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. And sometimes even eating standing up can help, as the winded feeling can be made worse when your tummy is full of food.

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."

One thing is for certain: Your baby will be in constant need of a diaper change for at least the next year in a half (and likely longer) — a habit that will cost about $70 to $80 a month.

To help keep diaper costs low, try joining a few diaper reward programs, which allow you to earn coupons and points for gift cards when you buy their products, and take advantage of registry welcome boxes from retailers like Amazon, Buy Buy Baby and Walmart, which also offer diapers.

Here's a “swell” reason to drink water: Drinking plenty of liquids can help flush out sodium and other waste products in the body, which keeps 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.

It's more important than ever now to be a hand-washing pro, especially in the kitchen.

Wash your hands well for at least 20 seconds before prepping any food, and be sure your dish towels, countertops and sponges are cleaned regularly too — along with everything else that's part of the food-prep process. That includes the food itself!

Be vigilant when handling raw meats, eggs, poultry or fish — wash your hands with warm, soapy water before, during and after you touch those foods, and be sure to clean the utensils and cutting board along the way.

Wash fruits and veggies well in cold water before eating them, even the ones you intend to peel. The one exception? Don't rinse raw meat or poultry. You won't be washing off the bacteria — only cooking can eliminate that — but you will be splashing it all over the sink and countertop. 

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.