Hola amigos! It’s been a rollercoaster since we last “talked”. Man, right after walking into my third trimester I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks. I honestly don’t remember the transition from second trimester to third in my first pregnancy so I can’t tell if this is common for me. I know it’s common according to all the research I’ve done and the “What To Expect” community posts I’ve seen from other mamas.

Just as I was feeling a little more independent and like the worst was behind me, I had about three or four days of feeling like absolute garbage. I didn’t change any of my daily habits, so the only culprit must have been a surge in hormones or something. I was back to feeling very nauseous, very tired, and very emotional. Kinda like first trimester was day in and day out.

And then, as suddenly as the terrible symptoms came, they went away. I’m not 100% ready to do cartwheels or anything, but I don’t feel like death warmed over.

I had my 30 week appointment this past Saturday and it went well. I mentioned in my previous post that my midwife was hoping the baby would turn head down by this point. When she first examined me, she could tell that his head was not in my pelvis, but after trying to find his heartbeat with the fetal stethoscope he was squirming around and slipped right into the position he needs to be. She was VERY happy about that and kind of amazed at how fast it happened. (Good job, son! You did it.)

I always take a photo with their baby diagram at my visits, so here’s a clue on what he’s doing in there and his predicted size:

I had a personal milestone during that appointment as well. Never in my life have I ever seen a chiropractor. I had always been under the impression that unless you have chronic pain or a specific medical condition, you don’t have to. It wasn’t until I met women who had a birth center birth or a home birth that I started hearing the importance of getting adjusted to ensure the best labor and delivery results.

Fortunately, the chiropractor shares the same location as my midwife, so it was pretty convenient. I wasn’t scared at all, but once I got on the chiropractor’s bench I was like “Oh no”. It went pretty fast, and there were a lot of cracks in my back and shoulders. I definitely felt a lot looser afterwards. Between baby boy dropping into position, getting adjusted, and having my round ligament massaged, I’ve noticed that walking, sitting, breathing, and overall comfort has improved for me. It’s a win/win/win.

Those are the only main updates I have, but I did want to share some fun facts about pregnancy that you may or may not have heard to close out this post.

It’s funky: Man, oh man. The most I’ve sweat for no reason has definitely been from being pregnant. No one has said that I’m a stinky onion, but with my increased sensitivity to smell and my body being hot most of the time, I do feel like a stinky onion and it makes me a little self conscious.

It’s achy: I remember limping around the first and second trimester with Petra because my back and pelvic pain were excruciating. I even asked my doctor for a handicap placard (which she refused) because I was like “How am I gonna get around like this?!”. This time hasn’t been too bad, but there was a period several weeks ago that my back was in so much pain after my trip to North Carolina that sitting, standing, and laying down were all very uncomfortable. The pain seems to come and go and just pop up in a different spot when it returns. For example, my knees just started hurting yesterday when I was walking around at an outdoor mall for an hour or so.

It’s moist: If you’re a women, vaginal discharge is pretty normal to have. When you’re pregnant, it increases and the amount and thickness changes over time. I don’t feel like I’m sitting in a pool of liquid, but especially on hot or active days, I do get tired of the moisture and often feeling like I just peed on myself.

It’s leaky: Speaking of pee, it has happened that I’ve peed a little on myself. The only times I can remember were when I had an intense sneeze and I was like “Oh great”. I try to go to the bathroom often so this doesn’t happen to me a lot because of a full bladder. I know some women full on pee everywhere, especially during an intense vomiting episode. That hasn’t been my experience, fortunately.

It’s weird: I do remember my areolas getting large in my first pregnancy, but I think I forgot just how large they get. Imagine pancakes taped to your chest and you’ll get an idea of how ridiculous it looks. Lol. Sometimes I’ll just look in the mirror and shake my head because I can’t believe what’s going on.

It’s hard to reach: Taking care of myself below the waist with shaving, putting on lotion, or cutting my toenails is getting almost impossible. Even putting on shoes that aren’t just slip-ons is a whole task. I had to ask my husband to cut my toenails because I think that ship has sailed for me to do it myself. I actually think this might be the first time he’s ever done that. I know it got hard to reach certain areas of my body during my first pregnancy, but I’m pretty sure my belly right now is the same size or bigger than it was full term with Petra.

It’s gassy: Whether it’s a burp or coming out the other end, gas just kinda slips out when you least expect it. I will tell you with honesty that pregnancy farts are the absolute worst. Lol. I’m not sure if it’s the supplements or the change in how digestion flows, but man you can really clear out a room.

It’s lonely: Whether it’s not feeling up to socializing or just not having the energy or emotional capacity to really connect with your partner (if you know what I mean), there are some days where you really can feel trapped inside of your mind and body and don’t really know what to do to get out of that funk or feel like you belong out in the world.

It takes your breath away: Literally. Catching my breath has taken effort since I was six weeks along. I’m used to it by now, but I know as he grows in there, the final stretch is kinda hard to not feel like you need to lay down every five minutes to take deep breaths.

It’s worth it: With all this being said, I know many women who feel great during their pregnancy and hardly have any symptoms. I am not one of them. To be honest, feeling the baby kick is probably the only thing I like about pregnancy. However, so much of the hard work gets forgotten when you hold your baby for the first time and they look at you like you’ve known each other for several lifetimes. It’s so worth it. I wouldn’t have done it a second time around if it weren’t.

That’s all I really have to share about that, but if you’d like to share your own stories of what happens in pregnancy that most people don’t know about, I’d love to hear it in the comments.

Let’s get down to business with those stats!

Age and size of baby:

30 weeks old, 16 inches long, 3 lbs in weight.

Cravings:

I haven’t craved a lot lately. I’ve almost had the opposite effect where it’s hard to decide on what to eat. Everything seems boring, but I do like a well made batch of french fries now and then.

Morning sickness:

Other than the few days I was talking about when my third trimester hit, I haven’t been throwing up. I have mild nausea throughout the day, but I try to keep my belly full of things that won’t irritate it and drink lots of water so that my stomach acid isn’t building up.

Stretch marks:

Still none. I have ten more weeks to go, but I wonder if I will get any. According to what I’ve heard, the propensity to get stretch marks is genetic. If your mom didn’t get stretch marks during her pregnancies, most likely you won’t either.

Crazy hormones:

I try to stay away from negative news (which is so hard these days!) and maintain my peace or I get very upset very quickly.

Sleeping habits:

I think my belly is getting so big that I actually don’t need to support it with a pillow at night anymore. Getting up to pee definitely disturbs my sleep. Also, I’ve been taking my iron supplement in the middle of the night because that seems to help with sleeping through the side effects of it so it doesn’t disturb my day.

So, that’s that for now.  Be blessed and take time to make your dreams into your reality.

-Kytia L’amour