And just like that we were in the third trimester! The whole pregnancy really did seem to fly by, but that’s life I guess! If you missed the first two trimesters you can find their recaps here & here.
Once you are in your third trimester, and especially that last month, everyone always asks “are you ready to be done?” which I found to be a bit annoying to be honest. The answer though was no, I was not ready to be done. As much as I didn’t love being pregnant, I also knew that the alternative was having a newborn and I wasn’t trying to rush through the last few weeks as just “us.”
I was never so uncomfortable or miserable in pregnancy that I was just wishing for it to be over. I tried to stay as active as possible and I was working out up until the day I gave birth. Sure, it was a bit more cumbersome to get around…or even get off of the couch, but still quite manageable.
How I Felt
I can’t complain too much but the main symptoms I experienced were terrible mid-back pain and a strange nerve pain on the top left of my belly. I mentioned them to my OB and asked “is this just ‘shit you get to deal with’ pain?” and after laughing he agreed, it was nothing concerning. Massages were relaxing but the truth is they didn’t help the pain past the actual massage. Instead I tried to focus on doing a lot of stretching and continue my workouts focusing on rows and lat pull-downs to keep strengthening my other back muscles to support the weight of my stomach. I also started doing pre-natal yoga on a DVD which kept me limber and working out, especially when COVID-19 “stay at home” quarantine set in. The burning nerve pain on the top of my stomach went away as soon as she was born, thank goodness.
The last week of pregnancy was the most emotional for me, as in, it is basically the only week I was emotional at all. There was certainly a sense of “oh shit” panic a couple of nights. All of a sudden the looming person about to take over my schedule seemed way more real and terrifying than it had the entire 38 weeks prior. I really did realize how much I was going to miss my complete freedom.
How COVID-19 Coronavirus affected us
I can’t address the third trimester or birth without the looming presence of COVID-19. I spent the last 2 weeks of pregnancy at home as everything started ramping up and non-essential or high-risk personnel were sent home from work. It was really a blessing because it allowed me time to relax and catch up on sleep. I think I slept 10 or more hours a night for 10 nights straight…it was glorious. It also gave us time to take some DIY maternity photos like this milk bath photo! Unfortunately it also meant that my husband couldn’t come to my last couple OB appts, to include our final ultrasound. I was able to video it and send it to him but it was still disappointing to not have him there to chat with our Dr.
My Birth Plan
Ever since reading “The Positive Birth Book” I had felt really at peace about attempting natural labor. I had a whole birth plan typed up in my notes and printed for my husband to keep as well as being ready to make sure he was ready to advocate on my behalf. I decided I didn’t want the word “pain” to be associated with contractions, I wanted to be as mobile as possible, and we had our labor ball, massager, and heating pad ready to go!
Then, at our 35 week anatomy scan, we found out she was breech. Turns out, what I was sure was her bottom had really been her head all along. I was a bit crushed at finding this out and hearing about scheduling a c-section. I wished we had done an anatomy scan sooner so maybe I could have tried doing “spinning babies” or maybe I shouldn’t have been wearing my belly band as much, or who knows. I tried to negotiate with the Dr about still keeping the same due-date instead of having her at 39 weeks (which is what they do with breech babies). I was really set on her being born March 30th.
I went home and immediately put my feet on the couch and my head on the floor to try and flip her, and I did it every day until our appt the following week. At 36 weeks she had flipped! I was so excited that it worked, surely she would stay put now that she was bigger. I cancelled my chiropractor appointment to try and flip her as well. Turns out I was harboring a punk-ass in my womb because at our next appt, 37 weeks, she had flipped her happy ass right back around to breech. This time I did make it to the chiropractor appointment and by the end of it she was convinced the baby was head down. Whether or not she was I have no idea but 4 days later, at the 38 week appointment she was transverse, which is still breech just side to side.
At that point we were officially scheduled for a c-section with a small chance of induction either way since she had an “unstable fetal lie” aka she was moving around so much. If she had turned the correct way in the next week they wanted her to come before she had a chance to change her mind. The small uncertainty of what kind of birth it would be was probably the most stressful part of the pregnancy. I really didn’t want to have a c-section. I hated feeling stressed about the situation so I went back to “The Positive Birth Book” and re-read the section on c-sections and felt like it helped re-center me.
Fitness
I worked out at the gym 4-5 days a week doing 15-20 minutes of low-intensity cardio followed by different weight machines, alternating chest, back, and legs. I wish I had a swimming pool accessible but unfortunately we didn’t. The weight certainly started to slow me down, my speed on the treadmill got slower and slower even though I had been using it the entire pregnancy. The last two weeks when we were stuck at home due to COVID-19, I focused on squats, and several exercises with my 8lb free weights as well as some yoga videos. I really think this made a huge difference with my recovery after surgery.
How Much Weight I Gained
In total, I gained about 40 lbs which was perfectly healthy. I know all the websites say women gain “an average of 25-35lbs” but I had gone past the 25 lb point in the second trimester. The weight gain slowed in the third trimester but not really until that last month. The main reason I wasn’t concerned about the scale is that I know I was working out and eating well with sweets in moderation. If I had been craving sweets regularly I may have been more concerned but thankfully I didn’t. I also kept the same mentality that I had before I was pregnant, which is looking in the mirror versus the scale. I never looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize myself or felt like I looked unhealthy.
What I Wore
Third trimester is the trimester I gave up on pants. If I did wear them, they came off pretty quickly. I stuck almost entirely to dresses instead. Most of my dresses came from A Pea in the Pod or Gap but I also did Rent the Runway through my second and third trimester which really enabled me to expand my outfits without breaking the bank. I think when your body is changing so much from how it normally is, it is important to dress it in a way that you still feel beautiful and like yourself and not like a frumpy weeble which could easily happen. I know a lot of women say they lived in leggings when they were pregnant but I have to say I lived in dresses.
Our Baby Shower
We actually had 4 baby showers due to our families being spread across the country which seemed both a tad excessive and a whole lot of fun. I know some people feel weird about having baby showers. The thing you have to realize about baby showers is that those closest to you want to be a part of your baby’s life and so they enjoy the opportunity to spend some time with you before your little one comes. If you are uncomfortable with people buying you too many gifts, request books instead of cards and no gifts. We loved having people write in the books that we will get to read to our baby as she grows up. We also avoided any kitschy games and instead had friends “design” onesies for us and write on diapers to make us laugh at diaper changes.
Maternity Photos
As much as I didn’t love being pregnant, I wanted to make sure I had it documented in a beautiful way. There is no better way to feel beautiful while 40 lbs heavier than you’ve ever been in your life than by a maternity photo session. As a blogger I know I already have a lot more photos than the average person, but paying a real photographer is 100% worth it. I wanted to wait until the third trimester so I really had a rocking bump for the photos. We used Lindsey Tuscany for ours and could not have had more fun.
If you are not able to hire a photographer for professional photos, there are tons of DIY guides out there on how to take your own. I decided to try my hand at milk bath photos for another maternity session. All you need is a bath tub, lace or sheer dress, milk, and flowers. Draw about 1/2 a bath and add a gallon of whole milk to it; add flowers and you are ready to go! When you edit them later, bump up the exposure and highlights to make the milk more white and you have the basics!
The Nursery
We had a lot of fun completing the nursery with all of the little details we received at our showers. We felt much calmer when everything was set in place. We washed all of her clothes through 9 months so we wouldn’t have to worry about if things were clean or not when we were dressing her. After all of our baby showers we realized we didn’t have enough shelving for all of the books or even any toys so this shelf was one of the final items we built to complete the room. We also purchased furniture anchors and installed them on her dresser and shelf as well as a tall dresser in our room and a bookshelf in a guest room. We figured it was better to do it now than after she arrived or started to move.
Third Trimester Essentials
My true essentials really stayed the same the entire pregnancy!
- T-shirt dresses & Kimono Tops for everyday wear
- This Body Pillow to keep me on my side
- Full panel maternity leggings for the gym
- Glycolic Acid face wash & serum
- Lotion to keep my skin hydrated
- Water bottle to keep me hydrated
- Bath Bombs to relax in
- Back massager to help with the back pain
- Heating pad to also help soothe my back
Thank you for following along on this journey with me! I can’t wait to share all of the things we have continued to learn along the way with you. Stay tuned for our hospital bag packing list and baby shower registries!
Xx
Kali
