3rd Trimester Pregnancy Recap: Weeks 27-33

Because I LOVED reading other mommas pregnancy recaps while I was figuring out what to expect in the coming weeks of my own journey, I’ve been trying to document a lot of my own journey here. I haven’t been perfect, but you can read some of my earlier updates here, here + here!

The Recap: Weeks 27-33

Oh my goodness, friends. These 7 weeks have been the absolute most wild + scary + also most loved of pregnancy so far.

To start out with, weeks 27+28 were just a bit surreal, realizing that we were in the third trimester + seeing my belly grow so quickly was just an insane experience. It’s almost like your brain struggles to keep up with your body, you know? But we were also a bit distracted + lost in the craziness that has been our home renovation. Because yes, we are those people. We decided to do some major renovations on our house when we found out we were pregnant earlier this year + it has taken much longer than anticipated…as they often do, ha! We wanted a more efficient heating system to keep baby warm + for a chance to really make our house, which we bought last year, to feel a bit more like ours before we have a new babe. It’s been a lot of work for my poor husband, but we’re nearly there + it feels SO GOOD.

Also during these first few weeks of trimester 3, I was experiencing quite a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions, but mostly chocked them up to exercising or moving around a bit too much around the house. I’ve been having noticeable tightening of my uterus + some cramping since roughly 15 or 16 weeks, which is apparently quite strange for a first time mom (not as uncommon in 2nd or 3rd pregnancies). I’ve chatted with some other moms at my stage of pregnancy + they’ve never had ANY of these “practice” contractions. At week 28, I I was getting anywhere from 30-40 a day! At 29 weeks, these “contractions” started to be accompanied by some pain in my abdomen and lower back + they were coming quite regularly. After timing them for a few hours + seeing they were coming every 8 minutes or so, I went to the hospital to get checked out + was actually admitted for a bit of a preterm labor scare, which you can read all about here. As you can imagine, this was NOT what we expected for week 29 of pregnancy, but it actually made us feel even more like parents. There is something so sacred about protecting this little thing that you don’t even really know yet, but feel so responsible for.

After I was released from the hospital, just before hitting week 30, I was resting WAY MORE than normal + honestly just felt really consumed with what my body was doing. We had calmed down the contractions + pain from what they were, but they hadn’t gone away. Every single twinge + contraction felt like it might be something to worry about + I really did feel the stress of the risk of delivering early. I cried a lot during this time + called the hospital a few times a week when I thought things might be starting up again. Mark was always so wonderful, assuring me of the amazing team around us + that we WOULD survive even if we delivered a premie in the middle of a home renovation disaster, ha. I’m really grateful that didn’t happen…even though I know he was right.

During my hospital stay, I was also diagnosed with Polyhydraminos or excess amniotic fluid. which was spotted on an ultrasound. As a part of navigating that diagnosis, I received some extra testing during these weeks post-hospital for things like gestational diabetes, which I did not have – yay! My case of excess amniotic fluid is one of the 90% that doesn’t seem to have a cause + is VERY minor. We don’t think it will affect any part of my pregnancy…except the amount of water released when my water breaks, ha!

From there, weeks 30-31 were mostly just about survival. Resting. Waiting. Praying baby stayed put.

Then, during week 32, I had a really wonderful visit from our midwife, Sarah. Mark + I are working with the home birth team in our area, who are actually an extension of the local hospital’s maternity unit, just for women who want the option of delivering at home – which is a complete 180 from where I started in terms of delivery preference (more on that later). Our appointment with Sarah + a consecutive appointment at week 33 for a follow-up ultrasound with an OBGYN really eased our fears about the baby + almost felt like a giant exhale. As of now, all things seems NORMAL + healthy + are continuing towards a full term pregnancy.

And so, we moved on to preparing!

Preparing for the Baby + the Birth

When I found out I was pregnant, I 100% planned on delivering in a hospital with an epidural, since that is what I’d always seen + what my friends had done. But the British system is set up very differently than the system in the US + I’m so grateful for the chance to transition some of my thoughts about birth.

Learning to navigate the British medical system was something that initially made me really uncomfortable. I KNEW the way things worked in the US + had tons of friends to walk me through the process of pregnancy with an OB. But, that’s not what pregnancy looks like here. In England, most maternity care is managed by midwives – unless the need for more medical intervention arises. And that worried me…because I didn’t know much about it or midwives or really WHY people chose to deliver without medication.

And so, I do what I always do: I researched. I dove into the midwife led birth world. I read everything Ina May Gaskin has written. I watched The Business of Being Born + dozens and dozens of births on Youtube. I have listened to literally HUNDREDS of episodes of the Birth Hour Podcast + I worked my way through some natural birth courses + I have to say – the female body IS AMAZING and so powerful.

Once I hit week 20 or so in my pregnancy, my heart had really started to shift in the way that it viewed my upcoming delivery. Rather than fear, I began to feel really freaking excited about the chance to challenge my body + to see what I was capable of AND for the chance to bring my baby into the world fully present to the entire experience.

I want to say here before I continue: I don’t believe this is a right or wrong way to give birth. Induction, Cesarian, Epidural, any way you choose to do it is the right way for you. So, please don’t hear that excitement about my choices as shaming yours, okay? You are amazing however you became a mom.

As of now, we are pursuing a home birth, which is not that uncommon here in the UK in the same way that it is in the US. Roughly 6-7% of women in my local area are choosing to deliver at home currently + I am just so excited about the possibility. I’m going to share a separate post on how we’re preparing for our home birth + why we chose it, but much of what we’re doing now really does hinge on the fact that this is what we’re aiming for…knowing full well that our plans could change at any time. Birth + pregnancy are so unpredictable, which we’ve already learned the hard way!

In terms of preparing for baby – aside from finishing our renovation, we’ve also been slowly accumulating things that we need or have been encouraged to have for those first few weeks: blankets, swaddles, some postpartum items, etc. It’s honestly been SO fun for me to do + I’ve had a list that I’ve been using to navigate the Black Friday/Early Christmas Sales to really get the biggest bang for our buck on baby products. We’ve been gifted a lot second hand, but we’ve also invested some money into items that feel particularly important like a non-toxic crib (not treated with chemicals, painted with safe paint, etc.) and mattress.

One last thing: after the preterm labor scare, I really put a pause on the things that I was doing to prep MY body for labour; things like eating dates + drinking red raspberry leaf too. I didn’t want to do anything that could potentially contribute towards my contractions or push my body closer to labor until it was safe for that to happen. I’ll be starting them up again during week 36!

My Body Changes + Symptoms

This season of my pregnancy brought the most dramatic changes in how my body felt + what it was doing. As I mentioned earlier, the first few weeks of trimester 3 were really hard – lots of contractions + fear + that hospital stay.

Up until week 31 or so, I had a LOT of anxiety about the baby being okay + monitored every twinge + contraction + feeling. I stopped exercising + started spending a lot more time resting. And it turns out, that was actually not a bad choice for my body. While exercise is really a healthy part of a normal pregnancy, it seems to be one of the things that really triggers my body to start contracting. So, now I walk a little + stretch some + try to be on my feet for a bit every hour of the day that I’m awake, but I’ve put a pause on things like lifting weights until I’m approved postpartum. And I honestly feel a million times better for it, even though that’s not everyone’s experience. I still hit 5,000 or so steps a day working around my house, but I’m not actively exercising at all.

That being said, once I heard from both the doctor + the midwife at 32 weeks, “You’re healthy + your baby is healthy. You just need to move forward like this is a normal pregnancy.” It’s like a switch flipped + I felt the freedom to just let my body do what it was going to do + to release the fear and anxiety that I was holding onto + that made ALL of the difference in how I felt.

Energy Changes: Before + immediately after my hospital stay, I was exhausted. Our sleep was off and on each night because of consistent contractions + fear about baby. I spent a lot of time resting during the day + allowing my body to be calm in hopes that it would keep my uterus calm.

However, once things settled down around weeks 31-32, my energy spiked + has stayed up! We somehow got into a pattern of pretty decent sleep, bar 2-3 overnight pee breaks + some pretty intense pregnancy snoring (nasal strips are LIFE SAVERS!). Along with my spike in energy, the things that we’ve been planning on and working on for baby have felt SO much easier. And as we complete more things on our to-do list, my energy gets better and better. I think it’s all connected 😉

I know many women get more and more tired as their pregnancy goes on, so I’m SO grateful for the burst of energy in Trimester 3 since I didn’t have any in Trimesters 1 or 2.

Digestive Changes: One of the most challenging parts of my pregnancy has been a resurgence of all of my past digestive issues, ha! My body seems to air on the side of constipation + I’ve been on prescription stool softeners for months as a way to help ease the weight pressing down on my pelvic floor. However, just before our time in the hospital + a few times since, I’ve been hit with diarrhea too, ha. It’s almost like my body gets to a point where it gets sick of being backed up + just empties itself out. I know many women have loose bowels as they get closer to birth, but we’re not there yet, ha. I just think my digestive tract is sensitive + temperamental + adjusting to my changes in diet (ie: much fewer vegetables than I used to eat, ha!).

A Stretching Belly + Weight Gain:

The biggest difference in this part of pregnancy has been my RAPIDLY expanding stomach. I know a lot of pregnant women feel this way, but I have science on my side, ha! Because of my polyhydraminos, my stomach actually is bigger than it should be – I’m actively measuring 2-3 weeks ahead. So, at 31 weeks pregnant, my belly was measuring at 33. At 33, it was measuring 35.5. We’re hoping this will slow down and lessen in the last part of pregnancy since amniotic fluid levels tend to naturally decrease as delivery approaches. I’d love to NOT ever measure 44 weeks, ha!

That being said, my baby is really low which has been so helpful since I am measuring bigger. I haven’t had any lung or stomach constriction + have plenty of space in my upper abdomen for baby to continue to grow into if we go to term or past term!

Weirdly, my weight gain really stalled around my hospital stay + I haven’t gained much (3 lbs or so) since, which is not what I was expecting. I chatted with the OBGYN about the fact that I wasn’t gaining weight + he simply told me to stop weighing myself! He said that in England, they don’t actually rely on weight of mom for any measure of health during pregnancy. My baby is gaining weight, which is all that matters, so yay!

No stretch marks yet, although I still have plenty of time, ha. The only place where I’ve really felt the stretching of my skin is over my belly button. I know this sounds strange, but all of the years of Endo belly + digestive bloating seem to have prepared my stomach skin for rapid growth and shrinking. Sometimes this belly doesn’t feel THAT different from the bloating I used to struggle with. But, my belly button: I had a piercing when I was 18, which I removed 12 years ago. However, this little area doesn’t seem to like being pulled on. I’ve actually torn a bit there + had a little scab over my belly button for a few weeks. It seems to be calming down, but we have more growing to do, so who knows!

All in all, I really can’t complain at all. I feel like my pregnancy has gotten easier + easier with the first trimester being 100% the hardest on my body in all of the ways. I’m SO grateful for the way it’s playing out + can’t wait to see how the remaining weeks go.

Third Trimester Faves

Lulu Lemon Super High Rise Align Leggings (UK link) – as my belly has gotten bigger, my regular rise leggings (even the normal aligns) still fit, but seem to roll down under my tummy when I’m out in public, which isn’t the best look. These higher rise pair are the DREAM and feel like the softest of hugs on my growing bump.
Lemonade Ultima – water seems to be my BFF + getting enough during the day really does help with my contractions. Having Ultima in there makes it easier to drink, but the electrolytes also help with the cramping. Win, win.
My Binto Vitamins – My diet is still ALL over the place, which is partly due to not feeling hungry, but also due to my apathy about doing the grocery shopping and cooking lately (it doesn’t help that I’m cooking so much for work!). It makes me feel a gazillion times better to know that I’m getting things like calcium, iron + DHA from my personalized prenatal vitamin packs even if my diet is more beige than normal. You can try you own by taking the quiz at mybinto.com and save 20% by using the code JESSICAEATS at checkout.
Beautycounter Body Oil – I have become obsessive about putting this on at night + every single morning. Not because I’m super desperate to prevent stretch marks, which would be a nice side effect, but because it actually helps ease the itching (and belly button tearing) of my ever expanding skin. I love knowing that all of the ingredients in here are safe for me AND baby + my husband loves how it smells. PLUS, there’s evidence that baby can feel the little rubdown, which makes me feel all mushy when I do it, ha!

What I’m Working on for the rest of Trimester 3

postpartum meal prepping: Mark and I bit the bullet during Black Friday and upgraded our fridge to a larger one with a larger freezer. I wanted one with space for breast milk storage + also to be able to have a bunch of postpartum meals ready to go. As soon as it arrives, the cooking + freezing will begin! I also think we’re going to sign up for some trials of Hello Fresh, Green Chef, etc. for our first couple of months after baby because they’re HUGELY discounted on your first few boxes + will allow Mark to do more of the cooking.
mental prep for delivery: the number one thing I continue to hear in the birthing community is that birth is more mental than it is physical. I’ve really taken this to heart + am practicing all sorts of relaxation techniques, breathing techniques, affirmations, visualisations, ha! Anything that may help get me into the right frame of mind for birthing my baby all natural!
finalizing of all of the baby things: we’re still working on getting the clothes washed, things sanitised + all of our last minute bits ordered, so that will be a big part of the final weeks!
postpartum prep for Mom: I am following everything @karrie_locher says + putting together my own postpartum care bin + also a little breastfeeding/diaper cart to hopefully make some of the challenge of those first few weeks…not as challenging.