Today, I am 28 weeks pregnant.
This is really awesome because this means that SOON MB and I will be welcoming Baby L into the world and we could not be more excited. (I am probably more excited than he is because I just can’t wait to have my body back! OMG.) But I can’t say there isn’t a fair amount of panic welling up inside me. You know, because I went from being a carefree, fun-loving employed and generally happy person, to essentially being two people. Complete with psychotic mood swings, ridiculous food cravings and a rapidly expanding waistline.
I feel seriously unprepared right now. Is this where the nesting thing is supposed to kick in? Because I have an intense desire to reorganize the entire house. But I scarcely have the energy to bend over and pick up the shoes that have been sitting in front of the door for two days. I gather that this is normal? It’s really hard to have this intense drive to do something that my body doesn’t let me do. Screw you, third trimester, you are a bastard.
Some notes:
1. The heartburn has returned. I am tempted to say that it is worse than it was in the first trimester. It never really went completely away but had gone from the every other day routine to once or twice a week in the Second Trimester to a bottle of Tums per day for over a week now. My fiery esophagus is going to drive me insane.
2. Bending over has ceased to be an option. When I look down at my belly, I don’t see this massive bump (and no, I am not delusional, I guess I am just getting used to it), I see my body, just grown enough to accommodate my little Baby L and I am more and more okay with that. But Jeebus forbid, I drop something on the floor and have no one near me to pick it up. I feel, sometimes, that it will be simpler to get down on all fours to pick items up from the floor than to attempt to bend down to pick things up. No good.
3. I am a narcoleptic insomniac. Explain that one. I cannot sleep when sleeping is appropriate because my belly has grown to be the single most uncomfortable sleeping partner IN. THE. UNIVERSE. I have a body pillow but cannot find a way to maneuver my belly and/or the pillow into a position where I don’t feel as though I am crushing my child’s head. I don’t want to crush my child’s head, I just want to be comfortable, for Christ’s sake! On top of not sleeping when sleeping is appropriate, I could fall asleep in the middle of a rock concert. This is not a joke. I have adjusted my sleep schedule, due to necessity, and now allow myself to sleep when tired (meaning naps are now permitted) but I find that, it takes me hours to fall asleep, I remain asleep for 4 hours, wake up for 3, and then go back to sleep for 2 and then, around three o’clock, I am DONE. It doesn’t matter where I am or what I am doing, I might have just fallen asleep. And caffeine is a no-no (or at least the amount of caffeine I would require at this point). Feel free to shake me.
Generally, I am uncomfortable. I knew that it was only going to get worse so I can’t say that I have been caught off guard or anything, but Holy GOD people, why is pregnancy so LONG?!
Related articles
- Should Pregnant Women Forget About a Good Night’s Sleep? (psychologytoday.com)
- Third Trimester Trauma (arealmummydiary.wordpress.com)
Broken Condoms 
I’m 27 weeks and going through the same things: I want to reorganize all my furniture, I got heartburn from eating a sub sandwich, putting on socks is now a dreadful task, and sleep is something I can only dream of while I’m laying there, wide-awake, thinking about why I’m not asleep.
We’re almost there!!! You know it’ll be worth it! 🙂
Bless your heart. I know exactly how you feel! I am on week 32 and can honestly say that I have been in pain every day for over a month. I would gladly trade the feeling of having been hit in the pubic bone with a mallet for the chronic nausea of the first trimester any day. Oh and lest we forget the constant back pain. Heartburn, right there with ya. I’ve never even had heartburn in my life. Ugghh… Make it be over already!
Well congrats to both you and Queen on your third trimester. Now after having 3 kids I can say… It does get better. Go to the health store and get some Melatonin. Its natural and wont harm the baby at all. It will help you to rest and help baby rest some too. As for getting comfortable to sleep… Put a pillow behind you and one in front of you and sleep at an angle. Trust me, you wont crush babys head unless you sleep ON your tummy; I actually had a girl friend who slept on her stomach through out her whole pregnancy, but at 9 mths, she didnt even look like she was 3 mths preggers…i wish i couldve been that lucky…. I looked like a freaking sperm whale, lol. Anyways, Drs say third trimester can b a breeze, and right as you start to get used to it guess what… Its baby time! As the nesting phase, you go through that for weeks and weeks… Sometimes up till the day you deliver, it can be funny. My suggestion : make a picture or video diary during these times, you will watch them years from now and cry from laughter and memories.
How did you do this THREE times? LOL! Any advice on how to get rid of colds aside from hot lemon/honey water? I can’t stop sneezing and coughing, which means I’ve gotten no sleep the past few days! And that’s a good idea, I should document my misery and show baby whenever she’s being naughty: “THIS IS WHAT I WENT THROUGH FOR YOU!!!” Haha 🙂
– Queenie
I hope you feel better and that the whole third trimester is not like that for you! It’s really unfair that we get months of sleep issues in preparation of a newborn – come on! Dad’s have that part easy for sure!
Seriously! How can I effectively “prepare” for motherhood if I am in a sleep deprived haze for three months prior?! AHHH!
I have suffered from non-pregnancy chronic heartburn. IT IS AWFUL!!!! And non-pregnancy sciatic nerve pain. IT IS AWFUL TOO. please universe, when I have a bebe, make those things go away, not worse. Fat Chance.
Oiye I am so sorry it’s been rough. I hope it improves!!! You can do this!
I think I am probably just too whiney when it comes to the heartburn thing, I know people deal with it every day, but having never had to experience anything even REMOTELY comparable, it has been really difficult. I eat, I get heartburn. I don’t eat, I get heartburn. Someone in a 10 mile radius eats a slice of pizza, I get heartburn. Uggghhh…I am hanging in there! Thanks, Kathryn!
You are speaking my language! I had a relatively easy first and second trimester, but now this third trimester is severely kicking my arse. I’m at 34 weeks now and yesterday at the doctor I begged him to find some reason to move my due date up, but unfortunately he stands by his initial dating. I honestly don’t know how I am going to survive these next six weeks. I may have to come up with a way to bribe this kid out of my uterus.
Yeah, the first one for me was more difficult because of the heartburn and nausea but even those things were more tolerable than this whole everything in my body hurts business I am currently dealing with. It may not seem like it to you, but MAN, YOU ARE CLOSE! I am so excited for you and I will definitely keep my fingers crossed that the rest of this pregnancy goes relatively easily for you!
I will also do internet research on “bribing babies out of uterus”. I think I will be successful. Will keep you posted on my findings. XO!
I think I might have mentioned this before, but I had a hell of a time sleeping pregnant. My savior was an air mattress slightly under inflated. It wasn’t easy to get in or out of, but once in I would sink down and it would cradle my entire body. Also, I tend to get really hot when I am pregnant and it didn’t trap my body heat like a normal bed.
I remember posting to facebook during my second pregnancy that 40 weeks of human gestation is tantamount to torture. I was reminded I could be an elephant and have to gestate for 22 months. I think that is funny now. I did not think so at the time.
I tried your air mattress method early on because I have a back injury and it is really hard for me to be comfortable ANYWAY, but then we got a new bed, which totally helped for a minute…and now we are back to square one. I might have to go ahead and try it again though, because I don’t know how I am ever going to get any good rest again, otherwise! AHHH!
That’s true. Cheers to not being an elephant!
I had that same feeling of this pregnancy is taking forever but now that I in week 36 I am freaking out and wishing that I had more time to prepare.
So, bad news (at least this is how it is going for me) the hearburn/indigestion only gets increasingly worse, bending over gets increasingly more difficult, sleeping during the day becomes the only time I get any decent sleep and my insomnia gets worse. But, the good news is that time will start to go by more and more quickly in the end and you will be begging for a couple of weeks to get prepared!
Hang in there! 🙂
Ugh Heartburn….I was talking to my midwife yesterday about the heartburn, and she said to take Zantac (75mg) in the morning, and if it reappears to take another one, but not to exceed 150 mg in a day. I haven’t tried it yet, but if my heartburn gets bad enough I will.
I’m only 22 weeks, but bending over is already becoming difficult. It feels like everything just gets squeezed to the point of being super uncomfortable.
Zantac definitely helps, I definitely would use it. Without it, I would have slit my wrists by now. I’m only half kidding.
Right?! As I there isn’t enough pressure and weirdness going on in the abdominal region, then when you bend it feels like your body is a tube of toothpaste and everything will come shooting out of your face!
What a refreshing site! I am almost 31 weeks pregnant and I just got a Boppy body pillow yesterday. As I was getting ready for bed, I entered the bedroom, and my husband was on it, his legs wrapped around the blue and white floral monstrosity.
“Oh my God, I’m in heaven. This is the best invention ever. I’m never getting up.”
I think they should definitely cater these to men as well. 🙂
It’s comfortable, but like you said, I can’t find a position where the gravity of my stomach isn’t pressing into the mattress (and feeling like I’m squishing my daughter). Every time I’m on either side, she moves in protest. And then I find myself on my back, forcing myself to roll over… so, I have pretty much said goodbye to sleeping.
I guess this is good preparation for what is to come!