Realities Of The Third Trimester

I’m in the middle of the third trimester. Since this is the last time I plan to be pregnant, I wanted to take a few minutes and document what reality is like right now. I experienced these things with my other pregnancies, but it’s amazing how quickly you forget about them after meeting your sweet baby.

I’m considering this a list of reminders to read in the future when my friends and family members are in their third trimesters, so I can empathize with them and cheer them on to the finish line.

Realities Of The Third Trimester

-Most anything you do makes you feel like a turtle who is stuck on its back. Especially getting in and out of bed. Rolling over definitely includes counting to three, usually with a few grunts to get you from A to B.

-Even though you feel HUGE, it’s amazing how many times you forget just how big you are. You frequently send your big belly crashing into the spots you used to fit through, and then have to awkwardly back up and try an alternative route.

-You chow down a few Tums for your nightly bedtime snack.

-When you go to a restaurant, you’re sure to request a seat at a table, for fear of getting your belly stuck in a booth.

-You spend a good chunk of each evening sitting on the couch trying to guess which tiny baby part is protruding out of your stomach.

-Your body pillow has replaced your husband, along with the barricade of other pillows you request him to wedge between parts your body.

-You go from hungry to starving in about 2.5 seconds, but when you eat, it only takes about 2.5 bites to fill your shrunken stomach.

-You might as well drink water or anything else while seated on the toilet, because you’ll be there five minutes later anyway.

-You’ve had to recruit your husband to help you shave your bikini line and paint your toe nails.

-Your baby bump not only serves as a built in shelf, but also a catch-all and is constantly full of crumbs or spills.

-You have CRAZY dreams. About childbirth. About your husband. About the bagel shop that you just have to visit the following morning.

-You sort of dread laughing, coughing, or sneezing for fear of “having an accident.”

-When at all possible, you live in yoga pants or your husband’s gym shorts. Elastic is your best friend.

-You are hormonal. And emotional. And your poor husband deserves an award for putting up with you.

-Your baby is resting on your sciatic nerve, sending a shooting pain down your thigh. By the end of the day you are hobbling around and dragging your leg behind you like dead weight.

-You’ve become a huge fan of drive-thrus, and wish every store had pregnant lady parking. You contemplate begging your doctor for a handicapped parking permit.

-You’re dreaming of a day when you can feel your abs again. The closest thing you’ll have for a while are Braxton Hicks.

-You need to adjust the steering wheel in the car in order to fit behind it.

-You have become a professional squatter who can pick up almost anything with your toes. Bending over is out of the question.

-You get out of breath walking from your car into the house and get completely winded after going up a flight of stairs.

-You can almost taste your favorite wine, and are counting down the days until you can pour yourself a big glass.

-You find yourself thinking about all the unknowns of labor and delivery. It’s scary to have no idea what to expect. It’s one of your first realizations that this whole parenthood thing will have so many elements that are out of your control.

A Few Additional Third Trimester Realities For Expectant Moms Who Also Have Other Kids

-Every time you help your kids get dressed, you plop on the floor and then need help getting back up.

-Toys remain on the floor until daddy gets home who can pick up them up in half the time you can at this point.

-There are plenty of nights when you deem bath time completely unnecessary because why torture yourself and bend over the tub? The kids aren’t that dirty.

-You miss the days of being pregnant with your first when you could get home from work and take a nap whenever you wanted.

-Getting your toddlers in and out of their cribs is a full body workout.

-You’re confident that changing the diapers of your squirmy tot must be equivalent to wrangling an alligator. You deserve major props (or an extra scoop of ice cream) for doing it a million times a day.

Even though you seriously wonder if your body is capable of expanding any more and you’ve already started Googling home remedies to induce labor, in your heart you know this is temporary, and it will be TOTALLY worth every uncomfortable moment. 

You consider yourself blessed beyond measure that your body gets to be used to form your little miracle.

To those of you nearing the end, hang in there. YOU CAN DO IT!

XOXO,

Amber

P.S. For more reflections on parenthood and life, follow us on Facebook (Hun Let’s Run) and on Instagram: @ambermariekuiper and @jakekuiper! We’d also love for you to subscribe to our Hun, Let’s Run Podcast! For more info about joining our fitness community as a customer or coach, please email us at amber@mommysmetime.com!