You may not think you have the expertise or knowledge right now, but you know more than you think! I had my ObGyn tell me that V was going to be a “big baby”. He made me go for an extra ultrasound at 36 weeks to make sure I would be able to deliver him naturally and wouldn’t need a C-section. On the ultrasound, he measured 2 lbs heavier than what he actually was! I told him that I wasn’t having a C-section regardless of V’s size unless there was something that would compromise his or my health, and V was born vaginally at 6lb 12 oz, not large at all! So it goes to show that sometimes others, even experts, don’t know more than you and your gut feeling!

We trust other people and medical opinions but there are always going to be limitations to technology. The soul growing inside of you shares a connection with you, and you know that baby better than anyone else. Determining how your instincts speak to you is important and following through with your instinctual feelings is equally as important. You will learn that this motherly instinct will follow along with you throughout motherhood. They say you truly change as a person when you become a mother, and you’ll see that it is very true.

What’s Happening Inside your Body:

You’ll likely have an anatomy scan/ultrasound this month which shows you a detailed view of your baby’s body. You can find out the gender through this ultrasound if you haven’t done so already. The baby continues to develop and from this month on wards, the baby’s mind becomes sensitive to its surroundings. The fetus begins to realize feelings and thus it becomes important for the mother to focus on positive thoughts, music, and actions. This month is also when a majority of the fetus’s muscles form. The vertebral column and circulatory systems also continue to form and solidify.

What you’re feeling:

Hopefully, you’re still experiencing that 2^nd trimester energy boost so that you can make the most of the time you have before the baby really starts growing and weighing down on you. You may continue to feel some of the same symptoms of the prior month from swollen breasts to an off balance sensation due to your increasing belly size. You may also start experiencing the occasional heartburn, constipation, and some shortness of breath.

Diet Guidelines Specific to Month 5:

• Have 6-7 teaspoons of organic ghee with one meal a day preferably with lunch

Lifestyle Guidelines Specific to Month 5: 

• Continue Pre-Natal yoga or your daily exercise routine. Also practice a daily meditation preferably with soothing music. Not much changes as far as lifestyle during Months 4, 5, and 6. 

Stay tuned for more on Month 6 in the next couple of days!

Namaste.