THE THIRD TRIMESTER OF YOUR PREGNANCY

From week 29 to week 40 of your pregnancy, which means months 7 to 9, your baby continues to grow each and every day as the third trimester goes along. The midwives will probably tell you me to keep an eye out for small signs of labour, as baby might want to arrive early! 

Talking about your midwife, during the final weeks you will have more frequent checks with her – it’s so important to keep track of the baby’s health and ensure everything is going smoothly. The position of baby is now a great deal of importance, so your midwife will be checking positioning and making goals of where baby should be moving and how you are going to get them out! 

She will also talk to you in more detail about labour and how you both are going to approach it: it might feel a little bit daunting at times, but she will help you through it all!

Another important suggestion that she might give you is to start sleeping on the side at night… unless you have already started!

This is by far the safest (and often most comfortable) position for you and baby during the final weeks of your pregnancy.

GETTING READY FOR YOUR BABY

The best thing to do is use these last few weeks of pregnancy to prepare yourself for this… tiny family addition, and enjoy some alone time: try to embrace what you have right now and begin moving onto your next chapter!

Here are a few more things you might want to keep in mind during the final weeks:

• It is okay to start getting a little bit slower!

Even if you love to exercise, in the final weeks you will find that that your body is naturally slowing down and that is okay. Do not push yourself, walking is more than enough exercise for you and your baby.

• Join some classes!
  Being around other mothers in the same trimester and doing activities like yoga and pilates can really helped you to stay active and sociable. 
• Start writing your birth plan!
  
  You could use a mini journal to keep note of all of the options and pain relief available to you and how you wish for my labour to go. However, not all labours can go to plan so it is always best to keep your mind open as you may want extra help when that special time comes!

AND FINALLY…

If you have not done it yet, don’t forget to start planning your newborn photoshoot!

The best time to photograph your baby and get all those super cute, sleepy and curly poses is when they are under 3 weeks of age, so there is a very limited window of opportunity. 

To see more of my newborn work visit  https://www.sliceoflifephotography.co.uk/newborn-photography/