Pregnancy Series: Third Trimester Recap

If you have not been following along my pregnancy series you can read post one and two here (Initial Signs & First Trimester & Second Trimester) Today, I wanted to share my third trimester experience and things to make note of/be aware of.  For me personally, the third trimester was not bad and I had a really great pregnancy. The recovery and postpartum were truly the areas I was not expecting or really prepared for overall, along with ALL the hormones.

Usually the third trimester is where things start to feel uncomfortable or you are just over it, depending on your experience. Your skin will become extremely itchy with the stretching, so you definitely want to have products to lather your belly in! I used an oil and body better every night that I actually started using at the beginning of my pregnancy. Also maternity clothes were 100% my best friend!

Frequent bathroom trips were the norm during these 12 weeks as our son would move and sit on top of my bladder. I would often wake up during the night with extreme leg cramps. They were basically the worst charlie horse I had experienced times 1,000. My doctor had me take supplements to help combat the cramping and looked at anything else I may need to supplement in (blood work).  Workouts definitely became harder, as I would experience shortness of breath after a warm up. I still continued making it a priority, however listened to my body and modified when needed. My cravings in all honesty didn’t really change from the second to the third trimester. I treated myself occasionally but ate how I normally do throughout both.

One of the neatest experiences is seeing and feeling your child dance around in your belly. It is so wild to see limbs poke out and to see your body respond to them! You will also get to have another ultra sound in the third trimester which is SO different than the the other two! Seeing their actual face and what they look like inside of your belly is incredible! I am so thankful for technology and everything we are able to use it for!

9 months (36 weeks)

Prenatal Care Third Trimester

• Regular check-ups every 2 weeks until 36 weeks. Weekly check-ups after. Once you are weekly you will have your cervix checked where the doctor will feel inside. They are looking for any dilation or effacement.
• Blood work
• Strep B culture (Swabbed like in a women’s check. If you test positive you will take antibiotics during delivery)
• 3rd ultrasound
• Tdap vaccine and flu shot if applicable (also recommended for anyone around newborn)

Third Trimester General Information/Considerations

• Final payments to your provider (excludes all hospital costs)
• Lock in a pediatrician (they will come to hospital for initial check)
• Gather hospital bag items and know what your hospital provides (ours basically had everything needed besides personal items)
• Schedule/take any desired classes offered through hospital (we took a birth and newborn class that also included breastfeeding)

I will say a month or two before my due date I became extremely nervous and anxious about delivery. The unknown scared me and I found comfort in a lot of prayer and a good mindset. My only advice is to keep an open mind and go with the flow. My delivery was not what I had anticipated or expected, and that is okay! I knew the only things that mattered were a healthy baby and Momma!

I will share my delivery experience in the next post since little man did not come on his own! What were some of your third trimester experiences? I would love to know!

Blessings,

Jac