My Pregnancy Journey: 3rd Trimester

In this post, I’m sharing an overview of my pregnancy. It’s unbelievable to me that I’m currently writing about my THIRD trimester. I’m just so excited to meet our little one, and I can’t believe we will soon be a family of three. We are nervous, excited, but most of all, ready!

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭139:13‬ ‭

If you’ve been following me on YouTube or Instagram, I’m pregnant! This blog post is a little overdue, as I’m almost 37 weeks along now, but I wanted to take the time to sit down and share an update about my pregnancy.

What a gift. I haven’t taken a single day for granted over these last 8 months and have tried to soak up every second. I think our long road through this season has just really made it all the sweeter. My husband and I still look at each other, saying, “I can’t believe we are having a baby!!!” It all just feels so surreal. We are just beyond excited and incredibly grateful to God.

FINDING OUT I WAS PREGNANT

You can watch my video here of me finding out I was pregnant. Short Version: I was experiencing more nausea than usual, but I’d assumed my period was coming. But then my husband said, “You have a beautiful glow!” Which led me to think I was probably pregnant. So while I wasn’t 100% sure, I decided to take a pregnancy test. And yup — it was positive! We were surprised, scared, and happy all at once.

If you’re interested in hearing all about my pregnancy recap from 1st & 2nd trimesters, you can watch my video here!

PHYSICALLY

I’ve been feeling lots of movement from the baby. I love that my husband can feel the baby, too. The pressure from the baby means I have to use the bathroom a lot more often. Earlier in 3rd trimester, I feel the pressure of my belly stretching. Now my stomach is shaped like a basketball. As the pregnancy progresses, the weight causes a lot of muscle tension. I do have discomfort at night as I can only sleep on my sides. (I miss sleeping on my back and stomach.) I’ve incorporated more yoga stretches, squats, and a birth ball, which seems to help. Check out this video for gentle yoga stretches.

If I need to reach for things on the floor or cabinet, I tend to use the deep squat position. Other tasks, like putting my shoes on, carrying/lifting heavy items, or putting lotion on my feet, require my husband’s assistance more. My feet and ankles are swelling more often due to the summer heat and my flat feet, and I started to elevate my feet a lot more. I sit on my birth ball to alleviate pressure from my hips, legs, and feet.

SLEEP

For most of the pregnancy, I have experienced good sleep. While in the 2nd trimester, I started to use a pregnancy pillow and additional 1-2 pillows to support proper alignment since I can only lay on my left or right. I miss snuggling with my hubby at night. In this last trimester, I feel the baby adding more pressure below my abdomen. The only issue is I wake up 2 times during the night to use the bathroom and stretch my hips. But I eventually fall back asleep. Once the baby is born, we will all learn a new sleep routine.

FOODS

I also learned that it’s essential for me to eat a balanced diet but smaller meals. An hour or two before I go to bed, I like to eat a light snack; fruits, mixed nuts, parfait, or salads. If I eat too close to the bedtime, my stomach feels tight and uncomfortable. I don’t have specific pregnancy cravings. I’ve always had a sweet tooth, and pregnancy has helped reduce cravings. I still enjoy baking homemade goods. I’ve been able to increase my water intake to about 32 ounces of water and more. My husband and I continue to prepare lunch and dinner for the entire week. We simply make our own preferred breakfast. My husband is great with nutrition and health. We eat home cook meals from scratch rather than go out to restaurants, less processed foods and more whole foods.

MENTALLY

There is a reason why women are pregnant for 9 months. It’s not only to grow a healthy baby. You need that time to process all these thoughts to prepare for motherhood and baby mentally! I’ve talked to incredible women, which helped support my understanding of pregnancy, labor, and delivery. We both participated in the Lamaze and breastfeeding class. The fact my husband is hands on is a beautiful gift.
I look forward to what motherhood has to offer. There will be challenging moments, but overall, I am SO excited to become a mama!
A part of me is afraid of labor and delivery, and I don’t know what to expect. With the help of my family and friends, I can process my feelings. My husband has been my most significant support in helping my mental state. What an amazing gift that God choose us to have a baby and carry His plan to completion. Part of me still has fears, but I know God will be there.

Ben and I have been doing a ton of housework and organizing to prep for the baby. We’ve crossed things off the to-do list to prep for the hospital. We are almost there. We can’t wait to hold our baby, due September 2022! My husband and I have a game plan, although can we ever really be prepared? Every baby and situation is so different!

Motherhood is an incredible journey, but we’re not meant to go through it alone. I’d love to hear from you, please leave any tips below in the comment section!

P.S. And if you missed it, checkout these videos about my pregnancy journey!