Thanks for following along in my pregnancy journey thus far. If you’ve already caught up on my first and second trimester recaps, continue reading to discover how my third trimester progressed!
Entering into the third trimester of pregnancy is a breath of fresh air. Almost to the finish line! Things become real very quickly. It was around this time after Michael and I had put an offer in on our first home, waiting to close. I was busy setting all the documents for that so that Michael could focus on his (back then) new job! He was still work-from-home, so we were taking care of business from our temporary “home office” at our in-laws house, waiting to move in a few short weeks.
Diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes
In my 29th week of pregnancy I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. I can’t say I was surprised because both my mother and grandmother had it, but I still became very emotional. I failed my 1-hour glucose test, so they brought me in to the OB’s office one week later to have my 3-hour glucose test. This consisted of drinking a sugary drink, then waiting—either 1 hour, or 3 hours—and drawing blood every hour to test my blood glucose levels. You are diagnosed when 2 out of the 3 lab draws are abnormal. I found out my results the next morning.
The weeks following consisted of a BIG diet change. Thankfully my husband is registered dietitian and helped me overcome a lot of the anxiety that comes with a diet change and eating healthier. We revamped my diet to include carb control at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with 3 snacks spaced throughout the day. I was pricking my finger 4 times per day to self-check my blood glucose. Every week I sent my results to my high-risk OB for them to sign off. I was able to successfully keep my blood glucose diet-controlled for 6.5 weeks until our baby was born in May.
Buying a Home During Pregnancy
As I was just starting to get the hang of things with the diet changes, we closed on our first home the next week! We promptly began work on the home, planning for paint in the primary bedroom and kitchen before we could officially move in a week later. I spent a few late nights over there with Michael in my sweats painting walls and trim. It was actually a super relaxing bonding experience, just the two of us. Although it was hard work, I really enjoyed that week with Michael.
At 31 weeks I photographed my last engagement session before the baby’s birth. The following week I had my maternity photos captured by Mississippi wedding photographer, Ashley Upchurch, featured in this post!
Preterm Labor at 33 Weeks Pregnant
I’m thankful the weather held out for my maternity photos because the following week, at 33 weeks pregnant, I was diagnosed with preterm labor. At my doctor’s visit she found me to be already dilated to 1cm and 60% effaced. That is pretty substantial that early on. I was promptly placed on bedrest, which at the time was devastating since we had just moved into our new house. All I wanted to do was nest, but couldn’t, under doctor’s orders.
How to Survive Bedrest During Pregnancy
Communication
I had difficulty letting go of my independence after being put on bedrest. After doing things for myself for SO long, I was forced to communicate my needs to my husband who then did most everything for me. Cooking, cleaning, errands, he was doing it all! I felt a tremendous amount of guilt placing all these to-dos on his list. We definitely were forced to get on the same page about our feelings. It was a tough few weeks, but I do feel like things small change helped our marriage grow stronger.
Recruit Help
My Mother-in-Law drove to our home nearly every day while I was on bedrest to help keeo our house. She is such a blessing and I could not have survived my bedrest phase without her. It was nice having someone there to talk to while Michael was working. She also batch-cooked my breakfasts and lunches (since I wasn’t allowed to walk or stand too long), washed our dishes, and ran our laundry. All things I would normally be doing myself.
Plan Your Meals
We were already in a good groove with this after my gestational diabetes diagnosis. Grocery shopping was easier with a plan, and we were able to batch cook for a few days at a time. My mother-in-law did some of this cooking, but my husband was familiar with this cooking style, as well. The whole family was on the same page, which helped everything run smoothly.
An Unexpected Hospital Admission
In my 34th week of pregnancy, my high-risk obstetrician told me our fetus had something called Intrauterine Growth Restriction. This means that, at some point in the weeks prior, the baby’s growth slowed down and she wasn’t gaining weight at a healthy rate. Our baby was measuring very small, and with my new diagnosis of preeclampsia, this was concerning to my MFM doctor. My blood pressure had been measuring higher for the past few appointments, as well. These two problems combined posed a very serious risk that the pregnancy could fail and/or the baby could be born stillborn. I was sent straight to the hospital from my doctor’s office for blood pressure and continuous fetal monitoring.
Thankfully, after one night in observation at the hospital, my vitals were stable and my labs were normal. I was discharged the next day but given specific instructions on how to self-check my blood pressures at home. Do you know how difficult it is to be on bedrest and NOT become anxious, so as to not increase your blood pressure at the same time? Very difficult!
Almost Baby Time
After three weeks on bedrest and twice weekly medical appointments with my OBGYN and MFM, I had my final checkup at 35 weeks pregnant. Although our weekly ultrasounds showed the fetus was healthy and responsive, the IUGR was not improving and we decided to go ahead and schedule an induction the following week. It was nice to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. We knew when we would meet our baby, and that alone kept me sane. My third trimester of pregnancy was coming to an end.
An Eventful Third Trimester
Thanks for following along with me for my third trimester pregnancy recap. Did you have a similar experience in your pregnancy? Be sure to check back and read about my induction birth story on the blog. I’d also like to read your comments about gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, IUGR, or preterm labor. Please leave those below and let’s support each other!
