Well, I’ve been in the third trimester for 4 weeks now, and I’m writing this blog to let you know how it’s been going. Hint: it’s been tough! I’m not going to hold back in this post. I want to be truthful about my experience, and let you know how I’ve managed to cope with it, and stay as healthy and happy as possible through this journey.
As of today, December 18, 2017, I am 32 weeks pregnant. Technically, your third trimester begins at 28 weeks, so it’s been a full month of what they call the “home stretch” of the final steps of your pregnancy journey. I’ll be honest; overall, I’ve had an easy pregnancy, which was the same as my first. No morning sickness, no swelling, just some on and off hip pains and major stretching of the uterus (obviously). But as soon as I hit 28 weeks, the emotional table took a mighty turn.
My husband works for an organization that requires quite some travel, however, in the month of November, his travel needs are tripled and he is gone almost the entire month; 20 days out of the 30 to be exact. I knew it was going to be tough not having him around for that long, but I received a rude reality check! Let me break it down:
- Hubby leaves
- Whitney (my two year old) and I get a cold at the EXACT SAME TIME
- Whitney is sick for a full 6 days, my symptoms are on and off
- I’m EXHASUTED
- Whitney gets better, but I get an ear infection (having not fully recovered from my cold yet)
- As my ear infection clears up, I get a sinus infection (literally within the same day). The infection lasts for almost a week
- Whitney gets the stomach flu. She is home for 4 full days
- Hubby gets back and all of my infections have cleared up
- Whitney has finally fully recovered
Guys, I do not feel hashtag blessed. It was BRUTAL! I was a huge, emotional and physical wreck.
Let me point out that I did receive help in between all of this chaos. I have a fantastic mother-in-law who stopped by and helped whenever she could. She is not yet retired so could only spare a few hours at a time, however, I was so EXTREMELY grateful for her help. My parents and family live in another country so my in-laws are heavily relied upon.
Also, my husband travelled for a total of 20 days, but it wasn’t 20 days in a row. So there were times he was home for either 1 or 2 nights between flights. But it wasn’t enough. On top of all this, I still work a full time job (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm), and am in school studying in the evenings on how to thrive my new wellness business.
So…how did I cope throughout all of this?
I cried. I panicked. I stressed. A LOT. But I also tried to stay positive every day by seeing the light that my husband will be back, that Whitney and I will get better, and all will be ok. I worked greatly on my Emotional Brain Training (EBT), which is when you stop, look at the situation, evaluate just how stressed you are, and come up with solutions on how to cope and calm down, whether it be by taking a few deep breaths, or simply keeping a positive attitude. EBT is a real thing mamas, and can be used for any stressful situation, family related or not. This is something I work with my clients on because it is not utilized enough. I was tested greatly last month with my stress levels, so my EBT exercises certainly helped me cope.
I didn’t write this blog for a pity party, but I wanted to be real and honest, because this is what everyone goes through. All of my mamas I’m sure can relate, and even my non-parental audience, because despite what type of life you live, stress still happens, and it’s never timed conveniently, so we need to enforce mechanisms on how to best cope, depending on the situation.
I am not expecting these last 2 months to be easy like my first two trimesters, because my belly is still stretching, the baby is still getting heavier and my hip pains are still on and off, but I am still SO excited to meet my next little babe and feel SO blessed that I’m able to carry another human. Today, I feel hashtag blessed again, which I knew was coming; I just had to remember it.
Sacha xo
