That Pencil Skirt

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Pregnancy Week by Week: Third Trimester

pregnancy

It’s been a while since I gave a detailed update on the pregnancy. To be honest, I sort of figured everyone was sick of hearing me talk about it 🙂 I received a ton of requests for more updates, though, and some great feedback from my first trimester week by week, so I figured I’d share the details from the third trimester (so far) for anyone interested!

Third Trimester Week by Week

27 – 29 weeks

I remember feeling so excited when I approached the third trimester. The second trimester for me was pretty uneventful. I remember wanting a real bump to pop out so badly and running around the beach in Hawaii at 22 weeks sticking my stomach out convincing myself it was huge (when really, it wasn’t and from some angles I bet it just looked like I was just a little curvier than usual and not pregnant!)

Wearing: At 27 weeks I fit pretty comfortably in low-rise maternity jeans (these are my favorites) and had no issues wearing any of my normal sized knit or cotton dresses to the office.

Working out: At this point, I was sleeping through the night and still had a ton of energy during the day. I was working out about 4 times a week doing a (modified) barre class.

Weight gain: With respect to weight gain, I kept it to a minimum the first trimester and only had gained a few pounds. I definitely started gaining more weight in the second trimester but it was very inconsistent – I’d have one week where I’d literally gain 2 -3 lbs and then another two that would go by where I would gain 0. The start of the third trimester for me marked way more consistent weight gain of about a pound a week and a majorly increased appetite.

Food: At 27 weeks I no longer had any aversions and was even back to eating beef and salmon (two foods I loved prior to pregnancy that I couldn’t stomach even through the second trimester).

Baby: Finally I was feeling consistent kicks! This baby is not a big kicker but finally by the start of the third trimester I was able to feel her at least a few times every day. I was also able to recognize some patters – she typically kicked after lunch while I was sitting at my desk and again when I got into bed at night.

Sleep: The insomnia that I had for most of the first trimester came back in full force and I started waking up Every. Single. Morning at around 4AM. Usually I’d be able to fall back asleep at around 6:30 which didn’t make for a fun 7AM wake up alarm.

30 weeks

For me this is the week where pregnancy started to kick into high gear, and I finally felt…. super pregnant. Jason and I started a move (within the same building, which sounds like it should have been really easy right!?) and I remember wanting to cry at the end of every day out of exhaustion. I think I overexerted myself from carrying too much and going about the move as if I didn’t have another person living in my stomach. I started to feel this absolutely horrible pain in the middle of my back on the left side. I think it was triggered by a combination of stress, overexertion and the baby’s positioning but it was totally unbearable. Any time I stood up for more than 5 minutes it would start to kick in and as the days passed by, it seemed to feel worse.

31 weeks

Unfortunately this week did not get any easier for me. My grandfather, who I was really close with, passed away and I rushed down to Florida to be with my family. Flying wasn’t horrible, although I definitely felt the pressure on my bladder way more than I had on the trip back from Hawaii 2 months prior. I think I had to go to the bathroom every half hour!! Although getting up every 30 minutes sucks, it was a good reminder to stretch my legs (which the Dr.’s typically tell you to do to prevent blood clots). The stress from everything was really hard on me – physically and emotionally. Eating still felt normal but my whole body would hurt at the end of the day and my back was getting worse. On the positive, I started to feel the baby hiccup, which is oddly so cute! Every time she hiccups, I almost feel guilty that there isn’t anything I can do to help her, but I also for some reason find it to be so cute! You could say I officially “popped” by this point, and the low rise maternity pants I bought were starting to feel uncomfortable. I was still able to squeeze into my regular work out leggings, longer work blouses and most knit/ cotton dresses for work as long as they had stretch in them.

32 weeks

We had a wedding this weekend and I was so nervous about how I was going to stand up for most of the night (forget about putting on a pair of heels…) I squeezed into this red, slip dress that I had bought earlier in the season and the by the end of the night, the seams at the front were starting to pull!! (LOL) Miraculously, my back actually felt almost 100% fine once I started dancing at the wedding! I was SHOCKED and relieved. I even wore heels…. for a few hours. This week the third trimester exhaustion hit in full force. The days felt a lot longer, especially in the afternoons, and I felt my energy severely taper off right around dinner time. Also kicking into full force this week was nesting – Nesting is a VERY real thing, friends. The furniture for the baby’s room was delivered this week and once I saw it in person, making her room perfect became a serious obsession. I really turned into a nut – “this pink feels a little more peach than this pink!! Are you sure that pillow works on that chair? Those sheets aren’t soft enough!!”

35 weeks

Started interviewing pediatricians! Oddly, a lot of the offices I was referred to don’t take prenatal appointments but I really wanted to meet the doctor before them come visit me and my newborn in the hospital. Maybe it’s a New York thing? I also found this week that my appetite started subsiding a little – apparently the baby squishes into your stomach and digestive system so although you are still always hungry, you get full much quicker and cannot eat large quantities. This is also the week I finally decided it was probably time for me to quit my barre classes. Partly due to exhaustion and an inability to do most of the moves, but also partly due to the fact that my workout leggings BARELY fit and at this point I didn’t want to start buying maternity ones! I was trying to hold off as long as possible to start buying clothes for the baby out of superstition/ nerves/ I don’t know what… but like I said earlier, nesting is very real and all of her drawers were empty! I did her Layette this week and although it was really fun, I started panicking about how little I knew about what you really need to have at home when you bring a baby home from the hospital. Sure, I had her stroller, a car seat, some furniture and now some clothes, but what else (bottles?! Diapers?!….)

Also had my first visit to the Labor & Delivery this week! I was feeling what seemed like contractions in my lower stomach and rushed over to my Doctor’s office. Although she (and I) bother felt pretty confident they were nothing, she mentioned it was protocol to have a non-stress test and I can’t lie, I felt a little excited to check out the Labor & Delivery floor. I opted not to do a tour because I had a feeling I’d either wind up there with a (some) false alarm (s) and if not, I felt confident that we’d find our way. As expected, I was not in labor.

36 weeks

I was still feeling exhausted, always, and started feeling pretty achy especially in my lower back. Although I didn’t suffer from too much swelling, my shoes started to feel tighter this week (shockingly, I was still – and am still – able to wear my engagement ring, though.) This weekend, I finally decided it was time to focus and I put together a list of Day 1 essentials and started making purchases (see below.) If anyone reads this and realizes I’m missing something, please let me know! I also got sick this week with an awful stomach virus. At first, I was sure morning sickness was coming back, which I read online could happen, but quickly realized that it was way harsher than morning sickness and was totally out of commission for 48 hours. During the stomach bug, I also had my first encounter with Braxton Hicks (aka practice contractions). At first, I thought it was just my stomach cramping up from the virus but they kept happening and continued to happen when I went to my doctor who noticed the tightening in my stomach. For me, they haven’t been too noticeable – I basically feel my stomach tighten up all over and feel slightly uncomfortable for about 30 seconds and then it passes.

Other to-dos I completed this week – I washed the baby’s take home outfit (in Dreft – I just love the smell!) and signed up for cord banking. If you are considering it, you should probably start to do some research in the third trimester and call and order a kit with a few weeks’ time left.

37 weeks

Now that I am full term, we decided to pack our hospital bags! If you want to see what I’m planning on bringing, I included a list below. This week we also decided on a pediatrician! Time has started to go by SO SLOWLY, it is honestly painful. I wake up every morning at around 3AM now (insomnia has been horrible) and play on my phone counting down how many days I have left! Sometimes I wake up Jason and ask him if it’s okay for me to turn the TV on. That probably isn’t so nice of me and will be a habit I’ll have to stop once I’m no longer pregnant! I’ve stopped making a ton of plans because I’m typically just exhausted at the end of the day and just want to go home and sit on the couch, I’m totally cool with relaxing right now, though, because I know once the baby comes it will be tough! At this point, I have barely anything left that fits me!! I was stubborn and did not want to buy a ton of maternity clothes so am hanging on to the few really long blouses and sweaters I have and have been wearing either black leggings or black maternity jeans every day I have to leave the house.

And this brings me to today… Although I definitely plan on working right up until I go into labor, I am trying to wrap up projects as I really can go into labor any day now! I’ll keep you all posted on the rest of the pregnancy!! Hopefully my next post on this topic will be about labor and delivery so wish me and Baby W luck 🙂 Jason and I are so excited to meet her we can barely contain it!

Newborn essentials:

What I’m planning to bring to the hospital

  • Car seat – This is the one I got that came recommended by a bunch of my friends. It is lightweight and easily adapts to my stroller base
  • Blanket for Car seat- I thought this was so soft and perfect if it is a little chilly out when we take her home.
  • Take home outfit – I am bringing two (which I told was a bad idea) but I can’t decide! I bought two newborn sized outfits – one is a onesie with a little sweater on top and the other is a two piece with a wrap top (which I heard is way easier to get the baby dressed in.) The newborn size is TINY so I was told not to buy a lot of it, but it is perfect for the hospital. Make sure you don’t bring a gown because the baby cannot be strapped into the car seat properly in a gown
  • Swaddle blanket
  • Newborn hat
  • Two sets of pajamas for me – Can’t go wrong with these!
  • Comfortable robe
  • Slippers (they also make a great gift!)
  • Cozy blanket (for me). I bought an inexpensive one that I can throw out if it gets ruined. This is totally unnecessary but a friend of mine said she did this and really liked having it.
  • Shower shoes
  • Toiletries (including hair brush and makeup)
  • Camera, if you plan on using one other than your iPhone.
  • iPad (although I doubt I’ll use it, maybe Jason will!)
  • Glasses
  • Outfit to wear home
  • Change of clothes for Jason
  • Snack for Jason

What I bought to have waiting at home (this doesn’t include basic furniture: crib, glider, changing table)

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