Third trimester update

Hi Cherubs!

I can not believe the time has come to update you all on my third trimester. It has felt like a seriously long journey to this point after my first twin pregnancy ending in a miscarriage at 12 weeks and then conceiving again taking a little longer but we are here! Baby girl is healthy and moving so much, I can't believe we will be meeting her in 2 weeks time! (hopefully she's not late!)

Self care, fitness and diet

Before I go into all my fitness and diet updates I wanted to mention a little scare I had during my second trimester which I totally forgot to write about. I wanted to mention it because if anyone else is currently experiencing the same thing then I want to reassure them that you'll be alright!

At my 20 week scan where the ultrasound technician goes into immense detail to make sure baby is developing properly she flagged up an issue with my placenta. I actually think she was having a bit of a bad day because she wasn't very reassuring or enthusiastic at all throughout my whole scan which is annoying when you're super excited about your first baby, but whatever! She spent a lot of time looking at my placenta and not really saying much and at the end of the scan she said I had to come back in 4 weeks for another scan to check up on my placenta and that was that. I was booked in at the high risk pregnancy department for 4 weeks time and I spent those weeks researching and stressing out.

When my next appointment finally came round I had a totally different experience, the technician was so bubbly and reassuring from the start and talked throughout the whole scan telling us what she was looking for and why my placenta was flagged up in the first place. It turns out that in my 20 week appointment the tech spotted a blood clot in my placenta, but at 24 weeks there was no blood clot but a weird growth on my placenta. I had already looked at images of healthy placentas and what abnormalities looked like, so I spotted exactly where the problem was. My technician said she sees this sort of thing a lot and doctors always freak out about it because no one really knows what causes these weird growths, however she said it doesn't affect the health of growing babies, and in a few years time they probably won't even flag up those sorts of abnormalities. 

After that appointment I felt so relieved and positive about my pregnancy. My OB wants to send my placenta off for testing which I'm fine with because I'm intrigued by what it could be and it might be helpful for any future pregnancies of mine!

My fitness has been important to me from the very start but by the third trimester I had so much energy that I probably went a little overboard working out every single day in the morning and then doing yoga in the afternoons 3 times a week as well. By the time I hit 30 weeks pregnant I developed sciatica and could barely walk, sleep, sit basically do anything without being in agony. It was so infuriating because I got into such an amazing routine and I was feeling great. I couldn't work out for 3 weeks and I had weekly physio appointments which were a life saver! Since my back has been better and the sciatica has gone I have been working out again but less intense. I just listen to my body more now and if my ligament pain is bad that morning then I will miss my workout and just do my physio exercises instead. At yoga I have scaled down a lot of moves and if I need to take a rest I'll get into child's pose more frequently. I am still working out at 38 weeks and I hope to keep on doing just that until I go into labour, I've been told so many times how good it is to be active right up until D day and you're more likely to have a better and quicker labour....we will see!

After I had recovered from my bad back problems I decided to book myself in for a luxury pregnancy massage at The Four Seasons hotel in Palo Alto. It is definitely more on the pricey side but I thought I deserved it! The whole experience was pure luxury and I felt completely comfortable the whole time. I was surrounded by fluffy pillows so I could get into the perfect position, the bed was heated and the lights were dim, dreamy! I had told the therapist about my sciatica and she knew exactly what points to work her magic on and after I felt so good. I would highly recommend treating your pregnant self to a luxury massage! 

My diet has been pretty good this trimester, again I've had no cravings apart from really enjoying Nutri Grain bars, strawberry flavor! But I limit myself to two a day, trust me I could eat a lot more. I pretty much eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch especially on week days. I tend to have a chia seed pudding with almonds, cacao nibs and maple syrup for breakfast and for lunch I always make a kale salad with cranberries, almonds, pine nuts and for the dressing I usually just whisk up olive oil, mustard, lemon juice and garlic! I will have a couple of rice cakes smothered in humous and hot sauce too. Dinners vary but usually I'll make soup or a tofu noodle dish but sometimes I eat cereal for dinner with almond milk because I'm not always that hungry in the evening! Third trimester I have definitely been cooking more and I have been enjoying it too. Hopefully this continues when baby arrives!

Mind and body

I have definitely been quite hormonal this trimester maybe even more so than the second trimester,  I will cry over silly things and get quite stressed over things that normally wouldn't faze me. But I also feel a lot happier too and I'm always laughing, maybe thats down to exercise or just pregnancy hormones or just the fact that this pregnancy is nearly over, whatever it is, I like it!

I'm still getting some brutal ligament pain and I have been experiencing 'lightening crotch' its as pleasant as it sounds!!! I'm taking all these pains as good signs that my body is getting ready for labour. At my 36 week appointment my doctor told me she is already head down and once they're in that position they very rarely get out of it! I'm guessing the increased pain is due to her little head moving down!

A few stretch marks  are starting to appear under my bump but they look very faint so I'm not too fussed. If anyone has any recommendations for scar/stretch mark cream for after that actually works let me know! I don't even mind splurging a little if it has great reviews.

I have totally given up on even trying to wear normal shoes or trainers now because I am quite swollen. Thankfully now the weather is cooler my swelling seems to have settled down slightly but there is still no chance of me putting my rings back on 😬

I am planning on wearing the Belly Bandit original belly wrap postpartum for at least the recommended 6 weeks. In the lead up to labour our bodies naturally produce a hormone called Relaxin which softens the pelvis to help deliver baby. This hormone stays in your body for a limited time after delivery so wearing the wrap will aid with shrinking the stomach and hips back to pre -pregnancy size or even smaller. I have read some great reviews on this, I know some people find it uncomfortable and I totally get that but I'm willing to persevere for a flat stomach!

Preparing for baby

I am so prepared for baby right now, the nursery is complete, all her clothes are washed and sorted into size order in her drawers. We've made all the big purchases like pram, car seat which has been installed in the car ready! I have an abundance of diapers and wipes, my hospital bag is very nearly complete...I'm ready! I've even purchased a small tin of formula just in case and one bottle! I'm still deciding on a breast pump its a close call between the Medela or the Philips Avent, I'm hoping to get a good deal on Black Friday! I also want to buy the Ergobaby 360 carrier which has been recommended by my hospital as its the best carrier for proper hip alignment. I reckon the carrier will be a great investment because I know I'll use it a lot and my husband wants to use it too as its a great way for them to bond.

Everyone says you start nesting when its nearly D day but I'm not sure I've got there yet... I clean all the time anyway so maybe I'm immune? The only odd cleaning bits I've done is clean the kitchen cupboards out and arrange everything neatly and I vacuumed every inch of the sofa, is this nesting?

I can't believe I get to meet my little lady in 2 weeks time, I'm so excited! I'm also excited to be able to move normally again, not peeing all the time and getting rid of my constant heartburn! Its gonna be so great!

I hope you've enjoyed reading these pregnancy updates, I'm planning on doing a labour and delivery story post along with general baby life adjustment posts in the future. My blog will still be all fashion and beauty but with a little addition of baby and mom life.
Thanks for sticking around!

Top - Free People (old)
Cardigan - Mango (old)
Leggings - Seraphine Maternity

Catch up on last weeks outfit here

Love Sarah