30 Weeks Pregnant

Breathless? Your growing baby is pressing against your diaphragm. As your pregnancy progresses, you may start to feel winded even after minimal amounts of physical exertion.

You can’t completely relieve shortness of breath during pregnancy, but standing up straight can give your lungs a little, well, breathing room. At night, try sleeping in a semi-seated position on your left side, with pillows propping you up.

Put away the heels! Your shifting sense of gravity and loosening joints (thanks to that all-important hormone, relaxin) leave you clutzier than usual. Prevent falls by wearing flats and watching your step.

Talk to your health care provider about episiotomies during labor. The procedure involves a surgical cut in your perineum, the muscular area between your vagina and your anus, right before delivery to enlarge your baby's exit.

In the past, episiotomies were routine, but now, they’re done much less often unless there’s a good reason. What you want to hear from your doctor: "I only perform them if absolutely necessary."

The name Kegel may be silly — at least when you say it out loud — but these pelvic floor strengthening exercises really work wonders.

Why? A stronger pelvic floor better supports your uterus, bladder and bowels, and it can ease pregnancy and postpartum symptoms such as hemorrhoids and urinary incontinence. More good news: Kegel exercises are easy to do no matter where you are.

To give them a shot, tense the muscles around your vagina and bottom and hold, same as you would if you were trying to stop the flow of urine, working up to 10 seconds. Then slowly release and repeat. Shoot for three sets of 20 daily. Try doing them during sex too.

Here's a “swell” reason to drink water: Though most people associate lots of water with water weight, the opposite is actually true. Paradoxically, drinking plenty of liquids can keep excessive water retention and swelling under control.

While a certain amount of pregnancy edema is to be expected when you're expecting — and represents a normal and necessary increase in body fluids — keeping the fluids flowing (as well as cutting back on your salt intake) can prevent too many from accumulating where you'd rather they didn't…like in your ankles. Support stockings can also help reduce swelling, as can soaking in epsom baths and swimming.

Before you treat those fine lines on your face, read the fine print on your skin care products’ ingredient labels. If they contain vitamin A (retinoids) or BHA (beta hydroxy acid or salicylic acid), you might need to bid it a fond farewell for a while — though check with your doctor to be sure.

Most practitioners will green-light products containing AHA (alpha hydroxy acid), but do ask first. And keep in mind that AHA products can make your already sun-sensitive pregnancy skin even more vulnerable to the damaging effects of the sun’s rays.

Sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher is your friend, so wear it daily, even when there are more clouds than sun. Not only will you protect your skin, you’ll ward off wrinkles more effectively than any cream at any price.

Here's what you need to know about low-cal and no-cal sugar substitutes and artificial sweeteners during pregnancy:

• Sucralose (Splenda), which has less of an aftertaste, appears to be safe during pregnancy, so you can sweeten your day — and your coffee or tea — with it.
• Aspartame (including Equal and NutraSweet) has experts divided. Some think it’s harmless, while others think it's unsafe. Given this lack of consensus, it's probably smart not to give Equal equal billing with other sweetener options.
• Saccharin (like Sweet ‘N Low) has never been proven unsafe during pregnancy, but it's never been proven safe either. It gets to your baby through the placenta, and when it gets there, it's slow to leave. To be safe, avoid it while you’re expecting, or at the very least, check with your doctor before using it.
• Xylitol is a sugar alcohol derived from plants that's naturally occurring in many fruits and veggies and is considered safe during pregnancy in moderate amounts.
• Stevia (steviol glycoside) is a food additive that’s "generally recognized as safe," and therefore doesn't need approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but there's no research showing that it's okay for pregnancy. Ask before using it.

Your best bet? Check with your practitioner before using any of these sugar substitutes. And just remember: When it comes to artificial sweeteners, consumption in moderation is always a good idea and you may be better off just using the real thing (sugar) in small amounts.