Literally EVERTHING You Need to Know About the 3rd Trimester of Pregnancy

Hey guys, have you ever wondered what really goes on in the third trimester? In today's video, I'm gonna go over labor, baby growth, hospital bags, and so much more. So sit back and put those undoubtedly very swollen feet up because there is a lot going on right now. But first, make sure to comment and let me know how far along you are and if this is your first pregnancy or not. I absolutely love to read your comments and to know what brings you to this channel. And if you are new here, my name is Diana. I'm a physician assistant and I am also a mommy to four. And on this channel, we talk about pregnancy, babies, and just being a mom. So make sure you subscribe if this sounds like a place that you wanna be. So the third trimester is from week 28 to the birth of your baby. And this is the final stretch where your baby will reach their full development. There are gonna be a lot of changes going on, particularly with your body. The baby too, and we're gonna go over both. For you, a lot of the changes come with the fact that everything is getting bigger. Your baby and your uterus, which of course makes your tummy bigger. And your breasts are getting bigger and some of your veins might be getting bigger. Now we call these varicose veins. And then your ankles and your hands also might be bigger. In fact, the only thing that seems to be getting smaller for me in my third trimester was my bladder and also my patients. Your hormones are everywhere. So please offer yourself some grace if you feel short-fused, low energy, or mood fluctuations. That's just your hormones speaking. One thing you might have noticed that you might not have expected is an urge to organize and clean your home. This is called nesting, and it's a real instinct that we have to get our home ready for the baby. And it is so cool to me. I did a ton of organizing in my seventh and my eighth month. Not so much my ninth month because I was pretty tired, but if you're feeling energy and you're feeling well and your OB has no objections, go for it. Now, some common symptoms that you can experience in the third trimester that aren't so fun that are related to your enlarging uterus are heartburn, getting short of breath, and having to pee all the time. We call that urinary frequency. And you can help with heartburn by eating smaller, more frequent meals, and using pillows for better sleeping positions. You don't want to cut back on fluids because your body really does need the hydration. So just remember to go when you need to go because if you have a full bladder and the baby gives your bladder a hug, you can have an accident. No! Now onto your baby. During the last trimester pregnancy, your baby's bones are hardening, all except for the skull, which thankfully remains a little softer for the delivery so that the head can pass more easily through your birth canal. Now, during this time, your baby's gonna grow from around 10 inches long from crown to rump, and weighs nearly two and a quarter pounds to about 14 inches long from crown to rump, and will weigh approximately seven and a half pounds, give or take. Your baby's eyes are gonna start to blink, and they also have fully developed hearing. Your baby can respond to external stimulation like light and like sound. Now, your baby is also gaining weight and adding fat for warmth after the baby is born, which is what makes those little cheeks and legs so chubby and cute and pinchable. As the baby gets bigger, there's less room in your uterus for kicks and for punches. So you might not feel the bigger jolting movements, but you are gonna feel big rolling movements as they move and wiggle. And this is when they will often maneuver themselves into the head down position in preparation for birth. Now, back to you. It's important to remember to take care of your emotional health. The third trimester is an up and down rollercoaster that ranges from excitement and anticipation to anxiety and even fear about your labor and becoming a parent. Now, you can help yourself mentally prepare for the arrival of your baby through prenatal classes, reading about childbirth and parenting, speaking with other mothers about their experiences, and then the biggest thing that I can recommend, watching educational videos from a physician assistant with a ridiculously corny and quirky sense of humor. Ta-da! Next, I wanna cover general health and wellness, starting off with nutrition, because you don't wanna rely on your prenatal vitamins to give you the nutrients that you need. It's important that you also have a well-balanced diet that supports the baby's final growth stages and prepares the body for labor. Among the things that you're gonna wanna focus on, it's important to get iron to prevent anemia, calcium to help the baby's bones, fiber to help you with constipation, and then hydration, which helps support the amniotic fluid levels inside the uterus. Unless your OB has told you otherwise, you can still continue to exercise if you feel up to it. Exercise helps your mood, it helps your stamina, and it can help you with muscle tone, which helps you during labor. There are some exercises that aren't safe during pregnancy, like skydiving, horseback riding, scuba diving, but walking and swimming and prenatal yoga is great, especially during the last few months of your pregnancy. Just be sure to listen to your body. If you're getting so winded that you can't carry on a conversation with someone else, then you need to bring it down a notch. Now, as your uterus gets bigger, it starts to shift your center of gravity. Plus, the growing uterus is putting pressure on your back. These, combined with pregnancy hormones, which are causing your ligaments to relax, all can lead to issues with back pain. So just be mindful that when you are exercising, make sure to always pay attention to your back. Now, to help, you can get a maternity belt that offers support in all of the proper places. Now, I had a very simple one, but there are a lot available. Also, support pillows at night can really help, so I'm gonna link to a few in the video description if that helps you out. Now, it's pretty common to struggle with insomnia, especially in the last month or so, and there's a lot of contributing factors to this, but some of the major causes are feeling anxious, hormonal changes, back pain, leg cramps, and then having to pee a lot. But if there are any symptoms that you are concerned about, you'll wanna make sure to bring that up with your OB. Now, in the third trimester, you're gonna be seeing your OB more often. At 28 weeks, you'll go from monthly visits to visits every two weeks, and then you'll start going every week starting at 36 weeks. If you go past your due date, you'll usually start going twice a week till you deliver. They will likely be screening for things like preeclampsia, preterm labor, and other possible complications. They will also be checking ultrasound, and they will be doing a group B strep test somewhere between 35 and 37 weeks. Group B strep is a bacteria that's commonly in the vagina, and while it doesn't really cause problems with the mom, it can be dangerous for the baby. So if you test positive for group B strep, they're gonna give you an antibiotic when you deliver. Next, we really need to talk about preparation for the delivery. Now, if you've never gone into labor before, and even if you have, it's normal to feel some anticipation about what labor will feel like. And a common question that I get is, what does labor feel like, and will I know when it happens? And although every person's experience is different, and I can't ever know how yours is gonna be, here are a few general things to remember when it comes to labor versus false labor, which is also called Braxton-Hicks. False labor contractions are irregular, they do not get more intense or frequent over time, and they usually get better with rest or with having a glass of water. So if you're feeling contractions here and there, but as time goes by, they come and go, they seem to be better if you drink a big glass of water and then lay down, that is more likely to be Braxton-Hicks contractions or false labor. Now, with true labor, your contractions get stronger and closer together over time, and they don't get better with rest. And while this isn't true for everyone, it's usually described as pain in the back that moves forward into the front. Now, other things to watch for is if your water breaks. Now, if your water breaks, even if you aren't having contractions, it is time to go to the hospital. If you haven't already, it's time to start putting together your birth plan. A birth plan is a way to clarify to your delivery team your preferences and decisions about your labor and delivery. In your birth plan, you'll want to include what type of birth you're planning on, whether you're planning on a natural birth, an assisted birth, or if you already know that you're going to have a C-section. You'll want to include the type of pain management you hope to receive and the labor environment. For example, if you want music, if you want your lights down, and also who you want to have in the room with you. And then you could also include your preferences for after the birth, like who cuts the cord, if you want delayed cutting, and also how clean, oh, my, just popped my knuckle. Who cuts the cord, if you want to have delayed cutting, and how quickly you want to have skin-to-skin contact. These are just a few examples of what you might want to include in your birth plan, and remember to talk to your OB or midwife about what you would like before the delivery. Now, if you haven't already done this, it would be a good time to pack your hospital bag by around 35 weeks. This is really helpful because, number one, having your bag packed helps you feel more ready for when the time comes, and then number two, it just helps to make sure that you don't have to do last-minute scrambling trying to put together a bag while you are in labor, like in between contractions. Now, I have done a whole video about what I packed in my hospital bag right here, but I will also list some things right here that I would definitely include. So, for you, I would make sure to pack your ID, insurance information, hospital forms, your birth plan, comfortable clothes, toiletries, snacks, and items for relaxation, like music and books, and then your tablet. Now, for your partner, make sure they have a change of clothes, snacks, water, money for parking and for vending machines, and then for the baby, you'll wanna have outfits, blankets, newborn diapers, and your car seat. Actually, you cannot pack your car seat in your bag. Now, I know that was a lot to cover in one video, and there is really still so much to learn, but if you did like this video, you can let me know by just giving me a thumbs up, or even better, commenting down below. I absolutely love to read your comments. Now, I have made many more videos about the third trimester and how to prepare for labor, and in fact, I have a whole playlist, and I am gonna link to that playlist right here. Be sure to click on that, and I will see you over there.