Do You Know What You’re Dealing With In The 3rd Trimester?

You’re into the 3rd trimester, the final leg of your pregnancy, are you ready for the biggest tests? This is when you will be nearing the end date after 9 long months and so, you need to take on the toughest challenges and pass the tests to have a safe birth. It’s going to be tiring, stressful, full of moments where you panic and don’t know what you’re doing. You’re going to be lost at times and trying to figure out what to do when you’re faced with multiple struggles one after the other. But, really it’s not going to be that bad at all. Pregnancy is far too blown out and made into something it is not. It’s not the worst or best thing you’ll ever do and it’s certainly not the most painful thing you’ll ever go through. It’s simply a natural event where you need to let nature take it’s course. You have to have the skills and the knowledge of how to deal with certain situations to move on quickly and easily. But just being prepared to what is going to happen is half of the battle.

Larger and heavier

The third trimester is when the baby really begins to grow. This is after all the basic foundations have been laid down such as shape of the body, head and the growth of skin. During the last few weeks, the baby will begin to become larger and heavier making it more cumbersome to carry around. You should be aware that your body will need to cope with this with a spring in your step. It’s very wise to workout and exercise during the day. Keep active and go for walks. Try to avoid public transport where you will be cramped and not have enough room to move around freely. You may also start to breathe deeper because your body is asking for more oxygen. The baby’s organs will begin to grow rapidly and start to take more energy from your body. So working out can be a very good way of supplying both you and your baby with oxygen.

You’ll also need to eat more as the baby will begin to demand more calories day by day. This is not to be abused however as many women will eat too much and gain too much weight as a consequence. This will inhibit your ability to workout and stay healthy. Because the baby is getting larger you should also be prepared to use more and more moisturizing creams on your body. Stretch marks can develop if you’re not careful but this can be avoided by using a generous amount of moisturizing creams around and on the belly.

Going for a test run

Beyond 26 to 28 weeks, you will begin to feel cramps that seem like you’re going into labor but it’s just a test run. Bear in mind, labor cramps only begin when your water has broken. On the other hand Braxton Hicks contractions are just test runs that the body performs to ready you for the birthing process. Here is where you can find out what braxton hicks contractions feel like and read up on the symptoms to notice what you are feeling. Many women completely panic and think they are going into labor, however this is not the case. The contractions are a tightening of the organs that will play the key roles in the birthing process. However they are sharp and gradually hardening unlike intense and constant like labor contractions.

Another thing about Braxton Hicks contractions is that, many women don’t even feel them. There is no way to find out if you will feel them or not, it’s entirely unique to the individual and subjective to the environment you’re in. If the contractions are abnormally long, then it’s wise to go and see your doctor. They should stop within a few minutes but if they go on for a length of time such as 30 minutes, then just for precautionary measures go to a doctor or to the emergency room.

Feeling more tired

The third and final trimester is where you will begin to feel fatigued. Unlike the first and second trimesters where there weren’t major bodily changes that occurred, the third is where you will gain a lot of weight and get hungrier. Because the baby is demanding more energy and you are now heavier, eating more and less working out becomes very easy. This is a bad habit you must not fall into because it’s a cycle that will get worse the more you follow it. Many women who are in their third trimester give in and get lazy. They don’t go out for walks anymore and they just sit around eating. Although this is comforting for some and indulging for many others, this doesn’t help your situation. You must remain active just like before if not more. The more you are sedentary the more fatigued you might feel. The body is in a constant state of rest so it gets used to it.

You must continue to keep up with your exercising routine, stick to a wake up and sleep schedule as well as improving your diet. To avoid prolonged fatigue you should also eat less sugary foods and avoid caffeine if you can help it. Both of these cause a high and then a low, but the low is always longer and harder than the high. Although good for the short term these highs are going to make you feel even more tired, fatigued and sleepy if you consume them.

The third and final trimester is the most eventful. The baby will be growing the fastest and your body will therefore become heavier. However some things like Braxton Hicks contractions are completely normal and false flags. You can learn more about what they feel like and what to expect when you are sensing them. However you should continue to workout and keep your weight in a safe and healthy range despite feeling fatigued as well.