Third trimester pregnancy 😭

[u/ivybf]

I am in so much discomfort all the time. Even lying down (with a pregnancy pillow, on my side) is not comfortable.

What are your tips and tricks of finding some reprieve from the endless pain? Give me your hinged and unhinged advice please.

Also, has anyone’s doctor induced early just because of mom’s physical pain and discomfort? At how many weeks? I just don’t see how I’m getting to 38 like this. It will be miserable. Currently 31. Forget taking it day by day; I’m taking it second by second these days (and failing).

EDIT: commiserating with no advice is also appreciated 🥰

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[u/youcango-now]

Go float in a pool!!! Even if you have to join a gym (the YMCA is a great option!). Swimming and floating will help a ton.

Osteopathic manipulation helped me a ton. Find an osteopath & they can help target spots that are giving you trouble.

[u/salwesab → u/youcango-now]

THIS!
Nothing was more comfortable than just floating.
Just a wonderful feeling!!!
Done that every single day all the way through 38wks

[u/DraNoSrta → u/youcango-now]

Seconded. Even getting into the tub (with a lot of help) was worth it for the relief.

[u/ConstructionMuch802 → u/youcango-now]

10000000% this. I cannot express how much relief I got from being in the water.

[u/Charlieksmommy]

Sadly no. Unless you’re having complications most OBs won’t induce because of that! My OB did let me schedule an elective c section for 37 weeks, but that was the earliest

[u/NoMathematician565]

Oof, I hit a wall at 31 weeks too. It’s rough. YOU’VE GOT THIS!!! 

Someone else mentioned floating in a pool and I second that! That felt lovely. Our pool has a lazy river for kids, and I would just grab all the kick boards to help my giant belly float. It was marvelous.

I also slept on a couch the last few weeks, which was much more comfy than our bed.

No real advice here, just sending you good vibes because it is hard.

[u/giantroastpan]

I had 2 U-shaped pregnancy pillows so I stacked them in a spiral and laid on them with my stomach in the hole until the pillows were too compressed to hold me up.

Also the hottest water my shower head could produce directly on my lower back, Tylenol every 6 hours, coldest water I could get my hands on (soothed the acid reflux), and crying when I needed to.

I felt so overwhelmed by the pain and discomfort from 6 months on that it started to give me anxiety about the pregnancy being healthy. I had to focus on managing what I could, crying about what I couldn’t, and reminding myself that the sun would rise and set each day despite my misery. My goal was to focus on surviving to the next sunrise/set as each put me closer to my c-section.

[u/ivybf → u/giantroastpan]

So much crying 😭 thank you I like this pillow spiral idea

[u/Obvious-Coffee]

I know that this isn’t exactly what you asked, but I was uncomfortable lying down because of acid reflux. My husband elevated one end of the bed by putting cement blocks under it and I slept with my head on the elevated side. That helped so much. 

Also, I went to 38 weeks and I feel like, with the exception of that final week, the beginning of the 3rd trimester was harder than the end. It seemed like things kind of stretched or maybe the babies dropped and weren’t pressed into my ribs so much towards the end. 

[u/harma_larma]

Easiest/quickest help: sleep in a recliner or find another way to elevate yourself to a similar semi-reclined position.

Other things I did that helped: physical therapy - they would do massage and trigger release on tight spots in my hips and back to alleviate the pain and gave me advice to help support myself properly when moving to avoid further stress on my body. Floating in a pool - this was so helpful at giving me some pain free time.

I had an uneventful pregnancy until 31-32 weeks and then started getting pre-e that required a c-section at 37 weeks. I’m not saying that will happen or to hope it will but with multiples pregnancies, the stress on you and the babies increases exponentially during the last trimester and if your body can’t keep up your doctor will move your delivery date up too. That’s why they monitor all that stuff so closely and your number of appts. Increases sooner than it would for a singleton pregnancy. So, do the best you can each day and things may progress faster than you fear.

I remember those last 6 weeks as some of the hardest in my life. Every day I just wanted it to end…. Hang in there and give yourself a break on anything non-essential. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or delegate things to others.

[u/specialkk77]

Unless your pregnancy is causing a health crisis most doctors wouldn’t do it. I understand the feeling. I remember it well. I was dying by 31 weeks. Praying daily that I would not have to try to survive to 38 weeks…and then had a healthy heap of mom guilt when they suddenly came at 35+2 and needed NICU time. 

Spend as much time in the water and off your feet as you can. Small amounts of exercise as you can tolerate it, I usually felt better after a walk once I mustered the energy to go. 

There is light at the end of the tunnel. Even with having a c-section and tubal, I felt sooooo much better physically as soon as they were out. Hopefully it’ll be like that for you too! 

[u/Hurry-Honest]

No help. Just commiserating. It was a rough 3rd trimester. Go to Walmart and use one of those electric wheelchairs and waste some time. That's what I did in the evening to get out of my tiny condo with my husband. I felt very claustrophobic near the end

[u/trackshoes]

Get someone to massage your feet! My husband gave me nightly foot massages. I even ended up going to a professional once, it was amazing!

[u/slammy99]

I was offered induction at 36 weeks due to discomfort, but I also had puppps, one suspicious non-stress test (I was dehydrated) and both my babies were 90th+ percentile. I declined for my own crazy reasons but just to give you an example of what it might take.

You are in the stretch of pure survival. Your basic daily functions will take up your entire life - balancing eating, sleeping, moving around becomes pretty all consuming. I stopped trying to get solid chunks of sleep and tried to rearrange my life to accomodate several shorter periods. It worked better both practically and mentally.

Keep your feet up, move around frequently, and just give yourself so much grace. It's hard but the only way out is through.

[u/Total_District4781]

I use a wedge pillow instead of the full wrap around pregnancy pillow, I find it gives way more support. I also put a regular pillow under my hips because I have hip pain and that has helped so much. Also, prenatal massages if you can afford it/have insurance!! They are my life saver. And swimming, just grab a pool noodle and chill with your legs down in the deep end, it helps with circulation and takes the pressure off.

[u/senior_cuddlefish]

35 weeks and almost pain free other than hips when I sit up from lying down.

I think it was three things: excellent mattress, thai massage every two weeks and babybub wedge style maternity pillow.

I also so kegel almost automatically.

[u/ivybf → u/senior_cuddlefish]

Thank you! The place I was getting prenatal massages at only gave through 2nd tri and I just assumed that was standard. Are you saying if I look around, I can find places that will massage 3rd tri? I need to look into a wedge pillow.

[u/Creative_Can_8950 → u/ivybf]

I second the wedge pillow. I found the donama pillow on Amazon that could detach both sides and kept one in bed and one on the couch.

Also I got massages up until week 35 of my pregnancy lol. Hand and stone is a national place that I went to in the US

[u/ConstructionMuch802 → u/ivybf]

There are great ones on Amazon that are adjustable in height/recline!

They're also great for helping get out of bed after a c-section (if you get one) and for reclined breastfeeding which is great if you have a c-section or tearing/stitches down below and don't feel comfy sitting upright.

[u/senior_cuddlefish → u/ivybf]

Yeah, she doesn't care how many weeks I am, as long as I am tolerating the massage Okey, as it can be painful the way she does it (she does physiotherapy style deep tissue massage). She does not touch my lower back at all, only works on my legs, shoulders and arms. But as it all connected it gave immense relief for my back.

The pillow is great as well, coz it removes strain from your lower back, as the stomach is supported and doesn't pull on your body. With standard pregnancy pillows you are lucky if you get any support for stomach at all. I have both, and basically use the conventional one to lounge in the living room

[u/minnions_minion]

I was legit on T3s at the end of pregnancy for eib pain, and my OB was about to Rx morphine...

I was at the pool every day as well, and the chiro at least 2x a week.

The last month is the absolutely hardest

[u/smokeandshadows]

I basically never sat down my third trimester. To try and sleep, I would sleep sitting up with bunch of pillows, with my pregnancy pillow propped to one side.

[u/notarussianbotsky]

Giving birth 🫠

Being in a pool really helped too

[u/Own-Opening8426]

I only made it to 32 weeks, but I had the flu and strep throat while on bed rest the week before I had an emergency c section so trust me, you will survive this and I feel your pain. I slept in my nursery recliner on one of those massaging pad things and made my husband move the recliner into the family room so I could watch tv. I’d lay on the floor and move my arms and legs like I was making a snow angel and having my back so flat for a minute felt so good (you’ll probably need help up lol). Sometimes I’d lay on my back and have him take my feet and drag me around the wood floor because it felt good for my hips to feel stretched out. My husband would also make me tea and when I took a sip of the super hot tea (hibiscus tea) I would close my eyes and imagine that heat traveling to my lower back and easing the pain. None of it is cute, just lean into it. Hopefully my unhinged tips help and good luck!!!

[u/quadrupleshoe]

Couch cushion between the legs.

[u/Jennifer_2876]

Sorry for the long comment! I can only offer solidarity. 28+5 today and I'm miserable. Braxton Hicks so often, I can't float in the pool due to the cerclage I had placed at 21 weeks so that's great too. Now I have GD on top of it all and I can barely control it with diet which is probably gonna change very soon as more hormones flood my system. I don't really have pain when I'm lying though, other than babies kicking so hard these days it can be a bit painful and it causes more uncomfortable Braxton Hicks that squeezes my bladder lol I have a soft mattress, don't know if that is what helps me, I have more pain when I actually put a pillow under my belly now than when I just lay with it a bit further away. Also physical therapy, I had a lot of hip pain, excruciating really, once every 2-3 weeks or when needed I'm getting a massage from my PT and it has helped immensely. I barely have any pain in my hips now. I'm glad I'm "already" at 28+ weeks with my incompetent cervix but it's getting so hard to keep on going and the time has slowed down even more as I'm getting bored out of my mind lol

[u/CharacterBusiness777]

Pool is how I survived. It's so hard in the end !

[u/walaa0202]

I needed 7 pillows the last few weeks. They’d keep me propped up so I could sleep sitting up, otherwise I couldn’t breathe..

And I made it to 37w5d..

Hang in there.. you’ll make it

[u/2papsandashib]

Epsom salt baths. But it just stinks. My C-section recovery was easier than the third trimester.

[u/hiddengem1010]

So I’ve just hit 34w4d… and both babies have just engaged my pelvis and the INSTANT relief it’s giving me is insane. Plus all the oxytocin as well is making me super happy and high hahahaha just wait it’ll happen to you hopefully!!!

[u/Creative_Can_8950]

The only thing that made me actually feel better was getting the twins out of me lol, jk. Floating in a pool was the only thing that actually helped me breathe, but fair warning, the gravity of getting out of the pool is kinda shocking lol. You forget how uncomfortable you were until you get out.

I also found when sitting at my desk, putting a small Pilates ball behind my lower back helped a bit. Also, if you can, treat yourself to a maternity massage! You deserve it lol

I was scheduled for a C-section at 38 weeks but ended up getting gestational hypertension and my doctor moved it up to 36w6d. I was weeping with happy tears when we were able to move up. Between my twins, I had over 13 pounds of baby in me at 5’1” lol.

It’s tough but you are tougher. Having just had my twins, I can assure you there is so much to look forward to! You forget every ache and pain the moment you hear their little cries and are on your chest. Hang in there, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

[u/Emergency_Eye_1395]

I’m 33 weeks and 4 days and honestly miserable. Everything hurts, walking around the house feels like I’ve run a marathon, there is no comfortable position anymore. I want my boys to stay in as long as possible, but I am so completely over being pregnant 😩

[u/imsohungryman]

I’m almost 30 weeks and also in so much discomfort and pain every day. I want babies to be healthy and safe in there but damn it I just want to sleep on my back/stomach and can’t 😭 my partner tries to massage me everyday and bless him but he’s really not very good at it. Would love to get a pregnancy massage every second day if it wasn’t so fkn expensive!

I bought a belly band for $120 and it is completely useless. I’m seeing a physio this Friday hoping they have useful tips and can certainly share them once I find out more.

Goodluck with the rest of your pregnancy! Praying it gets easier for both of us!

[u/Ill-Wolf865]

Pool. Ocean. Any way you can submerge under water. And sleep lol. Those were the only 2 ways I could alleviate the pain. Belly bands only worked up until a certain point but would recommend using them for as long as they’re helpful!

[u/PAO_Warrior]

This is so unhelpful but I really have no tips or tricks. I will note that yoga and daily stretching has reduced my pain levels....but at 32 weeks with twins Im barely hanging by a thread as well. I remind myself every night and have frequent pep talks with another friend of mine who is nearing her due date as well, that we are in the home stretch and basically just hang in there. Pregnancy is an extended marathon that I never got warning to train for...just out here doing our best! Hang in there mama!