Well! Second trimester passes very quickly. I was feeling fabulous, so maybe I thought like time is flying fast. Yes, I remember how I was waiting to over my first trimester. I was literally counting the days, maybe because of so much discomfort and frustration during that trimester.
A couple of weeks in the second trimester was so easy. At the end of month 7, my friends plan and host an Indian baby shower party for me. I was lucky to have such wonderful friends around me during that time. At a week 32 and 33, we did our maternity photo shoot. I was in my happy zone.
I thought my last trimester will go well but I was wrong. The third trimester was definitely hardest of all.
The third trimester is also a super EMOTIONAL time. Your hormones are going crazy at this point and you are just so anxious to meet your baby! Sometimes it is so hard to stay patient!
Physical and emotional symptoms of the third trimester
Morning sickness:
It was stopped completely in the second trimester. I heard that sometimes it comes back in last trimester but for me, it wasn’t the case.
Fatigue :
Sleep is hard to come by. I was super uncomfortable no matter how I lay down. This is one symptom that will carry on, perhaps for a long while even after the birth, when you have a newborn to take care of, so it’s probably best to try sleep as much as you can, or at least put your feet up and relax at every opportunity.
Stretch marks:
In the last trimester, most of the baby’s internal organs and systems are formed, so now your little one is mostly concentrating on growing. Stretch marks, affect roughly 80% of pregnant women and can break out across your belly, thighs, arms, breasts, and bottom. They can also appear overnight. According to my experience, you can not avoid it just keep moisturizing your body. Sometimes the body becomes super itchy. My Doctor prescribes a cream which gave me relief from itchiness.
The decrease in appetite:
As baby grows and takes up more room in your belly, your expanding uterus will put pressure on most of your internal organs, especially your stomach and intestines. This may shrink the amount of food you feel like eating. So yes! You will notice a decrease in your appetite.
Lower back pain:
In last trimester I started getting sharp pains in my back. It was hard to walk sometimes. When putting pressure on my leg while walking, I used to get a sharp shooting pain from lower back throughout the leg. It was intense and worst sometimes.
Pelvic Pain :
When baby drops, pelvic pain occurs due to pressure on the pelvis. If you are first time pregnant, then baby dropping typically happens a week before the labor. I experienced intense pelvic pain for two weeks. It hurt to sit, walk, stand up, everything. Nothing really helped.
Movements:
In the third trimester, your baby is most likely to become super active. Movements were not cute anymore in last trimester. When they get bigger It hurts sometimes. You may even notice - kicking, punching, rolling
Third trimester to do list:
• Exercise :
Exercising can help build your stamina, speed up labor, and shorten your recovery. Even though you may not feel to do it because belly grows, it is important to keep moving. It is better than doing none.
Organize the baby's nursery :
It's a great time to make sure the nursery is organized and things like diapers, wipes, fresh clean baby clothes are placed where you can easily access them.
• Hospital bag:
You need to start thinking about packing your hospital bag for the birth of your baby. (I will make a detailed post about it in my upcoming blog post)
• Take a prenatal course online or at the hospital:
Delivering a baby does come naturally, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take advantage of the opportunity to educate yourself. There is so much that goes into delivering a baby and the best way to relieve your anxiety and fear around the matter is to learn.
You learn about the options and procedures ahead of time so you aren't surprised or shocked when they are presented. Classes can definitely help you feel more prepared and stay calm during labor and delivery!
• Take a hospital tour:
I did this with my husband in last trimester, because I had never been to that hospital before, and it helped so much! You can ask any questions you have, you will know exactly where you need to go when you get there, and it will help you feel more comfortable with the rooms because you will have seen it before.
• Know when to go to the hospital:
If this is your first baby, it can be really hard when you have no idea what to expect. You don’t know what true contractions feel like. During the third trimester, you might start to feel Braxton Hicks and will wonder if you are somehow going into early labor.
Fortunately, most of the time, Braxton Hicks are just practice contractions, and they generally aren’t painful.
Make sure you chat with your doctor about what to do when you think you’re in labor. My Doctor requested me to call the office before heading to the hospital. So that doctor can ask several questions that will determine if it's time to go to the hospital. Also, can be told if I am actually in labor.
Taking care of yourself:
Exercise when you can and eat well. Drink lots of water.
Get a prenatal massage.
Sleep as much as you can, whenever you can. Let’s be real – for many of us, sleep during the third trimester is pretty much non-existent. However, it’s important to get it when you can.
Continue taking your prenatal vitamin.
That’s all about my third trimester. So yes! Pregnancy is a wonderful, beautiful time in our life and of course, the biggest blessing is having a child. It’s true that pregnancy isn’t without challenges but why not enjoy all challenges.
Lovely blog! Reminded me of my times😊
ReplyDeleteAwww! Thank you so much for checking it out Madhavi! ☺️
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