Now that you’re 27 weeks pregnant, your baby is really starting to grow. This means you’ll need to add some extra kilojoules to your diet to ensure your baby is getting enough nutrition. Make sense, right? In this blog I’ll share with you the best ways to add those extra kilojoules in a healthy and nourishing way so that you can still maintain a healthy pregnancy weight.

Your body:

As you move into the third trimester, your baby is now the size of a rockmelon. She will push against your lungs and make you feel short of breath and your big belly will start to affect your balance, making it more difficult for you to participate in some types of exercise.

One thing you may not have expected is a change in shoe size, which is likely to increase by at least half a size. This is due to a combination of the increased fluid around your feet and ankles and the pressure of your additional weight lowering the arches of your feet to make them more flat. If your feet feel squashed and sore, go and buy yourself some new ballet flats. You can also try wearing compression stockings. These are available for a couple of dollars at the chemist and they will help to reduce swelling and make things much more comfortable for you.

Nutrition:

As your baby grows, she will need lots of nutrition, so add an extra 600–1200 kilojoules to your diet at this point. The best way to do this is to make your snacks a bit more nourishing. Where previously you may have eaten just a piece of fruit or some dry biscuits, now have a piece of fruit and some dry biscuits.

Calcium is especially important at this stage, as your little one will be drawing calcium from your body to provide for her bone growth. So, include the recommended two and a half to three  serves of low-fat or skim dairy foods in your diet each day to maintain your calcium level. If you can’t tolerate dairy, substitute it with calcium-fortified rice, almond or soy milk. I tell my clients to try to have dairy foods as a snack as they have a low GI and are great for your blood glucose levels. Try yoghurt, cottage cheese, smoothies, tzatziki dip and milk drinks.

Continue with your pregnancy multivitamin and omega 3 supplements, as your baby’s brain will be growing rapidly at this stage.

Exercise:

If you haven’t already done so, you may need to change your exercise routine for more pregnancy friendly, lower impact exercises such as walking, swimming, water aerobics or prenatal exercise classes – and don’t give up altogether. Remember that you are preparing your body for labour and exercise is a great stress relief.

If you haven’t signed up for a prenatal exercise class, now is the time. These classes can be great motivators to continue exercising because you see other pregnant women persevering. Continually remind yourself of all the benefits of exercising during your pregnancy: controlling your blood glucose levels, increasing your fitness for labour, helping you to maintain your weight and to sleep better, minimising constipation and back pain. Believe me, you will feel worse if you don’t exercise.

One major benefit in labour comes from practising how to control your breathing during exercise. This is why swimming and pilates are two of my favourite forms of exercise I recommend for soon-to-be mums as they help you to focus on your inhalation and exhalation.

To help you eat more healthily during pregnancy, I’ve put together a 7 day pregnancy meal plan.  To download it now, all you have to do is click here!