There are a lot of rules for pregnancy. You shouldn't eat meat, you shouldn't eat raw cookie dough (life ruiners), don't drink that pot of coffee, and don't pursue your life long dream of being a matador just yet. You know these rules are all to help you, but still it seems like you are being treated like a child.

Good news! You are coming to the end of this phase. Before that though - I have more rules for you to follow. Woohoo! These are going to hurt me more than they are going to hurt you. Mostly.

A few things change in your body as you get further along. Your balance gets a little bit worse as your center of gravity shifts. You are feeling a little more uncomfortable now that your body is starting to have to carry the excess weight. You have may not be able to travel very far from a bathroom lest you tinkle. You may have some swelling.

The items on the list below are things you should not venture to do at the end of your pregnancy. They are not recommended in order to protect you and your baby from harm for various reasons. Following these rules in the end of your pregnancy will help you stay mostly sane, happy and healthy.

15 No Air Travel

In the last weeks of pregnancy most doctors will advise you against traveling. Why? Because doctors are smart. Also, if you were to go into labor it's nice to be near "home base." After all, this is the place where you have worked out your birth plan. And although technically any hospital or doctor could help you deliver, you are likely to be more comfortable at your home or in the center/hospital that you have attended your appointments. Other problems that could add unnecessary obstacles after air travel are dehydration, gas expanding and making you uncomfortable, and circulation problems. Plus, if you are jet setting allover who is going to be nesting and getting that baby's room ready? Best to stay put and rest up. You don't want time changes and jet lag to interfere with your last few weeks of rest.

14 Don't Stand Long Periods Of Time

When you stand up for long periods of time (5 hours or longer) with no break, the blood in your body is going down to your toes. This is fine except that the blood going to your toes would be better served by going to the uterus. Your uterus needs that blood to help nurture the baby. Don't let your hobbit feet steal all the baby's blood. It's important to try to limit the time you are up on your feet. If you work a job in which you stand, it's important to take breaks every few hours. See if you can have a stool and switch off from sitting and standing. It's worse making these small changes to have a healthy full pregnancy. If this rule is not followed then it can cause an increased risk of a premature labor. Just take a seat dear.

13 Stay Out of Saunas and Jacuzzis

The baby's temp is in sync with your temp. Therefore if your temp is raising up above 101 degrees F, then that baby's temp is a little higher then that. You can take baths, but be very mindful of the temperature. You should not be getting into a boiling bath. Another concern if you hop into the bath when you are experiencing some pains that may be contraction, if your water breaks in the bath it will be a little bit harder to tell. You will probably be able to tell once you get out of the bath when you are still leaking. However by then you may have already opened up your body to getting infection by sitting in the bath. Make sure if you are in a heated situation that you are drinking plenty of fluids in order to keep yourself from getting dehydrated.

12 Avoid Most Sports

There are a list of sports and activities that should probably be avoided during the end of the pregnancy when your belly could hamper you from sporting at your full potential. Horseback riding, water skiing, high altitude skiing, scuba diving, and contact sports. It seems pretty obvious why these are out of the question. It's because you have cankles now and these sports are not cut out for you and your cankles. Or it could be because they are dangerous to the health of the baby. You know what? Let's not pick between the two. Both can be possible. Other things to consider: You wouldn't want to make the horse feel bad by falling off of him would you? And you can't scuba dive because your belly is going to act as a flotation device. Not saying you have to take up knitting little booties, but try to tread on the safer side. Just for 10 months.

11 Avoid Sleeping on Back

This is one that I never really knew about. I knew that you were not supposed to sleep on your stomach and by the end it would have been impossible anyway, but I was unaware that there was a good side to sleep on. I knew that my right side is my good side pictures, so imagine my surprise when finding out that the left side is the side you need to be sleeping on. You will be fine if you are on your right side. The reason for the left side is because it will give the most blood flow to the baby. For me it carries the bonus that this is the side that I don't drool on. Incredibly lucky as who wants a wet pillow when you are already dealing with so much already? Fingers crossed that this is your non drooling side too.

10 Don't Cross Legs

You shouldn't spend a long time with your legs crossed. This is especially important during pregnancy when the blood flow needs to be running optimally. If you already have swollen feet, this is especially crucial advice for you to follow. There is no benefit to crossing your legs at this point unless you are crossing to hold the baby. If that is the case you need to be heading to the hospital girl. Keep your legs relaxed and make sure you are sitting with your knees lower than your hips. Move positions often and make sure you are taking breaks even if you are siting. Get up and stretch often. Criss cross apple sauce is probably going to have to wait until you have completed this pregnancy. Or at least don't stay in that position for long. No one wants to see a pregnant pretzel stuck on the floor.

9 Don't Forget The Pregnant People Parking Spots

Hopefully you live in a place that provides closer parking for women that are pregnant. If you do not, I am sorry. If you do, what are you waiting for? You are running out of time to use those few spots. Don't let the chance pass you by. Make sure that when you park there you add a little more swagger to your waddle, so people know you really needed it. These spots really can be a blessing for women who are having a bad day with pregnancy or are having some hip pain. I feel so sad when I see that these spots are going unused a great deal of the time. They are such a very nice option from the stores which provide them. You don't want to look back on this pregnancy and regret the things you didn't do. This is your chance.

8 Avoid All Nighters

What are you trying to prove, mama? You don't need to stay up all night for us to think you are cool. We know you are. You need to get some rest. Soon enough you will be up all night and you won't have a choice. While you have a say in it, let's try to catch some z's. You may be up because you are thinking about all the things you need or need to get done before baby. Let me tell you a secret: Your baby isn't even going to care if you forgot to wash the walls and iron the curtains before they come along. In fact in a couple years they are going to do their very best to make sure that no one knows that you clean your house at all. If you're up because you are wondering about giving birth. Wonder no more this article will tell you about water breaking, this one about contraction pain, and this one about pushing.

7 Avoid Waiting Until The Last Minute To Do Birth Plan

This is one that can be hard. Many people think that if they never do the plan then they don't have to worry about proceeding to the next step in this whole shebang which is labour. You guys didn't think that? Oh, I guess by "many people" I meant myself. Not having a plan doesn't mean that things won't start until you are ready for them to start. Unfortunately. Otherwise I would be going on my 7th year of pregnancy. The best thing to do is tackle things head on. Figure out what your ideal birth would be like. Then think about what things are not ideal, but are acceptable in cases of unexpected concerns. Obviously in emergency situations you may have little time to think through this, so it's a good preparation to think through all the possible things that could happen. How long will the doctor allow you to labor before they consider the baby to be distressed and need a section? Is there a certain number of dilation you would like to reach before pursuing pain relief? If you have labored all night is it acceptable to have something to help with pain to get some rest? Do you plan on laboring in a tub at all? Etc.

6 Avoid Confusion About Visitors

You may find that some people can be a little pushy about coming to visit after the baby arrives. Baby Rabies is the technical term for it. One way to head off things before they start is to let people know what you have your spouse have decided for visiting ahead of time. If you decided that you wanted to have your mother in the room with you during labor, then let her know. If you decided it should just be you and your spouse, that is fine too. Let people know that you would like some time with your new family to get used to it. This is all a courtesy of course. You don't owe anyone explanations about what you want to happen at your medical procedure. However, I find that respectful communication breeds respectful communication and this may help start things out on the right foot as you figure out the boundaries for your new family.

5 Avoid Victoria's Secret

Okay, so they may not have your size at this point. You are a lovely pregnant woman with curves and lovely lady lumps. This store typically caters to a non-pregnant woman. Don't put yourself through going to this store or any store that is not catered to non-pregnant women unless you are shopping with a friend. No one wants to see you crying into the thong bins about how you used to be this size. You may be that size again, but you don't need to make all those whipper snappers nervous with carrying on. You won't be in nursing bras and granny panties forever. Unless you want to be in them forever-in which case come sit by me. We can be best friends!

4 Avoid Belly Touchers

This is one that is complained about a lot. People coming up and rubbing the baby bump. If this happens to you a lot we may need to work on your RBF. That doesn't mean that you are to blame for these people being rude. Let's see you mean mug a little and see if that dissuades people, though. If it doesn't then you need to go to the next step. When people reach out to your stomach asking when you are due, tell them that you aren't pregnant. They will snatch their hand back so fast as their face turns an undiscovered shade of red. Hey, they asked for it. It's called personal space, and you are entitled to it. Well as much as that little baby will let you have it. If only he/she would stop kicking your bladder and punching your lung. Ah, well it will be over before you know it.

3 High Heels

High heels are pretty much just torture devices, but even more so in the last little bit of pregnancy. Throw on some Crocs or slippers and relax, girl. You don't want to go around on those stilts. Especially don't if it is summertime and you have cliff hangers. Cliff hangers being where your toes are going over the edge of the sandels. You are better than that. Even with swollen tootsies. There is pain associated with wearing them...when pregnant. You could end up having some back pain. Wear some nice flats that support your arches and keep you balanced. Also if you live in a place that has winter, please please heed this advice. No need to add an obstacle in addition to ice and snow for winter walking. Just as soon as you give birth you strap those hot shoes back on, if you want.

2 Avoid Heavy Meals

So sorry, mama. You just don't have the room nowadays to down as much food. That baby is all up in your stomach area taking up all your food baby room. Even when he or she has dropped lower to get ready to exit the mother ship, he or she is still interfering with the digestion process. This means that your digestions processes are slower. Mama that food doesn't work it's way out as fast as it used. Then you can end up really uncomfortable when all is said and done. Eating a whole pizza by yourself (though it sounds really fun) can cause great pain and discomfort. No judgement. A large pizza is a personal pizza if you believe in yourself enough. Pizza be yummy, yo. However maybe split that pizza into small meals to prolong the deliciousness. This will also save you some belly pain. Small meals at regular intervals are the recommended way to go.

1 Heavy Household Chores

Avoid doing all the house cleaning and chores during the last little bit of cooking. This seems contrary to what we are lead to believe about nesting and that, but no one said that you had to do the actual work. Boss others around to get the house ready. Or if you absolutely want to do it yourself than you can definitely do small things at a time. Rome wasn't built in a day. It took several days and possibly many slaves. What does that tell you? That of course your spouse would love to help you move the furniture around.

Yes, they want to hang that picture of you two above the babies crib. No doubt they want to scrub the baseboards in the room. Yes, they want to shake the rugs out. Yep! They can't imagine anything more gratifying than switching the laundry for you. Of course you can't clean the bathtub, they would like to do it. You are building a person after all. If you have people willing to help you, let them love you!

Sources: Mayo Clinic, Today, Summa Health