Third Trimester and it’s just flown by!
Week 28
It’s hard to believe it’s third trimester already. However all the comments about my baby bump definitely are making it hard to forget I am this pregnant. I forgot how many unsolicited advice gets given to pregnant people everyday. The worse are the comments about how big I am, yet I am so much smaller this pregnancy then my last two. From behind I don’t look pregnant (unless I am walking, oh that waddle) but from the side I stick out like a sore thumb. Loving this bump so much but he is sitting much more forward then my girls were making my baby bump look huge! The pregnancy belt helps so much to relieve pressure from my ribs and back, however makes this bump look even more pronounced. When I wear this I definitely get comments asking if I am sure it’s just one baby. Number one issue I hear from my baby groups is the unsolicited advice or comments. I feel you! Not sure why many of the public feel like they need to comment on how a pregnant person looks.
Funny fact that some of you might experience is at this point your body is just about to start production of milk and achualy a few will lactate. Don’t be freaked out if your bra or shirt have discharge from your nipples or even if you get a spray of milk in the shower when you wash. Congratulations if you do! If your planning on breastfeeding or pumping this is all great. If you don’t experience this before birth that’s normal as well. I didn’t get anything before the birth of my first. With my second I got a little bit around 37weeks and this time around nothing so far.
How is baby doing at this point you might wonder? Growing and adding on weight. Your probably going to start kick counting at this point and you might be able to feel baby moving around starting to get into that ideal birthing position. It’s like the moon I find at this stage. Baby moves around in a circle until their head finds its way into your pelvis. Also many baby’s still like to be vertical until 28-30 weeks gastational. Mine have all flipped late. I find doing yoga and swimming to help encourage them into position.
This diagram from Spinning Babies is one of my favorites!
Week 29
We had a third ultrasound this week. At our 20 week ultrasound a calcium buildup was detected on baby’s liver so we went in to follow up on that. Unfortunately it is still present but everything else is looking great. Also he is head down! So movement wise he keeps going head down and spinning in a circle. He also will move head position from completely down but not engaged to almost sideways.
Ultrasound 29 weeks
Many people start kick counting at this point. Movement will be increasing all this month as baby gets bigger. Also many may experience acid reflex or heartburn. I am one of those lucky people who gets this and it follows the old wife’s tail that baby is born with lots of hair. Some tips to help with heartburn are:
- Keep a bottle of tums on you at all times.
- Drink a small glass of whole or chocolate milk when symtoms start.
- Make sure you are eating small meals throughout the day, keep crackers or saltines by your bedside or in a bag to snack on between meals or at night.
- Drink plenty of cold water.
And my very strange but seems to work tip.
- Smell a strong alcohol like scotch or even just hand sanitizer.
You don’t need much just a light sniff but it has worked for myself and others. I think it confuses the brain.
Week 30
The count down begins and so do some crazy mood swings. I have personally experienced this all three pregnancies. I thought my mood swings in early pregnancy were strange, hitting this last mark was definitely something else. Everything makes me tear up, I am very short with my husband and starting to go a little too particular with cleaning. A lot of this is also the start of nesting and preparing for when baby arrives. This is the perfect time to really start figuring out all the baby stuff. Like where are they sleeping, what type of diapering are you going to do and what items are you missing that you might need. For us we also are planning a home birth so I have started checking off my supply list and washing everything. Its much easier to do this now then in the last month.
Update on my own little one. We got in at B.C Womens’s Hosptial to get another ultrasound and talk to a specialist. Found out that baby doesn’t have calcification on his liver but just in his abdomen. There are more then one spot but they are very small, we also dont have any markers so its just a very strange thing that happends in very few pregncies.
Make sure your encluding your partner with as much as possible. This can help them with the bonding stage afterbirth as well as knowing what your expecting and wanting at hospital or home. Many partners have no clue on how many things you can choose when giving birth. This is also where a “Birth plan” or ” Birth wishes” list comes in handy. Having one for your partner/birth support person, midwife/Ob and an extra in your Hosptial bag for nurses.
Week 31
Another midwife appointment this week. Got to talk about our last ultrasound appointment as well as discuss homebirth. I finally got to have a clinic meeting with our third midwife. We also talked about who I am comfortable with attending if one of the clinics midwifes is not avalible. I have the advantage here with being my third and also being a doula. I haven’t encountered any midwifes I have disliked or didn’t vibe with so i said I was comfortable with any of the other Midwifes in the area, however if i got to choose Abby at New Westminster Midwifes is defiantly someone I would love. She was just starting when I had my first born and i have also had the pleasure of working with her.
Now that kick counting is suggest to do as baby is getting bigger and stronger it’s a great time to start enjoying those crazy movements and sometimes quite painful ones. Some can even make out a foot, hand, bum or head when touching their belly. If your not sure you can always bring this up at a prenatle appointment. You might also be experiencing Braxton Hicks. Not everyone feels these and sometimes not until closer to real labour. Braxton Hicks are like practice contractions, it’s your body’s way of getting ready.
Baby has now reached the point where they are packing on the weight. Most of everything is developed and their immune system is almost ready to start fighting off illness. making sure your up to date on your own shots also will benefit baby when they are born. This year they are recremending to take the Tdap shot between 27 and 32 weeks gastational. This covers wooping cough and that’s the main reason for the recremdation. Make sure you do your own research and talk to your health care provider. For more information:
ElderFlower Doula 