Baby 3: Third Trimester Recap + Freezer Stash

I’m typing this sitting on my yoga ball and breathing through some Braxton Hicks contractions; we are one-ish week away from meeting our little man! Since I wrote about the first and second trimesters of this pregnancy plus all three trimesters with my second pregnancy, I didn’t want to take a blogging break before writing about this final trimester.

The Scoop on Trimester #3

To sum this third trimester up in one word: hot! It has been a blazing hot (I think record-breaking!) summer, and because of that I have experienced some swelling, but nothing too major (my first pregnancy I had pitting edema in the dead of winter) and I am so thankful for the modern miracle of central air conditioning! With that being said, exercise this trimester was a little tough. I still did my short home workout every weekday morning, plus swimming here and there, and this trimester I also added in some prenatal yoga and tried to do squats throughout the day. The girls and I typically get out for a short walk several mornings a week, and in the last few weeks I’ve made sure to do my curb walking; hopeful to get Brother in a good position for delivery. Physically I have been tired, but thankful to have had an active pregnancy to keep the aches and pains at bay.

In regards to food, I didn’t have any specific cravings that I can think of, but I made sure to take my prenatal vitamins more regularly, and in the last few weeks have been making lots of nice cream with dates to help ripen my cervix. I’ve also been drinking at least two cups of red raspberry leaf tea a day to help strengthen and tone my uterus for the [prayerfully soon] delivery. I give into my crunchy/salty cravings often with plantain chips, and my sweet cravings with nice cream or dark chocolate almonds. Yum! I am not about depriving myself, just finding alternatives that taste and feel good!

Prepping for Postpartum

Before having our second daughter, I stashed our freezer with homemade meals, and I started making double batches of several dinners this month to do the same. Some meals I have in the freezer are:

• spaghetti sauce (easy enough to boil some noodles and toss this veggie-laden sauce on top)
• chili with extra veggies (similar to this recipe)
• sweet potato meatballs
• egg and bacon breakfast tacos
• protein pancakes
• salsa chicken for taco bowls
• curried chicken with roasted sweet potatoes
• frozen pizzas – yep!
• frozen chicken nuggets – also yep! Both easy to toss in the oven and I know the girls will enjoy
• plenty of bags of frozen vegetables that can steam in the microwave (even though this is usually my favorite way to cook frozen veggies)

In the pantry I have:

• pretzels
• larabars
• other granola bars and applesauce pouches for the girls
• seaweed snacks
• packaged rice to toss in the microwave to help round out our meals
• canned tuna (so delicious mixed with this chipotle mayo, relish, and red onions)
• sweet potatoes and russet potatoes for making baked potatoes

In the fridge I have:

• boiled eggs
• hummus (for pretzels – yum!)
• overnight oats with flaxseed and brewer’s yeast for lactation

I think that is everything! I am praying for a peaceful transition in our family and a calm postpartum experience. All of you experienced parents of 3+ kiddos out there send me your tips! Until I come back to write Brother’s birth story… enjoy your pinch of crazy!

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Third Trimester Recap + Postpartum Freezer Stash

Spring has sprung – flowers blooming, I saw some bluebonnets this week, allergies flaring up, all the butterflies flitting about, and our second baby girl is about to make her entrance! I will be 38 weeks pregnant tomorrow, so for my last blog before Baby I wanted to do a third trimester recap (you can read my First Trimester Recap here, and my Second Trimester Recap here) plus give a run down of what I’ve stocked away in our freezer for those early weeks after birth.

Third trimester. Wow. I’d like to say it was rainbows and unicorns, but let’s face it, the end is uncomfortable for everyone! However, I’ve maintained a healthy diet, listening to my body’s cravings, and remained active. The difference in my third trimester this time and last time was incredible, though! When pregnant with Zemirah, I struggled with higher blood pressure, had pitting edema – I’d press my swollen ankle and the indention would stay there – terrible acid reflux, excruciating low back pain, and of course my weight was way too high. This time, however, my blood pressure has been perfect (lower than average), I’ve had minimal swelling here at the very end – I’m still wearing my wedding ring! My back pain has been non-existent until just this past week (it is always on the side Baby’s on), and my heartburn/acid reflux has been exponentially less! All in all, this pregnancy has been very easy, I’m so thankful, and praying the same for birth and the postpartum time.

So, what made the difference in these pregnancies?

34 weeks pregnant with both girls – both photos taken by my talented friend Melissa Conklin

Food

Eating real, whole foods has made a world of difference in my life these past two years (you can read our food journey here), and an immeasurable difference in pregnancy. During my third trimester I ate:

• Dark chocolate – and lots of it! The sweets cravings are real but only dark (60%-72%) chocolate will cut it for me. Add in some almonds or coconut and salt and I’m in my own personal heaven!  One of my favorite packaged dark chocolate snacks is Bark Thins, but I also made a few homemade versions which I will blog after Baby.
• Beef – it’s what’s for dinner. My midwives told me after my glucose screening that I was also anemic, which explained my meat cravings. So we started eating beef about once a week, whereas we usually go a couple weeks without red meat. Steaks are my favorite, but we would also have ground beef in pasta sauce, taco meat, or beef sausage.
• Kale – sauteed in butter, topped with salt and a hefty squeeze of lemon juice has been a staple this whole pregnancy. Leafy greens also happen to be high in iron so that helped my anemia, too, in conjunction with upping my prenatal vitamin to twice a day.
• Citrus fruit – tangerines, navel oranges, blood oranges, grapefruit, you name it! Not to mention, squeezing lemon and/or lime juice on everything. Fun fact, having adequate Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron (it’s almost like my body knew what it needed based on my cravings…hmmmm)
• Fats – butter, olive oil, avocado, oh my! Seriously. Almost everything is cooked in butter and/or olive oil and we have avocado/guacamole nearly every day.
• Dairy – this has been a theme throughout my pregnancy. I seem to digest dairy better when pregnant, and have been taking advantage of that! Soft, fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, and plain, tart Greek yogurt have been my go-to choices.
• Water – how boring, huh? But seriously, lately I’ve been drinking around a gallon a day give or take a few ounces. I am so thankful for easily accessible, clean drinking water.

Exercise

My weight gain has been average thus far (30 lbs), but I’ve remained active throughout this pregnancy not for weight, but for wellness for my mind and body! Some things I’ve done to exercise are:

• Yoga – I love Yoga with Adriene on YouTube and completed my fourth round of “30 Days of Yoga” in January. I had to modify to accommodate my growing belly, but it felt so good to stretch and move daily, taking that all important time to myself. I would also do my own little stretchy yoga flows combined with some suggested activities from Spinning Babies to help get my body prepared for labor and delivery.
• Walking – I love walking, and I make sure to get a long walk in once a week, but now that the weather is warming up and my due date is getting closer, I’m trying to walk almost every day.
• Fit4Mom – I love this company and what they stand for – helping moms find their fit. I am a Stroller Strides instructor, and was teaching two classes a week until last week (taking a break until a few months after Baby) and would also go to the occasional Stroller Barre class to get my legs strong for birth.

Freezer Stash

In preparation for those first few months postpartum, AKA the “fourth trimester”, I began stocking my freezer with some meals a couple months ago. Here’s what I have:

• Lasagna – I have used this lasagna recipe for years. I just subbed in gluten free noodles, used cottage cheese in place of ricotta, and added mushrooms to the sauce
• Chicken/broccoli/rice casserole – this one speaks for itself; it’s all held together with my creamy dairy free “cheese” sauce
• Beef taco meat – like the taco meat in this recipe
• Shredded chicken
• Cooked brown rice
• Meatloaf – just like this meatloaf but with ketchup and kale
• Two Bean Turkey Chili
• Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Veggies (not technically in the freezer yet, making it this weekend!)
• Homemade biscuits
• Gluten free sausage balls
• Sausage and veggie breakfast casserole – similar to this recipe, but with a crust
• Flax and Oat Pancakes
• Frozen vegetables that can steam in the microwave
• Frozen fruits for quick smoothies
• Frozen chicken bones for Chicken Stock

I think that’s everything! I plan to make a big batch of overnight oats and bake some russet and sweet potatoes for the fridge when it’s almost time for the baby. Who knows, maybe that’s how I’ll keep busy during early labor hehe! I am praying all these healthy, whole foods will nourish me and Baby well during those early weeks.

To read more about baby stuff, check out Zemirah’s Birth Story and My Postpartum Journey. Can’t wait to introduce our newest girl to the blog world; thank you for following along on this pregnancy with me! Stay safe, stay healthy, hug your family…and enjoy your Pinch of Crazy!

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase using the links, it is of no extra cost to you, just a small commission for me. Thank you for supporting A Pinch of Crazy!