Third Trimester Bumpdate
I’m officially at the 37-week mark which means Zoey could join us any day now! I figured it was about time to recap how the third trimester has been since I highly doubt it’ll shift dramatically in the next three weeks!
HOW I’M FEELING
PHYSICALLY
Braxton Hicks, charley horse cramps, and hot feet oh my! The third trimester has been more physically taxing than the rest of this pregnancy (which I’m really thankful for). The Braxton hicks contractions happen all the time, but especially when I’ve forgotten to stay ultra-hydrated. The charley horse cramps have subsided in the last week or so but oof is it rough to be woken up by an involuntary spasm in your calves. I walked around basically on the verge of a cramp for weeks so I'm counting my blessing that I haven’t had to deal with them. The hot feet though, that’s persisted. I'm typically an ice-cold feet kind of girl, so the world of feeling unbearably hot is not something I'm used to. I had this hot feet thing when I was pregnant with Luna but because we only had Izzy, I would just sit in our backyard soaking my feet in the kiddie pool after he’d gone to bed. That’s less of an option now since Luna wakes up early in the night sometimes. Related to hot feet is the sweat 😓 I have never been a super sweaty person but lately I wake up so hot in the middle of the night that when I move, I feel the sweat spot I’ve left behind. It’s gnarly!
MENTALLY
It’s been an emotional rollercoaster of a pregnancy. In a lot of ways, I feel like I’ve been in survival mode more than pregnancy mode. And ever since we got covid in April, I’ve felt like it’s been one difficult life circumstance after another. Whenever we’re feeling joyful and light, within a day we’re smacked right back down to the ground with something negative or challenging.
All that to say, I’m feeling as okay as someone can when navigating tight finances, living somewhere that doesn’t feel 100% safe, and feeling like you may never be able to afford to move can feel. My medication is helping me so much, as is prayer, journaling, and actively practicing noticing the good and beautiful things about the season (and home) we’re in right now, but it’s a lot. I have a tendency to not include all of this information when asked how I’m doing because it feels like too much to put on someone else in a five-minute conversation, but I know that’s probably a hyper-independence trauma thing and I’m working on being more vulnerable with the people I know offline.
CRAVINGS
I’m craving way more chocolate with Zoey than I did with Luna. I’m still on my bagels with tons of cream cheese and shrimp taco bandwagon, but my daily cravings mostly involve Twix, French toast, Coco Puffs, and ice cream (I’m sitting here eating a bowl of strawberry and rocky road ice cream because I weirdly love marshmallows in ice cream). I’m all about the iced lattes these days and – thankfully for my wallet – inherited a Nespresso machine when my sister and her boyfriend upgraded to a Breville. I’ve also had a random craving for Jello and devoured so much cantaloupe that I surprised myself!
AVERSIONS
One of my joys during Lockdown and my pregnancy with Luna was my daily vanilla sweet cream cold brew from Starbucks. I saved my caffeine intake specifically for this drink, but these days, I can barely stand the idea of drinking one. When I do go to Starbucks, I usually grab a strawberry acai refresher (with lemonade, of course). I’ve also got this weird block about my yogurt parfait breakfast that I usually love – I don’t know what it is about it but I can’t bring myself to eat it, even though it’s one of my few go-to breakfasts!
WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO
My baby sprinkle is this weekend and I’m excited to gather with my gal pals, celebrate both the start of the chapter of Zoey’s life and the end of my chapter of pregnancy, and pray over Zoey as we prepare to welcome her earthside.
I’m looking forward to wrapping up our home projects – the nursery nook is pretty much done which feels fantastic! I can’t wait to share it with you! I bought a couple of rugs so we’ll be playing musical rugs this week once the final one arrives. I’m also wrapping up my client work so I can take a bit of maternity leave. My amazing clients and I have put a ton of work in this month to get us prepped through October, so I’ll be tapping away on my keyboard for the next three weeks!
Even though I haven’t mentally prepared myself for labor and delivery and actually having Zoey here, my heart is ready. I can’t wait to feel her weight on my chest, to see if she looks like the baby I dreamt about five years ago, and to get to experience her lively spirit outside of my womb.
It’s been a quick but challenging final pregnancy. There’s been a lot of difficult life circumstances thrown our way these last nine months, but something in my bones tells me something deeply good and life-giving is coming with Zoey. I’m hopeful and so ready to see it.
