Here is a look back on the third trimester of my pregnancy now that Elsie is here with us.

Avid readers will know that we let the cat out of the bag after our 28 week scan that our first baby was due in July.

For me the first trimester wasn’t exactly plain sailing and you can have a look back at the highs and lows here.

Things were better in the second trimester which you can catch up with here.

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The third trimester

Home visits

We had two home visits during my third trimester. The first was from our health visitor so she could introduce herself to us before Elsie arrived.

Our health visitor is really nice and friendly. I have heard a few negative stories but we’ve had nothing but a positive experience with ours.

Heidi came to our house at a set appointment time and was really friendly.

She explained more about the health visiting team, the importance of the red book which I would receive at hospital and when the first visit once we were home would be.

This was all arranged for me so I didn’t have to worry about sorting it out while getting to grips with a newborn.

She also had a look at where Elsie would be sleeping when she came home and a quick look in her nursery and that was it.

It was very relaxed and she was happy to answer any questions we had. She gave me her mobile number which I have used a couple of times – to ask about cream for Elsie’s dry skin and some weaning advice.

The second visit was from the midwife we saw the most at my antenatal appointments. We went through my birth plan, discussed pain management, she asked if we wanted a tour of the maternity unit at hospital which we declined, I did the online virtual tour and felt happy enough with that.

She also told us important information about which entrance to enter as it changes after a particular time, parking and parking charges which was really helpful.

She also checked where Elsie would be sleeping and if we were confident about safe sleeping and signposted us to the Lullaby Trust for more information.

It wasn’t a very long visit but was useful.

She also explained that we would get a visit from the midwifery team once we were discharged from hospital and how the discharge from their team works which was really useful. Again this wasn’t something I hard to organise it was all done for us.

Mothercare parenting event

It is such a shame that Mothercare has now closed as I found the Mothercare parenting event so helpful. Mama’s and Papa’s do expecting parenting events and personal shopping appointments which I would really recommend.

Trying out prams in real life, looking at bedside cribs and car seats and discussing with trained advisers is so important for first time parents. They are the experts and can answer any of your questions. There’s no obligation to buy either. You can’t get that by shopping online.

Restless leg syndrome

Restless leg syndrome plagued my third trimester right until I gave birth! My midwife and the friendly team running the antenatal classes did give me some tips to help.

Babymoon in York

For our last holiday just as a couple Steve and I had our babymoon mini break in York. The weather was rubbish unfortunately but we still had a lovely time.

It was really nice just to have time as a couple and made us even more excited for Elsie’s arrival and becoming a family of three.

Carpel tunnel

As with restless leg syndrome carpet tunnel was an issue for me right until I went into labour. As soon as Elsie was born my wrists and hands stopped hurting and thankfully it hasn’t come back.

Surprise Baby Shower

My mam and friends threw me a surprise baby shower which was so lovely.

There was a beautiful cake, bunting, presents and friends and family. We enjoyed a delicious Afternoon Tea and both Elsie and I were really well and truly spoilt

Antenatal classes

For one reason or another we didn’t have our antenatal classes until a few days before Elsie was actually born – at least everything we were told was fresh in our memories.

We both really enjoyed the full day of classes and learnt a lot so I would highly recommend you attend classes in your area – it’s a great opportunity to meet other parents and ask any questions you might have and you will learn something I am sure of it.

Packing the hospital bag

I packed my hospital bag gradually. After my Maternity VIP Experience at my local JoJo Maman Bébé I felt really organised and prepared and really ready to make a start on packing my hospital bags.

I had a bag for me, one for Elsie and a bag of snacks for Steve and I. I’ll go in more detail about what we packed and why in an upcoming blog post.

Deciding to get induced

After conversations with my midwife and consultant and Steve too we decided to get induced. I was quite anxious about going into labour while Steve was at work and worried about getting to hospital.

Getting a date for induction and a rough idea of when Elsie would arrive made me feel a bit more in control. It also made it easier for Steve’s family to arrange time off and somewhere to stay to come and visit us.

Our induction date was Wednesday 10 July and Elsie was born the following day and we had visitors the next day so we could have time just us three. I will talk in more detail about the induction and my labour in an upcoming blog post.

Sweeps

To prepare for the induction my midwife booked me in for a couple of sweeps to see how my cervix was getting on and to see if we could start off my labour more naturally. They weren’t too bad – just a little more uncomfortable than having a smear test.

I didn’t go into labour naturally but I do think having the sweeps helped me to progress into the stages of labour a bit better than if I hadn’t had them.

Maternity leave

I started my maternity leave on 1 July and I officially went back to work on Monday 4 May so I had a good 10 months off but honestly it just flew over.

It was such a shame the latter part of my maternity leave wasn’t how I envisaged because of lockdown and covid-19 but I still made the most of the time I had off with Elsie. I’ve shared my reflections with a look back on my maternity leave post.

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Make sure you keep up to date with my pregnancy diaries series where I discuss the ups and downs of my pregnancy.

Have you got any parenting pearls of wisdom? Let me know in the comments below.

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Other related posts

Here’s how I got on modelling maternity sportswear

I had a fantastic Maternity VIP Experience with JoJo Maman Bébé 

Here’s some tips to turn your spare room into a nursery

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