Welcome to your third trimester! Now that you’re counting the weeks (even days!) until the baby’s arrival it’s time to take care of a few things before that little one arrives.
Read below our suggestions for final preparations in your third trimester, and then use our Newborn Checklist to make sure you’ve got all the essentials on hand.
Make a birth plan
An important part of your preparation is making a birth plan with your midwife, obstetrician, doula or specialist doctor. The plan should describe your wishes for the labour, birth and any additional support you may require. A birth plan is also useful if your midwife can’t be with you during labour, as backup support will know what your wishes are.
Some things to consider when writing your plan:
Where you want to give birth – at home, in a birthing centre or in hospital
Who you want with you during the birth
How you would like to give birth
What pain relief you would like, if any
What you would like to do with the afterbirth/placenta
Postpartum care
Take a newborn care class
If you’re a first time parent, you may like to take a newborn care class to run through the basics of caring for you and baby. Such as How to Change a Diaper, swaddling, soothing and feeding.
Schedule maternity photos or art
While the end of your pregnancy might feel like a long time coming, the final trimester will sneak up on you. You may like to organise a creative way to document your final stages of pregnancy, such as a maternity or family photoshoot, getting a cast taken of your bump, or creating a keepsake. Find more inspiration on our Pinterest board.
Get comfortable
The third trimester of pregnancy can get pretty uncomfortable as your baby (and belly!) grows and as your body starts to prepare for childbirth. You may experience abdominal pain, lower back and hip pain, restless legs, even insomnia.
Quick tips to helping you get comfy:
Take a warm bath
Sit in chairs with good back support, or try an exercise ball
Get a prenatal massage
Try a body pillow for extra back, hip and tummy support at night
Read and print out our ultimate newborn checklist to make sure you’ve got all the essentials before the baby arrives.
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