Third Trimester

Hello, third trimester… You sure showed up quick! It’s funny re-living pregnancy a second time around because it can be so much the same and yet so different. I had previously thought my son was active in the womb but now I realize I was just plain wrong.. I couldn’t have been more than wrong. This little girl will roundhouse kick my abdomen so hard that I will double over mid walking. I’ve been asked if my baby’s movement hurt and I used to say with a laugh, “hurt? Heck no, it’s awesome!” Ya.. well I don’t know about that when I keel over and passerby’s probably wonder if I’ve gone into labor. I smile and wave them off and say [in my mind] “No, I’m just having a ninja”.

34 weeks

Riding Bikes

My experience this second time around has mostly been the same. I’ve experienced some issues with circulation causing discomfort and varicose veins in my left leg. But other than that, I’ve gained less weight and overall, I feel really good. It’s funny how once the moment that third trimester hits, sleep becomes an elusive memory you don’t know to be true. When you have to use your arms to cradle your belly just to change sides to sleep on, you know you’ve arrived. Also the multiple calls to the restroom due to your bladder being squished by a pineapple sized fetus is another indicator.

Needless to say, I’m not babbling on to talk about my second pregnancy symptoms.. I really want to chat how my daily regiments change to prepare myself for birth. I once heard a fellow mom state how birth is like running a marathon. The pressure and endurance your body goes through is nothing near easy. To get ready, you must prep! You wouldn’t show up to run a marathon without any training would you? [Side note.. I’ve known of someone actually doing that… I don’t recommend it and neither do they]. If you haven’t started prepping yet, it’s not too late!

So what do I do to prepare?

• Red Raspberry Leaf TeaYour mind might be shouting hurray at the thought that all you really need to do is sit around and sip tea. For others, you may think, naw I’ll skip this step but this one is vital –> Buy it here
  • Strengthens and tones uterus
  • Balances hormones **including postpartum hormones**
  • May decrease length of labor
  • High in Vitamins C, E & D
  • Increases milk production
  • Reduces pain during and after birth
  • Improves effectiveness of contractions
• Probiotics
  I drank and ate a lot of fermented foods during my last pregnancy which meant I in
  took plenty of probiotics. I believe it’s what helped me avoid certain bacterial infections particular to pregnancy, which meant no antibiotics during labor (major win in my book). Wether that was the true cause or not, I believe it’s what helped with my over gut health and avoidance of the unwanted bacteria. Plus everything you’re intaking at this stage gets passed along to baby via breastmilk when their born, so keep it up.

• PB Assist+ Probiotic – you can purchase it here 
• Exercises
  Now I don’t mean start up any regiments that you hadn’t already been doing that are rigorous. I just mean, exercises & stretches to help prepare body as well as keep yourself feeling the best possible. For most of my exercising, I use a stability ball and you can find them here
  • Start sitting on a stability ball instead of the couch or a chair. This rotates the hips forward and allows baby to sit deeper into the birth canal and prep for optimal positioning. You can also rotate hips in a circular motion to exercise the core and stretch the round ligament. Try pelvic floor exercises while on the ball since you will have the ability to better feel what you are doing
  • Hip tilts – stand against a wall and focus on rotating hips down and forward to flatten your back against the wall.
  • Take the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator (I know… I’m out of breath too! But it’s worth it)
  • Cat & cow stretch to ease back pain and rotate baby into proper positioning
• Mentally Prepare for Birth
  You might be thinking, what kind of mumbo jumbo is she getting into now… BUT your mind is powerful. You can effectively train your brain and ready yourself for a good labor or even your baby’s due date.
  • Mind over matter – did you know how strong your brain is? USE IT!
  • Invision your birth as well as the birth date! I willed my son to come early and you better believe I’m doing the same with my soon to be born daughter
  • Invest in a birthing method – mine of choice? Hypnobabies. I used it the first time and I was able to remain calm through contractions harboring my energy for when I needed it… Pushing that almost 9 pounder out!
    • This online link is to purchase the at-home study course, which is 100’s of dollars cheaper than physical classes AND you can do it at your own pace and timing 😉

Obviously – there are a ton of recommendations when getting ready to have a child. You could lie around all day and just wait for labor to arrive.. but if you’re planning on a natural child birth, I’d recommend getting ready. You need to train, you need to prepare and you’ll be thankful once you’re holding your baby in your arms and you can physically withstand loving every second of it! With my first, I went into hard labor at 3am and had him 10.5 hours later at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. I then loved every second of skin to skin and enjoyed a late lunch while the family visited. We went home at 7pm and I didn’t go to bed that night until 10pm. That meant, I had enough energy that I sustained throughout my labor to endure a normal full day! If you’re hoping to have a birth similarly.. PREPARE!

This was me smiling and chatting in between contractions – all thanks to hypnobabies

-Essentially a Mom Preparing for her Second Natural Childbirth