My Third Trimester:
[symptoms, supplements + must-haves]
The farther along I got in my pregnancy, the faster it felt like it flew by… At least until we were at 38 weeks and we knew he could come at any time. And at 39 weeks, I took maternity leave which also made the days seem longer.
At this point, you know the drill.. continue reading for all of my third trimester details!
THIRD TRIMESTER SYMPTOMS:
Nesting
This basically occurred through the entire third trimester. By week 33 we had the car seat installed, hospital bags packed, and the house was babyproofed (anal husband). Throughout the last trimester, I gradually washed his new clothes and blankets, sanitized his baby bottles, and felt the need to organize and clean basically everything throughout the house. This included my bedroom closet (ended up donating 2 full trash bags full of clothes), kitchen cabinets, the pantry, hallway closets, etc. You get the point.. Nesting is a real thing, people!
Extreme Fatigue
It hit hard and was in full effect. If I went to the gym in the morning, I’d be ready for a nap hours after. Work started to become harder as days felt a lot longer. I was ready to crawl into bed by 7:30/8:00 o’clock each night. I will say that I am super grateful that I was able to sleep fairly well and get anywhere from 6-10 hours of sleep a night. But again, even on the days where I had more sleep, I still felt exhausted by the afternoon.
Braxton Hicks Contractions
These are basically the “practice contractions” that help prepare your body for the real deal when the time comes. I usually got them numerous times throughout the day, but they weren’t too uncomfortable and didn’t really bother me. (Side Note: I was experiencing one as I was typing this lol). Essentially, for me, it’s a tightening feeling and my belly becomes super hard. Depending on the position I was in – sitting, standing, lying down, etc. – it could be a little more uncomfortable, but I simply changed positions and it usually did the trick. They don’t last long – typically 30 seconds at the most – and then go away.
SYMPTOMS CONTINUED:
Abdominal Pain/Gas/Discomfort
The gas is real people. The farther along in this pregnancy that I got, the more uncontrollable it was. That’s just how it goes. Nothing to be embarrassed about – it is what it is! Now the crampy/discomfort part can possibly be managed. It’s recommended to eat smaller meals as our digestive system has significantly slowed down and our organs are essentially all squished to make room for Baby.
Heartburn
I had a little of this off/on during the second trimester, and it definitely continued into the third. It didn’t necessarily matter what I ate, it sometimes would just come on randomly. Luckily, Tums are okay to consume while pregnant, so when I really needed relief, I took 1-2 as needed.
Vision Changes
This is due to extra fluid that the body is holding onto, in this case in/near the eyes, that can cause a change in your vision. For me, I wear contacts and even doing so my vision is somewhat blurry now (which drives my nuts). I constantly feel like I have to blink a few times when trying to see something, both close and farther away. I’m near-sighted so my troubles have always been seeing farther away. Now, even when typing this and doing things on the computer it is slightly blurry and I have to get closer to the screen sometimes depending on how small the font is. Now I know what it feels like to be my mom when she holds a book inches away from her face to see small writing ;-). JK I love you, Ma!
When I’m not wearing my contacts, the blurriness is even worse. Before pregnancy, I could get away with not wearing my contacts or glasses if I didn’t feel like it and still see fairly well – my prescription was not very bad. Now, I can immediately tell, and I have to be wearing my contacts/glasses or else it annoys me as my vision is pretty blurry (mostly in my right eye). Typically, they say this should go back to normal after pregnancy, but there are cases when it doesn’t or when your prescription is still slightly different afterwards. I plan on making an eye appointment after Baby gets here to get it checked out, as I’m due for an annual exam anyways.
S U P P L E M E N T S
I continue to take the same ones as I did during the first and second trimesters – prenatal vitamin + collagen peps, daily.
As well as the following:
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
This tea is said to tone the uterus and help prepare it for labor. Whether this actually is said to work is unknown, however I found no harm in it and it made me feel good. I would make big batches of this tea and consume 2-3 cups daily, especially during the last few weeks of my pregnancy. I bought it in bulk, as it was much more cost efficient than to buy the small quantity boxes with the individual tea bags.
MISCELLANEOUS
I didn’t take/do these regularly, however during week 39 and nearing week 40, I tried numerous wives tales that is said to help induce labor: consuming an entire pineapple, eating spicy food, bouncing on a yoga ball, squatting, eating eggplant parmesan, getting an induction massage, hitting pressure points, etc. I will say that I did get two induction massages – the first one at 39 weeks and the seconds when I was 40 weeks and 2 days. I will say that I went into labor the day after the second massage. Whether it actually helped or was a coincidence, I’m truly unsure, but I was having a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions during the second massage and there on after.
My 3rd Trimester Must-Haves:
Ina May’s CHILDBIRTH book
I found this book extremely helpful . From the very beginning I had a plan to have a natural childbirth – no epidural or drugs. Ina May is a certified midwife and her book begins with numerous stories from her patients that share their natural birth stories. The second half includes alternative coping mechanisms, but also gives informative insight on the laboring process, what to understand, drugs and medications used and so on. Some of the things I had heard of before reading, while others were completely new to me. Again, I found it very helpful and informative, and I was able to use some of the knowledge for my own delivery.
Baobei Maternity: Bra, Cheekys and Bloomers
I can’t say enough good things about this brand. All of the items I’ve purchased from them are beyond comfortable, and I wear them all the time. This is the bra I have – it’s similar to a sports bra and I’ll be using it for when I’m nursing. I currently wear the cheekys and bloomers to bed and plan to wear them postpartum as they are also high-waisted.
Tums
No description needed for this.. It was simply for the heartburn.
BODY Boost BUTTER
I got mine here, however they sell it at Maternity Motherhood as well. I used this religiously starting in the second trimester but even more so in the third. My mom and sister both got stretch marks, which are said to be genetic, however I was determined to still try and prevent them but to also keep my belly hydrated as I’ve heard it can become very itchy and uncomfortable as the skin stretches tremendously to accommodate baby’s growth.
Compression socks
I used these to help with my ankles swelling. I got mine from Walmart, however Amazon also has a large selection. They did not completely get rid of the swelling, but they did help keep it to a minimum especially during long work days when I was standing majority of the day.
MEDJOOL Dates
Dates supposedly help to soften the cervix (very helpful and necessary for vaginal childbirth). They are also super delicious IMO so I had no problem eating these daily. Slap some nut butter and chocolate chips on them and you have a quick, healthy dessert. You can also throw some in a smoothie for a natural sweetener. It is said to start consuming dates at 36 weeks for the full benefits.
O V E R A L L –
WEIGHT GAIN: ~20 pounds (close to 40 pounds overall)
MENTAL STATE: This trimester was definitely the toughest – both physically and mentally. I had been significantly more tired which in return forced me to slow down – something I am not used to. Naturally I’m a busy-body, so I always feel the need to be doing something. This also caused my workouts/exercise to change which again, I wasn’t used to. Mentally, this caused some anxiety and an unwelcome feeling. It was a lot to adjust to, but I knew that I needed to listen to my body and slow down like it was asking me to – rest more, go for more walks instead of spin class, just be in the moment, etc.
EXERCISE REGINMEN: As stated above, this also changed a lot as I’m sure you can imagine. My exercise mainly consisted of morning/evening walks and at-home workouts, sometimes with weights, sometimes only body weight exercises. Here and there I would sometimes go to kickboxing or spin classes, but again it significantly decreased especially as my due date got closer. It’s simply not what my body needed/what was best, and I chose to honor that.
DIET: I definitely enjoyed myself more this trimester, and I’m okay with that. I still ate nutrient dense foods 85% of the time. I enjoyed more date nights and spontaneous trips to ice cream shops with my husband – that’s living. Did I gain a little more weight? Maybe. But my baby is healthy, as am I, both physically and mentally, and that’s all that matters.
ONE FINAL NOTE:
I’m aware this is close to a month and a half after Bodhi came into this world — I’m sure you can imagine the chaos and craziness that comes with raising a newborn! Thanks for being patient as well as sticking around and reading thus far.
I’d love to hear any feedback or answer any questions that you might have!
Next up – My Birth Story… coming soon!
Xoxo, Alyssa