Pregnancy Guide Part 3: Tips, Tricks, Oils and Must Haves for the Third Trimester

Pregnancy Guide: Tips, Tricks, Oils and Must-Haves for the Third Trimester. All the pregnancy needs to know to survive the third trimester!

Here it is, my Pregnancy Guide: Tips Tricks Oils and Must Haves for the Third Trimester.

This post has all the pregnancy things. TIPS, TRICKS, ESSENTIAL OILS, and all the must-haves. Plus I talk high-risk pregnancy info and incompetent cervix stuff too. So this Pregnancy Guide has everything and I hope it blesses you in any way you need!

You can also find the links to all the blog posts connected to this Series. Guides 1-5, some newborn essentials, hospital bag packing.

General Feelings, Cravings and Symptoms

UNCOMFORTABLE. That’s everything I felt. Pinched nerves in my back – led to leg weakness. So that was fun. Hip pain. Cramping all the time. Craving pretzels most of the time and ice. Just like with J. And peanut butter and jam sandwiches at 230am most days! But that is changing because I also have gestational diabetes this time too! 🙁 The best part was how active he is!

Tips and Tricks

  • Discuss Your Partner’s Role. Huge. Not having to talk about it at the time is so good.
  • Consider a Doula? Photographer?
  • Increase Your Iron
  • Move your body
  • Prep your birth plan and know your birth positions.
  • Baby Registry
  • Baby Shower
  • Finish up the washing of baby stuff and the nursery
  • Pack your bag!

High Risk + Incompetent Cervix (IC)

Pregnancy isn’t always cute bump pics and glowing faces. High-risk pregnancies make it hard even to enjoy that growing baby sometimes. I learned throughout that it’s okay to feel not so glowy during your pregnancy. It doesn’t make you less deserving, it just makes you human. Afraid and worried. Afraid of heartbreak, of grief, of loss. So whatever you feel during your pregnancy, it’s valid—all of it.

So, if you missed guides #1 and #2, I had a cerclage at 12 weeks. A cerclage is a stitch that closes your cervix.

With a high-risk incompetent cervix pregnancy at about 36-37 weeks, they remove the cerclage. It hurt like a witch last time. There was a lot of pressure on it so my doctor had trouble getting the stitch out. But man the cramps after were serious. I was 3 cm dilated after this point. I think it will go similarly this time around!

My anxiety was pretty bad afterwards with J, hoping I’m a little more calm the week before the baby comes! Especially because it’s J’s birthday and we’re moving the weeks later! So a lot is happening!

Pregnancy loss takes away that sense of peace in pregnancy—that innocence. You don’t want to live through that pain again so you worry and fear every possible outcome. I shared more of those feelings HERE.

Oils

As you may know – if you’ve been here a while. I love essential oils, and during my pregnancies especially! I’ve been super bad at using them this time and I’m worried it’ll make things harder than last time. But we shall see! I’m also going to try raspberry leaf tea this time around too! I first started using oils with my first pregnancy so I can’t say what the difference would be without it. A week or so after my surgery I started using them again.

These little plant juice bottles are not only amazing for pregnancy but for postpartum and for motherhood in general! Both my babes are oily babes! You can read more HERE too! Stuff like why we use oils!

*Obviously there are a lot of questions around it and whether it’s safe. I found the best resource has been this Betsy Bosom Book. And Google – always do your research, google makes it super easy! But I’ll share my routine/some of my favourite ones I used. I DON’T sell them, but you can reach out with questions and brand recommendations!

Favourite Single Oils

Gentle Baby: Again – every day I used this oil!! A complete must! A couple of drops in your palm with some coconut oil on your belly does wonders for the itchy feelings! In the diffuser for those rough nights!

Digize: For heartburn still, got worse in the 3rd trimester!

Lemon: This also helps with heartburn – just a drop rubbed across your breastbone.

Valor: sore hips and neck/back

En-Er-Gee: cause we need all the energy at this point. Just in the diffuser most mornings

Joy: to help me get over those scary thoughts as well as working through some grief.

Favourite Oil Recipes

Belly Bump Lotion – full recipe and process

Pregnancy Discomfort Massage Oil – you can watch me make that HERE.

Gentle Baby+Avocado Oil

Valor Roll On from YoungLiving – so much easier, already diluted and ready to go!

Oils to Avoid or be Cautious of

*oils in blends are at different concentrations and therefore don’t pose as big of a risk

*diffusing also doesn’t pose as big of a risk as applying the oil topically

Clary Sage is the biggest oil to avoid

  • It can bring on contractions, so people just avoid it altogether until about 37 weeks. After 37 weeks you can add it to a roller with some coconut oil to help get your body ready for labor. And then using it during labour can help with contractions.

Wintergreen

  • Oils high in methyl salicylate can act as blood thinners and therefore aren’t the safest to use during pregnancy

Panaway

  • I just avoid this one altogether. Some people use Deep Relief (which is similar) throughout their pregnancy. I just didn’t feel comfortable with that so I didn’t.

Some others are:

  • Basil
  • Cinnamon
  • Rosemary
  • Thyme

Do some research and be cautious of the oils you do apply. Again the Betsy Bosom book was a great resource. These oils can be found in some blends too – which also means their concentrations are different. And then once diluted, even more so. Use caution. I don’t apply any of these oils neat (no carrier) or by themselves. But I do have rollers that have these oils in small concentrations. And I diffuse Cinnamon once in a while. Do what you are comfortable with and research is your best friend!

Favourite Diffuser Blends

Nesting: Lemon, Coapiba, lavender

Energy: En-er-gee and grapefruit

Good Vibes: White Angelica + Release

Favorite Maternity Clothes

My pregnancy clothing try-on video can be found HERE. Shein was the best place for me to get all my third-trimester clothes from! These are all ones I still use from last time, so the links probably won’t work but I’m working on finding some new ones for you!

1/2/3/4/5/6

There you go, my Pregnancy Guide: Tips Tricks Oils and Must-Haves for the Third Trimester.

This is part 3, you can read the first two below!

Part 1 – HERE

Part 2 – HERE

Prepped:

*these were prepped last time, but will be prepped this time around too.

  • Padsicles – made them before, you can watch the video HERE.
  • Claraderm Spray – comes from YoungLiving. I am trying a new brand this time. Earth mama has one and peas in a pod does too.

Hospital Bag for Mom, Dad and babe – you can read that HERE.

There is still newborn stuff, L+D, and postpartum coming. Oils for labour, packing hospital bags for me and my husband. They are still works in progress. You can come back to this page and they’ll be linked as they are finished. But also, subscribe to our emails and you’ll get an email when they are done! *Plus subscribing right now you’ll get a FREE printable hospital bag checklist!

Coming Soon:

Postpartum and that sweet newborn

Nursery, care products, bottles, plans and everything to “get ready” for the baby. I say “get ready” because are we ever really fully ready for a newborn?

Essentials and Favorites for a Newborn – you can read that HERE, eventually.

  • Favourite products that aren’t essential but nice
  • The essentials – in my mind.
  • And some overall different stuff I had from the first two babies vs this time around.

Oils For Labor and Delivery – you can find that HERE, eventually.

  • Stuff like oils I made beforehand and brought with me to use during labour and how I used them!

Oils for Postpartum is HERE eventually. As for prep, a few things are listed below.

My goal with all these guides, written and to come, is to hopefully help any mama in her journey through pregnancy. I hope this helps and share it with all your mama friends!

Love Crystal

The Journey
@courageouslynavigating

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe to our email and get access to all the insider info. Monthly newsletters, freebies, updates and more.