I just have to say, for the record, that what you hear is 100% true. The first 8 months of pregnancy fly by SO fast. And then you hit the 9th month...the last four weeks...which seem longer than an entire trimester combined. But as Aretha would say...'I will survive!'
Comfortable nursing bra(s): My "girls" have gone through quite the growth spurt this last trimester (and my milk hasn't even come in yet...yikes). Typical for the last trimester. But since I am planning on breastfeeding, I saw no reason to waste money on buying regular bras that I would only be wearing for a couple of weeks. Time to spring for the nursing bras! The one I have linked is my new and most favorite bra EVER! Super comfortable, even with the underwire (which I need!) and the price is so on point! If you're on the hunt...check this one out!
Extra pairs of breathable underwear: This may be TMI, but nevertheless...it's the truth. Vaginal discharge (what they call Leukorrhea) happens during pregnancy and increases as pregnancy progresses. It's like the discharge you might experience at a certain time each month, only more of it...especially in the last trimester. Many pregnant women choose to wear a pantyliner throughout the day to deal with it. Here's my thing with that: it's important that you wear breathable underwear during pregnancy, as your risk for UTIs and yeast infections also increases (more TMI for ya!). And I wouldn't exactly consider wearing pantyliners all day every day a 'breathable solution.' Instead I opt to change my underwear once, sometimes twice, a day to combat it. So picking up some extra pairs was definitely necessary. That is, unless I wanted to be doing laundry all the time; which let's face it...'ain't nobody got time for that!'
Childbirth prep classes: If you are a first time mom like me, once you get close to the last trimester, your doctor will likely recommend that you look into the childbirth preparation and baby classes offered at your hospital. I've found that they pretty much all seem to offer the same classes; a 4-5 week childbirth preparation course, as well as a breastfeeding class, a baby basics class, and an infant safety and CPR class. Greg and I took them all! And I am really happy we did. They are all very affordable, and in my opinion, worth the time and money. Besides learning a lot and making us feel much more prepared for this whole childbirth thing, it also gave us a chance to get acquainted with the labor & delivery ward, and ended up being a nice bonding time for us as a couple.
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth: If you are only going to read one book during your pregnancy, this is the one I would recommend! If you have no interest in trying for a natural/medication free childbirth...you may take one look at this book and think, "No thank you!" But I think this book is great for any woman to read before having a baby. Nothing will make you feel more at peace, empowered and ready to embrace the experience. In fact...I even ended up throwing it into my hospital bag (just in case I need a little extra encouragement through the whole thing!)
Hospital bag: Once you get settled into your third trimester, it's time to start thinking about your hospital bag. And for this...I say the sooner the better. It takes longer than you might think to plan, prep and pack it! I started by researching what some of my favorite bloggers/YouTubers had packed and making a list of what I thought I would need. Once I had my list, I was able to slowly start accumulating what I needed, and setting things aside in my bag. Once I had checked everything off the list, I just washed and packed it all up. I had my hospital bag completely prepared by week 35 (which is what is recommended!) Need help deciding what to pack? Check out my post on What's In My Hospital Bag!
Thank you notes: If you will be having a baby shower, this one should be a no-brainer! But even if not, you should pick some up anyway. In the third trimester (as well as after baby is born) the gifts just start pouring in. A handwritten thank you is just proper etiquette. Proper etiquette also allows you so many weeks to get these notes sent out. My recommendation?...do it ASAP (before pregnancy brain allows it to slip your mind or baby makes an early arrival!). Shower notes seem particularly daunting? I split mine up by writing out 5 a day until they were all done. All other thank yous I have written out the day I received the gift.
Dreft: Speaking of all those gifts you will receive. Guess what! They ALL need to be washed (or sanitized) before their first use on baby. So picking up a bottle of Dreft (or baby safe laundry detergent of your choice) before your shower is a great idea. Maybe this is just because I am a cleaning freak, but I found it so exciting when I washed all of Mason's linens and clothing and his entire room smelled like that fresh baby scent!
A cleaning service: Never have I ever I wished for anything more! I never put much thought into hiring a cleaning service; mostly because like I said, I am a cleaning freak. I actually enjoy cleaning my house. But between preparing the house for Greg's diaper party and these past few weeks of doing one last deep cleaning before Mason arrives...I've realized this would have been a REALLY great thing to consider. Thankfully, with the help of my wonderful husband, I've officially tackled everything that needed to be done. But I honestly could not have done it without his help, and let me tell you...it was SO hard! I am honestly shocked I made it through without going into early labor. So if a cleaning service is something you can afford, even just for one month, I would highly recommend looking into it. I truly believe it would have been worth every penny. (And now I know for next time!) Can't afford or justify hiring this service? Someone was recently telling me about a baby shower she attended where all the aunts had pitched in together to get the mom-to-be a cleaning service for the last month of her pregnancy, as well as the first month that the baby was here. My automatic response: "That was absolutely genius!" Nothing wrong IMO with dropping a hint (to hubby, mom & dad, a close relative) here or there that this would be something you would very greatly appreciate.
Rest: this one has been a hard concept for me to grasp. But in your last trimester...it's time to start taking it easier. Listen to your body. When it tells you to stop and take a break...stop, put those feet up, and take a break! These last few weeks, I was in a bit of a panic, feeling like I was never going to get everything done that I needed done before the baby was here. And now here I sit, everything ready and thinking this baby may never come! What I'm trying to say is, everything will work out in time for baby (and if not, it doesn't even matter...you will make it work!) So make your progress as slowly as you need to and take time to rest in between. Your non-swollen feet will thank you!
VERY honorable mentions go to...
Snoogle Total Body Pillow, Tums, Burt's Bee's Belly Butter, Water, and WTE Support Group:
Because these items have already made it on either my first or second trimester guides (maybe even both), I didn't want to be too repetitive and talk about them again. But these five items have still been absolute survival/must-have items for me throughout this trimester (and throughout my pregnancy in general!) So I just had to mention them one more time. If you would like more info on why, check out my First Trimester Survival Guide and my Second Trimester Must Haves.
And there it is...My Third Trimester Survival Guide all complete! I can't believe how quickly this entire pregnancy has gone...and how good it has been to me! Now it's just time to relax and wait for our little man to make his arrival. (Then postpartum and baby faves will be on the way! Yay!)
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