Since my third trimester was cut pretty short and there weren’t too many changes, I figured I would combine this post with my postpartum update. Overall, I feel very blessed to have had a pretty easy pregnancy. I actually enjoyed it much more than I ever thought I would!
My third trimester was very similar to my second except that my belly got larger and it got harder to get around; getting out of bed was quite interesting! I started having a lot of pressure and at one point literally felt like I had pulled a muscle down there. I ended up ordering this belly band to help alleviate some of the pressure and it did work. The belly band and soaking in the pool were both very helpful. There were a few times where I felt a sharp pain which they call “lightning crotch” (pretty accurate!), but other than that I really didn’t have any other major changes physically.
The biggest thing I dealt with my third trimester was my blood pressure. I began having higher than normal blood pressure, which concerned my doctor. She would take it at the beginning of the appointment and either the top or bottom number would be high, and then take it again at the end of my appointment and it would be fine. I never had protein in my urine, so it wasn’t preclampsia, but she wanted to keep an eye on it so she scheduled me for non stress tests twice a week and ultra sounds once a week the last month of my pregnancy. I only it made it to one non stress test and one ultrasound because little man decided to show up early!
Now for the glamorous stuff!! I wasn’t sure what to expect postpartum, I had heard some real horror stories. I can honestly say it wasn’t at all what I thought it would be. Yes of course I did feel a bit sore the first couple of days, but because I didn’t have a major tear and my delivery was fairly easy, I really lucked out. The first day I came home I literally wanted to do everything to get the house back in order. My Mom and Mo kept telling me to take it easy, but I honestly felt like I could do it all. No matter what your labor and delivery is like, I think it’s so important to take it easy and relax afterward. You have every excuse to do absolutely nothing, you just grew a baby for 9 months!
As far as postpartum necessities, I made sure to keep using all of the aftercare that the hospital provided me. The peri bottle, cooling spray, witch hazel pads and ice packs were all so helpful in making sure I healed correctly. I was using the mesh underwear with a pad in the hospital, but switched to Depends when I got home and felt those were easier. After a few days I switched them out for a lighter pad. I obviously knew that there would be bleeding, but I didn’t realize how long it would go on for. It took me until about week 4 for the bleeding to come to a complete stop. I talked a lot about these products in my post on what to pack in your hospital bag, you can read it here.
Stock up on all the comfy clothes! I was and basically still am living in my lounge wear. If your’re nursing or pumping, clothing or pajamas that open in front definitely make things easier. Also, I loved a big comfy robe! This one here has always been a fave of mine. A few other items that I used after baby to just help me feel more awake and pampered were my ice roller and under eye patches.
A few weeks ago I was cleared by my doctor to finally be able to start working out again. My free time is a little limited these days, but I hope to be able to get a couple of workouts in a week once I get more of a schedule down. I didn’t workout much during my pregnancy, so I know I’m going to be VERY out of shape!! A few of you asked about weight gain during pregnancy, overall I gained 35 pounds throughout my pregnancy. I was honestly surprised at how fast the weight came off afterward, our bodies are pretty amazing! I started out my pregnancy 5 lbs under my normal weight, I’m pretty sure it was due to my food aversions in my first trimester. I gained the most weight and the quickest during my second trimester. I remember one appointment I literally gained 12 lbs in 4 weeks! A week and a half postpartum I had a blood pressure check and they weighed me, I was down 20 lbs from my last doctors appointment. I really think that the breastfeeding helped to take most of the pregnancy weight off. At my six week checkup I was 7 lbs from my normal weight. I mostly just feel like everything is kind of mushy and needs to be toned up at this point.
After having been through a pregnancy and labor now, I can honestly say that the whole process is such a miracle! I can’t believe what a women’s body is capable of. Every ounce of pain that we go through is all worth it in the end when you’re holding that precious little baby in your arms. I’d definitely do it a million times over for my sweet boy!
Xoxo,
Danielle
