Essentials For The Third Trimester

Have you hit the 28 week mark and started having thoughts about what you need to prepare for labour, birth, and postpartum?! Look no further, we have outlined your Go-To essentials to kick the third trimester anxiety in the backside! 

1. Take an Antenatal Class! The most valuable thing you can do for yourself and your birth partner is take a class that will guide the way for you during labour, birth, and the immediate postpartum! Most classes will take you anywhere from 24 weeks pregnant, and some even have a private health insurance rebate! If you live in Melbourne, I personally recommend Body, Birth and Baby. If you live in NSW & QLD, I would recommend Power Birth!
   
   
2. Hire a TENS Machine! My best-friend in labour was my TENS machine. I recommend hiring one from The Birth Store, the arrival of the TENS machine was calculated perfectly, and was easy to return! 
   
   
3. Pack your hospital bag early! Don't leave this one to the last minute! The rush of getting to the hospital and contracting is no time to be packing a bag sister! Have one small bag for labour, and one big bag for your stay. Check out our blog post about what to pack here! 
   
   
4. Have a good think about your Birth Preferences! I don't like to use the phrase 'birth plan', because lets be real.. nothing goes to plan during labour! So have a good think about what types of pain relief you are open to, the space you want to have created for you (diffusers, pictures, fairy lights), and how you would like to labour (bath, shower, on the bed etc). 
   
   
5. Set up a tiered trolley in your bedroom & lounge room! The best thing I ever did was have a whole set up is my most used rooms- I had an emergency C-Section, so having access to a trolley with pain relief, water bottle, ice packs, snacks, pads, nappies, wipes and changes of clothes for baby was so helpful and easily accessible! 
   
   
6. Buy a large water dispenser for your bedside table! I wish I had thought of this sooner in the immediate post-partum! I was SO thirsty from the night sweats and constantly having to fill up my drink bottle was a drainer, it also helped to not need to wake up my husband in those precious hours of sleep we would squeeze in. 
   
   
7. Meal Prep! Sounds boring, I know. BUT, no one wants to cook anything from scratch when you've just had a baby! Lasagne, meat balls, schnitzel, soup bases, and  pasta sauce bases made eating well after having a baby so much easier! Have a 'meal prep' party with your friends and family to lighten the load.
   
   
8. See a Women's Health Physio! Your pelvic floor will thank you. Carrying a baby is not easy! The strain it puts on your back and pelvic floor is immense, so investing in a women's health physio and having your pelvic floor assessed can be a great resource to helping you feel confident in labour and postpartum. 
   
   
9. Schedule in self-care time. If you live in Melbourne, I highly recommend Fertile Ground. They offer a range of services, but I loved the pregnancy massages, induction massages, and acupuncture to prepare your body for labour. 
   
   
10. Buy Sanitary Pads with Ice Pack compartment. Having a space to put an ice pack in a pad is a life saver after birth- even if you end up in an emergency c/section, your body still labours and you still become swollen! Chemist Warehouse sell Moxie postpartum pads with an ice pack included, I'd recommend buying two boxes and rotate the ice packs as you see fit.