As I’m nearing the end of my pregnancy I’m sharing my third trimester recap! Here are my first trimester and second trimester recaps!
It’s hard to believe that I’m in the home stretch of this pregnancy! As of today I am 39 weeks and have one week left, give or take, until we are meeting our baby girl! At this point we are playing the waiting game on when she will decide to join our family. I had a doctor’s appointment last week and was 3cm dilated so it’s truly just a matter of time! The unknowns of the last few weeks of pregnancy are still such a wild feeling. Even though we are prepared and have done this before it’s still quite unnerving to think about! At this point we are trying to soak up time with Noah before he’s a big brother, spend time together just the two of us, and try to do some last minute organizing of our house!
Third trimester recap
HOW ARE YOU FEELING THESE DAYS?
My third trimester hasn’t been too bad actually! I’m still feeling pretty good these days, albeit a lot more pregnant, a little more tired these days & a bit overwhelmed! I feel like I have been in overdrive the last two months or so as we worked to get everything done in the nursery, check items off of our to-do list, and to get everything lined up for my maternity leave at work! This pregnancy has been a little different than my first because I am constantly busy and seem to have very little downtime. Whether it’s work or doing activities with Noah, I feel that I haven’t really had a chance to absorb the big change that’s about to happen. I think many other second time moms can share in that sentiment! Being busy is a great thing but it does feel like I blinked and this pregnancy is coming to an end.
Up until this point I have remained pretty active during this pregnancy, something that wasn’t possible with my first pregnancy due to my placenta pulling away from the uterus in the second/third trimester. Being active, whether it’s walks, a peloton class or prenatal yoga has done wonders for my body AND my mind. I have cycled well over 200 miles this pregnancy and I feel proud of that. I 100% think that has helped with aches and pains. Although, the bike has become increasingly less comfortable as the weeks have gone one.
Lately I’ve felt a lot of emotions surrounding Noah no longer being the only child and how big of an adjustment that’s going to be for all of us. Currently it’s a little hard to wrap my head around sharing my love with another human, but every mom I have talked to has let me know that it’s a completely valid feeling and that somehow your heart simply expands with love for another child! I can only hope that we have done a good job in talking about the adjustment with him and that he will be able to understand it as much as he can for an almost three year old!
DID YOUR PELVIC PAIN EVER SUBSIDE? ANY OTHER SYMPTOMS YOU’RE DEALING WITH?
Luckily once baby moved from being in a transverse position a lot of the pelvic pressure subsided quite a bit. As it turns out when your baby is pressing most of its body directly onto your pelvis, it can be quite uncomfortable! I did Pelvic Floor PT to learn some exercises to help, but doing the Miles Circuit to get her to flip was what really did the trick. She’s now head down and it’s much more comfortable. Although, at 39 weeks the pressure is different now!
The only other symptom I have dealt with this pregnancy is being a bit anemic. I’ve had to work harder to balance my diet and eat iron-rich foods constantly, otherwise I can feel really icky. I had a bit of a scare two or three weeks ago that made me think I had pre-eclampsia, but adding in a liquid iron supplement has helped with those symptoms.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR? NERVOUS ABOUT?
There are so, so many things I am looking forward to! I absolutely cannot wait to see Noah as a big brother. He is such a kind, caring, gentle boy and I know he’s going to be smitten with his little sister. He has a little baby that we got him to “practice” with and it’s so cute seeing him take her to the crib, carry her gently, and “share” things with her! I am also excited for Nick to experience the father-daughter bond. I have a really strong relationship with my dad and I’m excited for him to experience that, too! And mostly, I’m excited to be a family of four and to continue to make memories together! It’s going to be fun to experience one of each and see what their similarities and differences are as they grow up!
I feel much more nervous this time around, even though I’m a second time mom! For me, I sometimes do better when things are a little unknown, so knowing how everything could go with labor and delivery is a bit nerve-wracking. I try to keep those thoughts out of my head but still have those general questions of “is this normal?” “does this mean labor is near?” “should I be worrying about this?” Other than the normal labor and delivery jitters I am nervous about the transition from 1 to 2 kids. I think there will certainly be an adjustment period for everyone, but I know we will find our groove. I’m grateful that I feel more prepared, equipped with knowledge, and confident this time.
DO YOU PLAN ON BREASTFEEDING?
I do plan on breastfeeding again this time. Much like last time, I am taking it a day at a time and will supplement if and/or when I have to. Postpartum days are overwhelming and stressful so I’m choosing to not put a ton of pressure on myself. I am hopeful that I will have a great breastfeeding journey, but if not, it is what it is!
WILL YOU SHARE WHAT YOU’RE PACKING IN YOUR HOSPITAL BAG?
I updated my hospital bag post with notes about what I’m glad we brought, what we used, didn’t use, etc. Our bags are packed and ready and contain a lot of the same items as last time. A few additions that we included this time are this night light, preemie outfits just incase the newborn ones are too large, and a soft swaddle blanket in addition to the Ollie swaddle!
WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR MATERNITY LEAVE?
I will be taking three months off from work to bond with this baby! I was self-employed when I had Noah so I didn’t take much time off at all and that was tough. I am very lucky to have a company that offers maternity leave and with this being our last baby I plan to soak up all the time with her that I can because I know how fleeting the newborn period is! I will miss my work fam while I am away, but I’m grateful!
DO YOU HAVE A BIRTH PLAN? WILL YOU BE STAYING IN THE HOSPITAL AFTER BIRTH OR COMING HOME AS SOON AS YOU CAN?
Similar to last time, my birth plan is to have a safe and healthy delivery and to have an epidural. I have a written “plan” that details the nitty gritty more, but it’s mostly so that Nick can be my advocate and support person if/when anything arises. With Noah we were in the hospital for a total of 36 hours (one night) and that felt like an appropriate amount of time. Of course, if we need to stay longer then we will, but I like being at home and in my space as we navigate the early days!
WHO WILL BE WITH YOU WHEN YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Nick will be my support person when I give birth! Last time we could only have one visitor due to covid restrictions, however, we plan to keep it to just Nick this time around too. It was really special with it being the two of us and truthfully it’s so overwhelming with doctors and nurses coming in afterwards that I can’t imagine having more people there.
One thing I am so excited about is that our hospital now allows young children in to visit, so my mother in law will be bringing Noah to the hospital to meet his sister! I am so excited for that moment that my heart could burst!
HOW MUCH WEIGHT HAVE YOU GAINED?
I haven’t paid too much attention to my weight gain this time around. Instead I have focused on eating healthy, not limiting myself, and trying to stay active. I *think* I have gained about 30 pounds.
WHAT KIND OF PREP HAVE YOU DONE FOR POSTPARTUM?
I have purchased all the not-so-glamorous things that I used last time postpartum such as Dermaplast, Always Discreet Underwear, and got out my Frida Peri Bottle. I created “stations” in each of the bathrooms upstairs and downstairs that has all of the “essentials” for those first few days and weeks. I also ordered a new breast pump through my insurance and all the breastfeeding supplies I needed. This time around I went with the Motif Luna breast pump after seeing a lot of great reviews on it!
Not too much longer! You’re killing it