Third Trimester Symptoms and How to Deal With Them ⋆

The third trimester seems to be one of the longest in your pregnancy, you get all sorts of fun symptoms that go along with it due to your growing baby and the lack of room. Here are the things I did to deal with my third trimester symptoms that worked really well for me and hopefully they will for you too!

By this time your belly is getting bigger and you are starting to feel the weight of it pushing on your lungs and bladder not to mention your poor stomach. As you progress through the weeks it is only going to become more uncomfortable for you, sorry momma but that’s the truth!

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Third Trimester Symptoms

During your third trimester which starts at 28 weeks, your baby is starting to grow at a faster rate causing you to have some very unpleasant symptoms which you probably are noticing more and more. By this time your baby can open and close their eyes and sense light changes outside of the womb as well as shedding the lanugo (little coat of hair that grows on your baby during the second trimester) some of which may remain after birth.

By 31 weeks your baby will turn its head down preparing for birth later on and be able to control it’s own body temperature, no longer relying on your amniotic fluid for help. During this time major organs like the lungs, brain, and heart continue to grow all in preparation for the big day of arrival.

During this time you are going to experience some uncomfortable symptoms like leg cramping, heartburn, numbness in your legs and feet, swelling, more frequent urination, and Braxton Hicks. All of which are no fun at all!!

Frequent Urination

-as your baby moves down further your bladder is being squashed from all the pressure, so running to the bathroom all the time will be your thing for a while. Sorry to say and yes it is so annoying but a fact of late pregnancy, unfortunately.

You can cut down on this at night by drinking less about two hours before bedtime to help ease the bathroom trips a bit. By doing this I ended up going twice at night instead of every few hours, which makes sleep almost impossible.

If your having trouble sleeping this article may be helpful to you on how to sleep when pregnant.

Swollen Feet

-This is very common during the third trimester due to hormone changes, weight gain and fluid retention.

1. Ways to help relieve this is by elevating your feet above your heart when you can, soaking them in cold water and using cabbage wraps to remove some of the fluid. Yes, I said cabbage lol but it works really well, wrap them in cabbage and put some plastic around them to hold it in place for 15 minutes.

2. Also, remember to drink plenty of fluids and exercise to keep your circulation going.

3. Don’t wear tight shoes or eat super salty foods as they will make swelling worse. Using compression socks may help as well.

For more information on dealing with swelling during pregnancy you may like this article: Swollen Feet During Pregnancy | How to Reduce It

Shortness of Breath –

You may find that it is harder to breathe due to the lack of room from your growing uterus, you can help this by moving slower, sitting up straighter or standing a bit more. Just remember this will go away as your baby drops down and starts to engage.

Eating Less Food –

You will find that you eat less food due to your stomach being squished and the lack of room in your lungs, start to eat smaller meals more frequently to help compensate for this.

Heartburn –

One of the most unpleasant symptoms of pregnancy! I battled this a lot during my pregnancy and what works really well is to eat a few hours before bed so it has time to digest and also if it is unbearable mix some baking soda and water and drink it. Yup it works so well, it was the last resort for me and I counted believe the instant relief that I got.

For more tips on how to deal with heartburn read this article: Best Home Remedies for Heartburn During Pregnancy

Painful Joints–

Your body is getting ready for birth so all of your joints are going to start to hurt more especially your hips as they spread apart more to make room for your baby.

1. You can get some relief by using a pregnancy pillow at night or putting a pillow between your legs though I recommend the pregnancy pillow so your ankles and feet get some rest as well.

2. Take a warm bath to help relieve sore muscles and ease back pain.

3. You can also try heating pads and ice packs to help those muscles relax.

Braxton Hicks–

You will start to feel some tightening and contracting from very light to some harder contractions, these are your muscles getting ready for labor. They will start to get stronger as labor approaches so don’t be alarmed.

Some things to keep in mind is if your water breaks or you have them every five minutes and it gets closer each time you need to call your doctor or go to the hospital as this is preterm labor.

For more information on signs of labor, this article may help.

How To Deal With Your Emotional Symptoms

You will find as your labor grows near that your more emotional then you used to be, maybe even grumpy because of your discomfort and a bit scared to give birth. All of this is normal there is nothing wrong with you and this will pass after you give birth so don’t worry!

Take a childbirth class

so that you can be better prepared for labor and know what to expect and how to handle it. Call your hospital for information or take an online course if you don’t want to go anywhere.

Talk to your friends

about how you are feeling if you are worrying too much about labor and how it will go. Friends are great at reassuring you that it will be great and you can do this because you are a strong woman and you are!

Make a birth plan

so that all of your needs will be met and you will have a plan for your big day. Make sure to plan for the unexpected too and have your wishes all written out, if you don’t know how to write one I have a great post on making a birth plan that works for every situation.

Go on a Hospital Tour

so that you know where to park and what to do every step of the way on your big day. You will have a chance to ask any question that you want during the tour and be able to meet other expectant parents who are feeling anxious just like you are. On our hospital tour, my husband was making jokes and having a good old time, helped the other dads loosen up a bit. He is a party just by himself lol so it was a very entertaining hospital visit for sure!!

Talk to your doctor

about what to expect from them and any fears or questions that you have about anything you are experiencing or have doubts about. Get all that stuff out in the open and be honest with your doctor. Find out what they do in different situations so you can make the right choices for yourself and add those into your birth plan as well. You will start having once a week appointments to make sure things are going well so this is a great chance to get your fears out.

What I want you to remember mamma is that you are not alone, lots of women are giving birth or about to at the same time as you and women have been birthing children for thousands of years. Don’t let your brain blow up your fears or focus on the worst case scenario, just breathe try some yoga and focus your mind.

Pray a lot

that is what I did because I was so scared to try for a VBAC but I wanted it to work out, I didn’t want another c section and go through the healing process again but I also wanted what was best for my baby. Lay all your fears and worries out there and God will take care of the rest and then let it go.

Yes, I ended up having another c section but if I didn’t my son might have died, I wasn’t progressing and with every contraction, his heart rate was dropping!

There is no question when something like this gets in the way of your birth plan your ultimate priority is getting your baby out in the safest way possible so if that means not getting what you wanted so be it because what you want is your baby in your arms alive and healthy.

Final Thoughts on Third Trimester Symptoms

I know getting through these symptoms is very hard at the end of your pregnancy! You can’t see your feet, super tired all the time, your body hurts and you can’t sleep, hang in there momma you are so close to the end. Try to enjoy being pregnant for the last few weeks you have left and get those things done that you have left to do.

Your baby will be here very soon!!

You cannot control what happens during your labor only to prepare for it the best you can and roll with it. Take things as they come and think of the best but be prepared for the worst. Your baby is in God’s hands and he already knows how your labor is going to go!

You got this momma and by the time you are at your due date or just before you will be so ready for your baby to come out your fear will be replaced with “get this baby out of me already” because it gets old near the end and you just want it to be over!

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Third Trimester Symptoms and How to Deal With Them

Third Trimester Symptoms

Frequent Urination

Swollen Feet

Shortness of Breath –

Eating Less Food –

Heartburn –

Painful Joints–

Braxton Hicks–