31 weeks
Sometime right around 30 weeks, I turned to the Viking and said something like “I’ve officially reached the uncomfortable stage.” My hips hurt, I was so tired all the time, and the baby was big enough to kick really hard. We were rapidly running out of room in my body for his shenanigans and I wasn’t sleeping. Apparently night time was baby party time, and getting comfortable was impossible anyway. I think my husband and I took turns sleeping on the couch 3-4 nights a week, and I peed on average 4-5 times a night. Those people who say “Sleep before the baby comes,” have forgotten what its like to be in your third trimester of pregnancy, or they are delusional. Either way, I wanted to throat punch them so hard.
We also took three out-of-state trips during my third trimester, and the amount of stress in our lives for reasons both outside our control, and having nothing to do with having a baby were staggering. I started to clean. A lot. Some people call this nesting, but as I was deep cleaning my kitchen I realized that cleaning is something I do when I feel out of control — pregnant or not pregnant. Maybe the nesting instinct in me had more to do with the need to feel in control of SOMETHING in my life, when I had no control over my external circumstances or my own body anymore. All the cleaning wasn’t about making sure everything was ready and perfect for the baby, it was so much more about me and my need to feel like I was accomplishing something and I had control over something. My husband might be losing his job, and I may not have any bladder control, but at least my house is clean!
I realized then that the third trimester of pregnancy exists to bring you to a place where you are willing to get the baby out by ANY MEANS NECESSARY. During the first two trimesters, I worried a lot about giving birth. The pain and discomfort, the hospital stay and the destruction of my vagina. But by the end of the third trimester, I was willing to undergo any amount of vaginal tearing if it meant getting that child out of me. I was no longer afraid — in fact, I was looking forward to giving birth. God bless.
