A Midwife’s Guide to the 3rd Trimester

So, you’ve blinked and hit your 3rd trimester! As the end is almost in sight @midwife_vic is here to help you through the final 3 months in your pregnancy journey.

Every time you jump online, you’re bombarded with something else you should absolutely buy for your baby. You've saved three different packing lists with six different ways to pack it, and your neighbour mentioned something about massaging your perineum?!

It’s a minefield, and with time ticking before your bump becomes a baby in your arms, it would be understandable if you felt a little overwhelmed to say the least.

I’m Midwife Vic -  Mama Mio’s resident midwife, I’m a practicing midwife, Hypnobirth teacher, and social media midwife,  delivering bump sized chunks of pregnancy and birth info through Mama Mio’s Instagram grid. From key changes, to what to do, I’m going to take you through a midwife’s guide to the 3rd trimester.

Ok Lets Go!

The homestretch is here, with continued growth of your bump and additional weight gain throughout your body. Mother nature will continue to send extra reserves to you and your baby in preparation for birth. There are some big physical changes that you may start to notice as well.

Boobs!

You may notice colostrum - the initial food source for your baby before breastmilk is produced. It can look yellowy or clear and will form into thick little droplets at your nipple. Some women experience quite a lot of colostrum. Others don’t notice leaking but if they hand express - a technique to produce colostrum, which you can freeze ahead of birth, they will see that it is indeed there! Some women don’t produce colostrum till birth and this is also completely normal.

From 37 onwards you can start to hand express if you would like to. Jump onto our Mamahood Instagram and scroll our reels for handy tips on how to express and store your colostrum.

Bump!

You might also start to experience Braxton Hicks - irregular and usually painless tightening’s that start and stop again. Unlike labour they don’t have any pattern and wont become increasingly uncomfortable. Braxton Hicks are thought to be preparation tightening’s for birth, readying your cervix and uterine muscles for the main event.

Let your midwives know if they start to build into a pattern as this may be labour contractions. If they remain irregular and aren’t painful, take this as a sign to rest, you may need to chill a little towards the end of your pregnancy. Sometimes just changing position can help as well. They can also occur because of dehydration, drink tonnes of water and see if they settle.

Bum and Bits! 

Discharge often becomes watery and increases in volume. It can be really easy to mistake this for your waters popping or vice versa, so make sure you check in with your midwife if you’re unsure.

Your bum, and general pelvis area may become uncomfortable and achy as pregnancy hormones loosen some of the joints and ligaments in preparation for birth.

Constipation is also a regular one for most women in their 3rd trimester, drink drink and drink some more water, and chuck in as many fibrous foods as possible. If you are still struggling, know that you can contact your midwife. We have various meds we can give you to help encourage your bowel to get moving.

Report anything that you aren’t sure of to your midwife to check out. Try wearing support band or super tight tights to support your pelvis, this will hold everything together with a little counterpressure and may take away some of the ache.  Remember you can take regular paracetamol if you wish, and you can always speak to your midwife about a physio referral.

Brain 

The 3rd trimester is the perfect time to start any Antenatal Education or Hypnobirthing courses that you’ve booked into. A good course will not only help you and your partner understand your body during labour and birth, but it will also help you feel familiar and prepared for each change. Preparation really is key, the more you know, the less you fear.

A good course helps you stack the odds in your favour for the type of birth you wish to have, but importantly should also prepare you for other types of birth as well.

Get booked on a course asap. Research is key! Check out the course providers, what qualifications do they have, practical hands-on experience and how current was this experience? Check out the area they work in as they will often feed into baby or postnatal classes. Filter out your social media, and tv watching when it comes to birth. Surround yourself with reliable and practical info you can use. Beware of any super dramatized birth scenes during your favourite soaps. They can cause a lot of anxiety and are usually mega dramatic for viewings! You can do this! Just get learning how and you’ll feel confident and much calmer in the lead up.

Join our Mama Mio mamahood for a supportive safe space to ask questions, bounce ideas and link up with other mums, while I answer any of your midwife questions.

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