What to Expect and my Pregnancy Calendar app let me know that our third trimester included weeks 27 to 40. In a twin pregnancy, 37 weeks is considered full-term and we managed to make it to 38 weeks with our babes cooking inside of me.
Here are recaps from the first trimester and the second trimester.
Here are some highlights from our third trimester.
Baby Positions
To attempt a vaginal birth, the presenting twin (the one closest to my cervix) would need to be head down. In our case, this was our little girl or Baby A. One of the daily exercises I’d do was a wide-legged, forward fold to open up the pelvis. One one of our earlier ultrasound she was footling breech but then finally flipped head down (or vertex). I was determined to keep her that way for the remainder of the pregnancy.
Belly Support
Around week 27 the belly really started getting heavy. I ended up investing in a belly band but we found some ingenious ways of using the baby wrap to hold the belly up in the meantime.
This Veolma belly band was the perfect purchase. I would wear it on the outside of my clothes as it was a bit scratchy. It also doubles as waist support post-pregnancy so I can wear it to help strengthen my core after the babes arrive.
The Nursery
We finished up the nursery! I’ll do a full nursery reveal post but here is a sneak peek of some of the crib set up.
Freezer Meal Prep
One of my favourite food bloggers, Unbound Wellness just had a baby and was sharing some of her freezer meal-prep that she did before the babe arrived.
I made the Sweet Potato Breakfast Sausages, Chicken Marsala, Beef Stew, Mongolian Beef, and Chicken Teriyaki. We have Mike’s parents coming to visit once the babes are born and Mike’s Dad loves to cook so we’ll save these meals for after they leave.
In addition, I also made 2 batches of Lactation Cookies to have on hand once the babes arrived.
Maternity Clothes
Last but not least, I’ve talked about my rental clothes through the Sprout Collection. As the belly grew nothing in my closet fit so I relied heavily on the outfits to keep me well dressed for work. Here are my 3 favourite dresses that I got throughout the third trimester.
Maternity Photoshoot
My favourite highlight of the trimester was 2 maternity shoots we did. I hired Island Moments Photography a mother/daughter duo for their Belly & Baby package. We drove to Parksville (about 30 mins from Port Alberni) for the shoot on the ocean and they did not disappoint. They are simply the most loveliest humans I’ve ever met and genuinely gave the best compliments and made me feel like a goddess.
On the day of the shoot I was a bit exhausted. I had driven into Nanaimo first thing in the morning to meet my Nanaimo Doula for the first time, then an appointment with my OB and then to the hospital for my first Non-Stress Test (NST). From there I drove back to Port Alberni for a video shoot at the airport for work and then headed home for a quick nap before doing hair and makeup and driving out to Parksville for the shoot. At the end of the shoot, the ladies asked if I wanted to get a little nekkid, for some tasteful belly shots and I wasn’t feeling the sexiest so I said “not tonight”. Mike could tell I really wanted to so he offered for us to do our own shoot with our good camera at home. I messaged the ladies later that night thanking them and saying I wish I had been feeling up to it so they offered another date for us to come back. We started with a black shawl and a black hat by West Von and then dropped everything for naked shots. I’m so glad I did this shoot so I can look back on the shots and admire my body for what it was able to do.
Next Up! The Birth!