Third Trimester Exercise and Hacks!
Third Trimester Hacks
I’m Sarah from Expecting and Empowered, and I’m 37 weeks pregnant with my second baby! We thought this would be the perfect time to give a little first-hand insight into 3rd trimester life. The third trimester can be a tough time. It is so sweet to feel that baby literally come to life! It can, however, be incredibly uncomfortable. We hope this information will keep you healthy, happy, and able to move as comfortably as possible until your baby arrives!
Working Out in the Third Trimester
A quick google search will often make the pregnant person feel like all she is able to do in the third trimester is walk, swim, and eat snacks on the couch. At E&E, we feel incredibly passionate about helping women to stay active and strong through pregnancy.
It’s no secret your abdominal wall is incredibly stretched out at this point. Muscles are usually happiest and contract the strongest when they are NOT completely stretched out to their limits. Especially if you are deep in the third trimester, you may feel like your core is hanging on by a thread. These muscles are hard at work for you, but you can help yourself out by putting your body in the best position.
Core Strengthening
This is the appearance that you would like to AVOID. Often this will happen with lifting overhead, pull-ups, kettlebell swings, abodominal exercises that are too challenging, leaning back with a kiddo in your arms, etc. I am leaning back here QUITE a bit with no attempt at stabilizing through my core. You can see how my abdominal contents have quite visibly created a rather large CONE. THIS Is what we are talking about when we talk about coning/doming of the abdomen. My connective tissue is THIN but it it is still there. I have abdominal separation (as the vast majority of women do at this point) but I am putting quite a bit of UNNECESSARY stress on it in this picture. Any activity that makes your belly look like this should be modified immediately, keep reading!
This is me leaning back while making sure I engage my transverse abdominis and keeping my rib cage connected to my pubic bone as much as possible. Notice how my belly is still there, however, you do not see nearly as dramatic of a point in the belly— my abdominals are hugging my babe and I am significantly decreasing the stress through my poor, poor, abdominals. Same activity as in the 1st picture (leaning back), but with better stabilization. This is what you want to think about when you are doing any kind of weight-lifting— creating the best stability possible from the inside out.
Fix your transverse abdominis activation and your posture and you’ll SIGNIFICANTLY decrease the drama with your abdominals postpartum.
Upper Body Strengthening
This is the appearance you’d like to AVOID. My rib cage is flared (the bottom of my ribs are pointing up toward the ceiling, LOTS of daylight between my bra strap and the wall), my shoulders are rounded, and my head is forward. If I do my resistance band pull-apart or rows in this position, my core is not engaged and instead of strengthening my upper back I’m straining my neck and shoulders.
This is what the initiation of a pull-apart should look like. I have pulled the bottom of my rib cage down (note the decreased amount of daylight visible between my spine and the wall), I’ve engaged my transverse abdominis by “zipping” up my abs from the pubic bone up and I am very consciously pulling my shoulders “back and down” so they are centered. And my head is stacked over my body. When I pull the band here, I actually feel the muscles engaging between the shoulder blades.
Exercising While Laying On Your Side:
Laying on your side can be uncomfortable in this stage. I feel some pubic symphysis pain if I lay on my side without anything between the knees. A yoga block can be a very simple prop that can help you be able to lay on your side for shoulder strengthening, and you can also use it during leg lifts as well (you’ll just have to hang onto it with a hand).
Squatting:
Hopefully you’ve been a faithful follower of the guides and have been faithful about doing your calf stretches. Limited ankle flexion is one of the main reasons people have trouble with their squats. Using a blanket under the heels is a great way that you can really open up your body to deep squatting, it helps you to adjust for lack of calf flexibility and/or ankle mobility issues.
If you feel a lot of pressure/discomfort with deep squatting, you can also hang onto sturdy door handles or a doorframe for support. This takes some of the balance and mobility out of the equation so you can focus on the benefits of the squat to your pelvic floor relaxation and lower body strength/mobility.
Pregnancy Cardio:
Walking is recommended, very few women (if any) should probably be running at this point. Do what feels good in your body. If walking feels horrible, slow it down and take some pauses to breathe deep, relax your belly and pelvic floor. If you can’t shake the heavy feelings, do yourself a favor and keep your walks relatively short. It matters how you feel during, immediately after, and the next day.
If you’re looking for more, here’s a link to some at-home cardio you can do without the gym
More info regarding 3rd trimester workouts from a friend of E&E Kate Lemere
We’ve spend a lot of our careers treating women in pregnancy. Here’s some additional information that may prove useful:
Avoiding Constipation:
Gang’s all here! This is how I’ve personally kept my system happy in pregnancy.
prenatal vitamin (folic acid and iron should generally be included, talk to your doc if you have more individual needs or have sensitivities)
WATER— hydration is important for you, your baby, your bladder, your ability to poop. 1/2 your body weight in ounces is a great starting point for daily intake
Stool softener and soluble fiber (talk to your doc if you have concerns). I use cheap, generic versions
Insoluble fiber: raw veggies, raw fruits, prunes
Squatty Potty- getting your feet propped up when you’re sitting on the toilet gives the poo a straight-shot out of your body. I literally don’t know how this isn’t in every home in America—it’ll change your life
Heartburn medication (chocolate is my favorite and also gives me raging heartburn. Check with your provider for pregnancy-safe options, they exist)
BONUS
Neti Pot (anybody else have horrible pregnancy rhinitis/chronic congestion??, this little guy is worth his weight in gold)
Third Trimester Sleeping Positions:
Laying on your left side is often what is recommended. There are SO many pregnancy/body pillows on the market. For both of my pregnancies, I’ve found it much easier to just use normal pillows and adjust as needed. Note the two pillows between the knees pulled all the way up to the crotch, one in front, one in back of me if I’ve been rolling onto my back in my sleep.
To be honest this is how I sleep pregnant or not…
Avoiding Urinary Issues in the Third Trimester:
We’ve done a lot of content about this previously (link). Increased fluid volume and baby’s pressure on the bladder are both contributors to having to pee frequently and urgently in pregnancy. Anything except for plain water has potential to irritate your bladder, so if you have issues its smart to clean up your act in terms of what you are drinking. Don’t drink a bunch of water right before bed either— you’re likely getting up at night as it is (ONCE), don’t make life harder on yourself by loading up on fluids right before bed.
Hopefully few people need this, but just in case: Addressing annoying swelling (linked)
Preparing Your Pelvic Floor for Birth in the Third Trimester:
Perineal massage has been shown to decrease tearing during vaginal births
Pelvic floor “bulging” is a relaxation beyond what normal resting position. Resting tone is the low-level of tension any muscle holds when it is relaxed. Your pelvic floor is always “on” to some extent, but you should not be actively contracting it at all times.
To review:
contraction= lift and tighten
relaxation= let the pelvic floor come back down to resting position
bulge= pelvic floor gently lengthens and descends down further than where it typically rests
Bulging is what the pelvic floor should be doing ideally to help with emptying during pooping and during childbirth. For people who have had very tight pelvic floors for a long time may need to incorporate this into their daily habits to reset their pelvic floor.
Prepping your hospital bag:
Often-forgotten items include music speaker, PJs, bathrobe, toiletries. There are a million lists out there to help with this.
Postpartum must-haves courtesy of Amy and Krystle
Ordering your breast pump
Its often covered through your medical insurance. Don’t bother bringing it with you to the hospital (they have ones there) but its nice to have it at the ready if you’re going to use one at all.
Links to info regarding labor and delivery:
Preparing for Labor and Delivery
Labor and birth positioning help for mamas in pain
Don’t forget your Postpartum Guide!!!!!
Need more help?