The Third Trimester
/Four weeks to go before Baby Heid’s due date! I imagine once she’s here, I won’t find much time to blog about my third trimester so I’m sharing what my experience has been so far and will, at some point, come back and update it with any changes.
Photo: Anna Duncan Photography — please do not use THIS photo in any way, shape, or form.
MATERNITY PHOTO SESSION
We visited this quant little garden in Greenville for a maternity photo session with Anna Duncan and she did not disappoint! Having your photos taken by Anna is like hanging out with a longtime friend and she’s got so much talent! We giggled through the whole thing and enjoyed taking time to slow down.
BABY’S POSITION
At my 34 week appointment, my OB determined that baby girl is head down and facing the back, which is great! Here’s hoping she hasn’t turned around or flipped up since then! When it comes to labor, I hope she’s as ready to be out as I am to have her here in my arms!
IMPROMPTU HOSPITAL TOUR
Our hospital isn’t allowing tours during this coronavirus pandemic (thankfully, they have a very thorough virtual tour), but we wound up getting a glimpse of the hospital firsthand. I had been working pretty hard on my feet all day prepping for a work function and began to notice consistent and very uncomfortable contractions in the late afternoon. I called the doctor who told me to drink a lot of water and rest for an hour and that if I still felt the contractions to head to the hospital. An hour later, I still felt them, so off I went. At one point, they thought it was a bladder infection, but it turned out to be Braxton Hicks contractions. I’m so grateful that it wasn’t something worse! And on top of that, we’ve now seen the hospital where I’ll be giving birth and Mr. Heid got to hear the heartbeat in person for the first time ever.
Photo: Anna Duncan Photography — please do not use THIS photo in any way, shape, or form.
NEW THINGS THAT I STRUGGLE WITH
Taking off my pants. Something about the way I have to bend in order to get them off just isn’t working anymore. I’ll be dressing myself in nothing but dresses and skirts when I have to go out moving forward.
I thought I struggled with sleeping before, but now I’m laughing at my second trimester self. This trimester, it has been a true struggle to get in any comfortable position. My belly is heavy, my hip is tingly, my bladder is constantly full, my legs are tight, and there’s just so much pressure. But I still don’t have any swelling and I’m going to call that a win.
SYMPTOMS I EXPERIENCED (WEEKS 28-NOW)
Both my breast tenderness and my fatigue have returned, though neither are as rough as they were during that first trimester. This trimester’s new symptoms have included:
Stretch marks — I made it so far without getting any stretch marks, and then BAM — I woke up one day with them all on the left side of my belly.
Belly button pain — the stretching of my body from the 34th week on led to some belly button tightness and discomfort. It’s very weird to watch your belly button start to disappear/fill in.
Facial flushing — it only happens to my right cheek, but since it doesn’t fit the descriptions of any serious conditions, my doctors think it’s due to the additional volume of blood in my body.
Pelvic pressure — baby girl is pressing down, which makes getting out of bed or a seated position difficult and uncomfortable. It also sometimes makes walking uncomfortable.
Hiccups — I will experience an occasional hiccup (not your usual series of them), especially when I go from laying down to standing.
PERKS I EXPERIENCED (WEEKS 28-NOW)
Baby showers — We had three separate baby showers — one for my friends, one for my side of the family, and one for Mr. Heid’s side of the family. I would have loved to have one big one, but doing it this way allowed for my guests to reduce the amount of people outside of their circle that they would come in contact with. We’ve been avoiding our normal activities pretty hard, so it was soooo good to see people and catch up in person.
Seeing our nursery come together.
Hearing that sweet heartbeat more often than before due to an increase in appointment frequency.
Cooler weather — I know this isn’t a pregnancy perk, but fall weather is definitely a perk for a pregnant woman. The second trimester was just too hot.
THIRD TRIMESTER STAPLES
Body Butter | One of my friends gifted me with Shea Moisture All-Over Hydration 100% Raw Shea Butter and it has been suuuuper great on my belly that seems to be stretching bigger and bigger every day. It provides immediate relief.
Wedge Pillow | This Boppy Pregnancy Wedge has been such a versatile pillow for me. I’ve put it under my left hip for extra cushion, under my belly for extra support, between my knees, and as like a shoulder side pillow when I sleep sitting up. It looks useless, but for me, it’s been so nice. Shout out to my friend who passed it down to me!
Hand Cream | I don’t know if it’s due to pregnancy or constantly washing my hands during this pandemic, but my hands have been so dry. I bought a mini travel sized version of Old Whaling Co. Body Butter to revive them. Their seaweed and sea salt scent is my favorite.
Friends and Family | There’s so much to get done before Baby Heid arrives, and there’s no way we’d even be as far as we are without the help of our family and friends!
xo,
K
