Trish: [00:00:00] My name is Trish Ware and I am obsessed with all things pregnancy and birth, and helping you to navigate with the practical and the magical seasons of this journey called motherhood. I'm an all day coffee sip and Mama of seven. I've had the amazing privilege of delivering many babies. In my 15 plus year career as a labor and delivery nurse, and as a mama of seven, I'm here to help you take the guesswork out of childbirth so you can make the choices that are right for you and your baby.

Quick note, this podcast is for educational purposes only and does not replace your medical advice. Check out our full disclaimer at the bottom of the show notes.

Hey mama. Welcome back to the birth experience. If you are hitting that third trimester, AKA, [00:01:00] the final countdown, you've probably realized this stage is a whole different beast. Your body's doing a lot of wild things. Your emotions are up and down. Sideways all which ways and some things that no one warned you about or that you might pee when you sneeze.

Cry over the silliest small things and start organizing your pantry at 2:00 AM I personally didn't mind that I. In today's episode, we're gonna dive deep into the weird but normal stuff that not many people talk about. How to tell real labor signs from Braxton Hicks what nesting really means. Spoiler.

It's not just folding your cute little baby onesies, sex, sleep, and relationship shifts and when to call your provider and what. Is not a big deal. So let's just make sure you're actually ready for the finish line. And if you want my third trimester birth prep pack, as always, go to labor nurse mama.com/third and it's totally [00:02:00] free.

All right, let's start with weird symptoms that are. Actually normal and super common. Let's normalize the weird shit that's going on, okay? Because there's a lot of it. And if you're pregnant and in the third trimester and giggling like every five minutes, this is for you. Let's start with lightning crotch, which are random, sharp zings of pain down in your lady bits.

It's completely weird, but super. Common. And some of it is just related to baby bumping nerves. It's movement that bumps nerves. And it's not dangerous, but it's very unpleasant. And if it hasn't happened to you, girl, if it does, I'm there. I'm with you. I had it happen. Some of my pregnancies, it happened more, but some of them it didn't happen at all.

It's not dangerous, but is very unpleasant and it feels exactly like it's called lightning crotch. It's like lightning zaps you in the crotch. It's really bizarre. Okay, another [00:03:00] symptom that's very common in the third trimester is swollen everything. Hands, feet, face even. You ready for this? Your vulva.

It's very weird and that feels like the baby's like just gonna fall out your vagina, but it's totally normal and it's due to increased blood volume and pressure from your uterus. We're gonna go over when to call your provider. I'm gonna go a little deeper into swelling down there when it's not okay and it's not normal.

Leaky boobies. Yes, chorum can start showing up now. It's totally normal, but I also wanna say. It may not. You may not see it. So some of you might have yellow crusty like stuff inside your nipple when you wake up in the morning or even leaking into your bra. And then some of you guys may not see chorum until baby comes, and that is totally okay.

So don't worry. Another thing that can happen is numb or tingly fingers. Carpal tunnel is very real in pregnancy, especially for those of us who work on computers [00:04:00] or charting or your phones or what have you. So it's very real in pregnancy, but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't ask for help. There are some different braces and things that you can use, but here's the good thing.

It usually resolves during postpartum. Another thing that's really weird but happens is weird dreams, like, I don't know about y'all, but the hormones and the anxiety of pregnancy equal wild nights, and you can have some wackadoodle dreams. I would love to hear them. Y'all. Share them with me. Send me a D and be like, Trish, you said to share your weird dreams, you can go to Instagram, labor nurse dot mama and send them to me like.

I swear if we had a book of weird pregnancy dreams, it would be like, so bingeable, night sweats also very common, again related to hormones, vaginal discharge. We talked about this in the traveling episode, about traveling while pregnant. This is a real thing, like this is just your body prepping for labor.

It could be clear, it could be milky, [00:05:00] white. If it's those, it's fine. Right? If it's green or smelly or chunky, call your doctor. We ain't dealing with that. That ain't good. That's not a good sign. But vaginal discharge does increase during pregnancy. Pregnancy is just weird. Like you're not broken, you're just building a human.

I. You're building a human girl, so expect some weirdness, just how it goes. Okay, let's talk about Braxton Hicks versus real labor. You want to know this. I know this. This is, these are some of the top questions we get is like, how do I know? How will I know when it's real? I'm gonna tell you flat out, like when it's real, it declares itself.

If you still have to wonder, then it doesn't matter at that point whether it's real or not. If you're having to like. Be like, oh my God, is this real or not? Then it's not time to worry about it. I tell my students, and my mom is in my membership, we don't pay attention until we can't not pay attention, if that makes sense.

But let me give you a little lowdown. So Braxton Hicks, they're irregular and they're unpredictable. Real labor. They come [00:06:00] consistently and they get closer together. Braxton Hicks are like random, like you'll have 'em every five minutes, and then it's 25 minutes, then it's 45 minutes, then it's five minutes again a couple times, then it's 20 minutes.

Real labor will start out like every 25 minutes. For a while, then it goes down to 20, then it goes down to 18, then it goes down to 10. They just get consistent and closer and closer together. Braxton Hicks. Now I know a lot of people are like Braxton Hicks are not painful, but they actually can be mildly painful, but they're not the same as real labor.

And once you go through both, you'll be like, yep, Trish, you're totally right. So Braxton Hicks, you might have mild discomfort and a tight belly, but real labor is gonna get more and more intense over time. So that's a clear sign. Now with Braxton Hicks, the location is usually the front of the belly where real labor is gonna.

Start in the back and radiate to the belly. It's just a different sensation. But again, it can be a little confusing. Even if you've had more than one baby, you might find [00:07:00] yourself wondering. But again, my role for you is if you're having to wonder, it doesn't matter. Like it really doesn't matter until it declares itself.

Now the, the thing about Braxton Hicks is usually if you move around. Like you change positions, you rest, you get in the shower, you hydrate. They're gonna stop real labor. Come hell or high water girl, they are just gonna keep going no matter what. It's hard for us to stop them in the hospital. So here's a pro tip.

If you haven't been staying hydrated, drink water. If you have been walking around, sit down for a little bit. Take a shower. It's just, you know, if those things don't make it stop, it's probably the real deal. Now I wanna talk about nesting, because nesting is so like, you know it's coming, but when it happens, like you're suddenly in the middle of it and you're like, oh wait.

Oh my gosh, I'm nesting. We all talk about it like it's this cute little domesticated thing, but it's really serious [00:08:00] business for some of us, like you might actually feel an urge to clean everything. Everything. I'm talking like from the ceiling down to the floors. Or you may just like. Suddenly at 2:00 AM this guy decide like, I'm gonna scrub the baseboards with a toothbrush at 2:00 AM Like that's how it works.

And your brain just doesn't stop spinning lists and plans and mental organizing, but it's actually just a part of our genetic code that we're getting ready for our baby. 'cause back in the day y'all, when people didn't have homes and they were living in like Hudson. Out in the wilderness, like they really had to get it ready and safe for their baby, but we still have that instinct.

So sometimes though, nesting can really borderline anxiety or restlessness, and that's also valid as well. So if your, if your brain is racing, give your yourself space to rest and prepare. Nesting isn't just about like getting shit done, it's about your brain trying to create safety [00:09:00] before this big transition.

The next thing I wanna talk about is sex, sleep, and relationship shifts. So these are some big ones that people don't really want to talk about or admit that they're struggling with, but let's start with sleep. 'cause it's a little safer. You might be hot, you're uncomfortable, you're peeing every hour. I highly recommend a pregnancy pillow.

These body pillows, pregnancy pillows can help you get into a much more. Comfortable position, but it is kind of like a roadblock to your partner, so you do feel a little isolated. And the other thing I would say is stay hydrated, but also don't drink a big soda or a tea or something before bed stick. To water so that you are not like adding in caffeine.

Insomnia is also normal. Hormones and nerves are planned. They're like the real MVP at the end of pregnancy. I recommend for insomnia, number one, even though I want you [00:10:00] binging my content, I don't want you binging my content. So one of the things that you can do is listen to like a nighttime storytelling podcast.

You can listen to my podcast and put it on like zero point. Vibe really slow. What it does is it gets your brain into this state where you can actually stop, like ruminating and thinking tons of thoughts, and listen, and you might fall asleep. I like to listen to the one called, nothing much happens. It's fantastic.

All right. The other thing is, let's just talk about sex. Okay? Sex can be weird. There's two camps, okay? Either your libido is through the roof or it's totally gone, and both of them are okay. They, they're both okay, so you don't have to apologize. Like your body is going through a lot. You're building a human.

So girl, just you do you, your partner might also be a little nervous and you might feel unattractive. So talking these things through is really important. Like ask your partner how your partner feels like. Are you nervous? Are you worried [00:11:00] because sex is safe? But we also want you guys to be comfortable, right?

Like you wanna feel comfortable, you wanna feel attracted to one another, and sometimes just talking through some of the things that you're thinking can help all of that, because it's all normal. But communication is the key. I. It's the key and FYI. Sex is safe. Unless your provider says otherwise. You may just have to get creative.

So get creative, like try some things you may need some lube. You may need to get into positions you never used to because you've got that big old belly now again. Not just sex, but also just your relationship dynamics might be changing Some, like you might've been the one who was on the go all the time and doing all the things, and you and your partner had like busy weekends and social life, and now you're like, I don't wanna get off the couch.

And that could be causing some. Issues. Again, communication is key. You're, you're under a lot of mental weight and preparation, and so is your partner. So you may be feeling extra clingy or [00:12:00] super distant, but again, just talk it out. Talk it out. Don't expect your partner to read your mind like your birth is team sport and your training right now.

So start talking now before you go into labor, before you're sleep deprived, after baby. Like just start talking. Those things out now. All right, let's talk about when to call your provider. So there are some signs you should absolutely call or go in. Number one, we do not mess around with decreased fetal movement.

If you grab the free third trimester prep pack again, labor nurse mama.com/. Third, we have some things on fetal movement and fetal kick counts. If you have less than two 10 movements in two hours, you need to be calling. Like if you are concerned at all, if your gut is saying, I need to call, just call.

We would rather you be wrong. Like that's the truth. We don't care if you come in 5 million times, like we want you to be wrong. If you have any bleeding, especially bright red, call your provider. If you feel like you're leaking fluid, that's not a vaginal discharge. If you're just confused at [00:13:00] all, I have some episodes about your water breaking that will help you clear that up Some.

Episode 1 54 is one like, did my water just break? Or like, what is happening? And that's gonna help you so you can go listen to that for more information. If you have severe headaches or vision changes, sudden severe swelling. Now I wanna dive deep into the swelling. Swelling can be a red flag, it's also super common in pregnancy, especially in the third trimester, but there's a big difference between normal and something more serious. So when you need to pay attention is if you have sudden swelling, especially in your face. Your hands are around your eyes If you have one sided swelling, particularly in just one leg.

Or swelling that comes with a headache, blurred vision, upper belly pain, upper right side, right under your right boob and your ribs right below there. If you feel severe pain or pain, that won't go away with Tylenol. Headache. That won't go away with Tylenol. These can be signs of preeclampsia or [00:14:00] even a blood clot, so they need to be checked out asap.

Normal swelling usually builds up gradually and is worse at the end of the day and improves when you elevate your feet or rest. But again, if something feels off, trust your gut girl and call your provider. You're not overreacting. You're advocating for yourself. Another thing would be any of the signs of labor before 37 weeks, which we have some episodes on Signs of Labor, episode 48 in particular.

We also have a blog post that's the six Signs of Labor according to a labor nurse, and we will put those in the show notes as well. If you have any fever, vomiting, or anything, just feels off, I'm gonna say this 9,000 times. If you feel off, if you feel something is wrong, trust your gut. You're not bothering your provider.

That's why they're there and you're advocating, and that is what you have to do as a mama. I. The third trimester is full of big feelings. Some are magical, some are messy. Some are beautiful and some [00:15:00] are weird, like the swollen vulva that we talked about. But you're getting close and you don't have to pretend everything's perfect, to be a powerful mom.

Some of you guys love pregnancy, some of you guys hate it. You're allowed to be overwhelmed, excited, nervous, and patient like hate it. Love it. Exhausted all in the same hour. So do it one day at a time. You are preparing. You're listening right now. I'm so proud of you. You're amazing. I just adore you. If this episode helped you feel more prepared, take a second.

Please leave a review. It helps me so much to see the reviews and it just. Cheers me on for all the work of educating and empowering you. You guys know our motto here at Labor Nurse Mama is to change the birth culture, one birth at a time. Like I got so sick of seeing women bullied and coerced. I don't ever want to be someone that you're like, well, Trish says you have to do this.

No, Trish gives you all the information and lets you. Choose for yourself. Like we are all about [00:16:00] women's rights and advocacy for women to have equal treatment, all of that, but some reason somewhere that stopped at the labor room, and I'm determined that we're gonna pick it back up and we are gonna be the queens that were meant to be in our own birth.

Who's birth? Your birth? So. That was just a weird little tangent I went off on, but you know what? I guess it needed to be said. You have every right to speak up, starting in pregnancy, speak up in your birth, speak up in the pediatrician's office. You guys are queens. Send this episode to another pregnant friend.

Binge another episode and I will see you again next week. Bye for now.