Third Trimester Update: The End Is Drawing Nigh

Me at 28 weeks. There's a reason my face is hidden; I look exhausted!

The third trimester is ticking along, so I thought I’d do a quick update on my pregnant state. I’m not quite at the “get this baby out” stage, but I’ll tell you, I’ve definitely seen both sides of the pregnancy coin. I totally get women who love being pregnant and feel beautiful and womanly and awesome. And I totally get women who hate being pregnant and feel swollen and limited in mobility and in pain. It’s better than having two of the less-than-awesome pregnancies and never understanding what that pregnant glow is all about, I suppose!

Without the major pain in my pelvis, I really wouldn’t have too terribly much to complain about. After I had a glorious reprieve, the pain returned, so I have it on and off, with some days being better than others. The pain definitely worsens when I’m busy—grocery store runs and hauling tons of laundry to the basement—so I’ve had to begrudgingly try to take it easier than usual. I’ve put any hope of high-energy workouts on hold and have been sticking with pregnancy-centered stretches and anything that feels good and relaxing. My daughter is also getting lots of coloring (aka eating crayons), reading and block-stacking time with me. I feel like I’m being lazy, but I keep telling myself it’s not being lazy when your body truly needs the break.

The blasted heartburn is back this time around. When I used to think of heartburn, I always thought of that mild burning in the chest. Ha. HA! That doesn’t even count if that’s your heartburn experience! Real heartburn jolts you out of bed at 1 a.m., coughing and sputtering with acid in your throat. And I’ll just skip the sob-inducing business that’s going on in other parts of my body. Let’s just say I’m eating more prunes than ever.

My wedding ring may also have to retire soon because even though it’s freezing and my hands typically shrink in winter, I’ve noticed that my ring is starting to make a dent in my swollen finger on the regular. Fatigue is also at a high point, but them are the breaks when you’re contending with a toddler and a third trimester. You know how in the most recent Twilight movie pregnant Bella looks wretched and haggard, like a vampiric force is sucking the life out of her? That’s what I look like, and I can’t blame it on a half-vampire—just straight-up fatigue! This is why my picture above has my face strategically covered.

I’m also breathing a sigh of relief that I graduated from the monthly ultrasounds to check my cervix, a precaution the doctors were taking because of my previous preterm delivery. The baby looks great and seems to be staying put for now. I’m hoping that continues.

On the baby preparedness front…wait…what preparation? By 20 weeks with my daughter, I had a crib set up. At almost 30 this time around, I’ve got nada. The only new baby item we have is a piggy bank we got from friends. Crib is on order (that was a fiasco of its own), but all of the preparation hinges on a construction project in the basement so that our guest room can move downstairs and make way for baby. I guess when you have your first kiddo five weeks early in the midst of a kitchen renovation, you realize that you don’t need a lot of stuff to get by anyway.

As any mom will tell you in those familiar mom-cliches, every ache and pain is worth the baby that you get in return. So for now, I’m just trying to suck it up and enjoy the experience. Besides, maybe all of this will make me stronger and better prepared for the impending pain of childbirth? Here’s hoping! —Erin