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

ffw0617

@jsl82 I am missing my 10 year class reunion, I'm one of the odd people who actually would have liked to attend. The first year a new house is the worst on your pockets/ savings. IDK what we were thinking purchased house in July 2015 & needed new furniture & decor. DH got in car wreck in Oct 2015 so he had to get a new car. My car went out on me in March 2016 (it was time it was a '97) so I had to get a new car. Then our wedding in Aug 2016. Followed by almost 6 months of unexpected unemployment for me. Luckily DH earns enough to support us, and if it weren't for my own debt I'd jump at the opportunity to be a SAHM.

stephcat421

bkrahn said:

Two words. Lightening crotch. 

May be in the minority, but what is this?!

jsl82

@stephcat421Lightning crotch is a catch-all phrase for a sudden, sharp, stabbing pain that occurs in the pelvis, rectum, or vulva. Causes can include baby’s movement, round ligament pain, and mineral deficiencies.  (definition from mamnatural.com).  I didn't experience it with DD, but I have felt it already with this one.  Right now it's just RLP in the crotch area (as much fun as it sounds) but it happens to a lot of women as the baby drops.  FTMs will drop well in advance of baby's arrival- whereas STM+ do not typically drop until birth is immanent.

@ffw0617 luckily you are able to get by with one salary- it really does help so much with the financial stresses of having a baby.  Most maternity leave policies will only cover 60% of your salary- luckily my company is bumping up my pay to cover the missing 40% so I'll be 100% covered for 13 weeks.  I know we can afford to have me stay home longer, but I think I'll go back after the 13 weeks this time.  I have child care sorted out already, and I hear that going to work is like a vacation when you have 2 under 2 (or 3 or more kids).    

catlady1215

This is my first chance to really read through the comments. You all nailed it!

ds was a fall baby so the summer heat might have made it worse. But holy hell the feet swelling. It was actually impressive.

and +1 for carpal tunnel-ish issues. That's one I wasn't expecting. It was worse in the AM, then got better. But my fingers/hands ached so bad, I could barely bend my fingers.

NamelessAria

One thing that I didn't expect was arthritis. I got horrible arthritis in the 3rd trimester. It was the worst in my feet and my hands but it was present to a lesser extent in most joints. I would literally wake up some mornings to pee and struggle to turn the water on afterwards to wash my hands. It was so hard to grab the faucet knob and turn it.

Discussion of swelling with bonus swollen feet picture (spoiler boxed for the picture):

Like some others have said the swelling was so bad. I had pitted edema nearly all the way up my legs, thighs included. None of my shoes fit. I'm not even talking about fitting comfortably. None of them fit at all. I wore flip flops everywhere because it was that or go barefoot. 

I got really bad pelvic girdle pain in the 3rd trimester and starting around 36 weeks I would have days I could barely walk around my house. Going up the stairs was a nightmare. I definitely am not looking forward to going through that again.

I also agree with what some others have said about being super pregnant in the summer. My son was a June baby also. I'm normally one of those people who is dressed warmer than everyone else in the room and I'm still cold while everyone else is a tiny bit hot. But oh man while I was pregnant I was so hot all the time. My poor husband was freezing in our house with how cold I had the AC. I was just hot, sweaty and sticky 24/7. I remember it being pretty common to come home from a trip to the grocery store and have my dress be at least damp with sweat. AND my bras got pretty gross because of boob sweat.

My son loved to hang out over on a nerve or something. I'm not sure exactly what was going on but both legs would get tingly and numb and no amount of walking around or changing positions would fix it. Eventually I would feel him roll into a new position and it would go away.

Sciatic nerve pain. I had never had this before and got it frequently the last month or so. It sucks. I'm. It looking forward to being old.

stephcat421

@jsl82 thank you, I kind of suspected it may have to do with a pain in that region. I've felt some random shooting pains since yesterday down there... In fact they woke me up, not sure if it's the same thing but it's not cool!

bkrahn

stephcat421 said:

bkrahn said:

Two words. Lightening crotch. 

May be in the minority, but what is this?!

What @jsl82 said. DD always liked to sit very low and her head would push against all the nerves in my pelvic area. Suddenly I would get a sharp shock of pain down there. 

llamamama14

Most things have been covered. I will add:

1. Waking in the middle of the night.
2. My belly was not symmetrical. My belly button pointed to the left.
3. Achy muscles. You're so loose it's easy to get sore from bad pillows or mattresses.
4. Your stomach gets squished so it's harder to eat large quantities.

catlady1215

Thought of something else, the last month or two I'd wake up with the worst stomach ache sometimes. Not my bump, so I wasn't worried. It was like way up top...where I assumed my actual stomach was smashed. I even called off work once (only time the whole pregnancy) till I realized what was probably causing it. It went away during the day but just ouch. I have a short torso so that could have been why.

also, think someone mentioned the rolling around of the baby. I know we've all seen videos of it happening. And yeah, It can sometimes hurt or feel weird. But it is THE most amazing thing. My absolute favorite part of pregnancy. 

Austenista

I forgot about the squished stomach! You’re really enjoying something you’re eating and then suddenly you don’t have enough room to keep eating it. Boo.