I am a fit person but of late I can't seem to handle even a flight of stairs. Is this normal?


The breathlessness is a common third trimester complaint. Your growing uterus is causing pressure on the diaphragm. However the hormone progesterone, is helping you by causing you to breathe more deeply. This ensures your baby receives plenty of oxygen despite your diminished lung capacity. Although there is no cure other than giving birth, there are a couple of things you do to ease the situation. Make a habit of sitting and standing with your back straight and your shoulders back. Prop yourself on a pile of pillows or lie on your side so that some of the pressure will be taken off the diaphragm when you are resting in bed. However there isn't much you can do to reduce your breathlessness when taking a flight of stairs, besides climbing slowly.