What can we expect

[kiwilove]

I just wanted to start a thread for us new to third trimester. I know most of us are a little intimidated by all the labor watch threads and such, hard to relate when we are still so far away from the finish line.

For all you ladies close to the finish line, what can we expect? You know, the things no body tells you...we want to know. I am a first time mom so have no idea. We want the niddy griddy TMI stuff.

I want the info leading up to labor, what to expect in third trimester...not labor and after...dont want to be scared just yet

 

[MrsKChicago]

There have been three big changes for me. It gets harder to get around every week - I have to be careful not to overdo it or I'm so sore the next day. Since the baby is heavier and lower, if I walk too much I get a lot of ligament pain and sometimes it feels like he's using my cervix as a trampoline. My heartburn is getting worse - more common, more persistent, and I have to be more careful about what I eat. And all of a sudden, we're just BUSY. Getting the nursery ready, having a shower, making freezer meals, going to weekly appointments, going to birth classes, meeting the doula, and so on. Just so so busy.

It hasn't been as miserable as I'm making it sound, for me. I know some women are just ready to be done when they get to the last couple months, but aside from a couple rough days, I'm still in good spirits. I suspect it comes down to what the hormones want you to feel, how much you're able to relax, and whether you've had a rough pregnancy or a relatively smooth one.

I still have 3 weeks to go, so I don't know about those last few weeks, but I have a feeling that everything I complain about now is just going to get worse.

 

[supersherwolf]

Don't expect it to be all bad. I've had the easiest, most wonderful pregnancy. Not one complaint, hopefully you can expect the same.

 

[Amythyst]

I'm not sure if I could be of much help... my pregnancy has been relatively uneventful. I haven't had any of the issues the other ladies have had but lets see if I can fill in a few things (these are mostly specific to me). Here is my top 10:

1) More doctor visits! At least for me cause I'm "high risk" I have to see two different doctors twice a week. Its of course much less if you're not high risk but I think you still go more often then you would have in 1st or 2nd trimester.

2) The glucose tolerance test! If you haven't had it already... I think most women get it at like 28 weeks? If you pass it, excellent... if not, life is slightly more annoying afterward.

3) Exhaustion! I can't even go up a flight of stairs without being out of breath. I'm also tired all the damn time. I could sleep all day if my husband would let me.

4) The "WTF I just peed myself" fun time! I sneeze - I pee. I didn't have this problem so much in my 2nd trimester but now its super easy to pee myself. Coughing, blowing my nose... I was at the OB's office today sitting on the table naked from the waste down. I sneezed and woo hoo peed on the table.

5) The moment you realize your vagina is 5x's larger than usual! I'm about to take a shower and I'm in front of the mirror and happen to regard my lower quadrant and low and behold...there's a lovely swollen vagina staring back at me. Apparently this is normal as long as there is no itching or discomfort anything.

6) The "seriously I just peed" time! I have to drink water like every waking moment of the day and aside from having a much larger water bill every month we also go through toilet paper like nobody's business cause I have to pee like every 5 fricken minutes! I even feel like I have to pee immediately after peeing.

7) Hemorrhoids! If you don't have any yet then maybe you'll be ok. I'm not sure if I have any or not but sometimes I have some blood in my stool if I strain too much.

8) Inappropriate timing on baby movements! So, this may just be me... but when my baby gets to seriously moving around it makes me squeal. It either tickles or is really uncomfortable and I make noises when he does it ... like "Ahhhhh!" or a giggle. This is especially inappropriate during meetings at work!

9) The mysterious hands! Once you're showing pretty well and its obvious you're getting farther along, people seem to think your tummy is a playground for their hands! You're talking to someone then all the sudden you look down and there is a foreign hand on your stomach. Get off my tummy people!

10) Flatulence! This could also just be me..... lol. But my husband is certainly not a fan of the things that come out of my bum! Perhaps its from me eating a lot more veggies or perhaps from the sugar free stuff I eat for my GD but yea.... the tooting is quite apparent.

These are all subjective of course and everyone is different and may not have the same symptoms. Like I said in the first part, I don't have any of the aches, pains, heartburn or discomfort that a lot of the other women have. So, its hard to tell how your pregnancy will progress. Good luck!

 

[Dini]

I'm with you, not really wanting to focus on labor watch yet since I'm still too far away. I do second MrsK about it getting a bit harder to get around. Im having back pain but I can deal with it. The worst part for me so far is I developed carpal tunnel and it's horrible! Keeps me up at night and it really affects what I'm able to do during the day and it's painful.

 

[brittany12]

this is my first as well and this pregnancy has been fairly easy and I've been "on the go" basically the entire pregnancy. Overall I can't complain too much.

however, things did start to get tougher when I hit 30 weeks (not horrible- just stuff to be expected I guess) like the back pain started, the pressure down there started, and the being uncomfortable while sleeping started.

It would come and go and then a few weeks later I'd say between like 32-34 weeks it was pretty rough for me. I was not sleeping because I was in so much pain and having so much pressure. I honestly believe if I would have taken a few days off and made myself not get out of the bed or recliner and made myself relax it wouldn't have been so bad. I really believe not getting sleep made everything worse. It would seem IMPOSSIBLE to get any sleep, but one night I decided to take a Benadryl (suggested by my doctor) and while I didn't sleep like a baby I was able to get more sleep than usual and so when it starts to get bad i'll do this and take a day off to just lounge around and nap throughout the day even if its only for 30 mins and it helps me. However for moms that have kids already I know that doesn't necessarily work for them.

I would also say the swollen hoohaa is NOT cool at all!

I didn't get stretch marks until 33 weeks and even then they were only a couple and not bad at all.. week 35 rolls around and then more came up... that sucked, but this is a person to person, pregnancy to pregnancy thing I believe.

this may just be me since I suppose I don't have long arms... but reaching over my huge belly to wipe after I pee for the 100th time is kind of hard, along with shaving legs or down there.

I also have been one of those that have NOT been into sex- just completely turned off from it

I started swelling in the face and hands the past week or so that doesn't go away.. no preeclampsia or anything just retaining fluid. I have been having it in my feet after being on them all day which actually kind of hurts. it feels like when I walk my skin is splitting - this was something I wasn't aware of. I didn't know it would hurt

I have basically everything done and have had it done for a few weeks now and so the days are dragging!

I haven't lost plug or started having contractions or anything like that yet so can't comment on those.. like I said its mostly nothing that is all that terrible. I just think at this point I have enjoyed this pregnancy thoroughly and I'm just ready to have her here, be able to sleep on my belly again, wear regular clothes, bend down, move and be normal again. I loved pregnancy don't get me wrong, but now I'm just getting impatient

 

[misscyn]

I actually feel better at 37 and a half weeks than i did at 30. This is mostly due to the fact that i've been off work for the past 3 weeks now, and i'm finally getting some rest and taking care of myself. Working was very difficult for me throughout my entire pregnancy. I have a 4 year old who doesn't want to go to bed at night, so waking up early and going in to work was exhausting. Anyway i was dreading the last month of pregnancy, but i actually feel better than ever. I nap a lot and i now have time to take 30 minute walks almost every day. Ok i wabble more than i walk, but it really does me a world of good. Sometimes i have to cut my walks short due to lower back and pelvic pain, but even 15 minutes helps with the fatigue and nausea. So basically my point is that you won't necessarily feel worse as your pregnancy progresses.

 

[lindblum]

Don't expect 'signs' that you are going into labour. With my first i was completely fine the previous day, there were no indicators that she was going to be born on the next. So don't feel discouraged if you don't notice anything different x

 

[hanni]

See for me I have thoroughly enjoyed the 3rd trimester. It's the only one I've really felt properly pregnant and had a big bump. Yes it's a bit impractical but that's the novelty of pregnancy isn't it? I've felt less sore and achey than I did in the other 2 trimesters and apart from indigestion my symptoms have been manageable.
Apart from the difficulty sleeping, which I quickly got used to I've loved it.
There's a lot more appointments but it's nice to feel pro active and like you're finally getting somewhere.

 

[hanni]

Oh & as much as the movements are nice in 2nd tri they just get better and better and more clearer. It's amazing! I can see and feel the outside of my son's foot, knees and arms. It's incredible to sit and watch him moving.

 

[Button#]

With DS I felt great up until birth, but of a different story this time. I had acid reflux but that was easy to control with gaviscon and other than that the main thing I remember was that lovely moment when he dropped and I could breathe properly again. Two days before birth I also had a panicky meltdown about what I was going to do for the rest of my maternity leave and whether I had everything ready so some haywire emotions are a possibility.