Lauren 3rd Trimester Self-Care Routine
With the arrival of our little one coming any day now, I thought I’d reflect on my self-care practices during the last stages of my pregnancy and share them here with you in the case that you might be interested, or embarking / already on a pregnancy journey of your own.
My days begin very slowly at the moment. I sleep with a water bottle beside my bed and first thing I do (after running to the toilet to empty my ever-full bladder, of course) is gulp down a large amount of water. I can’t seem to drink enough water these days. Which is a conundrum because as anyone who has ever been pregnant will tell you, you live on the toilet, needing to pee every two minutes, especially in these last few weeks.
I begin my skincare routine by washing my face with a face cloth drenched in cold water. I find its the perfect balance of refreshing, hydrating and exfoliating. For the last few months, I’ve been sleeping exclusively on silk pillow cases, we have a few pairs from Penny and Bennet and they’re incredible. I have absolutely noticed a difference in both the texture of my skin, and my hair.
After washing my face, I’ll apply a few drops of Costa Brazil’s Óleo Para a Face, Kaya Anti Aging Face Oil. I then apply a liberal amount of SPF. I’m a long time lover of Elta MD. And as for my face, that’s literally it.
I’ve definitely noticed an increase in pigmentation and my melasma is on show at the moment, but it’s not really bothering me as much as it used to. I don’t know whether it’s because I lack the energy to care, or because we’ve been in lockdown for what feels like forever, but when I’m working from home and any errands I run throughout the day are done so from behind a mask, keeping my skin clean and makeup free has felt great.
During my second trimester, I was definitely the most active. I loved going on long walks with Lucy and the dogs, and doing pilates and yoga. Pretty much all of that has come to a halt in these last few weeks. To take care of my aches and pains, I’ve been seeing a physio each week for remedial massage to assist with some pretty intense sciatic nerve pain, and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without their care.
During the day, I’ll sit on my large pilates ball, at my desk to get work done. This has also helped with my posture and pain management.
Each day now, I’m making sure I consume at least one cup of Red Raspberry leaf tea and four to five fresh dates. They’re both said to be great in preparing the cervix and uterus for labour.
I won’t delve too far into our birth plan, as it’s a collection of incredibly private and personal choices, but I will share that I do hope to go into spontaneous labour and have a vaginal, physiological birth. I’m also aware that all plans might fly out the window, in order to keep both myself and our little one safe and healthy, and so however their birth unfolds, I’m ready to meet any twist and turn.
I’ve been trying to finish work in the mid to early afternoons, and give myself some time to rest and relax. During this time I’ll either read something related to birth, breastfeeding or parenting, or zone out all together and watch a film or a TV series.
In the early evenings I’ll take a long shower, wash my face and hair and lather my body in moisturiser upon getting out. I find that after a warm shower is the perfect time to express colostrum, which I’ve been doing most days, with the clearance of my midwives. We have a very healthy stash sitting in our freezer in case we need it upon little one’s arrival.
Of a night time, Lucy takes the reins on cooking dinner, which I’m so grateful for. We’ll eat something nourishing and I’ll almost always have something sweet afterwards.
Each night before bed, we’ve been doing perineal massage. The Perineal Massage Oil from Weleda has been great and doesn’t irritate at all.
A huge part of my self-care routine remains journalling in my workbook and ticking off all small tasks I accomplished throughout the day. These days those tasks are smaller and simpler than ever, but getting them done, even if it’s ticking off ‘take five minutes to lay down this afternoon’, feels really, really good.
Above all, I’m doing my best to enjoy these moments before a major life transition. As eager and anxious as I am to meet our little one, I’m also trying to revel in the slow moments wherever possible.
14 - 10 - 21