Third Trimester Update

What are you packing in your hospital bag? Great question! I haven’t packed one yet – I have most of what I think I’ll need, but just haven’t put it all together. Will try to share those details as soon as I have them!

Are you going to do a nursery reveal? Yes, of course! As soon as it’s finished….we are still waiting on a few major pieces…..

What have you been doing to stay in shape? Are you working out at all? Working out during fertility treatments is often a no-no {at least it was for me} so I haven’t worked out in over a year. Whenever I start to feel guilty or sad about this, I try to change my mindset to focus on gratefulness. I’m carrying a healthy, happy baby and if that means I’m not in the best shape of my life, then so be it! There will be plenty of time later in life to worry about being fit 😉

How are you dealing with the mental shift of gaining baby weight {if you have?} This goes hand in hand with the answer above – I’m just grateful that my baby is growing and healthy that I don’t stress about my weight. My doctor gave me a goal in terms of weight gain and so far I’ve been able to achieve that! So, I’m proud of myself and my body for finally {!} doing what it should be doing.

How are you handling feeling dead tired? I’ve actually been feeling relatively good during the days! I struggle most at night when all I want is to lie on my side in my bed. Usually my back is aching by then and thats the only position that gives me any relief!

How are you handling craving foods you don’t usually crave? I am just going with the flow! I am not stressing too much about my cravings – I just give into them. If I want ice cream, I eat it. If I want pasta, I make it. That’s it!

How are you feeling? Are you nervous at all or feeling anxious about the baby coming? Physically, I am feeling as good as I could be I think! Other than an aching back and some acid reflux, I am doing well. Starting around 34 weeks, I started feeling a dip in my daily energy, with dinners out becoming a little harder too. Thankfully, everyone around me has been super sweet and understanding, so I am just taking it a day at a time!

How would you prepare differently or similarly for being pregnant? I did a lot of things in order to get pregnant, and I feel nothing but gratefulness that it all worked out in the end! So, to answer your question, I wouldn’t do anything differently.

What do you wish you would have known about being pregnant beforehand? I’m really trying to think. I don’t know! I always wondered what it would be like to feel a baby kick inside of me, and what it would be like to have a big belly! But no one can prepare you for what either of those things will really be like, so you just have to wait and see for yourself!

How have you felt throughout your pregnancy? Honestly, I’ve had an incredible pregnancy. I always thought it would feel like I was pregnant for foreverrrrr but really I’m just amazed at how quickly it has all flown by. I can’t believe baby is almost here!

What are some things you expected/didn’t expect and what are some things that surprised you? I knew a woman’s breast size increased once she had a baby because the milk comes in and causes them to swell – but what I **did not** know was that your boobs get big while pregnant! My chest grew by almost two cup sizes and I was not expecting that.

What are you most nervous about for labor & delivery? Are you super nervous? I honestly haven’t let myself think toooo much about labor and delivery this entire pregnancy because it always seemed so far away. Now that it is less than a month out, I am starting to feel quite anxious about it! It kinda feels like I’m about to take a test that I haven’t studied for – not because I don’t know what it’s supposed to be like, but because everyone’s experience is so different and I don’t know what mine will be like. I know all will be ok in the end, but it’s just the unknown that makes me feel a bit uneasy.

What plans have you put in place for after baby comes to make the transition easier? My mom is going to move in with us for 2 weeks after baby and we will have a night nurse.

What have you done around the house {besides nursery} to prepare for baby’s arrival? I’ve cleaned out and organized every cabinet and drawer in the entire house. We’ve also finished some larger home projects like re-doing the grass and landscaping in our backyard, and furnishing the front room in our house.

Biggest difference from 1st/2nd trimester? I’m lucky that I felt pretty good in the first trimester, but I really felt a change in the second trimester because I had so much more energy! I felt like I could do it all, which was amazing! I’m so glad that this is when I decided to tackle all the major home improvement projects because I definitely do not have the same amount of energy now!

Have you had any braxton hicks? Yes! They haven’t hurt – my stomach just gets reaaaaallllyyyy hard and then softens 30 seconds or so later. It’s really bizarre!

Have you had any cravings? Recently, all I want is fresh fruit {watermelon, mainly} and popsicles. I don’t hold back and indulge in these things whenever the craving hits!

Have you had any dreams/nightmares? I haven’t had any nightmares, but I definitely have had pretty vivid dreams. In them I am often holding the baby, or breastfeeding him. I have no idea why, but I’m assuming it’s because I’ve heard these things bond you to the baby and maybe that is my way of feeling bonded to him before he’s officially here? No idea!

What are you most nervous about? Delivery!! I just want that part over with.

How do you feel about hair removal prior to labor? Ha! I think a wax prior to delivery would be nice! But I won’t lose any sleep if it doesn’t happen.

Have you had any nerve pain of heart burn since baby is so big now? Thankfully I haven’t had any nerve pain! I had a few days in the second trimester where baby was sitting on a nerve and it was no joke! So grateful I haven’t dealt with that since. Heartburn {acid reflux} on the other hand…….let’s just say Zantac and tums are my best friend.

How are you sleeping? Any tricks for sleeping? I have been sleeping pretty well all things considered! I started struggling with restless sleep sometime around 34 weeks, but bought Unisom and haven’t looked back since! It has been a game changer. I have also always been a side sleeper so I think this helps a lot!

Did you travel anywhere by plane? How was the experience? I went to Miami at 31 weeks and flying was fine! I made sure I drank lots of water, wore loose fitting clothing, and of course wore compression socks. Had no issues!

Did you buy the snoo? We did not!

Did you and your husband have a hard time deciding on a name? We did! Picking a name is such a commitment and you want to make sure you will love whatever you pick for forever! Ah! It also took a while to get both families family trees but thankfully we got them, and landed on a name we both love 🙂

Have you bought anything that you didn’t need? And what could you not have lived without? This is hard to answer since baby isn’t here yet! I haven’t used much yet 😉

Skincare update – what have been your favorite pregnancy products? I have lived for my Weleda belly oil, my Embryolisse face moisturizer and my Avene body balm.

Are you doing a birth plan? I haven’t really thought that much about creating a specific birth plan. I guess I should. Honestly, I just want to do whatever necessary to get the baby out of me and into the world as safely as possible.

Any items that you’ve bought to prep for the “fourth trimester?” Yes! I plan on doing a post about this! My SIL took me to Target and showed me exactly what I’ll be needing. I feel really prepared!

Are you planing on doing Baby Wise, Moms on Call or hiring a night nurse? We will have a night nurse.

Have you been following a checklist? Or flying by the seat of your pants? A friend sent me a really in-depth checklist her cousin made. I want to share it with you all but need to get permission first! It it so thorough and made me feel super prepared!

Are you taking any types of birthing/baby classes that you would recommend? CPR? Breastfeeding? Child birth? Yes! We took the birthing class offered by the hospital and an infant CPR class. I plan to take an online breastfeeding class, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.

What is your caffeine intake like? If I drink coffee, its less than a cup a day. I’m not a huge coffee drinker!

What are you planning for baby’s coming home outfit? Great question – I haven’t decided yet! Probably a really pretty, but soft and simple gown.

Have you used any sort of pregnancy pillow? I already had these long lumbar pillows on my bed that I’ve been using and they’ve been lifesavers! I wrap my entire body around them and sleep great. My belly definitely needs that support.

When did easy things start feeling hard? Around 31 weeks, late dinners started getting hard {achey back!} Around 34 weeks I noticed a change in my overall energy.

Do you have any nausea? Only recently have I had a few days where my stomach feels a little sour. I never get sick, but I just don’t feel totally normal either.

Do you worry about PPD or PPA? I don’t! I will cross that bridge if I come to it, but don’t plan on stressing about it unless I have to.

Favorite pregnancy snacks? Dried mango from Trader Joes & watermelon!

What are you doing to avoid wrinkles and stretch marks? Hyaluronic serum, moisturizer for wrinkles and Weleda belly oil for stretch marks!

What are your plans for the first few months postpartum? I plan to take it one day at a time!

Do you think you will get an epidural? Heck. YES.

When did you start wearing maternity jeans and what are your favorite brands? I think I started wearing maternity jeans around 20 weeks. I ordered every brand under the sun and my favorites were actually always from H&M.

Are you planning on sharing your journey to pregnancy? Maybe one day!

Doing anything specific to prepare for birth? Not really….no…..I know I probably should be doing ALL the things, but I haven’t…yet. Here I am *not* studying the test even though I’m complaining about feeling anxious…..🙈

How are you dealing with the swelling? Any tips? Compression socks and floating! My doctor said 30 minutes of floating in a pool everyday will significantly help swelling + improve overall blood flow. I also recently {as of this week} started getting lymphatic drainage massages. I think {hope?} the combination of all three are helping!

Why/how do you always know weight of your baby? The sonographer weighs him every time I go in!

Ok there you have it! There is my third trimester update 🙂 Let me know if I missed any questions in the comments!