Dec. STM Tell All-What to Expect in 3rd Tri.

llamamama14

FTMs let us tell you all the wonderful changes that await your body!!!!! Ask us anything!

ramennoodlegif

Ever had cankles? My feet and calves swell up something awful towards the end of the 3rd. Slip-on shoes are advisable, whether or not your feet swell, though, because the closer you get to the end of the road, the less you feel like bending over.
Comfortable sleep? Ha! People will tell you to sleep before the baby comes, but that is a whole lot easier said than done. If you don't have a pregnancy pillow, I feel bad for you, son. Even with one, you are not guaranteed peaceful slumber.
You will spend a ridiculous amount of time peeing. Think it's bad now? Just wait. 

marcus7676

DS was born in September, so a lot of my issues were due to the heat:

1. I had heat rash / chafing so badly on my thighs that it spread upwards.  I went to the doctor for help and she thought I had herpes.  Spoiler - I didn't.  It was just heat rash (the fix: wearing men's boxer briefs under skirts).

2. Under boob sweat.  So much of it that you could see it on my shirt on the top of my bump.

3. Maternity shirts will stop fitting by the end of 9 months (and I only gained 20 pounds). I definitely showed some belly at times.

4. The heartburn is bad in third tri.  Stock up on rolaids now.

5. Yes to cankles @kfren . I wore flip flops daily.  Even at work.
 
6. On the upside: I ate ice cream every day and didn't feel guilty about it.  

lrichhx05

@kfren yesss, a lot of my shoes didn't fit me third tri. 
Sleeping sucks. I would wake up all freaking night to pee. Rolling over in bed is a whole big task. I would wake up and chug milk and eat tums in the middle of the night because my heartburn was so bad. 
Also I was so swollen all over. Looking back at pictures now makes me cringe. 

sunshineandwhiskey

1. The heartburn and reflux is horrible.  I could only ever lay on my left side (less pressure on the stomach), and I think I slept on the couch for 99% of the third trimester because it was the only place that was comfy.
2. I didn't have any swelling.  Never once used a pregnancy pillow, and I was able to make it through my pregnancy without having to pee in the middle of the night.  (Trying to give some positives!)
3. DD was breech so her head was shoved into my ribs.  It is as lovely as it sounds *sarcasm*
4. DD was a July baby so I spent a lot of time in the pool.  It is legit the best feeling in the world.
5. Beware - MS may NOT go away.  I was sick up until DD was cut outta me.  
6. Don't stress if you feel like you're "not ready." No matter the circumstances you will NOT be ready and that is okay!

Miz_Liz

@sunshineandwhiskey I had MS the whole time with both DS and DD too 

Apple cider vinegar helped my heartburn most of the time.

+1 on ridiculous swelling of the feet/ankles.

becca_123

I'm a FTM but I understand the feet swelling part from just sitting in my OB office waiting room.  Specifically, there was one woman wearing flip flops and her poor feet were so swollen and had the hugest indent lines from the flip flops (they were off probably for relief).  I would never have imagined the swelling so bad from just reading these posts had I not seen it first hand!

bkrahn

Two words. Lightening crotch. 

sunshineandwhiskey

@bkrahn OMG I forgot about lightening crotch  

Miz_Liz

@becca_123 DS was a July baby so the heat made things worse but the first time DH saw my swollen feet at a wedding I think he legit wanted to call an ambulance 

Austenista

The thing I remember most was the weight on my vagina. DS was low (never came close to my ribs) and the weight of him was just pressing against my vag all the time. The soreness felt like I'd been mountain biking up a steep hill continuously.  

dinodna3

@Austenista my son was the same way. It felt like he was trying to headbutt his way out. 

kmurdock925

My feet about 2 weeks before giving birth...the swelling was real.  Also- be prepared for your arches to flatten.  If you even start to get foot pain I HIGHLY recommend getting arch supports (good ones) ASAP.  I actually should start looking for mine now because I'll start using them before I notice any issues this time.  My arches got so flat it was hard to walk.  I had to walk about a mile from my car to get to the office (work downtown) so my OB filled out the BVM form to get me a temporary handicap parking pass...LIFESAVER. 

BurlapandLace

Sciatic nerve pain. That shit brought me to me knees a couple of times. Once in a grocery store. Luckily it didn’t happen often, and I was luckily always near something to grab so I never actually hit the ground. But oh my. 

andplusalso, lightening crotch. 

And DS was breech so his big noggin was always up in my ribs. Owie 

mytinc

I don't remember if it started in second or third trimester, but I get carpal tunnel in my hands.  My thumbs would go numb and my hands would go to sleep when I was sleeping (not laying on them or any odd position, they'd just go to sleep).  Super annoying. I had to sleep in wrist braces the last two pregnancies.  Luckily, I came across them last night so I'll have them for when it starts again.

EVERYONE asking when you're going to have the baby.  ALL THE TIME.

If pre-e is suspected you may have to do a 24 hour urine catch.  As in catching and saving all your pee for 24 hours to bring in and be analyzed.  I was in the hospital when I had to do it (just days before baby #2 was born).  Not fun.

Yes to swelling and being annoyed by heat.

BurlapandLace

You will wonder if you are giving birth to an alien after you witness the first barrel roll in your stomach. And when you get kicked,
you will sometimes be able to actually see the shape of the foot in your belly 

momlyfe29

Yeeessss on sciatic pain, swelling (I had a July baby), and all around just uncomfortableness the last 4 weeks. I just wanted my son out those last 4 weeks 

lisa2589

The swollen feet. Compression stockings (which I normally despise) became my best friend. The weird mix of comments you get from EVERYONE from family to complete strangers. Oh you look like you’re about to pop right now! Oh you’ll never make it to your due date! Oh, your baby hasn’t even dropped yet... you’ll be waiting a while yet. Are you sure it’s not twins? None of these things will your large and hormonal self appreciate hearing. Plus the constant wondering where you will happen to be if your water breaks... 

May14th2011

Apparently it's a thing for pregnant women to produce too much earwax, especially in the 3rd trimester. I went temporarily deaf in one ear, both pregnancies because of it. That's tons of fun. 
I used warm water to help dissolve it, the Dr might have a faster option, but I felt dumb going in for that so I didn't lol

mytinc

Everyone, including strangers, will start to tell you their birth stories.  Even when you didn't ask.  Nothing like hearing about how the cashier at the grocery store lost her mucus plug at her in-law's house and she freaked out.  You will hear EVERY horror story.

jsl82

@lisa2586 yes I loved my compression socks!  My swelling was the worst in the warmer months, so hopefully won't be too bad with an early June baby.  And OMG the comments from everyone is ridiculous... everyone thinks because you are pregnant they are entitled to talk to you about it.  I'm large, swollen, constantly need to pee and always uncomfortable- get out of my way.  I think the worst was after having the baby having people (especially elderly) stopping in front of you until they can see the baby.  I had a late December baby- it's winter, everyone is sick, please stay away from my baby.

MoonOverGoldsboro

Oh, the sciatica. Not everyone will get it...hope you are one of the lucky ones.

I shared this one on our due date thread: If your baby is sitting down low and starts hiccuping, it will feel like they are hiccuping directly into your vagina and/or butthole.

The thing that made such an impression on me is what an unbelievable production it was to roll over in bed. It was this long, multi-step process that drove me nuts. Almost not worth it, except I was usually in so much pain or had such a numb arm that I had no choice. F pregnancy pillows—they only make rolling harder, IMO.

dinodna3

STM, you will CONSTANTLY get “You’re going to have your hands full.” and “Wow, you’re are busy” comments basically when you start to show. Like every dang time I went to the store some (usually elderly) person would tell me that. 

ramennoodlegif

lisa2589 said:

The weird mix of comments you get from EVERYONE from family to complete strangers. Oh you look like you’re about to pop right now! Oh you’ll never make it to your due date! Oh, your baby hasn’t even dropped yet... you’ll be waiting a while yet. Are you sure it’s not twins? None of these things will your large and hormonal self appreciate hearing. Plus the constant wondering where you will happen to be if your water breaks... 

Yeah, I got the twins comment from so many people, I'm surprised I never cussed anyone.I will never understand people, especially strangers, feeling the need to comment on my appearance. Worse than this though, is people that feel the need to touch the bump. I wanted one of those shirts that said "If you didn't put it here, don't touch."

jsl82

Oh I forgot.... not everyone experiences nesting.  Most women start nesting shortly before giving birth- natural instinct to want your child to come home to a clean environment.  I never did ( I mean I wanted everything clean, I just didn't feel the urge to clean it myself).  Instead for a week or two before I gave birth I was EXHAUSTED!  DD is a late December baby, so I luckily was burning through my "use it or lose it" vacation time because I was taking at least 1 nap a day and still in bed by 8pm every night.  I'm hoping I am going to nest this time, cause with a toddler I doubt I'll be able to sleep as much as I did last time. 

murraydog2008

don't get up too fast.  One night with my 2nd pregnancy, my daughter woke up in the night crying and I got out of bed too fast to go check on her and pulled the muscles in the lower half of my belly.  I could hardly walk the next day.  It took a few days for the muscles to chill out and for me to be able to talk without wincing. 

LaceyBee522

Thanks for the heads up on the twins comments. Since I’m carrying twins, I want to be sure to have a good come back in mind before it happens. I always think of them like 20 minutes after the confrontation/convo. 

meg95995

CRAMPS!!! Holy lord, Charlie horses in the middle of the night. Definitely had swelling, and sciatic pain too. If you’re lucky, you’ll also have a bow-legged walk once the baby drops into your pelvis, which is fun. 

katie121209

So I didn't swell until after my c-section. 10 days of swelling where my shoes couldn't go on!! 

Reflux was insane. I woke up many times choking on the reflux that had come up. We tried so many things but chewing Rolaids before bed and taking a pill seemed to provide the most relief. 

Also getting out out of bed to pee was really hard. DH would wake up asking me if I was ok bc of the grunting I made to get out. 

my nesting was actually buying and stocking a bar with everything I imagined drinking lol!! Funny thing is most of it never got touched but we do have a nice selection for visitors. 

Sciatica pain is no joke!!! 

jsl82

@katie121209 omg the grunting getting out of bed during 3rd trimester is funny in hindsight, but such a struggle when it's happening.  I remember my last BMB had a whole thread about how getting out of bed was our only work out anymore at some point (I think it was a weekly random that was taken over with complaints about the difficulty getting out of bed).   My DH slept on the couch a lot during my last 3rd trimester because there was more room for him on the couch- between the bump and the pillows I basically took up the entire bed.

lisa2589

@jsl82 yes my DH did too- between the maternity pillow, the big production of rolling over, and getting up to the bathroom every hour he got more sleep on the couch instead 

kmurdock925

Same- hubs slept in the guest room but mainly because I had started snoring like a freight train.  Lovely...

katie121209

Now that I'm remembering, DH started sleeping upstairs too!! I remember asking him what would I do if something happened to me like I couldn't get up or my water broke and he couldn't hear me!!

chartermama

@mytinc if I could have wrote your post myself I would have lol. I had carpal tunnel with my last preg too and now I already feel it coming back to veer it’s ugly head.

Not being able to get comfortable when sleeping aside from peeing every 5 minutes. My vagina feeling like it’s carrying the weight of the world. I look forward to the frozen maxi pads they give you after birth! Everyone including strangers telling you how big you look. I had horrible reflux last pregnancy as well.

bkrahn

I had to sleep propped up for nearly 4 months with DD towards the end of my pregnancy, otherwise I’d wake up choking on vomit/reflux in my throat. So lovely 

ffw0617

Reading these bed comments shouldn't be much of a huge adjustment for DH mine already sleeps on the couch most nights. I have to ask him to sleep in the bed with me, or he'll come in if he wants to DTD sometime during the night/ morning. I don't sleep with TV and DH only sleeps with TV so its been this way our entire relationship. He's also a night owl whose self employed and works from home, whereas I go to work every morning. So I got to be around 10/11, and he goes to be around 3/4am. When I wake up & leave for work he'll go sleep in the bed. until noon.

jsl82

@ffw0617 MH sleeps with the TV on too and I HATE it!  When he really can't sleep he'll go to sleep on the couch and watch tv.  Having different schedules should help you once the baby arrives- MH would pace our apartment's hallway for hours after work so I could get some sleep.  

ffw0617

@jsl82 that's what I'm hoping. He'll take 10pm-4am and I'll take it from 4am-??? whenever he gets taken to daycare. We don't actually want to do daycare. A lot depends on our financial position by the birth. I'd like to stay home for 6 months.

jsl82

@ffw0617 I stayed home for 9 months.  Loved being there when she rolled over for the first time and started crawling.  She's with my mom full time until the end of the month when she starts daycare 3 days a week.  I'm excited for her to be able to socialize with the other kids and hopefully will learn a bit about sharing and not being the only child before this LO arrives.  Plus, it will build up her immune system so she won't be sick all the time when she starts preschool/ kindergarden.  I will say when I went back to work I found I was SO HAPPY to be around other adults.  I'm going to keep her in daycare 2 days a week while on mat leave, so that we keep our spot in the daycare and so that hopefully there will be 2 days a week I can sleep when the baby naps (or even clean my house while the baby sleeps- oh the impossible dream 2 under 2 without sleep deprivation and a clean house). 

ffw0617

@jsl82 9 months sounds like a good amount of time to be home. Did your work allow for that much time or did you quit your job? Its all surreal to me, because I am making plans like being the MOH in my best friends' wedding, planning bachelorettes, bridal showers, and vacations but we plan on ttgp again around the same time in 2019. DH's work makes Aug-Dec a horrible time to give birth (he's gone every weekend), so if all goes as planned we'll be trying for baby number 2 April-Sept 2019. Hopefully my friends are all married by then.

jsl82

@ffw0617 lol- we are missing 2 wedding this summer because it's too close to my EDD.  I actually quit my job the week before I was due to come back.  We bought a house an hour away and the commute was too much- plus I hated that job.  I spent March and April moving/ unpacking/ ect and enjoyed a summer as a SAHM.  I applied to a few job and got the 2nd one I went on an interview with.  If we hadn't moved (and needed to buy a lot of new furniture) I think I would have been able to stay home for a year before I needed to go back, but new cars/ family vacations/ ect would all have been delayed even longer too.