3rd Trimester Preparations
Friday officially starts off my third trimester. Woohoo! There is something about the hiatus between your 2nd to 3rd trimesters. I have been so fatigued since Saturday. Crystal, who is a few days ahead of me in her pregnancy, blogged about how worn out she was a few days ago. Her post can be seen here. From doing a little research, it looks like it is quite normal to be totally fatigued at this time. I think the baby is growing so exponentially at this time, that the baby needs a lot of Mama's energy in order to grow properly. It is ironic too, since I have noticed that my sweet baby's movements have become so much stronger since Saturday. Now it feels like the baby is substantially larger, which is always reassuring and a joy to think about. Today, I was so worn out, that I started dosing off 2-3 times! I was never able to nap, though, because of active littles. I am excited because our Bradley classes start on Saturday! They begin rather early, so we have to make sure we get our littles up bright and early to take to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I am excited about learning more about how to relax as much as possible during labor. I am very excited because we got a really great book by Dr. Sears, The Birth Book, for only a few dollars at Amazon. I perused the pregnancy book by Dr. Sears at a book store, and he has tremendous tips for postitioning oneself during labor. I cannot wait to meet this precious little one. It is amazing to think that this precious babe has spent every moment with me for the past 6 months, and yet I have never truly seen him/her. It is always thrilling to imagine the amazing moment when I can behold my precious infant for the first time. No matter how many children one is blessed with, it is always such a miracle!
Things I need to do Daily in this last trimester to Better Prepare for Birth:
* Drink 1-2 cups Red Raspberry Leaf Tea (Have any of you used this in preparation for labor? I did with my second pregnancy and it helped me in so many ways. I simply cannot do without my tea! It really tones the uterus.)
* Take a daily walk.
*Do pre-natal exercises daily. (Especially kegels) (I am hoping to learn some great ones through the Bradley class. What exercises were helpful to you?)
*Practice Relaxation Methods.
I would love to hear from all of you experienced mamas, what helped best in preparing for your childrens' births. Have any of you used herbs in the last five weeks of pregnancy, which are specifically for preparing for childbirth? I am interested in the Polly Jean Formula or Shonda Parker's 5-W. I am a little bit nervous about those products, but I would love to hear from anyone who has used/ is familiar with them. Blessings to you!
Pretty in Pink by Judy Koenig available from www.art.com
4 Comments:
Hi Christine,
Me again! I just read your most recent post, I have used the Bradley method for all six of my previous deliveries. I had my last baby at home with very little pain, this next baby I plan to have at home.
I haven't used any of these formulas that you have mentioned, but I have noticed a decrease with pain using a pregnancy tea. You drink this in the last 3-4 weeks. Traditional Medicinals (Herbs?) makes this tea or you can take 2 of each of these tea bags to make 2 quarts: red raspberry leaf, alfalfa leaf, stinging nettle, peppermint (for flavor) sweeten with sugar, honey or stevia. I leave the tea bags in until I drink all the tea (I refrigerate the tea). You must remember, though, to use this in your last 3-4 weeks of pregnancy. Also taking evening primrose oil the last 4 weeks of pregnancy helps to prepare you for labor.
Also a "green drink" is important to use in the last trimester of pregnancy. I used it with my last baby and had no bleeding until after she was born & the placenta was delivered. This had never happened before.
Anyway, I hope this information was helpful. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me!
Blessings!
Heather
Christine, I so enjoy reading about your pregnancy! Makes me wish that I was carrying a little one! Sniff, sniff. I've used the Bradley method for all of my childbirths. I think it's a great way to go! This last pregnancy, I took the Polly Jean Formula. For me, it didn't seem to have much of an effect for the actual labor & birth. However, my afterbirth pains decreased dramatically compaired to my births! Hope this helps.
Hi Heather,
Thank you for all of your recommendations. I was using Traditional Medicinals Pregnancy tea for the first few months of pregnancy. I read that it is wise to switch to Red Raspberry Leaf tea for the last trimester.Should I be taking the Pregnancy tea, still? How much Evening Primrose oil do you recommend, daily? Is the green drink you are referring to, similar to what Serene talks about in Above Rubies? Thank you so much for all of your recommendations.Blessings!
Dear Laura,
Thank you for your encouragement about the Bradley method. I am really hoping that I can learn to relax while in pain. I usually get so scared once labor starts, and the pain seems so overwhelming. Thank you for your review of the Polly Jean formula. I have read that there may be heart problems related to it (for the baby) so I am kind of scared of taking it. I am glad that it helped you with the afterbirth pains. Those are downright terrible, after your first little one. I had heard it would be worse with my second one, but I had never expected it to be that bad. Stevie was in NICU (even though he was full term) and I could only rarely nurse him. So when I did, the afterbirth pains were really strong. I can see why some ladies prefer labor to those pains! Blessings to you!
Congratulations on your third trimester :). I know that that is an exciting milestone :). I didn't experience afterpains with my first or my second so I was really taken by surprise after my third. I truly did "dread", for lack of a better word, the after pains more than the labor with my fourth (and my last so far). Also, the last month of my last pregnancy I had start and stop labor continually, it was very emotionally and physicaly draining. I did some research and started taking extra calcium and magnesium and also Red Rasberry Leaf tea supplement. Within just a couple of days the start and stop labor become much less eratic and after the labor the pains were still there but very, very manageable (I continued taking the supplements for a few weeks after labor)! I was in shock that it could have improved so much since I had only been taking them for several days, not months like I found
I should have.
I have Dr. Sears' Birth Book as well, I love it :). I guess I don't have too much advice for you :(. I'm kind of new to all of the vitamin/mineral balances and such. You've been so diligent in it though that I'm sure you will reap great dividends if my few days of supplementation helped me so drastically. Happy third trimester :)!
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