Pregnancy Update: Weeks 28-32
I’m excited to share the first of my third trimester pregnancy updates! Lots has been happening over the past month and I hope sharing this pregnancy update can help someone else.
For more pregnancy updates, You can catch up with my first trimester recap here, plus weeks 13-20, weeks 20-24, our babymoon, my prenatal supplement routine, and my second trimester recap. All recommendations are based off of personal use and preference. I know pregnancy updates can be triggering for some, so please know this is just a recap of my experience.
Hellooooo third trimester! And let me tell you, third trimester made itself KNOWN!
As soon as 28 weeks hit, I started getting bigger by the day, more exhausted than before, and definitely crabbier! Plus, the insomnia I had in my first trimester came back.
No, I’m not complaining, but just sharing what it’s been like for this mama-to-be! Luckily, my book was released, I’m working ahead for maternity leave (some how less pressure!), I’m no longer accepting new clients (but happy to provide recommendations) and I can take it a little slower than before.
So here’s what’s been going on in the first four weeks of my third trimester…
Weeks 28 and 29
I kicked off my third trimester with my cousin’s wedding! It was so fun to dress up my bump… although dancing in 4-inch heels was definitely tricker than usual!
I wore an old stretchy non-maternity dress from Zara, and it worked out perfectly! I couldn’t find this exact dress to share, but this one is similar (and only $43!), as is this one!
I was working around the clock during weeks 28 and 29 with the launch of my ebook. It was doable at the time, but writing this at 32 weeks, I can’t imagine pulling those hours now! These two weeks were the last of my “cruise control” weeks of pregnancy…
The end of week 29 was also my brother’s wedding! I had such a great time celebrating my baby brother and new sister-in-law… even if I couldn’t keep up and dance the entire night away!
As far as maternity dresses go… I was asked to wear metallic and found an ASOS maternity dress that was perfect…
I did splurge on my shoes, and am so glad I did because I’m not one to take off my heels at a wedding and mama’s feet were hurting, but not toooo bad by the end of 10 hours of wearing them!
It definitely took me a few days the following week to recover from several 1am+ nights, but it was totally worth it!
Weeks 30 and 31
After coming off a crazy two weeks of work and a few extremely late nights at the wedding (more on that in a minute), pregnancy hit me like a ton of bricks at the start of 30 weeks. I was feeling great up until this point (aside from first trimester nausea), so I can’t really complain!
Here’s what was going on with our babe and my body…
More trouble sleeping and my insomnia returned… My exhaustion was downright overwhelming. I considered myself practicing for life with baby, but I definitely didn’t expect to have this much trouble sleeping before our babe arrived. Between the pressure on my bladder and numb ribs from sleeping on my side (I’m usually a belly sleeper), I’m up at least 4-5 times a night.
I don’t handle being tired well (I know, send help!), and the emotional exhausted tears were pouring out these two weeks. I’ve never taken so many days off of work, but you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. Like it my first trimester when I had no other choice but to listen to my body, I’m again being forced to slow down… but I’m embracing it instead of rebelling. More on week 32 in my next update…
My belly is growing faster than ever before… And we’ve been told our babe is a big one! Although ultrasound measurements are known to be off by up to 20%, we’re told our babe is in the 80th percentile – wowza! Although every time I think my belly can’t get bigger, it does! I’m having so much fun watching our babe “pop out” of my belly. I was laying on the couch just the other night and my belly was lopsided with an elbow or foot sticking out – it makes me laugh every time!
I’m totally fascinated by all the changes that a woman’s body endures during pregnancy- it’s truly amazing! I’ve totally embraced my pregnant belly and still feel more confident than ever!
Somersaults continue… Our babe is more active than ever before (which they say is normal, especially between weeks 28-32), but I expect it to slow down as he/she runs out of room in there…
My Workouts… Week 30 was also when I officially stopped my dance cardio classes. Since week 15, I’ve religiously been shaking my booty 4 times a week at a high intensity dance cardio class. With my big belly, even with the support of a belly band, it was feeling too strenuous. I tried to modify the last few of my classes and decided that sticking to walking and some easy strength training at home was a better idea.
Getting ready for the babe… We had bought nothing for our babe up until this point, partially because I couldn’t make up my mind (we don’t know the sex, which makes decorating a nursery a little hard too), but I was also a bit superstitious about “setting up” for our baby before he or she is born.
Since I’m not having a baby shower (for religious and cultural reasons), I also didn’t need to think about registering before now. I spent the day with my mom and grandma doing the layette for our babe. If you’ve never heard of a layette, neither had I (ahh there’s so much to learn!). Essentially I picked out our baby’s wardrobe for the first three months of his or her life. It was so fun to pick out both boy and girl onesies and PJs and a coming home outfit! As huge as our babe feels in my belly, the clothes are so tiny!
I also spent countless hours in Buy Buy Baby and online researching everything from strollers to bassinets and more! After our babe is here and I see what stuff we’re actually using, I’ll be sure to share!
Buh buy large meals… I pretty much eat like a rabbit these days, but what feels like every 2 hours (up from my usual 4!). Nausea made a return in week 32, so I’m back on the carb train from first trimester. The past few days (in week 32) have been english muffins, frozen waffles, no veggies in site on repeat. The thought of protein and veggies is just yuck… but I’m trying to eat at least 1 veggie per day. I’m hoping it clears up soon!
Luckily, I’m taking my prenatal supplements, and my doctors weren’t worried about the growth or nutrition of our babe.
Contractions have arrived… Hello Braxton Hicks contractions! They started in my second trimester, but they’re stronger and more frequent than before. They’re not painful, but instead a tightening in my abdomen that comes out of no where. Usually they say to change positions or to drink more water, and those tricks worked at first, but now they’re coming more and more frequently at week 32. I’ve been monitored by my doctors and they’re not worried right now, but it’s definitely a little scary for me as a first time mom (it’s still too early for our babe to arrive!).
What we did this month to prepare for the babe:
- Signed up for a hospital tour
- Picked out our nursery furniture, stroller, and started our registry
- Chose our layette for our babe’s wardrobe for the first 3 months
- Created a huge amazon list for essentials (and started ordering them)
- Started packing my hospital bag (ahhhh!)
- Made our birth plan
- Freaked out about labor only 100 times!
I can’t believe our babe will be here in less than 8 weeks! Ahhhh we can’t wait to meet him or her!
XO