Third Trimester Birth Preparation
- MamasteFit Birth Prep Circuit almost daily, but at least 4-5 times a week with my workouts. This circuit helps to release common areas of tension during pregnancy to make it easier to open your pelvis and release tension in your pelvic floor.
- I am still doing the MamasteFit Prenatal Strength Program and working out fairly regularly throughout the week–if I take too many days off, my SI joint pain picks up, so I have been really motivated to stay moving to stay pain-free. But I am choosing more modifications as I enter the third trimester for my comfort. Our program syncs to your current week of pregnancy, so it already tells me modifications to do now that I am in the third trimester.
- I feel more fatigued (already lol), so adding in sleep support at night from Needed, my pregnancy pillow nest is all setup, and I am taking baths at night to help me relax before bed. Use code MAMASTEFIT for 20% off your first Needed order.
- Paying attention to my baby’s movement trends throughout the day–now that we are 28 weeks, her sleep-wake cycles are more consistent, and I am just taking note of times she is more active throughout the day.
- And waiting on my recent lab results to see if any of my supplements need to adjust, such as adding in iron this last trimester. I will find out more later today and will report back on Instagram! My thyroid medication has stayed the same throughout the second trimester, but I have an appointment in the next few weeks to see if my dosage needs to adjust in this trimester.
And of course, my prenatal appointments are much more frequent! Really thankful for amazing dual care with my homebirth midwife and a hospital-based midwifery clinic, in case I need to transfer my care.
My Third Trimester Workouts: How Things Have Changed in the Final Trimester
In the third trimester, my workouts are still fairly regular because I am in pain if I take too much time off from the gym. So, I have been really motivated to keep my workouts going even as I move into the final trimester!
I work out 4-5 times a week doing the MamasteFit Prenatal Strength Program!
I am doing about four strength-focused workouts per week and 1-2 birth preparation workouts that open different parts of my pelvis. I will also begin to add in more walks and low-impact cardio as I near my due date too!
The best part of our program is that is syncs to your current week of pregnancy, so it already adjusts the exercises and volume based on what you will likely need at that point in your pregnancy. We figured this out based on our professional experience with in-person prenatal fitness clients at our gym located in Aberdeen NC!
The MamasteFit Birth Prep Circuit
I start every workout with the MamasteFit Birth Prep Circuit! The MamasteFit Birth Prep Circuit targets common areas of tension that we have during pregnancy to make it easier for you to open your pelvis for birth!
During pregnancy, we tend to favor an arched back (spine extension with an anterior pelvic tilt) and more external hip rotation (toes out). This is more comfortable for us during pregnancy as our belly grows! But, this common position usually results in tighter lats, hip flexors, and posterior pelvic floor!
Our birth prep circuit targets these common areas of tension to make it easier for you to find a rounded back position and internal hip rotation–both of which are really important to creating space in the top of the pelvis to help baby engage (posterior pelvic tilt) and the lower portion of the pelvis to help baby finish their rotation (internal hip rotation with a posterior pelvic tilt).
The MamasteFit Birth Prep Circuit includes:
- Forward Leaning Inversion
- Back Expansion Breathing Drill
- Lat Release
- Hip Flexor Release
- All Fours Hip Shift with Pelvic Tilts
- Supported Standing Hip Shift
I have been incorporating the birth prep circuit into my prenatal workout warm-ups! We include it as a part of the warm-up routine in our prenatal programming starting week 20.
This video walks you through the entire birth prep circuit with exercise demonstrations! You can also sign up for our newsletter to grab the free PDF guide with pictures, written instructions, and links to specific exercise demo videos.
Birth Preparation Workouts
Pelvic opening and birth preparation workouts are included in our programming from the very beginning, but I am finding that I want to make sure I include these birth prep workouts and our pelvic floor release workouts in my weekly routine, as well.
The pelvis has three levels:
- The top of the pelvis is the inlet, where your baby enters and engages
- The middle of the pelvis is the midpelvis, where your baby rotates and can is the narrowest space in the pelvis (so a big focus of our programming)
- The bottom of the pelvis is the outlet, where your baby extends and is born from while your pushing!
Our birth prep workouts include exercises that create space in each pelvic level so that you have the movement capability to create space when labor begins! I’ve been really focused on the lower midpelvis based on my movement tendencies (which are common for most of us during pregnancy), so this is one of my favorite workouts I’ve been doing to support that!
If you want more daily workouts to support a strong pregnancy as you prepare for birth, join our online prenatal fitness programs!
MamasteFit is unique in that we are one of the ONLY prenatal/postnatal training facilities in the United States. We develop our workout programs from our experience of working with in-person pre/postnatal fitness clients and work closely with physical therapists to refine our programming. In addition, we are birth workers, so we combine our experience as perinatal fitness trainers and birth professionals to ensure that our programs actually support your birth preparation and recovery!
Our prenatal fitness programs are offered in several formats:
- 40-Week Prenatal Strength Program in the Teambuildr App:
- This program is a self-paced workout with shorter demo videos. This is ideal if you like to workout in a gym setting and prefer a traditional workout delivery format.
- This program syncs to your current week of pregnancy, so you can start anytime, with one-time payment or month-to-month payment options.
- This program has a full and mini version, depending on how much time you have to dedicate to workouts!
- Prenatal On-Demand Fitness Program:
- If you prefer to follow a video as you workout at the same time, this workout program will be the best option!
- This program syncs to your current trimester, so you can grab the trimesters you need!
- Prenatal Yoga Classes:
- If you want prenatal yoga, join our prenatal yoga program! This also syncs to your current trimester.
Pelvic Opening & Pelvic Floor Release Exercise: Current Favorites
Archer Row and Press
One of my new favorite exercises to open my lower midpelvis and release tension in my pelvic floor with my entire body is the archer row and press. In this exercise, we are using the rotation of the upper body (similar to the previous exercises) to help us find more rotation in the hips.
In the archer row, you will be rowing the band back as you shift into the same side hip. Find more of a crunch in the side body of the rowing arm. Make sure you are reaching forward with the opposite arm to help you rotate in the torso.
In the archer press, you will be pressing the band forward as you reach for the opposite side and shift into the opposite hip. Find length in the pressing side as you crunch on the opposite side.
In both of these movements, we are finding a hip shift that stretches the posterior pelvic floor and creates more space in the lower pelvis.
When we are doing movement, we do not move in isolation, so movement in one place of our body impacts movement in other places–so the rotation in our upper body helps us rotate more in the hips = more opening of the pelvis!
Single Leg Deadlift to Hip Shift with Row
Another favorite exercise for birth prep has been this single leg deadlift to hip shift with a banded row. In this movement, we are strengthening the hamstring which helps to pull the pelvis into internal rotation (opens lower pelvis) and the hip shift is a pelvic floor release exercise. The banded row helps me rotate more in my upper body to aid in the hip rotation too!
I’ve been exploring movement this past week to figure out what feels best for me in my body right now, and I’m surprised to notice some of my movement selections have been different than previous pregnancies too! Usually, I prefer sumo deadlifts, but this pregnancy I have really loved the elevated deadlift instead. I’ll continue to explore variations of the exercises in our prenatal program over the next few months!
Third Trimester Fatigue: Resting Tips!
As usual, once the third trimester hit, my energy levels began to fluctuate a lot more! I am feeling more fatigued, so making sure that I get enough sleep at night is important. Some ways that I have been supporting my sleep is to make sure that I am eating enough throughout the day, as my blood sugar levels can impact my sleep. I am taking Needed Sleep Support to help me get a better night of sleep. I am taking a nightly bath with Epsom salts to help me relax and get more restful sleep too. And of course, my pregnancy pillow nest is set up to keep me comfortable throughout the night!
Here is our YouTube video with some tips on sleeping positions and how to move comfortably in bed!
Kick Counts and Baby's Movement Trends
Now that I am in the third trimester, it’s time to start paying more attention to my baby’s movement patterns too! At my prenatal appointment today, my midwife recommended I start doing kick counts to check on my baby’s wellbeing and if I notice decreased movement, to head to labor and delivery for support.
Kick counts and monitoring your baby’s movement trends can be a helpful way to prevent preventable stillbirths! So it can not only be a bonding activity but also help reassure you that your baby is doing well.
The difference between kick counts and monitoring movement trends is that in kick counts you monitor your baby’s movements over two hours (preferably the same timeframe each day) and assess for at least 10 voluntary movements (hiccups don’t count). This is the most common recommendation for monitoring your baby in the third trimester.
In comparison, monitoring baby’s movement trends may give you a better overall picture of their well-being but requires more attention throughout the day. When monitoring their movement trends, you pay attention to times that your baby is more active and times they are not. Babies have sleep-wake cycles even in utero–so they will have periods of activity and periods of sleep throughout the day. I usually will notice my baby moving a lot, and just take note of the time in a note in my phone throughout the day. Then each day, I will pay attention around the time she should be moving to see how she is doing. This is definitely more time-consuming, and I obviously miss times that I am not paying attention, but overall I find this to be a better assessment of my baby’s well-being.
But there are options! I would choose the option that feels more realistic for you!
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea for Uterine Strengthening
In the third trimester, I start to incorporate more holistic birth prep routines, as well! Mostly for my mindset shift to birth, but there are some benefits too!
First, I start to drink red raspberry leaf tea at night before bed. Red raspberry leaf tea is commonly promoted as a natural labor induction method, but there is no research it will induce your labor. However, anecdotally, there is evidence that red raspberry leaf tea may help to strengthen your uterus when labor begins and could reduce the risk of postpartum hemorrhage. But again, no clinical study supports these claims, mostly anecdotal.
Although there is no clinical research to support the claims, drinking tea is not harmful and helps me mentally to shift toward birth preparation!
Third Trimester Supplement and Medication Adjustments!
In the third trimester, my nutritional requirements will adjust too! So, I had lab work done with my midwife to check on my ferritin and thyroid to see if any changes needed to be made to my supplements. I have not had issues in the past with my iron levels, but it can be more common in pregnancy, so I am more aware of it as I near my due date.
I have an appointment with my normal provider to check on my thyroid and we may adjust my thyroid medication based on the results. I had to increase my dosage in the early second trimester and anticipate I will need to increase it again in the third as my thyroid demands change.
I will update this section after I get my lab results back on any changes that I make to my supplements this trimester!
Final Trimester!!
The final trimester is finally here! It’s hard to believe how fast this pregnancy is flying by–but there is still a lot of time left until I meet my baby. I’m sure it will still go quickly, but I am planning to continue to move intentionally each day, add in more mindset practices to support my birth preparation, and am getting more and more excited for our newest addition!
Prenatal Support Courses
Learn the science of pregnancy and birth to take the mystery of labor away! Understand why you are feeling what you feel, and learn strategies to confidently move through pregnancy and birth!
- 9h+ of Video
- Support Group
- Close Captioning
- 5 Workouts/Week
- Gym Workouts
- Self-Paced
Instructor
GINA
Workout on-demand with our prenatal fitness workout videos! Each workout is 30-40 minutes to follow along as you exercise at the same time!
- Birth Prep
- All Trimesters
- Mobility Work
Instructor
GINA
Find comfort and relief from pelvic girdle pain throughout your pregnancy and postpartum period! This program incorporates myofascial sling focused exercises to stabilize across the pelvic girdle joints.
- 3 Weeks
- On Demand Workout Videos to Follow