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#43 The Final Stretch: Third Trimester Symptoms, Energy Shifts & How Your Body Prepares for Labour (Pregnancy 101: A mini series)
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The Bean Talk - Episode 43: The Final Stretch: Third Trimester Symptoms, Energy Shifts & How Your Body Prepares for Labour (Pregnancy 101: A mini series)
In this episode, Riannon and Jeremy walk you through the final trimester of pregnancy and what’s really happening in your body as you prepare for birth. From shifting energy levels and common third trimester symptoms to the physical and emotional changes leading into labour, this episode is designed to help you feel informed, supported, and confident in the final stretch.
They explore how your baby grows and prepares for life outside the womb, why fatigue often returns, how your body begins rehearsing for labour, and why rest, gentle movement, and nervous system support matter more than ever in these final weeks.
In this episode, we cover:
- Third trimester symptoms and body changes
- Energy shifts and fatigue in late pregnancy
- Braxton Hicks contractions and what they mean
- Shortness of breath, swelling, and pelvic pressure
- How your body prepares for labour and birth
- Mental and emotional preparation for labour
- Gentle movement and exercise in the third trimester
- Supporting your body for postpartum recovery
If you’re approaching the end of pregnancy and wondering what’s normal, what’s important, and how to best support yourself and your baby, this episode is for you.
Connect with us on Instagram or TikTok @mungbean_health or visit mungbeanhealth.com for expert support.
The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before starting, changing, or stopping any supplements, medications, or health protocols to ensure they are appropriate for your individual needs.
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Transcript
Introduction and Technical Difficulties
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to The Bean Talk with me, Rhiannon, your fertility fairy godmother, joined by my trusted partner in life and in the mission of Mungbean Health, Jeremy. Here at Mungbean Health, we're on a mission to unlock the secrets of fertility and natural wellbeing one episode at time.
00:00:19
Speaker
Hi guys, I just wanted to jump in and say i'm sorry for the sound quality on this episode. Unfortunately, we had some serious technical difficulties when trying to record, but we didn't want this episode to go to waste. We hope you love it and know that we'll be back to our better sound from next episode.
00:00:37
Speaker
Bye.
Family Life and Digital Organization
00:00:38
Speaker
We're here talking about the final stretch, which is crazy, the third trimester. Now, before we get into that, let's talk about a little bean, big bean. so actually guess i'm gonna go okay let's go a little bean first all i won't get ahead of myself go big bean next but little bean getting ourselves into a better routine becoming school parents yeah isn't that crazy i can't believe we are sending our elders to school this year which is just crazy very exciting for her she's a little bit nervous
00:01:11
Speaker
All the bills for us, exactly. know. Just hope that it's a smooth transition for her because we just want the best for her, obviously. But yeah, trying to get into a better routine with that. Actually, getting organized because we did miss swimming last week.
00:01:25
Speaker
Just putting it out there. we it was like halfway through the ah black session time when we realized that we were meant to be at swimming. And obviously that was too late. So...
00:01:36
Speaker
We got a skylight calendar. I don't know if you guys have seen them online. They're actually so cool. It's like a digital calendar you put on the wall. And I'd actually asked on our Instagram, which is mungbean underscore health, all of you beauties that follow us there in the community, if any of you actually had one and enjoyed it and i had so much positive feedback and the other feedback was like, tell me how you like it or tell me what other people think.
00:02:00
Speaker
Very popular. We're getting organized. Swimming again today, so we'll let you know next week if we miss it. But definitely getting organized. Yeah.
00:02:11
Speaker
More routine. Yes. More routine. Yeah, definitely getting on top
Exciting February Project Teaser
00:02:15
Speaker
of routine. And then Big Bean, I guess we've sort of fall into the same category, but Big Bean would be, we I think we've mentioned before that we have something really exciting coming up this year. We've been working on really hard for like two plus years, but we have really just started like getting content together, information together, just like everything, all the little pieces of the puzzle. And first release will actually be on the 1st of Feb. So,
00:02:43
Speaker
You heard it here first. If you're a listener, you'd be the first to know. And a little bit of a clue is what we're wearing. And if you can't see us, the colour is yellow. So that's exciting. Very exciting, yeah.
00:02:55
Speaker
Looking forward to it. Yes. Do you have any others that you want to add to that? oh my My little being is um yeah getting back to routine, but with my supplements, just really trying to stay on top of taking them daily. Yeah, i feel like we've been very good the last like two months or something. Yeah. like You go through little waves. You pick up, you drop off, you pick up, you drop off. And sometimes you'll be like, oh, I forgot to take that one or let me get that back in.
00:03:19
Speaker
So that's really good. And also being in the final... trimester ourselves yeah for this baby is exciting.
Third Trimester Experience
00:03:28
Speaker
So this episode couldn't come at a better time. We're here talking about the final stretch, which is crazy, the third trimester. Honestly, if you're pregnant with me, we're so close now. You and your body have already done so much work of growing your beautiful baby. This trimester spans from the 28th week until birth, which is typically around that 38 to 40 weeks, depending. Our babies have all been a bit different, but the boys have been closer to their due date.
00:03:56
Speaker
Each of my babies have been before their due date. Evie was the earliest at 38 and 5. Tate was, what was Tate? He was 39 and 6, so he was just the day before his due date. And then Rowan was like 39 and 4.
00:04:13
Speaker
So very close. So i assume that this baby will be around this due date. Yeah. which is exciting. And for me, I am finding the third trimester a nice time because although I am feeling bigger and I'm starting to become more uncomfortable in certain aspects, like sleeping can be a bit of an issue. I've got my beautiful belly pillow and I wear super comfortable pajamas to bed. it's hard with the kids though, because sometimes they yeah want to be lay across ways or want to be on top of us. It's a nice time because like I'm definitely not as nauseous as in the start.
00:04:54
Speaker
My energy still feels great. I like around that 30, 25 to 30, maybe two, 35 weeks. It feels pretty good. And also, you know what's coming, but you're far enough away.
00:05:07
Speaker
um And yeah, just sort of preparing and starting to nest and start to think about the things that you need to for the baby. But yes, um um I like the third trimester. It all just goes so fast, especially once you've had other babies. Yeah.
00:05:22
Speaker
But yes, exciting times. It really does. This one's gone so fast. Yeah. you feel the same? Yeah. i mean, there's a lot more than you do, it like we're doing with the other kids. Like yeah every kid is adding a new addition. It's more stresses and more activities and more of everything. More of everything. So your days are filled out more. It's true. doesn't stop at five, does it? No. So let's dive a little bit deeper into what's occurring in this third trimester. Your baby is now gaining weight rapidly, building their little fat stores, so cute, and practicing essential movements like breathing, swallowing, and even blinking while they're in there.
00:06:00
Speaker
Their little brain and lungs and digestive system are all maturing as well. Your uterus actually expands to 500 times or nearly 500 times its original size. Isn't that insane? That's crazy. That's insane. 500 times. Yeah. Insane. that It's huge. Your organs have literally shifted, which is crazy. And this is all to make space for baby.
00:06:24
Speaker
And you feel that. And your blood volume and metabolic rate are at their essential peak. Wow. Is that not amazing? Yes. It's crazy. it obviously takes a while to get there and it's weeks of small changes, but then obviously once you have the baby, you've got to get back to normal as well. So it's a huge shift. You may notice physical heaviness happening in this trimester, changes in sleep, as I've mentioned. or emotional intensity for a lot of women as well. And that is all completely normal because your life is essentially about to change for the better, but in many different ways. And also your hormones are still crazy.
00:07:05
Speaker
And yeah, there's just a lot of thoughts and
Managing Third Trimester Symptoms
00:07:07
Speaker
and feelings. And if you have had a baby and you've had, say, a traumatic birth or a terrible pregnancy, these all add to your experience and your feelings.
00:07:17
Speaker
And your body is just preparing for the most magical transformation. Isn't that crazy? Get excited. I know. Now, every pregnancy is absolutely unique. And I can obviously vouch for that and say each pregnancy that I've had as well. But as we just mentioned, there are a lot of intense changes happening in your body during this time. So let's look at some of the common symptoms that you might experience. Increased fatigue as your body supports you, your baby's rapid growth, energy demands rise again. Absolutely, because your baby's trying to keep and grow baby and also keep you energized as well.
00:07:53
Speaker
Shortness of breath or heartburn, the growing uterus can press on your diaphragm and stomach. yes Eating smaller meals and maintaining good posture can help. And the smaller meals more frequently definitely helps because you fill up quite fast and you just don't feel as comfortable because obviously you go to basketball all the time.
00:08:13
Speaker
Swelling in the feet or hands. Fluid retention is common, but always mention sudden or severe swelling to your care provider. Yes, you always want to check in on that because that can obviously be a sign of something more serious going on. But it also can just be a sign of like, it's the heat. You've got a lot going on in your body and you're a lot heavier than normal. And you've got the more fluid anyway, like at this time. exactly but's just go somewhere you just straight through the feet Yeah, pelvic pressure or discomfort. Your ligaments and joints are loosening under the influence of relaxin. Which is that beautiful hormone that relaxes everything. And yeah, it definitely, a lot of women actually have injuries as it gets closer to their labor because everything's relaxing. Crazy. Like sprained ankles. Yeah, sprained ankles. They might be more likely to fall. Yeah, yeah like um their joints and things are a bit softer. Yep.
00:09:05
Speaker
crazy Braxton Hicks contractions. So they are a, essentially, I guess you could say a type of contractions. They're not a real contractions. No, they're a fake contractions, it's your body preparing. Yeah. um Yeah. They're practice. Yeah. all about practice Practice ones. Just the body getting ready, right? Yeah. okay cool And your, yeah, it's your uterus's rehearsal for labor, getting ready. So it definitely does not hurt as much as real true contractions. And obviously it doesn't have the same outcome. because it's not actually ripping your insides out. It's not actually pulling the muscle open to allow the baby to eject itself. So they should feel mild and and quite a regular no pattern essentially.
00:09:47
Speaker
Then you've also got your sleeping changes. So finding a comfortable position can actually be super tricky. can be really, really hard A pillow between your knees or behind your back can make a huge difference. And you're not meant to sleep on your back now, hey? No, you're not meant to sleep on your back because it can press down on one of the blood flow cords or something. And restrict blood flow. Restrict, yeah, oxygen and and that. And it has been linked to stillbirth as well. So definitely want to sleep on your sides. The belly pillow is amazing. the sleepy belly is so good for actually helping you to
00:10:24
Speaker
sleep better because it's comfortable. It's like long and skinny. And then there's two parts that help you stay on your side. So if you find you keep going onto your back, then you definitely need to get a pillow. Nice. Emotional intensity. It's normal to fill a mix of excitement, restlessness, or even anxiety as the birth draws closer. This is your body's way of preparing your physical and emotional for the transition ahead. Yes. You've got to be prepared physically and emotionally.
00:10:49
Speaker
Now i know this doesn't sound too pleasant when we're just reading out all of these things, but you are so close and there are plenty of things that we can do to ease the discomfort and help you enjoy these last few months. So definitely leaning in on those. Prioritize rest and recovery.
00:11:05
Speaker
Rest is productive. yes Your body is doing immense work even while you're asleep. yes Naps, slow mornings or time with your feet up are essential. Absolutely essential if you can.
00:11:17
Speaker
You really want to make sure that you're eating for energy. This is so important. and birth preparation essentially as well, because that energy, we need a lot of it in our birth preparation or when we're going through labor. So focus on iron, protein and nutrient dense foods to support your blood volume and tissue repair. You wanna think of like iron rich foods, like grass fed meat, spinach, eggs, pumpkin seeds even.
00:11:44
Speaker
Protein, good quality chicken, salmon, legumes, nuts and eggs. Been eating a fair bit of eggs actually. We've been doing the healthy fats, avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds. These support your baby's brain's development. Exactly. We really want to support our baby. and their little brains, also fiber as well to really ease constipation and slow down, well your hormones, sorry, usually slow down your digestion. so you wanna make sure that you're not getting constipated because then that can also lead to issues like hemorrhoids and to extra straining, which we do not want.
00:12:17
Speaker
Postpartum pre-batch meals with the same nutritional focus to easily heat up once you're postpartum. You might also include foods that are traditional, or traditionally thought to actually support you postpartum. This could be dates, things like, and this is great to prepare you for labor. So dates from about 36 weeks.
00:12:39
Speaker
You can even do from 34 weeks, it's fine. Raspberry leaf tea from 36 weeks. There is some data that says 34, but usually we say start around 36. But always check with your practitioner first. Don't just start taking anything in pregnancy unless your practitioner has said so.
00:12:56
Speaker
Hydration. Stay hydrated, especially if you're experiencing swelling or Braxton Hicks. Yes, you want to make sure you're having lots of water. You want to have coconut water, mineral-rich herbal teas, and of course some electrolytes like your Hydra Mama.
00:13:11
Speaker
Move your body gently. Prenatal yoga, swimming, or gentle walking can reduce swelling, ease back pain. And help baby to settle into a more optimal position for birth. Pelvic tilts, squats and stretches can also support flexibility and pelvic balance. But remember to always listen to your body and don't overdo it.
00:13:31
Speaker
Support your nervous system. Your emotional state can help influence your birth experience. incorporate grounding rituals, deep breathing, meditation, gentle affirmations, or even visualize your labor. Yes, prepare with some visualizations.
00:13:47
Speaker
Very supportive because you really want to just like visualize that you're essentially opening up like a flower, like a lotus flower, and just like really leaning into the fact that you need that baby to come out.
00:13:59
Speaker
and visualize the baby in your arms, holding it. Remember we did that birthing class. nice Yeah, imagine all of that happening to like not restrict your body and close up. oxytocin, bring all that love hormone in It's very, very supportive and what's needed in labor, unfortunately.
00:14:15
Speaker
A lot of people that do go through labor, which this can be just from deep-seated fear, it can be from past experiences, they do freak out and that cortisol does not help with our labor at all. So you've really just got to try and overcome, do meditation and visualization and affirmations to really support yourself.
00:14:34
Speaker
You also want to prepare your pelvic floor. So women's health physio can teach perineal massage and breathing techniques that actually promote flexibility and reduce tearing risks, which is a win. This support can also help you to recover a lot faster post birth.
00:14:52
Speaker
In these final weeks, your baby's senses are fully active, which is just crazy. They can hear your voice, they can feel your movements, and they can even respond to your emotions. So it's really a good time to be downgrading any of that stress.
00:15:09
Speaker
so Supporting your baby now means that we are going to maintain a balanced blood sugar level to reduce stress on both mom and bub. Deep breathing and calm energy Your baby feels your rhythm.
00:15:23
Speaker
Yes, very important. You can talk to them or sing to your bump as well. Babies recognize these familiar voices after birth, so they do say that your baby will know the closest around you, but definitely mum and dad's voice. wild, yeah, it's so good. Yes, it's so cute. You don't think they like could be able to do that, but they definitely are. Yes, i know, it's crazy.
00:15:42
Speaker
Skin and nutrient support. Your diet and hydration still directly influence your baby's growth and immune system. Just like when they're on the outside and you're feeding them good quality food to help them grow, you need to still be doing that for yourself to help baby grow. And they put on the most weight in the final trimester.
00:15:59
Speaker
So during that third trimester, naturopathically, we actually focus on maintaining optimal nutritional levels specifically, but not limited to iron. It is essential that we are checking your blood frequently to support you as needed.
00:16:15
Speaker
We are also beginning to prepare your body for birth from this 36 weeks. If you feel you need more support in the third trimester, then please reach out to us. I do definitely see in clinic and so do my naturopaths that if you support yourself throughout You should support yourself preconception, pregnancy and postpartum. But even if you are in your final trimester and you're struggling, I see such a better outcome in postpartum with moms that actually use naturopathic medicine in the throughout pregnancy into postpartum.
Postpartum Recovery Preparation
00:16:48
Speaker
I have a lot of moms that will come to us that had a really crappy time for their prior postpartum and they don't want to experience something like that again, whether it's mood, digestion, pain, stress. um anything like that please and if you're saying that like the trimester third isn't the last one because you're still feeding the baby you feel depleted and trying to recover from birth you're going to be super depleted exactly and unfortunately not everyone has the support around them that can allow them that time to heal and spend a bit of time or sleep extra so it's like they're just on the baby's clock and if you've got other kids I just see a huge difference in clients that actually use naturopathic medicine throughout their pregnancy to support their postpartum. Just such a better outcome.
00:17:33
Speaker
it's So much better. Now, don't worry. Your pregnancy may be coming to an end, but your education and naturopathic support is not. The next episode, we'll actually discuss postpartum or what we like to call the fourth trimester.
00:17:47
Speaker
We can't wait for you to tune in with us. And yeah, if you have any questions, please reach out. We would love to hear from you. You can reach out on Instagram, which is mungbean underscore health, our website. Yeah, www.mungbeanhealth.com.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:18:02
Speaker
You can check that out. We've got lots of information, free e-books and resources.
00:18:08
Speaker
We have contact us form if you want to ask us any questions. And then we're also on Facebook as well and TikTok. So you'll be able to find us on any of the platforms you use. And obviously we've got a whole lot of other episodes you can listen to on our podcast. Bye. Bye.
00:18:30
Speaker
And that's a wrap on today's dose of wellness. I'm Rhiannon, your fertility fairy godmother. Thank you for joining us. Stay connected with us on Instagram at mungbin underscore health.