Mid pregnancy discomforts

Nosebleeds and blocked noses

Your nose may feel blocked and could even bleed if you blow it too energetically.

What to do: Eat lots of foods containing vitamin C as this can help strengthen the blood vessels. You could also try dabbing some petroleum jelly around each nostril, to stop the skin drying out so easily.

Fainting and dizziness

If you feel light-headed, it’s because your body is working overtime. The hormones relax your blood vessels, causing a drop in blood pressure, and this can make you feel faint. If you skip a meal, you may feel light-headed, too.

What to do:  Avoid standing up for long periods if you can, and eat regularly. Carry a snack or some fruit in your bag to keep you going.

Vaginal discharge and thrush

A clear or white discharge is normal during pregnancy. If it becomes thicker or yellowish, tell your midwife or GP as you may have thrush. This is an infection in your vagina that can be caused by the changing balance of hormones, which makes the conditions right for thrush to grow. You may feel sore and itchy, too.

What to do: The infection can be treated with anti-fungal creams and pessaries. Remember that the safety of treatments you take by mouth hasn’t yet been proved.  Always check with your pharmacist, or go to see your doctor. Prescriptions are free in pregnancy!

Haemorrhoids

Sometimes called piles because they look like a little pile of grapes, haemorrhoids are varicose veins in your back passage. If you’re sore or itchy in the area, either irritating or have some bleeding, you might have piles. To avoid piles, eat high fibre foods, like whole grain cereals. Drink lots of fluids and take regular exercise.

What to do: Apply an ice pack to relieve soreness, or your doctor may also prescribe a soothing cream. If there is bleeding, always check it out with your doctor. If any of these discomforts cause you major problems, make an appointment to talk to your doctor or midwife.

Sore breasts

You may need to buy a larger bra as your pregnancy progresses, and keep trading up the sizes as your breasts grow!

What to do: Some stores offer bra-fitting services which can help you find the right bra for you. Getting good support will ease the aching.

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Comments

You may need to find a bigger bra??? By the time i was 8 weeks i'd jumped up from a 34D to a 32G They cant possibly grow anymore, they dont sell them in any shops!

hi, 34 yrs old first child, 24 wks at the wkend, gettin pins n needles in my right arm no matter which way i sleep, even got them drivin to the shops the other day, please help!

Hello!
I'm 21w+4, first time mum to be and if I'm honest, I would guess a little older than most of you ladies on here I asume (42 next week!).
Baby was planned (for about 20 years all in) so and extremely happy about it.
Have had 3 mc's so feel a bit paranoid every now and then and still finding it hard to "buy into" but getting there.
I'm finding that I have excruciating pain round the back of my ribs at night. Midwife says it's nothing to worry about but when I wake up in the am, it's impossible to move with feeling muscle spasms accross the ribs at the back so bad they take your breath away!
Anyone else having or had the same thing or is just my old bones objecting to sleeping on my side all the time now?!?
Due date 10th July - little boy!

i just wanted to say im so happy for you, im having a boy due the fith of july , im not getting pains in my ribs but i do get bad pains in my stomach muscles , do you experiance the same thing? ? again im so happy for you

I've been feeling faint and dizzy first thing in the morning. Can't sleep too well either, anybody have any advice?

i am 24 wks pregnant and my breasts have enlarged already nearly twice thier size,ive had soreness and leaking but has anyone ever heard of swelling nipples? its uncomfortable and one day they might swell and the next they are normal. what is going on ??

i already have a maternity bra that im wearing at the mo but still get sore boobies could this be anything or just me thinking too much in to it,some days they are so sore i cant wear a bra

my breasts have doubled in size already at 24 wks and ive had the soreness and pain but has anyone ever had or heard of swollen nipples??

My skin at the top of my baby bump is burnin.

Is it safe to tke penicillin at 21 weeks?