If you’re catching up on pregnancy posts, check out my Pregnancy Announcement, 1st Trimester, Baby Shower and 2nd Trimester posts! Baby’s arrival is imminent so figured it would be time to talk 3rd trimester!

37 weeks, thanks to my sister Kelly for the pics!

How did you feel in the third trimester?

I felt a definite shift the moment I entered the 3rd trimester both physically and mentally. Week 28 happened to align with the week we got home from our honeymoon and it was a rough transition back to reality. I felt exhausted, emotional, and pregnant. (I also had wicked Spring allergies, which didn’t help anything!) With the honeymoon behind me, everything got much more “real” – I remember both panicking that I still had 12 weeks to go of this and panicking that I only had 12 more weeks left.

Luckily, as the jetlag and allergies lifted, I started to settle into the 3rd trimester and things got much smoother! I photographed 8 weddings and about 25+ other engagement/family/newborn shoots all over New England between weeks 28 and 36. Physically, it was hard and every week got harder but also not as hard as I expected it to be.

At 36 weeks, shit kind of hit the fan a little. I had been warned that the last month would be uncomfortable and hard physically (which it was at times..) but was not totally prepared for the emotional rollercoaster that the last few weeks of pregnancy can bring. Baby C flipped breech right at 36 weeks (after being head down the ENTIRE 3rd trimester grrr) and also started measuring small, sending us into a blur of doctor’s appointment’s 2-3 times a week, me spending hours upon hours trying to flip her back (I did it all, you guys. Acupuncture, pool handstands, moxibustion, inversions, and more), and finally a Version to manually flip her head down at 37 weeks (it was about as fun as it sounds). It was all just a lot to process and it was hard coming to terms with having absolutely no control over what was about to happen to my body. Happy to report though that as I write this at 39 weeks she is in fact still head down!

Any food aversions or cravings?

I had overall less interest in food this trimester, though no specific aversions. I finally(!) started to crave ice cream a bit and feel like a stereotypical pregnant girl haha but other than that, I ate as normal just enjoyed it a whole lot less haha.

How have you changed your workout routine?

I definitely pulled back in regards to exercise in the 3rd trimester. This had a lot to do with that I was so busy with weddings and my #1 priority was that my body was feeling great every Saturday. I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. I tried to keep up with my 2x/wk yoga, I went swimming as often as I could fit in (2-3x/wk), and Dan & I tried to make 15 minute evening walks a thing. Walking has been hard though (this is something that surprised me) because of the round ligament pain that started around 27 weeks, which basically just feels like a running side cramp, whenever I walk for more than five minutes haha. That being said, once she was head down at week 37 I stopped everything except walking because I was so afraid swimming & yoga would cause her to flip breech again.

What nesting did you do to prepare for Baby’s arrival?

Nesting and preparing for baby was probably one of my favorite parts of pregnancy. Nothing like a baby coming to motivate you to get all the things done you’ve been putting off for months (or years..)! In the first trimester, my preparing was very business focused. I got my business as organized as possible so that it could run as efficiently as possible for 2019 wedding season and maternity leave. In the second trimester, my nesting involved setting up the nursery, organizing all the gifts we received at the shower, etc. In the third trimester, I was mostly busy working but I did still manage to put together all the baby things, wash all her clothes, clean my office and prep more for maternity leave, and basically clean/organize the entire house. My favorite and probably craziest nesting moment was when I spontaneously decided that the fridge had to be deep cleaned that very second. Motivation would hit at the most random times.

What has surprised you most about this trimester? And pregnancy in general?

I can honestly say pregnancy is not really what I expected at all. Before I got pregnant, 9 months felt like SUCH. A. LONG. TIME. I heard stories about constant discomfort, having to give up everything fun, not sleeping, and basically just thought you were miserable for 9 months straight. Luckily, this has not been my experience at all. These 9 months have actually flown by to the point where I often found myself wanting time to slow down a little bit. I was surprised how often throughout pregnancy I really didn’t feel pregnant at all. Sure, there were some tough weeks physically and some annoying symptoms. But I found (for me at least) nothing lasted forever. Those pesky 1st trimester headaches? They were bad for a couple weeks and then completely gone. The debilitating exhaustion melted away too. Acid reflux, trouble sleeping, back aches, etc. – these came and went but were never a constant every single day like I expected going in. I thought pregnancy would be a lot more linear, getting progressively worse each week but it felt much more like a rollercoaster, always giving me relief eventually. Surprisingly, life trucked on like normal for the majority of pregnancy. I was able to still live my life, be independent, have (some) fun, workout, etc. Andddd.. the last few weeks are just freaking hard but at least at that point you’re almost done and you just get through it I guess.

What did you miss the most during pregnancy and what are you looking forward to about not being pregnant?

A full summer without oysters and cocktails certainly wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had. I miss being able to order a glass of wine while out to dinner with Dan or my family. I miss some of my pre-pregnancy clothes (though wearing dresses at all times has been very cozy!). I miss having an appetite and being somewhat decisive about what I actually want to eat for dinner. I’m looking forward to not being asked the same questions over and over, “How are you feeling?” “What are you having?” “When are you due?” “Do you guys have a name picked out?” .. Obviously everyone means well but it’ll be nice to have some new conversation topics haha : ) I’m definitely looking forward to being able to sleep on my stomach, back, or really anything other than my left side.

I’ve also started to think a little bit about if I’ll miss being pregnant. I really don’t think I will lol but I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to soak up the little kicks and movements nonetheless : )

What are your third trimester “must haves”?

All my 2nd trimester must haves, as well as:

Tons of pillows

Access to a swimming pool

A few Pink Blush Dresses that I just wore over and over again

Cole Haan ZeroGrand Sneaker – I photographed all my weddings in these shoes and practically lived in them during my 3rd trimester. Worth every penny.

Thanks everyone for following along with my pregnancy journey over these last few months and I’ll see you all on the other side!