Third Trimester + Covid Fatigue

Things in my third trimester, things are starting to slow down, In terms of how much work I want to squeeze in in a day. Physically I am getting larger, baby is starting to kick and move a lot more, telling me what she thinks. Like her movements are loud and proud. Sometimes she makes my whole belly moves. Sleeping is also getting hard because lying on my back is not a question anymore. Sleeping on my side is fun and all until you wake up on your back and like wait how did I get here?  Working out and training requires more rest time in between sets just because mama’s heart rate is off the roof and I am winded a lot faster. Emotionally; I am all over the place. Covid fatigue is real too. I didn’t feel it last year because I was caught in a Thailand bubble with local bikini competitions and just living life travelling domestically around Thailand. But 2021 has been emotionally hard. I didn’t think it will get this hard because I was hoping for some form of silver lining at the end of it all where travel will be easy. It’s been 2 years and it is still not the case. Holidays are the hardest times for obvious reason. I want to spend time with family. I want to feel festive. I want to be around people who we love and care about and I am sure I am not alone. I don’t complain. I hate complaining because I believe life is much more than that and I believe if we can look at the bright side of things. Things do get easier. We can look at things more positively. Mentally… there are hard days and of course there are easy days. But for the month of December, there just seems to be more hard days than others. Some days I just want baby girl to come now. Some days I just want to be bubble wrap and never leave the house. Some days I don’t know if I ever will be ready for baby girl’s arrival. Some days I have no idea what I am doing at all. Some days I am like, where am I again? Phew. Hormones you know.

But I’ve learnt to take one day at a time. 1 step at a time, there’s no need to run.

Pregnancy symptoms in the last month:

I’ll be honest and say the last 4 weeks in January has been a whirlwind. The baby has popped! She has officially taken over my belly, and I do not own my internal organs anymore. She does. The pregnancy symptoms that we all felt in the first trimester has come back in full swing.

I have heart burn if I eat too late. I have nausea if I eat too fast. My feet hurts if I wear the wrong shoes (That one is new since now I am heavier). Coaching with my mask on is getting harder since my lungs are being smoosh to the corner. One second, I’m hungry, 2 minutes later I am full. But the biggest one of all of that I didn’t think would hit me soo hard is seeing white spots, my vision is being clouded lately. It’s so strange but apparently it is one of the pregnancy symptoms. Honestly, the last few weeks have made the 1^st and 2^nd trimester look like a breeze. I know I still have a few more weeks to go and I just have to hang in there and believe me. I am hanging in there.

The 9^th month waddle + Pelvic Pain

Not all women experience every symptoms in the book of pregnancy but what made the last month really hard was when the baby got bigger and she sat really low in my pelvis. My right oblique muscle tends to have a harder time than my left and when I share it with other moms, they said they same thing! It seems like the baby has a favorite side in the belly and they will just hang on that side and just chill causing more strain on one side of the body than the other. I’m in my 37^th week now and the pelvic floor muscle is screaming! It is like telling me girl, please don’t use me anymore because all I’m doing right now is like Atlas holding earth aka the baby and I might tear. I am being dramatic but that is sure how it feels like.

At the 37^th week mark, I can really feel the tension of my pelvic floor. I am more careful training lower body these days because just as much as we can have weak pelvic floor muscles, we can overuse and tear those muscles during pregnancy as well causing more harm than good after giving birth. Every book that I have read wouldn’t say to stop training entirely but definitely to fine tune all movements and exercises again just like you have been doing the entire pregnancy.

Listen to your body. I have dropped the amount of weight I’m lifting in the last week. I am spending more time walking, doing hip openers, doing more upper body exercises, sitting on the ball than just trying to go heavy on my lower body exercises. Pregnancy is no joke, and we all need a little help from each other every once in a while. So don’t be afraid to ask for help from your friends around especially if they have offered!

Do I enjoy being pregnant?

This is probably one of the most common questions asked when people come up to me or how am I feeling. To be very honest, besides the very common pregnancy symptoms such as heart burn, nausea, fatigue, growing larger in size etc. I honestly have no huge complains about being pregnant. I won’t push it and say I freaking LOVE being pregnant, but I definitely didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would. Sometimes the water retention and heaviness on my pelvic floor gets to me especially in the third trimester but all in all it’s been a pretty good experience. Now the next common question would be will I have a 2^nd one and I’m not ready to answer that question yet until I push this baby girl out!

The 4^th trimester

I know it is a little early to talk about the 4^th trimester since I am still in my 3^rd, but I am mentally prepared for all that the body will be going through in the months to come. Physically, spiritually, mentally, holistically everything. This is the time to let go and let people around you take care of you. Your lower body will be weak and will take time from healing. You don’t want to lift anything too heavy to prevent from tearing or straining your muscles excessively.

 It will be one of the if not the toughest thing a woman will/can go through. I am mentally prepared to take time off my fitness routine and all that I have known but I’m hopeful that once the dust have settled, I will be back in the game and for how long it takes, I will not rush the process.

I am worthy.

I am loved.

I am enough.