6 Weird Third Trimester Symptoms No One Tells You About

I am currently 35 weeks pregnant, and experiencing some weird third trimester symptoms. There is only five weeks left before my official due date. It’s still surreal that I am going to be a mother. There were many years were I thought this might not happen. And while I’ve had months to adjust the to the idea of becoming a mom, and had my body change, I can’t quite believe that soon I’ll be holding my baby boy in my arms. Maybe it’s because the majority of my pregnancy has been so easy. I had no real morning sickness to speak of. I have been fairly comfortable and able to do things throughout my pregnancy. I didn’t even get the infamous pregnancy brain that plagues so many expectant moms! I have not been miserable as some are while pregnant because I’ve had such a good pregnancy.

But, I will admit that the third trimester is no fun at all. I’m huge so lying down, sitting down, bending down are all new challenges. I honestly feel like a beached whale at times, and have to think about how to best get up from bed or a seated position. I’m also an emotional mess. Weepy doesn’t begin to describe my mood some days. Yes, of course I knew pregnancy was hard. I knew the third trimester wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. But to be honest, I’m annoyed that there are so many things about this stage of pregnancy that no one tells you about! Which is why I’m writing this post. I’ve worked with TONS of pregnant women over the last fifteen years. Everyone shares their experience. I knew about mucus plugs, siatica, pregnancy brain, tearing down there, uneven belly buttons post C-section—all sorts of things. But there were still things about the third trimester that caught me by surprise.

Extreme Fatigue

I’ve bet you’ve heard pregnancy comes with fatigue. I knew this. I’ve seen lots of pregnant co-workers who claim that they are doing great, that they are just tired. And some have looked pretty darn tired! But, what they didn’t say was this isn’t just tired. It’s extreme fatigue. As in I want to do nothing fatigue. Literally, I want to do nothing. I’m that tired. And it starts the minute I wake up. Yes, I wake up tired. Getting myself dressed and a little breakfast into me is exhausting. So when they say tired they mean, a fatigue you cannot imagine it’s so extreme. I tell this to people now and they all sagely nod their nods as if to say, ahh yes, to be expected. Well then, why didn’t anyone say so? Kinda more important than knowing that labour hurts. I mean, I’m expecting that. Everyone expects that. I expect it’ll be ten times worse than I’m imagining. That’s why I’m opting for an early epidural. But I didn’t except to spend the last two months of pregnancy so tired that I need to nap every day, so tired that the idea of popping over to the drug store to pick up milk equates to climbing a mountain in my mind.

Related Post: 4 Early Pregnancy Symptons No One Tells You About

Lightening Crotch

Werid third trimester symptoms—this one qualifies. It scared the sh*t out of me. There I was, lying in bed one night when suddenly this strange sensation hit my body. In a very private and delicate area, I felt a an electrical shock. Like a bolt of lightening was firing off inside my vagina. It didn’t last long, but it certainly caught my attention. Then, I thought I imagined it. But then, it happened again. And it happened again the next night, only more intensely. I was freaked out so I check Dr. Google and asked a friend and I had what is known as lightening crotch. As you get closer to your delivery time, this is a natural occurrence many pregnant women experience. And no one ever mentioned this. Like, ever. Considering it’s such a weird thing to experience, you’d think someone would have mentioned it. But no. So be prepared. Your vag starts to feel very bruised in the third trimester, and if you feel a bolt of lightening, it’s just part and parcel of lightening crotch.

Pregnancy Tendonitis

Another of the weird third trimester symptoms that took me by surprise was when I suddenly developed pain in my wrist and thumb. Turns out, it’s not uncommon in mothers with infants as they are always holding baby and bottles and this can cause strain and stress on the ligaments in the hand and thus result in tendonitis. It can also happen while you are pregnant because of fluid build up in the hands which places pressure on the joints. And honestly, my hands hurt. My hands have really swelled, and my knuckles hurt whenever I bend them. I tweeted about this a while ago and someone responded that they had this too, and yet…fifteen years alongside dozens of pregnant women (and women who had children) and no one ever mentioned this. Yet, it’s common? I don’t understand. Maybe we just like sharing horrifying birthing stories more.

Check out Corrine’s post over at Skinnedcartree for more info on the third trimester.

Fits of Crying

Now, this was one I was somewhat expecting. I’ve heard from many that you are more emotional while pregnant. It’s the hormones. I’ve also witnessed pregnant women who react more emotionally towards certainly things and do break down and cry. And once I entered my second trimester, I did become a lot more emotional. Like, anything could set me off. But I was usually able to calm myself down. But in the third trimester, I break down for no reason at times, especially on days when I’m super fatigued and I can’t control the crying. I’m pretty much crying all day some days and it’s exhausting. And really hard on my husband. No one told me this! Honestly, it’s ridiculous even to me how much I cry and I often can’t explain why I’m crying. I’m just upset.

Your Pregnant Belly Hurts

Maybe I should figured this out on my own? But you’d think that this would come up in passing when you’re around a heavily pregnant woman. Your belly hurts. I feel like I’m going to split open at times. It’s one of the werid thrid trimester symptons I could do without, and really wish I had known about. Your growing uterus creates a feeling of pressure against your skin as it stretches outwards to accommodate your ever growing baby. And it hurts. It never occurred to me that pregnancy could be painful in this way. And no one has ever mentioned it. And I’ll tell you a secret—you know how pregnant women are always touching and rubbing their bellies? How people say it’s a maternal instinct, a sign of nurturing? Well, that is total BS! We are doing this because our bellies HURTS! And we are rubbing the spots that are painful or that the baby is pressing against. It’s nothing at all to do with bonding with your unborn child.

Everything Else Hurts Too

As if all of this wasn’t bad enough…everything else hurts too. I have headaches (and I’m not prone to them) my back hurts, my legs hurt, my feet hurt. I’m living in a body that is just achy and uncomfortable and hurts in places it really ought not. There are days I cry because I’m so uncomfortable. So it’s not wonder women in their eighth and ninth month of pregnancy are ready for baby to be out. The third trimester is just a big ball of things that suck! And if you’ve already had a trying pregnancy with morning sickness and goodness knows what else, it’s gotta suck even more.

In Conclusion

I am not enjoying these weird third trimester symptons, as you can imagine. But while all of this is strange and sucks, I can’t wait to see my baby. I’ve seen him move on the ultrasounds, and that always strikes me as amazing. And as I said, I still can’t even believe I’m having a baby—despite all the third trimester discomforts I’m experiencing. But I do want to hold him more than anything. To count his little fingers and toes and snuggle him close. I think that’s the only reason so many women are willing to go through the experience of pregnancy—because it’s far harder than you imagine. My fingers are aching as I type these words. And there are days I feel like I can’t do anything because I ache and I’m tired. It can be isolating as you urge others to go on a walk without you, or skip out on a trip to the shop because you just don’t have the energy. It’s no walk in the park. So if you are pregnant, or going to get pregnant, I hope my sharing some of these third trimester symptoms will help. You’re not alone! Apparently everyone else who has had a baby has been there and simply failed to mention it.

Did you experience any other werid thrid trimester symptoms in your third trimester? Share in the comments below!