16 Weeks Pregnant

Hormones and milk-producing glands are developing to prepare for nursing. All this activity, plus an increase in blood flow, can cause your breasts to grow up to three cup sizes. Of course, every pregnant woman's symptoms are different. 

While breast growth is common — and for some women quite a lot — you might not notice any changes at all in your breast size, especially if you're busty to begin with. Even if you have no breast growth, it’s not cause for concern.

Unless you have a food allergy yourself, you don’t have to avoid peanuts or peanut butter. The latest research suggests that eating peanuts while pregnant won’t trigger nut allergies in your baby — in fact, it may actually prevent them.

If you do have food allergies, talk to your doctor and an allergist about what you can safely eat during your pregnancy.

That annoying stuffiness in your nose — and sometimes even the nosebleeds that accompany it, especially if you're blowing often — usually start around week 16 of your pregnancy.

Unfortunately, they usually stick with you and sometimes get worse until the very end. Try using a neti pot with bottled, distilled water and a humidifier to moisten your dry nose, or ask your practitioner for treatment recommendations.

You know you need your protein, but you've had a falling out with meat (and chicken, and fish …) and now you can't be in the same room together, never mind share a plate.

You'll eventually be able to stomach these meaty foods again, but until then, pick up protein from cottage cheese, yogurt, beans or soy products, especially tofu or edamame. Or consider quinoa, a nutty grain that packs a super-punch of protein in a comforting package.

If it's leafy greens that turn you a not-so-delicate shade of chartreuse, brighten up your diet with yellow vegetables (which are often easier to stomach), like carrots or yams. Or go for the beta-carotene in cantaloupe, mangoes, peaches and apricots.

Backache got you down? Instead of nursing it on the sofa, try doing some gentle prenatal yoga or pregnancy-safe Pilates moves. Both help stretch and loosen the spine and release tension — which can be one of the main causes of back pain.

Another plus: Yoga and Pilates boost your overall energy and mood levels, so you're better able to cope with the pregnancy pains that remain.

You can also do simple moves that strengthen your abdominal muscles, which will, in turn, reduce the amount of strain on your lower back. (But remember, don't exercise on your back now that you're well into your second trimester).

Make a habit of having a salad or grilled veggies, or sauteéd leafy greens such as spinach, escarole or broccoli as a side.

Lentil, bean and vegetable soups are all great choices too, and same goes for tomato-based broths and chowders.

Pushing your baby through your pelvis and into the world is demanding not only on you, but also on your pelvic floor muscles — which have to stretch to proportions previously unimaginable.

Doing pelvic floor exercises during and after pregnancy can ease pregnancy symptoms and lead to a faster post-birth recovery. Squeeze the pelvic floor muscles for up to 10 seconds, shooting for three sets of 20 a day.

Building these bladder- and uterus-supporting muscles reduces your chance of bladder issues and eases a host of other pregnancy and postpartum symptoms.