So the third and final trimester has finally arrived. It has crept up on me somewhat and I really feel like the final countdown has begun. With less than nine ‘official’ weeks to go till my planned c-section and assuming the baby doesn’t arrive early, I am feeling rather unprepared.
My pregnancy symptoms so far in T3:
Tiredness and less energy
Boy do I feel tired. In my second trimester I felt like I had the energy of an Olympian – nothing was too much and I could survive on six and a half hours sleep repeatedly without really feeling the deficit. Now, I feel tired ALOT. I am averaging more sleep but still wake up feeling like I need another hour or two in bed. I have started sneaking a nap in the day when the children are at school and playschool where I can but not always easy as always a hundred other things to do.
I just got a call from my doctor today and it turns out I have a slight iron deficiency or pregnancy related anaemia and so have been prescribed some iron tablets (this would explain the added tiredness). Apparently this is common in pregnancy and affects up to half of pregnant women particularly in the second and third trimester.
Blood testing at 28 weeks should pick this up but if you are suffering from any of the following symptoms it is worth contacting your midwife:
– tiredness and low energy levels
– breathlessness and palpitations
– pale eyelids and nail beds
– a sore tongue or strange taste in your mouth
Hopefully the iron supplements will help with my energy levels along with eating more iron rich foods such as red meat and green leafy vegetables.
Hormones
I have been a bit up a down on this front lately. At the moment I feel fine but I have had my down patches. I am putting some of it down to the stress of trying to get my workload cleared before I can start thinking about the baby’s arrival. Two weeks ago I felt like I had a mountain to move but thanks to my wonderful parents helping out with the children and a supportive husband, I have pretty much broken the back of it all and suddenly there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am planning an official start to my maternity leave on 1st November at the latest so I have a month to get prepared and started thinking about the nursery!
Backache, pelvic and ligament pains
Oh the joys that come with pregnancy in the third trimester… I admit that even walking to the shops at the end of my road can seem like a challenge at the moment. I normally end up having to hold my bump underneath as the strain of walking for any distance or heaven forbid running (out of the rain, or to get your three year old to a toilet in town on time), is becoming a bit uncomfortable with pain either side of my bump (a bit like a stitch), that wears off with time. I’ve also been experiencing some pelvic pain when walking at times which isn’t much fun.
Standing for too long or sitting in the same position also gets uncomfortable and too much time spent trying to get on top of the house leaves me with really bad lower backache.
Frequent runs to the bathroom
I think the baby has started to use my bladder as a trampoline. I can’t get very far without the urge to run to the nearest loo at the moment. This can be very inconvenient to say the least. Luckily for me, I am not yet waking in the night to go but am giving it time!
Where are my feet and how can I get my shoes on?
When standing straight my feet have now magically disappeared. Trying to get shoes on is starting to become a challenge and I have to sit carefully and swing one leg up onto my knee to have a go. Even doing this is uncomfortable at times. Bending to the floor to pick something up either involves a sumo squat or a strained lean over the bump.
I remember in my last few weeks of my pregnancy with Grace dropping my debit card on the floor whilst at the counter in a shop. A debit card is possibly the worst thing you can hope to drop when heavily pregnant. I remember the indignity I felt as I attempted to retrieve it by hopelessly swinging my arm back and forth as low as it would go like some sort of performing orangutan. Not one person in the queue waded in to help, so transfixed were they it seemed by my humiliating display of ineptness!
Weight gain
This is a given but in the last trimester the pounds seem to creep on a bit faster. This is mainly due to the baby now piling on the pounds ready for birth. My weight gain so far has reached 25 pounds but with a further 8 weeks or so to go I’m not expecting it to stay at that! That said, a healthy weight gain for my BMI is between 25 and 35 pounds so as long as I don’t go over the latter I’m doing okay it would appear.
Stronger fetal movement
I can tell the little man is getting bigger and stronger as he hoofs me and prods me with greater vigour these days. He’s not a big kicker or puncher, more of a ‘mover and shaker’ but when he does decide to put in the boot or give me a Tyson style right hook, I definitely know about it. There is still room for him to make these noticeable movements but they will get more restricted over the following weeks….
Whooping cough vaccine
I went along for my whooping cough vaccine today that is now readily available for pregnant women who are 28 weeks plus in their pregnancy. There has been a lot of media about an increase in cases and newborns are particularly vulnerable as aren’t vaccinated against it until 2 months. There have been ten reported newborn deaths already from the condition. So if you’re expecting and haven’t already, make sure you get your vaccinations sorted asap!
There are obviously many other symptoms you can have in your third trimester including Braxton Hicks contractions, swollen ankles, shortness of breath, heartburn and stretch marks to name a few. Luckily I’ve avoided all of these so far but a lot can happen in the last two months…watch this space!
