the GONE-IN-A-FLASH third trimester

This trimester has been my favourite - it's incredible the changes that my body has gone through to grow our baby and prepare for the birth. There was so much I wasn’t expecting, but despite how irritating some of the things which came along with growing a human being inside you were - I want to remember every single precious part of the experience. So what does the third trimester of pregnancy have in store for me, I hear you ask? Well I don’t know about you but for me it consisted of the following: 

-      Constipation.  Make sure you eat your All Bran every day…. Or else.

-      The return of the need to pee every five seconds during the day and six times upwards in the night.  You wouldn’t think it was possible!  I have heard rumours that this restless sleeping is your bodies way of preparing you for the tireless nights that come hand in hand with a newborn.  This seems very counter-intuitive to me, as surely I should be stockpiling all the forty winks I can get!

-      A lack of clothing options that you feel a combination of comfortable and sexy in. Maternity wear is LIMITED and seemingly has to be bought online (especially if you live in Northern Ireland, as I discovered after traipsing around 8+ stores, only to be turned away and told it’s stocked online only).  I’ve also found the clothing quality to be questionable. (Disclaimer – part of this may be attributed to the fact that I constantly rub my belly like it’s a lucky Buddha creating little balls on the fabric!)

-      Unexpectedly feeling very itchy as I lay in bed at night ready to doze off. This exasperating symptom is likely due to swelling and although I don’t think I look swollen, my rings no longer fit and much to my distress when I tried to put my feet into my beloved Toms the other day... it was NOT happening. Cool baths before bed are my best friend!

-      Feeling uncomfortable, like there is no room in your abdomen for either oxygen or that tomato chilli pasta dish you fancied for dinner.  Get used to breathlessness and yup! MORE reflux.

-      Braxton Hicks!  These started for me at week 26 and gave me quite a scare on one occasion. I was awake all through the night and thought we might have a premie on our hands.  It feels like a mild to moderate period cramping sensation, but take them in your stride as they are simply your body practicing for the big event and they don’t alarm the midwives one little bit!

Now that I have prepared you for everything I wasn’t expecting (and it’s really not all that bad!) I’m finding the third trimester truly the most precious.  Our baby’s kicks now feel so defined (our midwife showed us how to feel the profile of their foot the other day!!) and as much as I am excited to meet whoever he/or she will be, I am also devastated that I’ll no longer be carrying them around inside me.  My forever friend.  They’re going to be a separate entity to me and that means I’ll have to share them! I am cherishing these last few months, while we are one.  The kicking and interactions we have with our baby, playing them music and speaking to the bump is without a doubt the best part of the third trimester, and the part I will miss the most from the whole pregnancy.

Thanks to hypnobirthing preparations and my huge consumption of positive pregnancy literature (you can find a list here), I am feeling excited rather than scared for birth.  I’m eagerly anticipating the moment when these Braxton Hicks turn into more powerful and consistent surges, and I can look at Ryan and say, ‘I think it’s happening now!’  How could I not look forward to such an amazing experience.