Sunday, October 26, 2008

T3

Somewhere in the archives, TexasMommy wrote about the upsides of the third trimester of pregnancy. I am at 33 weeks now, so I want to share my thoughts on the subject. Be prepared, they will get whinier as the weeks progress:

1) I am now so visibly pregnant that many strangers comment. I am really glad to be pregnant and excited to meet my baby, so I am finding that it is actually fun to talk to strangers about when he is due, etc. However, when they ask if this is my first, I am tempted to just say yes so we can move on without the hysterics of how young I look to have five other children. This usually leads to them asking how old I am. Do I have to tell? Old enough to have wrinkles means you shouldn't really ask my age, right? Also, visibly pregnant = seats on buses, doors held, general kindness from strangers, which I am cherishing.

2) 4 year old John, who is not a cuddler generally, has taken to hugging and kissing the baby (and therefore me).

3) Nesting. You should see my closet, it is clean and beautiful. This will not help the baby in any way, but I have learned to channel my nesting energy into other productive areas, since I don't really have to set up a nursery. Although sometime after Halloween I am going to wash and organize all the tiny nightgowns, and that will be super fun.

4) Leg cramps and heartburn. Okay, here is my positive spin on leg cramps...right now I am a little bit scared of labor, but over the course of the next seven weeks my leg cramps will becoming increasingly painful and more frequent, to the point where I would happily endure natural childbirth just to get this whole pregnancy over with. I am dead serious about this, I think it is a healthy part of the whole cycle, I will be begging for labor come December, and that is a good thing. Also, I am supposed to help the leg cramps by having a glass of milk before bed. It doesn't work at all, but it does give me a good excuse to eat a cookie.

9 comments:

hill said...

Hi Mary Alice,
What a great post! One thing that worked for my pregnancy leg cramps was to flex my foot while they were cramping up and it quickly dissipated.
Hillary

4ddintx said...

Mary Alice, Great post. I just had baby #6 11 days ago, so I can really relate...

Extra Magnesium should help with the leg cramps.

Enjoy that cookie!

Anonymous said...

Try eating a banana in the evening. This completely relieved my agonizing leg cramps. Also, never never never point your toe, even the tiniest bit, during the day - it will come back to haunt you at night.

Mary Alice said...

I love having more things to eat! The pointed toe thing makes sense, my toes seem to "freeze" in a pointed position during the cramps, I have to use my hands to flex them.

What is the best way to get the magnesium? Supplement or food?

Also, on the subject of T3, does anyone have a good maternity support belt that they recommend? I use something for postpartum that I really like, but I think I need something else for now, my lower abdominals are starting to bother me after I have been walking for a while.

thanks!

Juris Mater said...

MaryAlice, put your feet up, call off formal school for the rest of the month, and have your kids bring you freshly baked goods and warm drinks. Cooking and hospitality should be a part of any homeschool curriculum. Then let SuperWhy and Cyber Chase take care of the rest.

4ddintx said...

You can take Magnesium supplements. If you take too much, it has a laxative effect, but sometimes that is helpful in late pregnancy...

Bethany said...

Lol. My kids love SuperWhy and CyberChase (and Wordgirl and Sid the Science Kid for that matter) even the 17mth old.

Mary Alice, when exactly are you due?

Mary Alice said...

I am due Dec 9, the feast of Juan Diego and my 8th wedding anniversary!

I have magnesium supplements, so I will try those, along with a banana.

I was hoping to hold off on JM's plan until about week 38, I have to make it through one more month!

texas mommy said...

MA,

I liked the belly bra
for support.

My midwife recommended taking a calcium plus magnesium supplement for leg cramps. Somehow they work better together...