Pregnancy Chronicles: The Third Trimester (aka The Last Hurdle)
General warning: this post discusses pregnancy—if you don’t want to know about it then don’t read it!
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Pregnancy is a long process. Commonly thought of as nine months long, it’s really closer to ten months considering the forty week length. Once you hit week 28, however, you know you’re in the last stretch…as in the third trimester!
There’s some relief in this last stretch: you know your baby is viable. Of course this can also mean you’re very busy trying to set up last-minute additions in the nursery. Doctors appointments are also more frequent as they keep checking your health and the baby’s health for any last-minute issues. And of course, throughout this time you’re bump is growing larger and your energy is a bit less. Toward the end you might even feel like you’re back in the first trimester energy-wise!
So what is this all really like? Here’s my personal experience and tips:
Energy and Exercise
As the third trimester progresses, you may start feeling extra tired…just like the first trimester. Afternoon naps became my new best friend, especially if I had to work later in the evening. Even a short 15-20 minute nap generally made a difference…and my family knows I am usually not a napper!
Exercise also changed as the trimester progressed. If you’ve been following my pregnancy journey, you know I’ve kept fairly active with increasing modifications. My primary form of exercise is usually running, with some Pilates and other exercise videos on the side. Well, I unfortunately had to stop running for my third trimester as advised by my doctor. I was told that high impact exercise at this stage would weaken my pelvic floor rather than doing its normal strengthening. Besides, running was becoming increasingly uncomfortable due to my expanding baby bump and consequently was turning into more of a walk. I figured I’d hang up my running shoes until sufficiently postpartum (and hopefully save my pelvic floor in the process). However, I still did two of my favorite no impact Fitness Blender videos (this one for upper body and this one for legs with modifications: I did bird dogs instead of the last exercise) and did more of Jessica Valant’s Prenatal Program (I really liked her third trimester videos…unfortunately I didn’t do much of her first two trimesters because I was able to continue enough of my usual routine).
Body Changes
Along with this change of energy came some more obvious physical changes, which added to my conundrum. I already had some pain in my hips starting in the second trimester, but this pain increased for my third trimester. Basically, my hip bones were starting to pull apart rather than being the stable support they normally are. Even a normal movement could cause pain for a period of time. There was one random week when I could barely walk! I purchased this Serola belt to help stabilize my hips. It definitely helped, but wasn’t a complete solution. As I got into the last few weeks I also started wearing the Serola belt plus this lighter support belt from the previous trimester.
To add to this hip pain, my baby bump obviously kept expanding and my weight increased. My body was simply supporting more weight than it ever had before! I did barely manage to gain within the guidelines (35 pounds), but that still caused aches in my feet and back in addition to my hips. I also caught myself standing differently to account for this extra weight and big bump: instead of standing straight, I’d either lean backward or hunch my shoulders forward. Being pregnant is definitely hard on the body!
In addition to all of the above, my hands became increasingly swollen toward the end of third trimester. I had some swelling in my hands and feet in prior trimesters after long walks or runs, but this was different. This did not require any prior exercise to be noticeable. In the last month of pregnancy I couldn’t even wear my wedding ring! The thickness of my fingers made everyday activities feel different and sometimes I felt like my fingers refused to bend!
I didn’t notice this particular swelling in my feet, so shoes were still fine—however I chose very comfortable and previously well-worn flat shoes. I made the mistake of wearing brand new dress shoes one afternoon and severely regretted that. So in hindsight my feet may have been slightly swollen.
Sleep
As you probably have guessed based on my low energy level, sleep was wonderful for most of this trimester! The only issue was in the last month when I became physically uncomfortable. I kept waking up to adjust my sleep position and to use the restroom (pressure on the bladder is a real thing!). I still used the wonderful Queen Rose pregnancy pillow for side sleeping, but with the strain on my hips I kept having to switch side throughout the night. Some nights my sleep ended up being incredibly broken up between the bathroom breaks and position adjustments—resulting in an exhausted me the next day!
Doctor Appointments
The third trimester gets quite busy with doctor appointments. Your doctor will see you every other week…and then starting at week 36 will see you every week. Basically, enjoy your potential breaks from your OB in the second trimester, because you will be seeing too much of him/her at the end! And of course, you’re likely trying to finish organizing your home and nursery (at least if you’re like me), so this leads to a very busy baby preparation time…especially on top of whatever work you’re still doing before maternity leave.
Honestly I don’t think I ever got my baby prep to-do list completely done! I guess a few items weren’t so important (yet)?
Besides ultrasound(s) and any other important things that individually come up, the main big prenatal test of the trimester is the GBS test. The GBS test tests for Group B Strep Bacteria in the birth canal. Approximately 25% of pregnant women are colonized with this bacteria. While this bacteria is not harmful to them or their partners, it can be harmful to the baby at birth and cause all sorts of serious health complications.
As one of the lucky 25% of women, it’s not a huge deal because it can be treated with IV antibiotics every four hours during labor. However, this situation does ensure that you have to deliver in hospital and that you have to make it to the hospital in time to get at least 1-2 rounds of antibiotics before delivery—which of course was my plan anyway! So as far as tests not going in my favor, this was easily fixed.
Baby Prep
There’s so many things to do to prepare for a newborn! Besides setting up the nursery furniture, you obviously need clothes, diapers, etc. Here are some things I highly recommend:
Crib Mattress Protection Sheet
I also found myself getting things for myself! My body was rapidly changing and it was also going to change again postpartum! These are some items I loved (and am still loving:)
Maternity and Nursing-Friendly Pajamas
In addition to all the stocking up on necessary items, my husband and I also took some classes on childbirth and newborn care. It was helpful to get some slight clue of what we were getting into! Our hospital offered free zoom classes, which were very helpful…I recommend checking if your hospital offers classes. These classes also give you an idea of what the hospital recommends in birth and care before you get swamped by information postpartum! We also took Lamaze Classes online, which were great because we had access to the course for a full year—and could then go back and review everything as much as we wanted!
Preparing for Delivery
Obviously as you near the end of the third trimester, you start thinking more and more about delivery. It’s a daunting prospect, and I know I was really nervous about it. To help me through some of this fear, I felt it good to prepare as much as possible. This included choosing my support team and going through my birth preferences.
Similar to choosing a good OB and delivery location, a support team can make all the difference to your experience…and hopefully make it easier too! Based on two of my friends’ experiences, I chose early on to privately hire a doula for both the birth and the initial postpartum period. For those of us in the USA, we don’t usually have midwives or many postpartum visits—and certainly no home visits immediately after hospital discharge (post-delivery new moms don’t have a doctor appointment until six weeks afterward!). I figured this was my first time going through this, so I might as well have extra help! This decision turned out to be a godsend to both my husband and I as we had an extra source for our questions and support during what turned out to be a very long labor.
Even if you don’t hire a doula, definitely keep in mind you want someone with a positive attitude who can help coach you through some difficult and painful moments. And you are also completely free to decide not to invite anyone to join you (besides doctors and nurses of course)!
Knowing your birth preferences is also important. Many people talk about writing a birth plan, but just always know that this plan rarely goes as planned. I find it’s more useful to write a list of your preferences and particularly include what you want in terms of initial newborn care. It was really nice to just hand this list over to the nurse and not have to go through any of it while in labor! I wasn’t sure I’d remember everything at that point!
One item I did purchase for use during labor was a birthing ball (also known as an exercise ball). It was useful during labor at home and in the hospital, providing different positioning options and a nice change from standing or laying in bed. Do note to use as a birthing ball, you want to order a ball a size larger than you would for an exercise ball as your knees should be slightly lower than your hips. I’d also highly recommend pumping it up before you need it (and perhaps while watching a movie).
Overall I found the first and third trimesters to be the most difficult parts of pregnancy. The first trimester was hard due to all the nausea I experienced, but the end of the third trimester may have been more difficult due simply to the fact that I didn’t know exactly when baby was going to make his entrance. The sheer mental anxiety of waiting was torture. Yes, we have a due date, but that doesn’t mean that baby will arrive right on that day. Usually babies are slightly early or late. In my case I was convinced my baby was going to be early. I prepared everything early, I took off work early…and of course baby was four days late! It was a hard waiting game complete with wondering if that cramp was a labor cramp or just nothing.
So in summary, check in with your pregnant friends, give positive support, and for pregnant ladies get yourselves a good support team of friends, family, and a good medical team. It makes all the difference.
Related posts: Read about my first trimester and my second trimester.
