Third Trimester Changes and Woes :[

We are now officially in our third trimester! 

At week 28 here are the visible signs that we are indeed in third trimester.

Belly Button: my innie is slowly becoming an outie- and is still in the process of flipping inside out! @_@

Linea Nigra: the black line that forms from belly button down to your pubic bones when you are pregnant! It gets darker each passing day

My tattoo, however, stayed the same size. Interesting. It was one of the things that I was worried about. Oh, and NO STRETCH MARKS! Praise the Lord!

For the Woes-

Round Ligament Pain: 

I know there are so many information out there about what causes the pain, but I thought it'd be more useful to other moms to be if I talked about HOW it feels. 

To me personally, it feels like when you get stomach cramps when you run right after you eat or when you run without stretching- it starts from your sides, and then the pain spreads up and down from the side of the abdomen. 

Also the tension from the sides of your abdomen to your pelvis builds up, and it's this nagging heavy feeling that somewhat resembles period cramps, but it's not quite the same. I usually get the round ligament pain on my left side more because that's the side Baby Derrick prefers, and also it's where my OB told me my placenta is. 

My remedy for this is to lay down towards the side that hurts more, and also elevate my feet up with pillows piled up. 

Tender vagina/labia/perineum (feels like 'down there' was kicked or punched):

I don't think there is a specific medical term for this, but sometimes when I stand up for a long time or even sit up for a long time it feels like there is SO much pressure build up down there it feels like someone kicked me there. Asked my OB what causes this, and she said it's the growing weight of the baby and the uterus, and the weight is creating pressure down in my groin area and it can feel very tender. 

My remedy for this is using a maternity belt to hold up the baby so the weight won't rest solely on my pelvis, and also heat pad. I put it on very lowest setting, and I just sit on it for about 5-8 minutes. Doc ok'd the heat pad use, so- I'm all for it! 

Also, when I take a shower, I use my shower head and spray the water down there to relax the muscles. 

Tender/painful navel: 

The belly button hurts, and also maybe 1cm radius around the belly button as well-it hurts more especially when Baby Derrick pushes against it. When I put my stretch mark lotion on after my daily shower, I massage gently around the belly button, and it seems to relieve the pain. 

Achy/itchy breasts/nipples:

If I thought my boobs and nipples hurt first trimester, boy was I wrong. This pain is more like on the underside of my boobs, and also, my nipples hurt constantly, and also the areola, the color part around the nipple is just getting bigger and bigger. Remedy for this is also to put lotion on, and also to wear cotton- the bra I purchased since week 12 is a cotton nursing bra, so it's good.

Heartburn:

It gets so bad that I can't sleep at night and one night I cried myself to sleep. Remedy: milk->banana->water. That seems to calm it down. I don't want to take any antacids... although I heard some OTC antacids are ok. Also, I eat a lot less for dinner, and limit myself to bland foods for dinner. Other than that, I just drink tons of water. 

Here is the belly pic for 28 weeks. Fully completed 7 months and unto 8 months of pregnancy!

 And here is a little bit for Baby Derrick once you get old enough to read Mommy's blog-

Baby Derrick, this is Ddukguk, what Koreans eat on the first day of new year, and mommy made some for both daddy and mommy. We can't wait until you come so you can eat it with us! We also can't wait to teach you how to saebae and about sabae money, and to dress you in hanbok, Korean traditional clothing. We can't wait to teach you all about Korean culture! Please come when you are healthy and ready and mommy and daddy can't wait to love  you and teach you all about who you are!

SO- these are the changes and woes, and until the next post, keep us in your prayers! :]