33 weeks
Week 30 – 35
It’s weird because as soon as you move into the third trimester you think you’re pretty much there, when in reality you still have another 10 weeks to go. I’m definitely still feeling like things are dragging, probably partly because I’m still not feeling great physically. My pelvis has still been really sore on and off, I’ve still been feeling very tired and the low level nausea keeps on haunting me. I’m very aware I’m more active this time around though. Lets be honest, I don’t really have much choice with a toddler who likes to get out of the house at least once a day and needs meals cooked and bedtimes looked after. I may have still been swimming and doing regular pilates and yoga sessions last time around but this time I’m still doing that, plus an average of 10K steps a day so I can’t be that surprised I’m tired out and uncomfortable. I’ve also had some really stressful working weeks with insane deadlines which have only added to the exhaustion.
I’ve been getting braxton hicks from around 28 weeks which is exactly the same as last pregnancy although I feel like they’ve been ALL the time, a little tiring in itself. I mean they aren’t painful just pretty uncomfortable when I’m sat down. If my womb is limbering up in advance and I get a shorter labour than work away muscles but I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. One big plus is that my ankles haven’t really been swelling which is such a treat! There has been a little from time to time but only really noticeable to me. In general I’ve been able to still enjoy wearing my entire array of shoes (last time I was limited to one oversized pair of sandals, not so glam). I had to endure serious elephant legs from about 27 weeks last time which was horrible and actually very sore!
At about 33 / 34 weeks I felt really low and worn down to be honest. I expressed it on my Instagram after a pretty full on week nausea wise. I feel so tired of feeling grim and trying to push through as there really is no escape. I’ve even been sleeping badly, waking up more often and feeling so sick. It’s not first trimester level but there was even a night that I couldn’t face my dinner until nearly 10pm which is not like me AT ALL. I know I have to eat but I still don’t feel thrilled by the thought of anything bar lemon sanpellegrino or Haribo. I kid you not! All I felt like was salads in my third trimester with Maggie so cheers baby boy for my frequent sugar highs. I’ve felt bad complaining because the main thing is he’s healthy but I just really don’t enjoy pregnancy. It’s not a dreamy time for me and even his movements are so uncomfortable but then I know they are so so reassuring.
35 weeks
Week 36 – 39
Wow, something happened at 36 weeks which was definitely reminiscent of the final 2 weeks of my last pregnancy. Baby boy was so heavy, really pressing down on my pelvis and I’ve spent a lot of time with my groin just throbbing even when I’m not moving. There’s now no way I’m getting around sleeping without a cushion between my legs and evenings are generally never nice. I literally can’t get comfortable even sprawled out on the sofa! Along with that has come a lot of abdominal cramping which can be really uncomfortable. I only really had it in the last two weeks of pregnancy last time so as you can imagine, I’ve been convinced baby boy was going to arrive early. That really stressed me out, particularly trying to finish off my work along with getting all that was needed for birth sorted.
Thankfully all of my midwife appointments from 36 weeks are home visits from the home birth midwives which is sooooo nice! They seem lovely although when one of them told me I should have the birthing pool up from 36 weeks I panicked. It all seemed too real. All of a sudden time wasn’t dragging anymore and I was praying that God would hold off on this baby’s arrival until due date. I had that same end of pregnancy anxiety that felt so familiar but I think a lot of it has been down to not feeling on top of things. Birth seems way more terrifying when you don’t feel prepared! Despite a positive experience last time, I got the fear and really didn’t want to have to push a human out again! The irony is there’s no going back!
Granny had Maggie to stay for 3 nights so I could blitz my last deadlines and then it was ‘project organise for the birth’ which takes a little more when it’s a home birth but generally its at least nice to not be going in completely in the dark, with some experience of things. I realise it will be different, even my bump is very different (kind of like a stitched on comedy bump) but it doesn’t seem like such an unknown.
37 weeks
38 weeks
There have been a lot of moments wondering if it will be the last weekend spent as the three of us and that makes Maggie-time so precious. She’s really excited about baby coming at the moment but who knows if that will last when the little guy is in the outside world and not going anywhere. She’s been so sweet, kissing my tummy and doing her tilted head and high voice saying, ‘baaaabyyyy’. In fact she’s generally been in the most adorable stage, maybe even my favourite so far. I’m so thankful because I don’t think I have the energy for a teething or tantrum filled phase right now. That might just send me over the edge.
The heats cranked up a bit lately and whist the whole of England rejoice, us pregnant ladies are praying for lower temperatures. There have been some very uncomfortable nights with a fan on full blast and cold damp towels covering my almost naked body but in general it’s been nowhere near the intensity of the last two Summers so that’s bonus points for me. My ankles and feet have been more puffy with the heat but once again, nothing thats been totally unmanageable.
One thing that is totally different is I’m sooooo emotional! I know that doesn’t sound surprising for a pregnant woman with all the hormones running riot but I felt so even keeled in my second and third trimesters with Maggie. I remember both Nick and I commenting on it last time. With so much of the two pregnancies being so similar I wasn’t prepared for the flood gates to be wide open this time. Happy tears, sad tears, exhausted tears and reflective tears…just a whole lot of water coming out of my eye balls.
39 weeks
And so we wait for our due date next week, not knowing when everything will kick off or what the next season of life will look like. If I think about it too much I have no idea how two under two even works so best just wait until we get there. God has been helping me feel more at peace over the last week and has been reminded me he is taking my hand and Nick’s each step of the way. There is no place for fear when we are walking through it all with a loving heavenly Father. I can’t believe there will be a real little human entering our world very soon who will be different to Maggie and not just by the fact he’s a boy. We are excited, apprehensive and riding out this weird limbo phase!
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