Just some interesting information...

Just some interesting information as I prepare to head into my third trimester...geesh! I can't believe it's almost here. I've added some little footnotes after some of the bullet points based on my experiences. :-D

Third Trimester Experiences

by Lisa Rodriguez, R.N. and Marjorie Greenfield, M.D.

The third trimester is usually considered to start at 27 weeks' gestation. You are getting down to the wire and preparing for the new addition to your family. You may be feeling many different emotions during this time. You may be very excited to meet your new son or daughter. You may be worried about whether your baby will be healthy. You also may be apprehensive about labor and delivery. In addition to these changing emotions, physical changes continue in the third trimester:

• You will continue to feel fetal activity. You may now feel distinct parts of the baby moving. You may notice a rolling across your abdomen as the baby shifts his position. - This little guy is going to be a soccer player. I never felt kicks this hard when pregnant with Zachary. I can put a book or remote on my belly and when he kicks the remote or book falls off!!!!
  


• You may need to urinate often, just as you did during your first trimester. As the baby grows larger, there's less room in your abdominal cavity for your bladder. You may also lose urine when you sneeze or cough. This is called stress urinary incontinence or SUI and is common in the last trimester. - I've thought about just wearing Depends and changing my own diaper a few times a day. - JUST JOKING!!!
  


• You may notice it is harder to catch your breath. As the baby grows larger, expanding towards your rib cage, there's less room for your lungs to move when you breathe. - I pant, I don't breathe. Mike made fun of me the other day because I bent down to get a pan out of the cabinet and when I stood back up I was almost gasping for air. I think my lungs have shrunk to the size of skittles.
  


• You may notice that you are more fatigued at the end of the day, just as you were during the first trimester. - I am zonked out no later than 9:30 every night. Most of the time I fall asleep in the recliner (my new seat so I can prop my watermelon sized ankles up at the end of the day) before 8pm.
  


• Your belly button may go from an innie to an outtie. - Nope, it's flat and ugly.
  


• You may have Braxton-Hicks contractions.- None yet, thank goodness! I never experienced them with Zachary so I am hoping I don't with this one either.
  


• Your breasts may begin to leak colostrum, the first milk, which is yellowish in color. - Already wearing boobie pads. In a few more weeks if someone pisses me off I am sure I'd be able to squirt them in the damn eye!!!
  


• You may notice that the whitish vaginal discharge increases and becomes thicker. - Nope, nothing here either
  


• You may continue to be constipated. - DRINK TONS OF WATER!!!
  


• You might continue to experience heartburn. - YES, At times I think I am a fire breathing dragon!!!
  


• You may continue to become dizzy or faint. - This happens only when I stand up too quickly.
  


• You may continue to have nasal congestion. - I think the pregnant nose also holds a mucus plug. From day to day, it's either runny or it's dry and I have a bloody nose. My nose can't seem to make up it's mind.
  


• You might have a backache from carrying the extra weight of your baby. - My back is out of place. You can hear it pop in and out of place when I walk or when I pull my knee up to my chest and then straighten my leg. I'm seeing a prenatal OMM specialist to help my back become stronger before I deliver.
  


• You may have leg and feet cramps. - It's hard to see my feet but when I do they are swollen and ohhhhh so attractive!
  


• If you have varicose veins or hemorrhoids, they may become worse. Phew, another category I can't say I have the privilege of knowing anything about.
  


• You may have swelling in your face, hands, ankles, and feet. - You know the girl from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Violet, who swells up the size of a giant blueberry. That's ME!!!!!
  


• You may suffer from insomnia. - The past week I can't sleep very well at night. I have no problems falling asleep but can't seem to stay asleep. Last night I was up at 3:30 and didn't go back to sleep until 5:30 when I should have been getting up for work. I even turned on the TV and scanned through infomercials.
  


• As the pregnancy comes to an end, you may have a burst of energy and find yourself buying and preparing things for the baby at a fever pitch-commonly known as nesting. - I'm dying to start nesting, but I cant' until we are done with the house renovations. HURRY UP!!!!
  


• Towards the end of the pregnancy, your cervix may begin to thin out, which is known as effacement. It also may start to open, which is called dilation. - Not yet, he's still cooking away with no signs of being done soon.
  


• You may feel more vaginal pressure. - Not yet, just bladder pressure when I stand up or when I walk a lot.
  

While the third trimester can be one of the more uncomfortable periods of pregnancy, it is also one of the most exciting. If you are getting frustrated with your aches and pains, as well as the changes in your shape, keep in mind that you are accomplishing an amazing feat--you are growing a whole person inside of your body. Try to keep a good attitude and recognize that the discomfort is temporary. You are almost there. Your little one will come out to meet you soon!

Men should be LUCKY they have us women. See everything above that we go through and we are so very sweet and innocent and never bitch or complain about it at all. Women are true super heroes :-D

Have a great weekend!