Third Trimester: The Essential To-Do List

Cordlife India

Table of Contents

Hey moms-to-be! Congratulations! You have finally reached the last leg of your pregnancy – the third trimester.

By this time, you are both physically and emotionally stressed out. At the same time, you are extremely excited about your baby’s arrival. But, are you ready with the checklist both for you and your baby? If you have not, we have curated a third-trimester pregnancy to-do list to help you out. Check them out for yourself.

Do Some Stretching Exercise In Third Trimester

You have entered your pregnancy’s third trimester. Therefore, besides getting a big-size mummy tummy, your increased body weight will give you a lot of pain. In fact, back pain is a common pregnancy problem. Doing some stretching exercises can help. Stretching exercises can reduce pregnancy cramps, and they can surely improve your slumber.

Massage Your Baby Bump

Since your baby bump has grown by the third trimester, it is safe both for you and your partner to use some gentle strokes upon your tummy. Try to use various essential oils while massaging your bump to keep the third-trimester pregnancy symptoms – like your aches, irritation, and sleep disruption at bay. While massaging your belly, you will feel your little one kicking from inside your tummy in response.

Use Heating Pad or Hot Water Bag 

Besides exercising, and taking massages, you can keep heating pads and hot water bags handy to reduce some of your pregnancy–related pains and cramps. Just try not to use the heating pad or hot water bag directly on your belly, and you are good to go.

Pregnancy Inner Garments 

Your breasts are getting ready to breastfeed your baby, after birth. Using those pre-pregnancy inner garments would not be of much help for you. Spending a little on some quality, comfortable and breathable nursing bras will keep you comfortable and can give you the support you might need in the third trimester.

Pregnancy Support Belt

In case you need to stand or sit for a while during the third trimester of your pregnancy, this is an essential must-have. This keeps your belly, hips, and pelvis pain away.  Additionally, there are chances that at this stage of your pregnancy, the center of gravity changes. To keep your balance, you can use the support belt. Take your healthcare practitioner’s advise before you wear the belt.  He or she may recommend you not to use it for more than 2 to 3 hours a day.

Comfy Shoes

Just a little bit of walking and some mental activity such as solving puzzles can help ease the stress of getting close to this phase of your pregnancy and can work wonders for you. Those comfy slip-on shoes are a very good add-on to your third-trimester to-do and shopping list.

Pregnancy Pillow

Sleeping in the third trimester of your pregnancy seems to be a far-off dream for you. Along with this lying down on your back is a big no-no! The uterus is big in size and sleeping on the back might restrict the blood flow and which can be harmful to your little one. In this case, it is always better for you to get a pregnancy pillow so that, when you sleep, you sleep on your left side.

Compression Socks  

Well! Due to the soaring pregnancy hormones in the third trimester, increasing blood flow, and pressure on the uterus and bladder, swelling in the feet and legs is very common and disturbing for you. Wear these compression socks to keep the swelling reduced and to make you feel comfortable.

Keeping a Water Bottle Handy 

Water is important for your body. After all, water not just keeps you hydrated, but also produces more blood, builds new tissue, carries nutrients, helps you in your digestion, and removes waste products from your body. You can drink at least 8 to 12 glasses of water a day, or you can keep a water bottle handy. If you do not feel like drinking plain water, add some fruits like raspberries, limes, and lemons to your water. Consume more fruits and vegetables, which have more water in them3.

Antenatal Classes

Antenatal or prenatal classes are mainly pregnancy-friendly workshops. Therefore, as soon as you step into the third trimester of your pregnancy, you may either take up the sessions in and around your neighbourhood, or in the hospital near you (where you are about to deliver your baby). If the need arises, you can alternately attend the classes online. These classes are on prenatal and postnatal care, labour as well as the various types of delivery. The best part is, in these classes, you will get trained assistants who will teach you everything about pregnancy, and childbirth.

Hospital Bag 

The closer you get to your due date, the more you can’t wait to get ready to bring your little one into this world. After all, this is the stage when you might go into labour at any time. Keep your hospital bag ready with important documents, card or cash, phone, charger as well as the cord blood banking kit. Be prepared with everything to avoid the last-minute hassle.

Keep the Doctor’s Number Handy

By the time you enter the last stage of your pregnancy, you will be accompanied by various physical discomforts and third-trimester pregnancy symptoms. They are as follows:

In case you feel any of the above symptoms, always keep the phone number of your doctor handy. Also, don’t miss the doctor’s appointments.

Along with the list mentioned above, you must remain positive as well as happy to ensure that you give birth to a healthy baby.