Third Trimester Healthy Pregnancy Update

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In this post I share an exciting third trimester baby update and some heartfelt thoughts about pregnancy now that I’m almost done. If you are newly pregnant or trying to become pregnant, you can read my other two pregnancy updates as well. I talk a lot about how to have a healthy pregnancy and how to prepare for a natural birth. My goal is to raise an all natural baby and I’m taking you along with me as I do that. Enjoy!

Thoughts from the Heart about the Third Trimester of Pregnancy + a recap!

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Third Trimester, Best Trimester

Everyone always says that the second trimester is the best, but I might disagree here.

While the second trimester is nice because the morning sickness starts to fade, there is nothing like the thrill of knowing your baby will be arriving soon in the third trimester.

Most people say the third trimester is so uncomfortable because the baby gets so big. And that’s true. But for me the excitement of getting the nursery ready, making the diapers and diaper wipes, prepping freezer meals, etc. is so fun that it distracts from said discomfort.

Best Parts of the Third Trimester

To me, the best parts of the third trimester are:

Feeling your baby. If you’ve never been pregnant before, the thought of a human living inside you is foreign. It could be described as gas bubbles or food moving through your tummy, but by the third trimester it feels like a human for sure. You have elbows, knees, feet, all sorts of fun stuff you can feel right through your belly.

Knowing the end (or start) is near. Remember that birth is only the start of your newborn’s life! It’s an exciting end to the pregnancy chapter. But even knowing that pregnancy is ending gets me a little choked up. Because there’s just no other task in life that you could do that would be more rewarding than pregnancy, in my opinion 🙂

That big belly! Yes, it gets in the way when you sleep and try to fit through small spaces. And you may even accidentally burn it on a hot stove pot (that one hurt). But getting to show off your big belly is pretty exciting. Everyone knows by now that you’re pregnant so everywhere you go people hold the door for you, offer you water or a chair, etc. People are very nice to pregnant woman!

The More Difficult Moments of the Third Trimester

I took a little bit of hypnobirthing and one ting they talk a lot about is when you feel pain (or a surge/contraction), to say to yourself “amazing things are happening”. And it’s so true, because it’s unlike any pain you’ve ever felt. When you fall down and break a knee, it’s painful and you need surgery. But in this case if you have pain, it’s your body preparing to do something great.

So for me the pain points have been sleeping. I am able to get pretty comfortable (after spending weeks trying to figure that out!) but I wake up almost every hour to go to the bathroom. Then the next hour I wake up hungry. Then my arms or legs are asleep or I have a leg cramp. So in short, getting a full 7 or 8 hours of sleep just doesn’t happen anymore. But, that’s our body’s way of preparing us for a newborn. If you’re someone who thinks they could never do that or can’t function without a great sleep, you would be surprised! Your body changes in all the ways it needs to, so you don’t need to worry about it. Trust your body and it’ll be just fine.

I really don’t have many other pain points other than sleep. I guess you could say that there’s a lot of pressure on the belly, some cramping, etc., but again all good things! Nothing “bad” in a literal sense.

You do get tired more often in the third trimester. So just pay attention to your body and do it what it needs. Our Bradly instructor always tells us that at some point every day we should 1) walk/exercise, 2) rest, 3) drink lots of water, 4) go to the bathroom often, 5) do pregnancy stretches. So as long as you’re doing those things, you’re probably doing a great job!

Third Trimester Diet

In most literature I’ve read, it’s recommended to eat large amounts of protein, at least two vegetable servings per day, fermented food, lots of lightly pasteurized or raw milk, and high quality grain every day. That’s actually our diet most of the time anyway, so pregnancy didn’t require me to change much about what I eat.

I am extra conscious about not eating processed foods or sugar (not saying it hasn’t happened, just that I try to avoid it). The other nice thing about the third trimester is I feel more like myself and I can cook more. In the first trimester I was basically just trying to get any food down, so this diet was harder to apply 😉

Since it’s summer time, my husband John has been BBQing for almost every meal. We usually have one meat, one veggie, and a grain with every meal. Dinner time I always make a kale salad (been doing that for years). Sometimes we have a homemade cookie or ice cream for dessert. On weekends we have bacon and sourdough pancakes. And of course every week we enjoy a fluffy loaf of my sourdough bread.

Learn how to make Protein Pregnancy Muffins here.

Birth Plans

I feel like discussing a birth plan is a little bit silly, because birth is a natural process that happens whether you plan for it or not 😉

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared of course. For me, because it’s my first baby I wanted to be over-prepared for the birth. I have heard stories of women having a hard time with birth and other women having an easier time. So naturally I wanted to do everything I could to prepare for a beautiful and natural birth.

I feel most comfortable and safe at home, so I imagine I’ll give birth in our bedroom on our bed. We have all the supplies needed and we are just waiting on the little one make his or her debut any day now. I am excited!

Whatever your plans are for your birth, make sure you ask questions, do your own independent research, and feel completely comfortable and confident in the process. My personality is the type that questions just about everything. And I like to confirm things with my own research.

Thoughts from the Heart Before Going in to Birth

As I sit here 38 weeks pregnant and knowing our baby could come any time, I thought it would be nice to share some sentiments from the heart. Birth is a beautiful and amazing process so I have wanted to document my entire journey. These last few weeks leading up the birth are truly special, because the hard work of pregnancy is almost over. Only to start the hard work of birth, and then the blessing of a new born. So many things in such a short amount of time! So here are some thoughts from the heart:

Birth is beautiful, natural, and a God-given privilege for women. Pregnancy and birth should never be seen as a burden or an obstacle, or something difficult to get through. The ability to bring life into the world far surpasses every ounce of difficulty and that should be remembered as often as possible.

Every human on earth was brought here by birth. Look around you and realize that every person who’s standing today was successfully brought here from birth. This confirms that birth is common, natural, and the bait of our existence!

You know what’s best for your body and baby. As our pregnancy progressed, we received so many unwanted comments from people about birth or parenthood. One person even told us that we wouldn’t like our baby at first because “they cry so much”. My advice would be to find out what works for you and stick to that. Tune out anyone else’s opinion that you didn’t ask for.

Bible Verses for Pregnancy and Birth

“Blessed in the one who trusts in the Lord” Jeremiah 17:7

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” Psalm 56:3

The Lord will fight for you: You only need to be still. Exodus 14:14

I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me” Pslam 23:4

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Psalm 127:3

But women will be saved through childbearing – if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. 1 Timothy 2:15

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7