Heating Up and Counting Down: AKA the 3rd Trimester Struggle

I’ll be the first to say that this pregnancy has been a smooth ride, but the shift into third trimester has been a bit of a game changer for me. I was nonchalantly coasting through the weeks, counting my lucky stars for my good bill of health, steadily growing bump, and my perceived ability to totally rock at being pregnant.  I’ve made a point to focus on the good things and do my best to take all the negative “side effects” of pregnancy with a grain of salt.  After all, we did this on purpose and the entire experience has been nothing short of amazing… so far.

As a first time mom, I like to think that I’m not completely naive, (but that’s certainly debatable).  When I hit the 2nd trimester mark, I was repeatedly warned about what was waiting for me in the home stretch.  In fact, it wasn’t too long ago that I was waiting for my bump to finally be obvious and begging for the weather to warm up.  Alas, summer has arrived and so has my undeniable baby belly. With the risk of sounding like a wimp, here are a few of my not-so-favorite things about being big and pregnant during my favorite Iowa season:

Summer Pregnancy Complaints

Swollen ankles.

This is the inevitable result of spending too much time on my feet, or too much time sitting for that matter. Bonus because swollen ankles and feet look super cute in sandals!

Reduced lung capacity.

I vaguely remember a time when I enjoyed taking the dogs for a brisk walk around our neighborhood.  Now, each weekday I mentally prepare myself for the huffing and puffing that it will take to drag myself from my desk to the parking lot about a block away from my office.  Of course, there are unavoidable stairs in my path, so the limited space that my lungs have to work with is not going unnoticed.

Kiddie drinks.

Summertime, to me, goes hand-in-hand with evenings spent sipping strawberry daiquiris on the patio or a summer shandy around a bonfire.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m fully enjoying sipping my lemonade in the summer sun, but it doesn’t have quite the relaxation effect.

Sleepless nights.

Where did this come from? I was sleeping great, except for the fact that I’m not able to sleep in either of my prefered positions (stomach or back) and then third trimester comes along and I’m incapable of sleeping through the night. I like to think that it’s nature’s way of training me for what’s to come, but I’d rather just jump into those sleepless nights cold turkey.

Bi-hourly bathroom breaks.  

This is just annoying. No explanation needed.

Kicks to the ribs.

Feeling our baby move inside me provides a type of joy that I can’t begin to describe.  Now that those little flutters and squirms have turned into full-fledged kicks to my ribs and punches to my bladder, it’s slightly less cute and significantly more uncomfortable.

Wardrobe frustrations.

Part of me is thankful to be able to wear dresses and flip flops during my last couple months of pregnancy.  The other part of me is seriously upset that I’m intentionally packing on the pounds when everyone else is breaking out their shorts and swimsuits. The thought of wearing either one makes me want to cry… which I might just do thanks to these raging hormones!

Increased sun sensitivity.

Little did I know that the increased hormone levels caused by pregnancy also cause the skin to become more sensitive to sunlight.  This is especially awesome for redheads like me. Bring on the SPF 50!

Practice contractions.

Braxton hicks contractions have upped their ante lately, and although they’re not uber painful, they are certainly distracting and uncomfortable.  They strike me more frequently when I am active or slightly dehydrated–two things that happen more often in the summer.

Forgetfulness and indecisiveness.  

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve left home without my cell phone (aka my third arm) and didn’t notice until it was way too late to go back for it. Literally, I can’t tell you how many times because I can’t remember. Sigh. Or how about the fact that it takes me a good 2 hours to get groceries these days? As if deciding between the gala apples and the granny smiths is a life changing decision… yikes!

End rant. But really, these aren’t complaints. I would do it all again in a heartbeat and I haven’t even experienced the best part! In some ways, I feel like our due date cannot come soon enough, but I hope this little guy or girl stays put and keeps cooking until the time is right.

If you’ve had a summer baby, what tips do you have for beating the heat and riding out the final weeks of pregnancy?