Third Trimester Update (37 Weeks!)

Welp, it’s time for an update, y’all. I’m officially in the home stretch with this pregnant bod and want to talk about it, one last time. It feels like just yesterday that I shared this post when I was about halfway through my pregnancy and, now here I am, officially full-term, and wondering when this baby girl will decide to make her big appearance into this crazy, wild, and wonderful world.

(Annnd what better than a few mirror selfies to kick off the post? LOL. Can’t believe I’ve been taking these but it’s really such a fun way to document progress.)

Now on to the good stuff…

How many weeks? 37 Weeks. Full-term! Woohoo! But I think baby girl needs to stay cozy for a little while longer still. 🙂

Total weight gain: I gained most of my weight in the first and second trimesters and not so much in the third… more about why, below! So far, I’ve gained about 23 lbs.

Sleep: Waking up A LOT more often than before – at least once or twice a night. Whether that’s for trips to the bathroom or it’s a little bit of anxiety creeping in, I’m not sure. Buuut, I’m still getting quality sleep when I am asleep so I can’t complain. This pillow has been an absolute life-saver this entire pregnancy! If you’re pregnant, invest in a pregnancy pillow. Seriously, best thing I’ve purchased for myself!

General Health: A few head colds have ensued this trimester but nothing really out of the ordinary for this time of year. My legs jump sometimes close to bedtime. It’s funny but uncomfortable and weird. And, let me tell you, until a few days ago I had been experiencing the worst lower back pain that caused me to literally limp. It was just on one side and radiated through my leg which makes me question if baby girl got cozy on my sciatic nerve for a couple of weeks. Up until just about three days ago, the pain settled into both sides of my back (which was actually more comfortable than just one side, strangely), then traveled down into my hip area for a day (which just felt like I had worked out a little too hard, so I could totally deal with that), and then magically it was gone. Back pain is no joke and I appreciate every day that can go by without it!

Best Moment Thus Far: Still has to be finding out that we are having a girl at our gender reveal in September! My showers were very special and it was all surreal at the time… the fact that we were celebrating Nic and I’s baby. Oh and the second trimester rocks. Best time ever. That’s the time to decorate the nursery, have baby showers, travel, and just enjoy the feeling of pregnancy.

Least Favorite Moment Thus Far: First trimester is the roughest, no doubt. I had a ton of food aversions, ate very unhealthily, hit the couch (hard!) every day after work… couldn’t tell everyone that I was pregnant so it felt like I was walking around in a secretive daze and hoping and praying every day that this was going to be a healthy pregnancy. Oh and the nausea. I kind of forget that but I know it was there. I only technically got sick one time, thank goodness.

Movement: Baby girl is settled into a head down position and has been for weeks! I’ve carried her low my entire pregnancy so this hasn’t been too surprising but it has made for a few uncomfortable trips to the bathroom! She likes to stretch her back out (which presents as the funniest/cutest bulge in my stomach) she has hiccups every day, sometimes multiple times a day, and she enjoys stretching her fists/hands/feet (I can’t tell!) out every now and then. Although I have nothing to compare it to, I feel like she’s been pretty chill and I know she’s been nice to mommy, with minimal hard kicks or punches.

Mood: Stable. Lately… Tired mostly, energetic sometimes (hmmm, nesting, maybe?!). My husband keeps me laughing on a daily basis. I swear, and he may tell you differently, that I’ve only had one true “breakdown” and that was when I literally could feel my hormones shifting in between the first and second trimesters. I was ridiculous and could feel it happening but couldn’t do anything about it! Crazy female hormones. They really are to blame.

I’ve Learned: Pregnancy really lasts 10 months, not 9. Changes are so gradual, sometimes I forget how pregnant I look and wonder why people are giving me looks/smiles at the grocery store. Um, hi, oh yeah, I look like I’m about to pop, I forgot. People have no problem verbally sharing their opinions/birth stories/etc. when you’re pregnant. I’ve learned way more than I wanted to about friends, family members, etc. pregnancy/birth stories but I must say it’s been very interesting to hear all of them. Oh and I’m so used to hearing, “You look miserable,” “You’re about to pop,” “Are you okay?”, “You look tired,” “Have you gained any weight?”, “You’ll be lucky to make it to your due date,” “You’ve dropped,” “You look so little,” etc. Seriously! I just smile and try to enjoy all the attention. Also, it is possible to avoid buying minimal maternity clothes. I have survived in these tees, cute tunics, leggings, this versatile black dress, these maternity jeans, this cute peacoat my mom bought me, and a couple of sweaters from Gap, Target, and TJ Maxx.

Food/Diet/Cravings: Well, this one has a bit of a backstory. A story that involves me eating whatever I wanted first and second trimesters… I mean, chili cheese dogs, pizza, brownie batter blizzards… on the reg. Up until that little bottle of straight sugar I had to drink at 28 weeks. See, I received my gestational diabetes diagnosis aka the “pregnancy diabetes” that should disappear after I give birth. I really had no risk factors other than the fact that Diabetes does run in my family with my grandparents and was convinced I got it because I had been eating so terribly. My doctor assured me that that had nothing to do with it, that my hormones are completely to blame and there’s nothing I could have done to prevent it. So, naturally, it’s been a completely different diet during third trimester. I have to prick my finger four times a day and need the majority of my pricks to be within the targeted glucose range, which mostly they are, unless I’ve had too much sugar/carbs and not enough fat/protein to balance it out. It’s been a great learning experience, really. The GD diagnosis has literally forced me to eat healthy which is why my weight gain has significantly slowed during these last weeks. I was concerned after actually losing a few pounds but my doctor was not as the baby continued to measure on track. I now live on oatmeal or Special K Protein cereal and a green protein smoothie in the morning, almond butter sandwiches/string cheese/Greek yogurt/Kind bars for lunch, and meat/veggies/cheese/nuts for dinner. It’s insane. So, I stressed about it for a week, and then realized I was fortunate because at least I know how to eat healthy, I just needed to do it. One of my very best friends has Type I Diabetes and she was a lifesaver that first week with helping me understand what I need to be doing to keep it under control. I do feel awful for the women that have to take a pill, go on insulin, and can’t control it no matter what they do because at least mine has been manageable.

Biggest Fear: The pain of childbirth, obviously. Being somewhere public when/if my water breaks. And the biggest worry of all: That we will have a healthy baby.

Advice: I can’t give very much advice as I have not truly gotten through this pregnancy and given birth but I do swear by drinking a ton of water and taking daily 30 minute walks as your body will allow. I also have been using some of my yoga stretches to stretch my back and believe that it did help alleviate that pain I was experiencing. Cat/Cow and Child’s Pose are both amazing.

Still on the To-Do List: Packing my hospital bag. Figuring out my maternity leave from work.

Looking forward to: Going into labor. Becoming a mother. Meeting our little girl. Bringing her home. Cozying in for the winter. Experiencing this life-changing love everyone keeps telling me about. 🙂

Will miss: These awesome hormones that have been making my hair grow a ton recently. The actual feeling of pregnancy. Feeling her little kicks/punches/stretches. The beginning of a lifetime of memories.

Most of all, I’m SO EXCITED and can’t believe we will see her sweet face SO SOON!!!