So sorry I’ve been MIA. Bodie has had a few tummy issues and was gaining weight slowly so the last couple of weeks have been nuts. Just when I thought I was back on my regular blogging schedule, that newborn mom life kicked right back in and we were are still in the sweetest, survival mode over here. Today, I’m sharing a two-in-one post… my third trimester recap and hospital bag checklist. I also thought it would be fun to include my bump progression… Our bodies are insane, y’all. It’s miraculous what the Lord equips them to do. 12 Weeks 14 Weeks 16 Weeks 18 Weeks 20 Weeks 23 Weeks 26 Weeks 28 Weeks 30 Weeks 32 Weeks 34 Weeks 35 Weeks 36 Weeks 37 Weeks 38 Weeks 39 Weeks39.5 Weeks… Homestretch.

MY THIRD TRIMESTER

How I Felt:

This was the hardest period of time on my body. I was the most tired and achey in this trimester and the swelling I dealt with the last six weeks really took it out of me some days. All things considered though, I still felt fine and maintained my typical daily schedule as usual. I never had any nausea or sickness at any point during my pregnancy and for that I thank Jesus a thousand times over. My quality of sleep definitely declined and I struggled to rest as well as I would like at night. My pregnancy pillow did help, but you get to a certain size when pregnant and everything just becomes a struggle.

The third trimester was a happy and exciting time as I anticipated Bodie’s arrival, but it was also a little nerve recking the closer we got to delivery as I didn’t know what to expect and never knew when he would be here. Those last several weeks were crazy, sweet, and exciting for sure.

Cravings/Aversions/Food:

My cravings were pretty consistent— cold fruit, fried chicken, and burgers. Oh, and Chick-Fil-A everything of course (per usual). Not the healthiest of cravings, but I kept it in moderation haha.

I was still some what averse to Mexican food, which was so strange because I usually love it. Hot coffee was still not my friend and I wanted nothing to do with it. However, I’m happy to report that I am now back to enjoying my morning cup again, even though with a newborn it’s not always hot by the time I get around to drinking it.

Even though I had some unhealthy cravings, I still ate pretty healthy for the most part (just a few bad days here and there). Honestly, a lot of the time I just wasn’t interested in food because I felt like I was running out of room inside.

Body Changes:

• Skin and Hair: My skin remained super dry, but I just kept tons of lotion on and would moisturize the heck out of my face. I had virtually no breakouts, and my face was the best it’s been in years. My hair grew like a weed and my nails were super strong… thanks, prenatals.
• Swelling: This continued to get worse for me the further in the third trimester I got. From about 34 weeks on, my feet were ALWAYS swollen and cute shoes were a thing of the past. My Tkees and Birkenstocks saved my life those last six weeks because they were all that fit me. My hands continued to swell up as well and I wasn’t able to wear my wedding rings anymore, so I got a fake set that looked similar to my real one and that was that. I used to think swelling was just an “eye-sore”, but I quickly learned that the worst thing about swelling is how painful it is. Woof.
• Weight Gain: The majority of my actual weight was where you would expect it— belly and mid-section, until the last few weeks of the pregnancy when I was so swollen and had tons of water retention all over. I kept up my workout regimen (see my pregnancy workout post here) as best I could, with a few modifications. I was actually at Orange Theory six days before giving birth… but then Luke made me call it quits and go ahead and freeze my account until after baby and I was back in the clear to workout again (hopefully I’ll get clearance at my six week appointment tomorrow).  With weight gain being a normal and necessary part of every pregnancy, I just tried to stay as healthy as I could for my little man. I dropped the majority of my weight by about two weeks post-delivery.
• Baby Movement: Bodie moved, wiggled, and squirmed ALL THE TIME and I loved it. He didn’t typically move as much in the mornings and even now, he’s not much of a morning person (neither are his parents so that’s a good thing ha). Feeling him have the hiccups was the cutest, although I also hated it because I wanted him to be able to get relief ha (nothing has changed since he’s been born). Throughout the third trimester, I constantly just wished I could bottle up what it felt like to have this little human move in my tummy… it was just so sweet and I never wanted to forget it.

My Third trimester Purchases/Must haves:

• These compression socks. Like I mentioned, swelling is no joke.
• This belly support band. Pubic bone pain from the weight of a growing belly is also no joke.
• These nursing bras. These have been wonderful. Good quality and good price.
• This underwear. Necessary.
• This pregnancy pillow. I actually bought this in the second trimester, but couldn’t live without it in the third.

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My Top Third Trimester Memories:

• Baby Showers. It was so fun to celebrate with our friends and family. Recap post here.
• Packing our hospital bags. This made things so real.
• Weekly doctor’s visits. We loved getting to check in on Little Man and hear his heartbeat.
• Washing baby laundry and finalizing the nursery. Dreft is my new favorite scent.
• Maternity pictures. This was such a fun day and I loved all the emotions I felt during this shoot. See the post here.

MY HOSPITAL BAG CHECKLIST

There’s so much chatter about what to take the hospital… What you really need vs. what you should have just in case. While I think this varies for everyone, I found that I packed really only what I expected to need/want and didn’t throw in a bunch of extras. The hospital provides most everything for baby and my parents were staying at our house so I knew they could bring Luke and I whatever we forgot. Because this post is already super long and also because I just don’t think you care too much what Luke packed in his bag, I’m just going to highlight what I think are the must haves below.

• Pajamas
• Nursing nightgown
• Nursing Bras
• Robe
• Slippers
• Shower flip flops
• Going home outfit
• Swaddle blankets (to get baby’s scent on them to take home for the dog)
• Letter-board (it makes really cute pictures)
• Swaddle set for photographs
• Going home outfit for baby
• Phone/charger
• Pillow and blanket (yes the hospital has these, but I like my own)
• Nurse Gifts (you can see my post for the gift bags I made here)

I packed all my stuff in these Henri Bendel Bags (here and here). I also used these packing inserts to keep all my things organized. Luke and Bodie each had a bag packed as well but again, for the sake what you’re probably interested in, I don’t think it’s necessary to list all of that out.

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If you missed them and are interested, you can find my first trimester recap here and my second trimester recap here. It’s so fun to me to look back on this sweet time. Thanks so much for reading. xoxo.