17-Preparing in the Third Trimenster

Transcript:

Welcome to the Preparing for Childbirth podcast where we'll talk about God's amazing design for childbirth, learn how to prepare for the unknown, handle the pain and lean into God's character through it all! I'm your host, Jenny Childs. I’m a follower of Jesus, wife, mom, and lover of all things childbirth. Thanks so much for joining me today!

This is Episode 17.

We’ve already talked about ways to prepare for childbirth in both the first and second trimester. Today, we’ll take a look at trimester 3… This is a time of much more visible growth. And you’ll definitely be feeling baby move around. As she gets bigger those movements will feel much more forceful – like a kick in the ribs or a jab in the side. You might feel like you have a little acrobat inside your tummy. Baby will probably get the hiccups from time to time which you’ll notice as little rhythmic jolts inside of you. Once baby is born you can let him nurse to help get rid of hiccups but for now, you just have to endure. - Baby will start to have wake times when he’ll be more active and sleep times when you’ll feel much less movement. You’ll probably even notice a pattern. In fact it’s good to be aware of your baby’s pattern of movement and if you notice a significant change you should talk to your doctor about it sooner than later. There is an app called Count the Kicks that can help you take notice of baby’s pattern.

This 3rd trimester goes from about 28 weeks until baby is born. Full term is considered 39-41 weeks, late term would be 41-42 weeks and post term would last longer than that. It’s rare that a doctor would let you go that long but as long as you and baby are doing ok, it’s best to be patient and wait. I talk about some of the reasons why that’s true in another podcast called Thinking about Labor Induction. I’ll link to it in the show notes.

There’s a lot to do in these last weeks leading up to baby’s birth! I’ll try to touch on some of the high points.

Maybe you’re setting up a nursery room for baby or it could just a corner of your room, but baby needs a place to sleep, along with clothes and diapers, she’ll need a car seat and depending on your preferences maybe lots of other things too. I found a baby wrap or sling to be super helpful. At any rate, you’ll need to get all those things set up or washed & in place during this trimester.

If you have an outside job, you’ll need to get things in order to be out for a while when baby comes. If you work at home, you’ll need to prepare for that too. I always tried to get a number of meals in the freezer leading up to the birth of my babies. It made life so much easier afterwards. We usually had friends bringing meals right after baby was born but even after that, it was nice to have those freezer meals handy.

If you’re giving birth in a hospital or birthing center, you’ll need to pack a hospital bag with things for you and baby. It’s good to encourage your husband or other support person to prepare a bag for themselves as well. You’ll also want to take a tour of the hospital or birth center if you haven’t already done that and find out what to do & where to go if you need to arrive after hours when you’re in labor. If you’re planning to give birth at home, you’ll need to get everything in place for that, as well.

And, this is finally the time to take that childbirth class you’ve been planning for – preferably you’ll start it towards the beginning of this trimester. As you go through the class together with your husband or other support person, take time to talk together about the things you’re learning. It’s also a good idea to talk about any fears or concerns either of you have concerning childbirth and even just being a new parent and how things will be different with a baby at home. Some of those fears can be minimized by talking about them together or with another couple who’s been there before you. Others may just be beyond your control. In that case, this is a great opportunity for you to help each other trust the Lord with the unknowns.

Oh, one other thing, if it’s not included in your childbirth class, take a breastfeeding class to help you learn about and prepare to feed your baby. I wish I had! Breastfeeding was not as straightforward as I thought it was going to be.

Don’t forget to continue spending time in God’s word, drawing close to him daily. The aches and pains of pregnancy only increase throughout the third trimester. Use it as an opportunity to lean even more on the Lord for comfort and strength.

You can also keep taking those growing belly pics and write in your pregnancy journal. You might want to schedule a professional or informal maternity photo shoot if that’s something you’d like to have.

If you’re hiring a doula, you’ll have some prenatal meetings with her during this trimester. And your prenatal doctor visits will increase in frequency, too.

Continue to exercise and eat well, as well as stay hydrated. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s a good idea to keep a water bottle and snacks with you all the time.

Your body is still working hard growing and caring for that baby. Be aware and take rests when you need to. Don’t get overwhelmed by a long to do list. Prioritize the things on that list and take them one at a time. And don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask for help if you need it. As the end of this trimester draws closer you’ll probably notice some spurts of energy. Take advantage of those and enjoy the increased productivity. This is often called nesting and it’s a good sign that the time to meet your baby is coming soon! However, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll go into labor tomorrow or even next week.

There is another way to prepare that I’d like to point out that won’t apply to all of my listeners but will apply to some. I should probably have mentioned this in the episode about preparing in the first trimester, because it could take some time. If you are a survivor of sexual abuse at any point in your past, there may be unique difficulties that you will face during your pregnancy and especially during childbirth. You may need help to work through the emotions and to be able to separate what happened to you in the past from what is happening to your body during childbirth. Having a supportive birth team who will help you make informed decisions and will show you respect will go a long way to help you have a positive birthing experience. That’s true for anyone but especially those who have a history of abuse. Take the time now to get that birth team in place and to talk through any concerns or fears you have with a trusted friend or counselor. And that’s good advice for anyone!

Ok, we’ve talked about a lot of ways for you to continue to prepare for the birth of your precious baby during this 3rdtrimester. And there are so many more that could be included. Like I said before, don’t get overwhelmed. Prioritize what’s important for you and take it one day at a time. Try to enjoy these last months of being pregnant!

If you’ve enjoyed today’s podcast or found it helpful, I hope you’ll share it with a friend, and I’d love for you to leave a rating and review.

It is my prayer that these podcasts will help you grow in confidence and peace as the day draws near for you to meet your little one. I'm so glad you tuned in today as you are Preparing for Childbirth.

Show notes:

In this episode, I talk about preparing for childbirth during the third trimester. In addition to the things I discussed for the second trimester, you’ll need to…

· Get baby’s space and things in order

· Pay attention to baby’s pattern of movement (Check out the “Count the Kicks” app)

· Prenatal visits with a doula if you’re hiring one

· Take childbirth classes! Yay!

· Prepare your heart (spend time in God’s word)

· Get ready to be away from work

· Prepare your hospital bag…

· And more!

Here’s an article with more info about what symptoms are normal and what might be concerning: https://www.lamaze.org/Giving-Birth-with-Confidence/GBWC-Post/TitleLink/Your-Third-Trimester

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