Well, we made it through the third trimester! With our due date approaching, but doctor checks suggesting it’s possible we will deliver earlier than the due date… we are not only super excited but also so close to meeting our beautiful baby girl, we cannot wait!
Since our last trimester update, a few things have happened… firstly we had our Baby Sprinkle (hosted by my beautiful mother). You can find all the details and information on that in this blog post! It really was a beautiful afternoon and we had a wonderful time celebrating our newest little addition to the family, with our friends and family.
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We’ve also been able to get the girls room almost finished, I will try and do a nursery/shared room reveal in the coming weeks/months once bub is born and we are able to completely finish it. But it certainly is coming along beautifully, and I’m so excited to have the girls share a room. I hope Everley is as excited as I am… learning to share everything is certainly going to be her biggest challenge I think.
38 WEEKS – SYMPTOMS
HOW THIS TRIMESTER HAS BEEN
Nesting
My nesting this pregnancy has been OFF THE CHARTS! It’s crazy in comparison and I don’t know if the mess a toddler creates made it worse this time or not, but it’s a serious case of the “nests” haha. Although I’ve had to leave some tasks to my parents as I can’t lift or carry heavy things, I had a list waiting for them when they arrived and they’ve sorted and cleaned my garage, bathrooms, they’re working on my laundry and I’d already sorted and washed all the baby clothes and kitchen cupboards and most of the other “organizing” that needed to be done! I’ve wiped down fans, skirting boards, sills, and shelves. Hung picture frames, rearranged the girl’s room a hundred times and find myself constantly tidying up every day.
Minimal Heartburn
I remember my heartburn being much worse last pregnancy and Everley was born with a full head of hair. But this time it hasn’t bothered me as much. However, the last few weeks I have noticed that when I do get it, it is volcanic and extremely painful. Fortunately, a Pepcid does the trick. I’m fine with it if it means this little girl is born with some hair. But I’m thinking it won’t be as much as Evie as I recall last time being much worse (and I’m obviously a believer in the wives tale that heartburn is linked to hair in babes).
Sleeplessness
I think this one is fairly common in third trimester pregnancies! Haha. But it’s worth noting as a symptom. Even though I take a Unisom (sleep aid) every night, which is helping keep the nausea at bay, it doesn’t always help me sleep. Go figure! Mainly being so tight and having an extremely active baby, whether night or day, hinders my ability to sleep. But now that my parents are here and Rohan is soon to finish work, I have been napping while Everley naps if possible to rest and catch up on some sleep. After all, I need rest if I’m going to be able to get through labor (last time it lasted almost exactly 24 hours)!
Restless Leg Syndrome
I’ve suffered from Restless Leg Syndrome even before I was pregnant, my husband will attest to that. But since taking Unisom every night, a side effect of the tablet is restless leg. So you could say it has certainly made it worse. So bad that I take on average 2-3 showers through the night to try and heat my legs up and avoid the “twitching”, or sit in front of a tiny electric heater, bounce on my exercise ball to avert my attention from my legs and keep them moving, or see if Rohan is awake and feels like massaging my feet (that one doesn’t happen so often as he’s asleep when it gets really bad).
Swelling
Last trimester my doctor told me to wear my maternity belt to help reduce the swelling and weightiness of baby on my pelvis and “parts”. I started off really good with this, but noticed that whenever I wore it baby decided to push against it which actually started causing me other issues. So for the past few weeks, I have stopped using it. But I believe that since I’ve stopped wearing it, and since I’ve been bouncing on my exercise ball and carrying Everley (even though I try not to too often), it has helped me dilate and move baby down. So the swelling is still there, but we’re so close now, I feel as if it’s inevitable and I’m okay not trying to keep baby up, when she needs to start moving down!
The feet swelling has begun in the last few weeks as well (likely from carrying extra weight, and the amount of walking and out-and-about-ness I’ve been doing to stay active and fit). I put on much more weight with Everley last time and was determined to move and stay active this time in my third trimester. So far this time the weight gain has been minimal, but the swelling seems worse as I’m on my feet a lot more often. But hey, it’s a good excuse for foot cream massages and home foot spas!
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WEEK 32 | WEEK 34 | WEEK 36 | WEEK 38
38 WEEKS – FAVORITE THINGS
THINGS I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT
Pregnancy Pillow
This I could not sleep without! It also helps with tender, heavy breasts, shoving it between them and between your legs lets you get some rest, comfortably through the night. Had this from the moment I found out I was expecting (4 weeks). Let’s be honest, I’ve been using it even when I wasn’t pregnant after having Everley. It’s my best friend.
Medication (Unisom)
A sleep aid that has replaced my Diclegis from the first trimester and into my second trimester. It helps me doze off so I can relax enough to get a good night’s sleep and also somehow helps with nausea.
Coffee
I have one coffee a day. If I miss it, I get severe headaches. I have never been a coffee addict, and rarely would have more than one a day anyway, but find that if I go without, the symptoms are maximized while pregnant. To avoid headaches, I have one in the morning after I’ve eaten breakfast. And that usually keep the headaches at bay, unless they’re happening for another reason.
Maternity Work Out Clothes
I recently purchased some maternity athletic wear and it was the best thing I’ve done. Not only do over the bump maternity leggings help carry the weight of my enormous belly, but it gives me something comfortable to wear when we go on our daily walks. That along with sneakers (the most comfy supportive shoe there is)…
Maternity Underwear
From about 9 weeks, my normal underwear was too tight which made me feel sick. Fortunately, I knew these existed from my pregnancy with Evie. And had them on standby… they’ve been a lifesaver. Perfect for most women in their second trimester. Here are some of my favorites… I’m forever wearing my Bonds Maternity Undies from Australia…
Oils & Moisturizers (Foot & Belly Rubs)
Because of how dry my skin has been and to avoid any more stretch marks in the second trimester and the third, using massage oils and moisturizers has been a must. Rohan rubs oil into my belly every night and moisturizer into my feet, along with a quick massage… yes, he’s the best! Here are the ones I use, and some others I really want to try… I swear by Bio-Oil, but recently tried Palmer’s Skin Therapy Oil and find I actually am liking it a little better. It spreads easier and absorbs with a nicer scent.
Exercise Ball
I used this my whole third trimester with Everley, and I’ve done the same this time too. And I definitely believe it’s helped me dilate this time round. It’s such a nice feeling to bounce and move on the ball rather than sitting in a chair and feeling uncomfortable, as it keeps my posture correct, and allows my rounded belly to sit without pain unlike on a couch. Plus, it’s supposed to help induce labor so there’s that!
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I am hoping to get around to posting a “What’s in my Hospital Bag?” post, but I’m not sure how much time we have left before baby arrives, so we will have to wait and see if that happens or not! Haha. I will say this, I will try. We have been gifted some really beautiful pieces from Solly Baby (one of my fave baby brands) and I would love to share my fave pieces with you, as well as what I’m ACTUALLY packing this time, as I overpacked like crazy last time! So this would be the real necessities kind of packing list – and how do we feel about a downloadable Hospital Packing List you could print and check off? Comment below…
NOTE: Our site may contain affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking a link I recommended, I may make a commission off that purchase through that site.
