The bump is growing and the questions are rolling in!
I still find it so funny that complete strangers feel the need to comment about any pregnant gals bump or body. Then there are all of the other questions like…When are you due? How long are you going to keep working? How long will you train? Is it still safe to lift heavy? Are you excited? Nervous? How much weight have you gained? How is CJ feeling about the whole big brother situation?
First, a few random thoughts…
- My belly feels heavy.
- My kid moves A LOT and I love it. I think it’s by far my favorite part of pregnancy!
- I could go for a nice big glass of wine or three.
- I’m scared out of my mind about the fact that I am going to have two children REALLY soon.
- I get a little less scared when I realize how much I love this happy kid and how much we both already love his little brother. (He kisses my belly and talks to little brother all the time and it seriously makes my heart melt.)
Onto a few details…
(Did you miss First Trimester FAQ’s and Second Trimester FAQ’s?)
Third Trimeter Workouts
I’ll do a full post on third trimester workouts and I’ll include a sample workout, just like I did in my other trimesters, but overall workouts are happening and going well, relatively speaking. I’m still strength training three times a week and usually getting in two other random workouts, like the Sunday kettlebell circuit I’ve been doing throughout most of my pregnancy.
I’m walking most days and loving the addition of the sunshine and warmer weather.
Conditioning is the hardest right now as I get out of breath really easily. I try to do at least one day of random conditioning including kettlebells, sleds, medball slams, etc.
Lifting is going well, but I’m definitely having to back down on weights over the last few weeks. Overall, I am significantly stronger than I was during my first pregnancy and I’m really curious to see how/if that makes a difference in my labor/delivery and recovery.
Pregnancy workout posts by trimester (third trimester coming soon!):
Third Trimester Sleep
I have trouble falling asleep most nights. This is partially due to being uncomfortable and partially because my brain is just going non-stop (see “mood” section below regarding brain overload). I guess it’s also nesting. I have an insatiable desire to “figure everything out” and “get everything organized” before this baby comes.
I was using a small throw pillow between my legs during my first and second trimesters of pregnancy. That seemed to do the trick, but now that my belly is bigger I’ve graduated to a regular pillow. I tried the body pillow I used during my last pregnancy and it just annoyed me and felt huge and in the way. I have heard great things about the Snoogle, but I’m way too far along to deal with investing in a pregnancy pillow now. I’d rather spend that money on a pedicure or a massage. 🙂
When I take a salt bath before bed I usually have a much easier time falling asleep and I also notice that finding the right balance of moving lots and resting lots helps too. Middle of the night pregnancy hunger hasn’t been as bad with baby number two. There have only been a few middle-of-the-night snacks this time around whereas I feel like I often got up and snacked in the middle of the night when I was pregnant with Connor!
Third Trimester Nutrition
Speaking of snacks…I have been super hungry most of the time. I wake up hungry many days (which is so weird for me) and there are plenty of days I just want to eat all day long. I haven’t had many food aversions since first trimester and I’m eating all of my favorite things most days… overnight oats, smoothies and huge salads with chicken have all been keepers!
Other snacks I’m loving include rice cakes with almond butter, frozen berries and pineapple, tortilla chips, hard boiled eggs, pizza on brown rice tortillas and dark chocolate.
Oh yes, then there are the Monday night cereal bowls. Monday is my long day and there’s something about getting home from work and relaxing with a bowl of cereal, which I rarely eat when I am not pregnant. Something about pregnancy and cereal. Yum. (And yes, I use a baby spoon.)
Both my caloric intake and my carbohydrate intake are higher than when I was not pregnant. I’m listening to my body and adjusting to different phases during this pregnancy. I’ve been eating mostly healthy, whole foods and feeling really good. When I have a craving for a food, I get some and eat a reasonable portion of it to satisfy the craving. Seriously, I’m keeping it that simple. Avoiding pregnancy cravings would only lead to a huge all-out binge…I know that much about myself.
Right now I’m eating more often and I’m working on the smaller meals thing, which is a change for me. I was eating two huge meals and a snack or three huge meals each day before I got pregnant, but with less room in my belly, small meals more often feel better now. Of course, it’s an adjustment/habit change just like anything!
Third Trimester Mood
I’m happy….and also very anxious and more stressed than normal. Not only am I pregnant, but we have a lot of other changes happening in the next few months as well. I’m trying hard to handle change as gracefully as possible, but it takes a lot of effort!
We’re implementing some systems and trying to organize ALL THE THINGS at the gym. We are working with a business coach. I’m finishing up my Precision Nutrition Level Two Certification over the next few months. We’re building a house and have to sell our house somewhere in between having a child and moving. And oh yes, there is still the day-to-day of being a mom and wife, owning a business, training clients, and teaching classes!
Thankfully, every change I listed is positive and exciting, but I have to admit, it’s still a lot to take in, especially when the hormones are raging and there’s a lack of coffee and wine.
Third Trimester Weight Gain and Body Thoughts
I wrote a bit about accepting your body during pregnancy a few weeks ago, but I’ll give a quick update.
I feel healthy, strong, confident and energetic most days, but it’s unrealistic to expect that I’ll feel amazing every day. Some days I feel big, heavy, achey and tired and that’s okay.
I think it’s super interesting to see how different mamas-to-be deal with weight gain during pregnancy. Sometimes I wonder if we have taken this whole “throw away the scale” thing a bit too far. No, I don’t think you should obsess over your weight during pregnancy. Obviously you are going to gain weight and you have to figure out a way to be okay with that seeing as you are doing this really cool thing called growing a human being.
That said, sometimes I think placing an emphasis on not worrying at all about your weight might be convincing women that it doesn’t matter what they eat, how often they move or how much weight they gain during pregnancy when, simply put, all of those things do matter.
I was certainly more lax with my nutrition during my first pregnancy. I didn’t move as much and I didn’t eat as many vegetables or as much lean protein. I also worked a desk job and didn’t have a three year old. However, after my first pregnancy it also took me longer than I would have liked to feel like myself again.
During this pregnancy I have been more aware of my food intake, I’ve stayed stronger and I’m moving significantly more. I’m weighing myself a few times a week and I know my body well enough that I’m never really surprised by the number on the scale. Just like when I’m not pregnant, the number goes up and down based on what I eat, how much I sleep, how much I move, etc. Now, there is just a slight upward trend. 🙂
So yes, I do believe it’s ‘just a number’ and only part of the story, but it doesn’t mean you should throw the scale away, sit on the couch eating chips and gain 60 pounds during your pregnancy because you ‘didn’t want to know’ how much weight you gained.
At this point I am 32 weeks pregnant and I’ve gained somewhere between 16 and 19 pounds depending on the day. Over the last few weeks I actually haven’t gained that much weight at all, but in the beginning of pregnancy I gained quite a bit. My doctor appointments have being going well and I’m measuring right on track.
Working/Maternity Leave
My due date is June 17th and I’m planning on working as long as I can. I have personal training clients scheduled through the month of May and I haven’t decided when I’ll give up my classes yet. So far training has been going great. I can demo most things (or grab a client to demo for me) and I feel good when I’m at work walking around and coaching! Plus, a lot of my work is actually done sitting at the computer and frankly, isn’t going to go away when I’m on on ‘maternity leave’ anyway since we own our own business.
Connor will still go to daycare (‘school’) this summer on his normal schedule, which is three days per week. It’s good for Connor to have consistency and social interaction and it will be god for me to have some time to bond with the baby and hopefully get some work done while he sleeps. After Labor day I’ll resume somewhat of a normal work schedule training-wise and will send the baby to school a few days a week too.
What other questions do you have related to third trimester of pregnancy?
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