10 Third Trimester Essentials
By: First Time Mama
Tags: Motherhood, Baby, Essentials, Preparation, Pregnancy

The third trimester is an exciting time, the big day is fast approaching, and before you know it, your baby will be in your arms! You probably have a list as big as your bump of things you need to do and buy before your baby arrives. So, to help you stay on track here are ten third trimester essentials.

BE AWARE OF YOUR BABY’S MOVEMENTS

During the first weeks of the third trimester, you’ll feel your baby kicking, punching, and moving a lot. In the lead up to your due date, as your baby gets larger, you’ll feel more stretches and rolls, and fewer kicks and punches.

As they grow and have less room to move around, you may feel your baby move less. Keep track of your babies movements and the times of day they are most active. If you think your baby is less active than usual, do a “kick count”. Keep track of the number of movements in one hour. If your baby kicks less than ten times in one hour, call your midwife or doctor. To help you keep track of your babies movements, the NHS kick count app is handy.

BE AWARE OF PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS

After around twenty weeks of pregancy, some pregnant women develop preeclampsia. Preeclampsia affects 2–8 in 100 women and is characterised by high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system, most often the liver and kidneys.

Women with mild preeclampsia may not show any symptoms initially, and it is usually only picked up during routine antenatal appointments. If you are suffering from preeclampsia, some of the symptoms include:

A headache that isn’t eased with painkillers

Problems with vision, such as blurring or flashing before the eyes

Nausea

Heartburn

Pain just below the ribs

Swelling of the hands, feet or face caused by water retention

Feeling very unwell.

The good news is, most cases of preeclampsia are mild and will have no effect on your pregnancy. However, if left untreated, preeclampsia can develop into eclampsia, which can be very dangerous for both the mother and baby.

DON’T MISS YOUR ANTENATAL APPOINTMENTS

It’s essential to attend all of your antenatal appointments, if you miss one for whatever reason, be sure to get it rebooked. At your appointments, your midwife or doctor will check your bump and baby is growing as it should and do all the checks that are needed to ensure you and baby are fit and well. They will also talk to you about preparing for labour and birth, including how to recognise the first signs of labour and how to deal with labour pain.

They can also help you plan your birth and answer any questions or concerns you have about you, your baby and the delivery.

CONTINUE YOUR HEALTHY HABITS

Mums to be who are generally fit and healthy tend to have more straight forward labours, so it’s essential to keep up a healthy diet and exercise routine. A diet rich in nutritious foods, lots of veggies and whole grains and low in refined sugars is best. To stop you from grabbing unhealthy snacks, have lots of healthy snacks in the house and eat little and often throughout the day.

While your expanding belly can make moving around increasingly difficult, gentle exercise can boost your energy and help you maintain healthy body weight. It may also help prevent preeclampsia and gestational diabetes.

Staying active can also help build strength and endurance, two things that will come in handy during labour. Walking, swimming and pregnancy yoga are great low impact exercises during the third trimester.

HELP YOUR BIRTH PARTNER PREPARE FOR THE BIRTH

Being a birth partner can be extremely nerve-racking, to help boost their confidence and help them prepare for the birth there a number of things you can do. The best way to help them prepare is to let them come on the pregancy journey with you. You can go to antenatal classes together and take them to some of your prenatal appointments. This will help them become fully informed about the labour process and how they can support you.

It’s also important they understand how you want your birth to be. You can talk them through your birth plan, if you have one, and ensure you are both clear on what you want and don’t want.

STRETCH REGULARLY

Stretching is fantastic for loosening up your body ready for the birth and easing those niggly pregancy aches and pains. Yoga stretching is excellent for helping with sciatica and leg cramps. You’ll find lots of tutorials specifically for pregnant women on youtube.

TALK TO YOUR BUMP

During the later weeks of pregnancy, your baby can hear your voice and can distinguish between voices and sounds. Talking to her is a great way to start the bonding process. You could try reading a book or singing to her, and you can play her some of your favourite songs and see if she responds!

EDUCATE YOURSELF

Giving birth for the first time is a very nerve-racking experience. The best way to ease your nerves is to educate yourself on what’s to come. You can speak to your midwife or friends that have had children, and there are lots of books on the subject. Antenatal classes are also great as they cover everything you need to know about the lead up to labour, the labour itself, and once your baby arrives. They will also be able to answer any questions you have and guide you in the right direction.

SET UP THE ESSENTIALS

Buying and setting up everything you need brings a sense of relief, as you know your ready to go when the inevitable happens. Install your babies car seat, build the pram and the crib and ensure you have all the essentials such as nappies, baby clothes, feeding equipment etc. As well as baby stuff, it’s wise to stock up on household essentials. Cleaning products, tinned food, frozen veg, tea and coffee, long-life milk etc. And when your cooking, make more than you need so you can freeze portions for the early weeks of parenthood. You’ll be glad you did when your baby arrives!

PACK YOUR HOSPITAL BAG

Even if you’re planning a home birth, you may need to go into hospital unexpectedly, so it’s a good idea to get your bag packed well before your due date.

You and your birth partner will both need to pack a bag. Many expectant mums decide to pack two bags: one for labour and the hours immediately after your baby is born, and another for your stay on the postnatal ward.