We are less than a week away from our due date and the last 2 weeks have been crawling by. The rest of the time flew by, but once I started feeling like I was carrying a whole kid, time stopped lol. When I say this has been a beautiful journey, I don’t mean I loved every day of pregnancy, but I have loved my body every step of the way. I have also loved how powerful and connected to myslef and my baby I’ve been. I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m in awe every single day! Our photographer Tanya was truly able to capture that in our photos. I’ll pepper a few throughout this update!
How Am I Feeling
I feel excited, calm, and ready! I had a few moments where I got scared because I wasn’t afraid of the next steps, but I realized I was being crazy! I have done the work, I should feel calm and ready to meet my baby boy! I want him to come on his time but I am uncomfortable. Waking up daily not feeling great has been a little tough but I try to reframe my thoughts into positive ones!
This trimester has not been awful but I do feel heavier. –I’ve gained a total of 29 pounds this pregnancy. I started getting Braxton Hicks early in this trimester as well.
Are You Planning to Birth at Home or Hospital
We are planning an unmedicated, water birth at the hospital. I will be under the care of a midwife and doula! If you check out my first trimester Q&A, I go into a little more detail about our plans!
Were You Able To Get An All Black Birthing Team
My doula, 5/7 of the midwives, and all the OBs at my practice are Black. I asked day one what they were they were doing to ensure both my baby and I came home safely! We are driving nearly an hour to give birth because it was very important to me that I had the experience I wanted and felt safe!
Do You Have A Checklist to Prepare For Baby
I made a fun third Trimester Bingo card that acts as a checklist. You can find it on my Instagram Highlights. I had many checklists throughout my pregnancy so we wouldn’t forget things or run out of time. The goal was to be ready to bring home a baby 4 weeks before our due date 🙂 I have also shared a few videos on getting ready so check them out!
How Does Your Body Feel
My hips and lower back have been the sorest in the third trimester. I have had some knee pain towards the end as well, especially after I wake up! In the last 2 weeks, I have had to stop and let everything realign before I take a step if I’ve been sleeping for sitting too long. This has helped reduce the shooting pain I was getting. I still see the chiropractor every 10 days and take a ton of baths with Epsom salt.
What Did You Do To Prep For Labor
Per the suggestions of my midwives and doula, I tried a few of the traditional third trimester things around 36 weeks. Red raspberry leaf tea, Evening Primrose oil orally, walking, and daily stretching. I was not purposely including dates but randomly switched my nightly snack to Lara Bars, which is mostly dates.
I also started playing my Hypnobirthing tracks and clearing my mind as we got closer. I had some very honest conversations with myself and my husband and that really relaxed me!
How is Sleep
Sleep has been about the same. I still have all my pillows and moved to the guest room since the bed is higher. I only have a night or 2 where I wake up rested because of all the bathroom breaks. The long wake periods have started back up since I hit 39 weeks. I think it’s just excitement.
Cravings/Food Adversions
My aversion to salads is back. I’ve tried a few times and felt super sick after. Same for beef, still can’t eat it in any form. I’ve been craving chocolate and seafood this last month but nothing too crazy.
Baby boy will be here any day now! I will do my best to log everything, starting with the early symptoms, to share with you all after! Keep us in your prayers and keep an eye out for our announcement! It’s been amazing sharing this journey with you all!
XOXO, LayaB
Leave a Reply