Third Trimester Recap (Baby 2)
Well hello, third trimester my old …friend?…
Sheesh, when I hit the third tri, I hit it HARD. For the first half of this trimester…
Well hello, third trimester my old …friend?…
Sheesh, when I hit the third tri, I hit it HARD. For the first half of this trimester, this kiddo was extremely low and squashing my pelvic floor like crazy. But more on all the details in a minute.
Symptoms
Body aches - woof the aches and pains with this pregnancy hit me like a ton of bricks! Partly from running (waddling) after my 2 year old, partly from the hot Tennessee summer, and partly from the fact that I’m huge now. My back, ribs (hello tiny feet!), neck from awkward sleep, and feet from the extra weight are just blah.
Tired - Oh sleep, how I miss you.
Peeing - I know I should be drinking even more water right now, but that feels impossible with how much I’m having to pee as it is!
Weird appetite - I forgot about this one… one second I’m STARVING, the next second I’m stuffed. Also feelin’ that last trimester nausea. Ugh.
Clear skin - don’t mind this one! Glow up!
Braxton Hicks - So many of these every evening for hours on end with a few irregular contractions thrown in for good measure.
My birthday - 2 days before birth!
Third Trimester Journal
Weeks 28-37
Honestly, beyond feeling uncomfortable and huge, this trimester was fast and mostly uneventful, so I’m just gonna breeze over the main points!
I started prenatal chiropractic care this trimester, and that was helpful and really helped me relax my body. This was to help keep baby in optimal position for birth, and he really did stay head down the entire time, so I definitely give chiro care credit for this! I always left with great tips from Dr. Barton on some stretches and movements to do at home to help me along and they were so helpful. I had started getting sciatic pain, and I was always able to relieve it quickly with a few movements I had learned from her. That said, sleeping on my side was forever uncomfortable and it seemed that no matter how I tried to adjust myself, it never mattered and I woke up feeling crooked - haha - but not everything will be completely ideal in pregnancy, so oh well.
One odd thing for me this pregnancy was feeling this baby SO LOW for ages and ages, until near the end when he seemed to float up and the pelvic pressure I had felt for weeks and weeks just disappeared. More on that in my birth story, but that was frustrating in terms of my hopes for a VBAC.
At my 36 week OB appointment, I was 50% effaced and 1/2cm dilated. At my 37 week appointment, I was 70-80% effaced and still 1/2cm dilated. About two days later, my water broke. Actually, if you read back on my second trimester I had had a dream that my water broke in the middle of the night but I had actually peed myself hahaha… WELL this time, I woke up thinking I was peeing, and my water had DEFINITELY broken! More on that in my birth story, of course :)
Stayed tuned - birth story to come! (When I have another chance between feeding and caring for my toddler)
Third Trimester Recap
Phew! It feels like AGES since I wrote my second trimester recap! Here we are though, in the final stretch. I'm writing this at 38 weeks purely…
Phew! It feels like AGES since I wrote my second trimester recap! Here we are though, in the final stretch. I'm writing this at 38 weeks purely because I have no clue what'll happen in the next few weeks... but really, if this guy wants to come early, that is FINE with momma! This trimester was a doozy. Let me expand...
Symptoms
Lightening crotch - He has been head down for a really long time, if not the entire trimester, so the pressure he puts on my nerves down there have been super noticeable.
Body aches and changes - yeah, I'm uncomfy. Backaches, puffy feet and sometimes hands, sitting just feels like you're squishing everything, standing makes your legs tired and back hurt, so I've actually found a lot of relief on those stupid exercise balls! I use it as a chair in the house and enjoy bouncing on it - haha! Our birthing class had us try them out, and I'm always such a skeptic about stuff like that, but I legitimately found it helpful, so we ordered one.
Boobs - sometimes I get a stinging feeling which is uncomfortable. Still leaking a bit.
Weird appetite - one minute I'm starving, the next I'm stuffed. I've been a little nauseous, too.
Tired - Some days feel like the first trimester all over again and I could just konk out for hours.
Bad sleep - I sleep like garbage now. Moving on....
Hemorrhoids - yep, no end in sight.
Peeing - only about a thousand times per day and night!
Clear skin - I love my skin right now. It's so low maintenance!
Braxton Hicks - such a weird feeling, and have had times when they're a little uncomfortable, but I don't mind them.
Sciatic nerve pain - oh boy is that a doozy. Pain from your lower back, through your bottom, and down your leg. No thanks!
Leg cramps - basically just Charlie Horse cramps sometimes at night. I've only had maybe three, but they always feel terrible!
Cravings
Honestly can't say I've had any this trimester.
30 weeks
Third Trimester Journal
I didn't keep track week by week this trimester (oops!), so I'll give you a thorough overview.
Weight gain has honestly been slow and steady. I've gained probably around 25lbs at this point? But to be honest, I don't really care about that and haven't paid much attention. To me, as long as it stayed within healthy parameters and didn't get out of hand, I'd be fine with whatever it ended up coming to. I haven't gained anything astronomical, so I seriously don't even care.
34 weeks
At our 20 week scan, they noticed one of his kidneys had a tiny bit of dilation to it, so they scheduled another scan around 34 weeks to see if it resolved itself or got worse. Well, it doubled, unfortunately, so I got sent to a high risk clinic so we could have them look at it to be safe. We've now had two appointments (and ultrasounds) there, and over two weeks, it went down a little bit. Thankfully, whatever it may be isn't anything we need to worry about and it's apparently very common in boys (10x more common, according to the doc), so since no one else is concerned, neither are we. They'll have it checked out once he arrives, but he's just a healthy little dude otherwise, so it's nothing urgent, and certainly not life threatening, so I'm not worried at all. He probably just needs to pee and hasn't quite figured that out yet ;) Oh and we got to see his hair in those ultrasounds, which is crazy!
35.5 weeks
At around 36 weeks, I got a sinus infection and had to be on amoxicillin to get that under wraps. I'm still completely stuffed up and can't smell or taste a thing, but between pregnancy puffing up my blood flow, and the terrible allergies, this is basically just my life now. I also found out at 36 weeks that I'm 1cm dilated and 50% effaced, and sadly it didn't go any further by the following week.
At the end of 37 weeks, baby measured 7lbs 3oz on an ultrasound. We might have a big guy!
During my 38 week appointment, my blood pressure had gone up a little from my norm, so my doctor told me to watch for more symptoms of preeclampsia (which is not real fun to hear!) and to call if I notice anything different.
Baby movement is still fun and consistent, but you can definitely tell he's running out of room! Tom and I love seeing my belly morph around when he's got the squirms.
We also took breastfeeding and birthing classes which were informative and also kinda funny (to us). Getting the hospital tour was fun, and getting a few ideas for pain management was useful. We finished some house projects, enjoyed a few dates, celebrated our 5th anniversary, I got my hair done, and packed a hospital bag.
37 weeks
I guess to sum up this trimester, I'd say it was the most apparent in terms of physical changes and the most difficult in terms of discomfort. For example, at this point, sitting in the car (let alone driving) is extremely uncomfy and I basically avoid it as much as I can. Everything feels like such a chore -- getting up from the couch or floor, bending down to pick up something I dropped, taking off/putting on pants or shoes, and getting out of bed a million times a night to pee. Even trying to do the dishes is proving difficult as my belly keeps me and my short arms farther and farther away from the faucet! Don't get me wrong, Tom and I have found a LOT of humor in my lessened capabilities, but it's definitely starting to get old.
It's also probably been the most nerve-wracking trimester. I'm usually a big worrier about medical things, but for some reason, pregnancy hasn't caused me much anxiety... until these last couple weeks. I'm stressed, Tom has an endoscopy, we have some loose ends to get in place before arrival, I'm really wary of a decrease or increase in movement or possible contractions, and I'm just generally nervous/excited. I've really hit the "done point" so I think it's time we get this guy out of my belly.
All that to say... we cannot wait to meet our little boy, and it's hard to believe it'll be so SOON! Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement!