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WOOT! Welcome to the 3rd trimester. 💪 Learn how to do kick counts. And how to eat your placenta???
As baby pulls into the third trimester (CONGRATS MAMA!), he's becoming a force to reckon with. Kick, bam, boom: this baby likes to move it, move it 🎶
Now is the time to start kick counts. What's that you say? Kick counting is really simple, and it’s just what it sounds like. You’re counting baby’s movements to monitor how he's doing in utero. Kicks, punches, jabs and tumbles all count; however, the little bumps from hiccups do not.
Believe it or not, this simple practice can actually save your child's life. Here's a detailed post on how to do kick counts. Talk to your midwife or OB-GYN to learn more.
Swelling and fluid retention are responsible for so many wonderful changes in pregnancy.
Cankles? Check. Moon face? Check. Rings that no longer fit on your sausages fingers? Check. Snoring? Check-o-rama.
I realized that my swelling had reached new heights when my husband gently suggested that I try using those anti-snore strips at night. You know, the ones that go around the bridge of your nose? I looked like a pro football player as I hit the sheets! 😳 (For what it’s worth, they did seem to help.)
Don’t be surprised if you get sinus congestion like I did. Other women report feeling like they have water in their ears. Here’s a list of some other wonderfully weird pregnancy side effects.
Don’t forget to come back to claim your bonuses!
Will you eat your placenta? During my first pregnancy, my answer was, “No thanks!”
But during my second pregnancy, things had changed. I’d seen way too many positive stories from moms in my community.
Low breastmilk production. GONE. Fatigue and soreness. NOPE. Weakness and slow recovery. NO MORE. I even heard stories of postpartum depression disappearing.
As a natural mama, I had to give it a whirl.
While placenta consumption sounds archaic and maybe even bloody, most consume it in the form of dried placenta powder in capsules—called encapsulation. Some prefer to put small chunks of it in their morning smoothies, while others make decadent chocolate truffles with this special ingredient. I decided on placenta encapsulation. See my doula Deb do the encapsulation from start to finish in this video.
The great thing about placenta encapsulation is that you can increase or decrease your dosage easily, or stop altogether. And this organ, which nearly all land mammals consume in the wild, can be a real life-saver if you have a history of hormonal imbalances, depression, and low breastmilk supply (for 2nd-time moms).
However, my experience with consuming my placenta was a little bit unusual. Read the full story here.
Dig deeper into these hot topics for your 28th week of pregnancy!