HELPFUL THIRD TRIMESTER DO'S AND DON'TS FROM A PRENATAL FITNESS SPECIA

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HELPFUL THIRD TRIMESTER DO'S AND DON'TS FROM A PRENATAL FITNESS SPECIALIST

Are you in your third trimester and looking for some tips to get you through the final stretch? The last trimester of pregnancy comes with a whole new set of experiences, aches, pains, and excitement. You’re almost ready to meet your baby, so let’s talk about what to do and what not to do in this last trimester.

Here are 5 dos and don'ts from a pre and post natal fitness specialist.

DO: KEEP MOVING YOUR BODY AND WORKING OUT

Keep moving your body and working out

You should keep moving and exercising even now that you’re a little bigger and less comfortable. Putting in the work now will help your labor be shorter, your recovery be quicker, prevent you from retaining a lot of water. Exercise will help prevent varicose veins, weight gain, and will improve your mood.

Many women deal with anxiety in their third trimester. You may be feeling claustrophobic in your own body. Simple exercise like going for a walk or doing some stretching will help so much. Even though it’s hard to stay motivated, keeping your regular lifting routine can help you mentally too. You won’t be able to lift as heavy, but having a routine will make a huge difference in helping you feel your best.

DON'T: CAVE INTO CRAVINGS AND EAT A TON OF SUGAR

This is such a hard one. The cravings can be intense and you’re probably not feeling anything close to your best.

Just keep an eye on how much sugar you’re actually eating. You’ll feel so much better if you limit sugar and eat processed foods in moderation. The cravings can be tricky and will end up making you feel worse. Try to opt for healthy foods as often as you can. I love my acai bowl as a great sweet treat that still keeps me feeling good.

DO: PERFORM YOUR LABOR STRETCHES TO GET PREPARED FOR BIRTH

If you have never given birth it can be really a scary thing because you have no idea what to expect. Labor stretches help so much to open up your hips and prepare your body for what’s to come.

If you need help with this, I actually have an entire pregnancy program that progresses with you through each trimester. And then as you get to the third trimester, I show you specifically what to do; exercises and stretches, so that you can have the most enjoyable labor. Check out the program here.

DON'T: RUN OR JUMP

You probably won’t feel like you want to jump or run anyways, but don’t push yourself in these ways. In your third trimester everything is so heavy, but some people really want to keep running. Unfortunately, the pressure on your pelvic floor and your hips from running or jumping is too much. It’s super important to protect your pelvic floor in this final stretch.

Imagine your pelvic floor is holding everything in; your organs and your baby. When you get pregnant, your body stretches and your hormones make everything loose. If everything's loose, your muscles can't support the pressure of that weight and movement of your baby pounding on your pelvic floor. This can cause pelvic floor issues like incontinence or even prolapse. It’s best to avoid running and jumping for the rest of your pregnancy.

DO: LET YOURSELF REST WHEN NEEDED

It can be really hard to slow down, especially if you're used to being super productive, but you need to allow yourself to rest. When your body is creating a human, you're going to be more tired. Give yourself grace and take a nap if you need. Stay at home if you need to. Listen to your body. It's okay to take a break. You're going through a lot, your body's going through a lot, and you'll feel better if you don’t push yourself.

DON'T: GET UP USING YOUR ABDOMINAL MUSCLES

The number one thing to avoid is getting up straight (like you're doing a crunch) from a lying down position. This is because your abs are completely separated to the sides of your body. It seems crazy, but you have no muscles in the middle. All of that tissue in the middle is very, very fragile, and stretched out.

When you sit up from a lying position using your abs, it puts so much pressure that your abdominals are going to continue to pull apart. You do not want that because that will contribute to diastasis recti or ab separation after your baby.

Instead, roll to your side and then slowly push up from that side lying position and that will take all the pressure off of your abs. This is way safer and a lot more comfortable.

DO: VISUALIZE YOUR LABOR

This might sound weird, but it can really help. You should walk through exactly what you want to happen in your labor. Focus on feeling calm and watch your body do exactly what it's supposed to do.

Visualize all the doctors coming in and doing exactly what they are supposed to do. See your baby descend right into position and be ready to go. Lay out this beautiful, peaceful, smooth experience for yourself and visualize it every single night. Meditate on it, walk yourself through it, talk to your baby about it. Putting out that energy and really visualizing a positive experience has power.

DON'T: DO ANY MORE AB EXERCISES

You are done! If you're in your third trimester, don't even try. You definitely have abdominal separation at this point. 100% of women will have ab separation. Working out your abs will make that gap worse and do more damage. There's no point in doing ab exercises until after the baby is born.

You can do breathing exercises. 360 breathing where you're taking a deep breath in and then you're tightening your stomach and you're using those transverse abdominal muscles and that's actually activating your pelvic floor. Those are safe to do. Engaging your transverse abdominals is great, but you don't want to do exercises like sit-ups or leg lifts or anything like that.

DO: TRUST YOUR BODY

Your body knows what to do. It is so beautiful, it's amazing, and it's such a miracle. I want to take some anxiety away from you. Just trust your body. Give yourself permission to believe that your body knows exactly what to do.

Related: It's All Worth It

DON'T: FOCUS ON ALL THE 'WHAT IFS'

Do not focus on everything that could go wrong because a million things can go wrong all the time. Whatever you focus on expands. You have no control over how your birth experience is going to be and what's going to happen. If you're focusing on all these “what ifs” that might never happen, that's just giving your power away and it's creating unnecessary anxiety.

Be positive and really focus on what you want to happen. This is a very exciting time in your life, so just soak it all in: the good, the bad, the uncomfortable, the heartburn, everything. Soak it in, because you're going to look back and be so grateful for this journey.

Need help supporting your physical and mental health during pregnancy? BodyByBree pregnancy programs provide education, plans, and accountability to help you reach your goals.

I'm a mom of 4 and have been a certified personal trainer with specialties in pre- and postnatal fitness for 13 years. I'm also a certified nutrition specialist and certified meditation and mindfulness coach.

I am passionate about helping women change their lifestyles to be the healthiest, happiest versions of themselves and I've seen it happen for thousands of women.

I'm glad you're here!

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