Third Trimester
Weeks 28-39
My third trimester seems so long ago now that it's been 5 weeks postpartum. I still want to share how my third trimester was. Luckily I took notes on my phone.
I would say my third trimester was easier than my first and harder than my second.
I definitely experienced lots of baby movements and not just baby kicks! He felt like he was full on swimming and doing gymnastics in there. My third trimester was also when I felt him having hiccups which were the absolute cutest.
I still had energy but only to an extent. The naps started up again because there were some days I felt completely exhausted!
I did get some nausea again but not like the first trimester! I upped my water intake because I felt so dehydrated. I also started to experience hot flashes!
I think the most annoying part was the fact that I couldn't fit any of my clothes. I was in that awkward phase where I couldn't fit anything and it would be a waste of money to buy new clothes. I literally wore the same three outfits for weeks. I had gained a total of 40 lbs during this pregnancy.
I did have to add an iron supplement to my prenatal vitamin routine because I had developed anemia which is very common and I was borderline before pregnancy.
In my third trimester, we had my baby shower which I am so thankful for my best friend who did an amazing job making it absolutely perfect. I am also so thankful for everyone who came out. It was so much fun!
I created my birth plan which I didn't even need to use because the staff and doctor were already 100% on board with how I wanted my birth to go. I packed my hospital bag (which I used the majority of everything I packed) and installed the car seat which was a lot harder than I remember.
I started to experience braxton hicks around 36 weeks and even had a false alarm of my water breaking but it was only pee!
Labor is really different for everyone. I didn't experience many contractions during my third trimester until the day I went into labor. I hadn't even had my cervix checked until about 38 weeks when I thought my water had broken. They checked it at the hospital and I was 3 cm dilated. We honestly had scheduled an induction date because I didn't seem to be showing any signs of labor.
The day of my 39 weeks check up, I had seen my doctor, we didn't check my cervix and we scheduled my induction. That night around 9:30 pm I had backaches and contractions coming every 3 minutes apart. My best friend was on the phone timing them because I had no idea what to do. (Every pregnancy is different. With my first, no contractions, just back pain, and my water broke.) At about 10:30 pm we packed our car to head to the hospital. Got to the hospital around 11 pm and I was 4.5 cm dilated and they decided to keep me. Thank God! Because at 3:36 am Jaxon was here!
At this point, I don't intend on sharing my labor and delivery story, just because everything happened so fast. One minute I was fine and the next, my husband was calling the nurse. I transitioned so quickly! Overall my pregnancy was such a beautiful and difficult experience but I am so grateful for it.
Love & Light,
Jalesa