Thursday, January 3, 2013

3rd Trimester!!!




I always thought a woman in her 3rd tri looked uncomfortable but I had yet to actually feel it...

My goodness! 

Let's first cover food and appetite:

I've noticed mine is hit and miss, I guess my mom's was too by this time.
The annoying thing is sometimes you have to force yourself to eat seeing as the baby is now developing his chub. You don't want to compromise their body weight! Now, I've had to force myself each trimester at some point..Def never fully lost the "yuck" however mild. Praise God!! As I mentioned, hormone surges ALWAYS had me fighting the idea of food. Nothing usually sounded great those days but I always found something to eat. I'm not a huge meat eater and it's showing me how I'm needing to get creative on certain nutritional levels because you need SO much more protein now vs when you're not pregnant. I've learned Greek yogurt, almonds and dried fruits rich in the color red etc are awesome foods for boosting protein intake! A day low on protein is one yucky day indeed.

In your 3rd trimester you need more calcium, vitamin c and yes, protein! 
Not to mention keeping up with water. 80 oz +

35 weeks :)


Tired one day and energized the next:

 If I have an energy burst I need to watch myself cause I will overdo it and then my back is shot and that's just not a fun thing! My husband gets on me about this and rightly so. The nesting instinct makes it hard to slow down some days if I have the desire to go and not stop! 

Lack of sleep is another killer during this time.
You're getting bigger so you have to have a pillow for your back, under your tummy and between your legs! If it's not seeking comfort from pillows you might be praying for your back to unlock and stop whacking out on you... I had a heating pad I used but it died sooo I've been def trying to figure out how to ease that discomfort. A husband who's willing to rub is always a bonus and warm baths right before bed are even more addicting these days, the water calls your name more and more the bigger you get! It's heaven in the tub with bubbles and candles :) Also a heated rice sock has been a new friend vs the cold one I use for headaches.

 We keep learning how that car wreck the summer before last really did a number on my poor body. (Esp since I was still regaining ground in workouts before I got pregnant...)
We have been blessed with a wonderful chiro my midwife suggested and his passion is to work with pregnancy. My goodness has he been a life saver!! I had another I was seeing but this guy has built part of his job around pregnancy and all that entails. 

A product called Natural Calm that can be bought at most health food markets is a blessing for RLS (Restless leg syndrome) This stuff tastes pretty good too and it's fizzy, which I like.
(Can be had cold or warm.)

The bathroom is now one of your best friends and sometimes it's an emergency situation where you have to pull off at a gas station just to go pee. Or you're sprinting to reach it there in time. 

Back to that nesting instinct:

When it hits...
It HITS!

Suddenly things you've been putting off or that have been on the back burner become a full frontal focus that consumes your mind daily and sometimes you wake up thinking about it. The asking for more and more help gets old pretty fast but you need to think of that little bundle inside! 

It's a joy to put things together and plan out the design/colors, what you need etc!!!

Oh the hormones of it all:

If you didn't feel too hormonally emotional during the first 2 trimesters you may be feeling REALLY it now! My emotions have been pretty even keel this entire pregnancy and that has been so awesome. Another praise God!!

 However.

This 3rd hit and suddenly almost, (not always) everything makes me cry. What the heck?!
I'm not a huge crier to start off with so this is really odd for me. Poor husband looks confused but always has a hug an kiss right there waiting! You also may get angry or annoyed quickly for no good reason and that too makes you scratch your head... "Why the heck did that piss me off so much??"

Making sure plans are in place:

Now is the time to nail down any plans you have to make for you and your coming baby!!



1. Finding a reputable doctor for the baby.
And do they support your choice to vaccinate/not vaccinate or selective vaccinate?

2. Do you have a birth plan in place?
(This is esp good f you're planning a hospital birth.
We will have one set up for if we have to go due to any emergency.)

3. Do you have everything you need in order to have this baby not not freak out over something not being done or bought etc... All the major things at least. A few small things left undone is okay, ask for help for that stuff if you honestly can't do it before baby comes!

4. If you're having a home birth do you have all your supplies?
If it's a hospital birth do you have your bag ready(With birth plan in print and copies made)?

5. Have you researched how you plan on doing diapers?

a. Most disposable have a lot of junk in them that create health issues, rashes etc... Look into safer options which are out there for disposable but they will def raise the cost of things.

b. If you're planning on going the cloth rout, research and ask around for what people find to work best and what will fit your particular lifestyle.

6. Do you have nursing bras that fit for both night and day?
And do you have a small box of nursing pads put away just in case you start leaking pre baby.
Not to mention having some for day 3 when the milk comes in post baby is also a good idea!

7. Do you have meals frozen + lined up to be brought when you give birth?
In reality you'll only need meals for 2 weeks if all goes smoothly. Start prepping some meals and freezing them now and find somebody to organize the other meals you'll be needing!
You should not be doing all of this, you have a baby to prep for.

8. Make sure people know if you're planning on visitors or having them turned away for X amount of days/weeks. Yes, you will prob need to remind them a few times but this is time for you to get into routine and recover! Don't feel pressure to have people come right away.

9. Have you lined up pre baby pampering for yourself??
This is key!!
Get your hair done, a massage, a pedi and mani!
You OWE yourself, it's been a long road and you've waited so long to have this baby...
Make yourself feel gorgeous for that day when your baby makes their grand entrance :)


I see this has turned into quite the book so I'll stop myself here.
I have so much more I could say but I dare not over due it, as  I may have already ;)

I am overjoyed my time being pregnant is coming to a close as I just can't wait to hold my son!!!

Have a wonderful evening, 
Shannon <3 





2 comments:

  1. I can literally FEEL your enthusiasm as an almost-mother hopping off the page in this post! Sounds like the 3rd tri has been a little crazy, but it also sounds like you're really prepared. That list is quite something you've got going there. I cannot even imagine how this feels, now that I think about it... Sometimes, I think since women just always talk about pregnancy, I think somehow I know what it's like. But wow, based on what you've said, I do not at all! It all sounds so foreign and draining. But as always, you are going to make it and do great!

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  2. Thank you Melissa :)

    You get an idea of how a woman feels when they talk about it but to feel how your body reacts and changes is such a different thing all together indeed!! If you go into a pregnancy knowing you have no clue what you'll feel minus knowing that you'll probably feel something along (but not always exact) the lines of somebody in your family it does help prep you mentally. i.e. My morning sickness was JUST like my Aunt on my mom's side! (I was NOTHING like my mother, she felt fine)

    It is very tiring on the body but you learn ways to cope and realizing what worked for one may not work for you. It's also about letting go of things too (Ha not easy), my biggest was working out like I used to bc I just can't keep up with a regular routine minus stairs and walking with a little stretching when I can. I miss my body but the belly and kicks are SO worth it!!!

    And the level of excitement that builds is insane!!! If you trust who's caring for you, your husband and your body but most importantly God, fear doesn't really hold a place in your heart. I do however wonder what labor will feel like... That's for sure haha But I oddly look forward to it.

    Thanks for uplifting comments :)

    <3

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