Third trimester is when the real action comes in. I meant the baby's kicks and pushes from inside longing to see the outside world. Due to space crunch, the baby will accidentally hit, kick, push the belly while moving around because the baby is growing fast now. Mothers are supposed to stay safe and cautious during the third trimester as pre term or early labour can be expected for some. It is good to understand what are the signs to report to the doctor and what are the alarming signs to rush to the hospital immediately. It is important to monitor the baby's kicks. Roughly there should be 5-10 kicks within 30-45 mins after you eat every meal and here and there during the day. It is important to watch your weight, in total gaining about 7-8 kg from your first trimester is safe. Continue keeping a control on sugar and sweets. There will be a glucose tolerance test for all mommies, this is very important because high sugar might cause gestational diabetes in babies so the mothers will be asked to follow a strict diet. The doctor might also give vaccination for whooping cough, flu, Tetanus. Your gynae will start recording CTG during each of your visit in this final trimester to check for contractions, baby kicks and heart beat. Mothers with multiple pregnancy have to be extra cautious. You can start ordering the postpartum and baby essentials now and if you want to go in person better get it done in the start of the third trimester itself, as I mentioned in the previous post, the checklists and planning that you did in the second trimester will be of great help now. Drink lots of water as to keep the amniotic fluid level correct. Here is my journey through the third trimester.
I continued the daily walks, exercises, took the vitamins, iron and aspirin prescribed by the doctor. I felt my digestion to be a bit poor as I got acid reflux after eating so I split my meals into 6. I drank 3.5 litres of water. As days passed, I felt like peeing now and then especially in the night. This is quite common because the growing uterus is pushing against the bladder. I also experienced hard stools now and then so I started to take iron tablet on alternate days for some time and also ate 2-3 prunes daily. I used to boil rice in water and after 3-4 mins when it turns frothy will turn off the flame and drink that water warm. You can add butter to it too. This will help to keep a good level of amniotic fluid and butter will help to keep the passages lubricated. Perineal massage is good too, although I started it only around week 37. You can get help from your partner too. Everyday, I used to apply coconut oil on my belly before bath and Cetaphil moisturiser before bedtime, to keep the skin moisturized and to prevent stretch marks. I used to take a nap of 30-45 mins most of the days. I also faced sleep disturbances in the night due to anxiety, frequent visits to washroom and sometimes for no reason.
Fortunately my glucose levels were in normal limits (I will not forget how much I liked the sweet drink given during glucose tolerance test). My baby's movement was good, she used to kick my belly nicely when I sing, few minutes after my meal and every night when my husband applies Cetaphil on my belly. They were unforgettable memorable moments. We finalized the hospital and filled some forms at my gynae's clinic which were then forwarded to the hospital. We did the pre-registration in the hospital website and also visited the hospital once to check with them about the confinement meal options, admission a d payment related queries etc. There were virtual maternity tours done by the hospitals through videos or zoom sessions which helped to analyse and compare the facilities to finalize one. I will write in detail about our choice of hospital and whether we were right in making that decision, in the upcoming posts.
My gynae had a detailed session with me and my husband to discuss about signs of labour, onset of labour, when to contact the clinic, when to rush to hospital immediately, pain reduction options available and also the complications that could happen last minute which could end up in emergency c-sec and also asked us to sign on the forms to get our consent for her to proceed with the appropriate treatment based on how labor progresses. She also explained about the post labour complications. It was very helpful as it kept us informed of all the possible things that could happen during delivery and how they will be managed.
My best wishes to all mothers to be to have a safe smooth journey through the third trimester. Be positive stay hydrated be strong. Your baby will enter the world very soon.
ProudMommy