What No One Tells You About the Third Trimester

From a Mama Who’s Been There—and a Doula Who Walks With You

When I was in the third trimester of my pregnancy, I thought I knew what to expect. I had read the blogs, made my lists, folded all the baby clothes. I thought I’d be glowing, nesting, and peacefully waiting for labor to begin.

But let me tell you the truth I wish someone had gently told me: the third trimester is a whole experience of its own. It’s raw and tender, stretching and sacred. As a mother who’s lived it and a doula who now walks with other women through it, I want to speak honestly and lovingly to you.

You are not alone if you feel tired, emotional, overwhelmed, or just so done. This season is intense. But it’s also rich with transformation. Let’s talk about the things no one really tells you—so you can feel seen, supported, and more at peace as you move through it.

1. You Might Feel Like a Stranger in Your Own Body

In those final weeks, I remember standing in the mirror with my belly stretched to what felt like its limit, thinking… wow, this is really me now. My hips ached. My back throbbed. My legs would fall asleep if I stood still too long. I loved my belly—but I also missed feeling like myself.

Your body is doing monumental work. Every hormone shift, every sensation, every strange new ache is your body preparing for the biggest transition it will ever make. But that doesn’t mean it always feels beautiful. Sometimes it just feels heavy. Uncomfortable. Exhausting.

🌿 My loving reminder: You are not broken. You are expanding—physically, emotionally, spiritually. Speak kindly to your body. Rub her gently with oil, thank her out loud, rest her often. You are still you, even in this new form.

2. Your Emotions May Catch You Off Guard

I had moments where I’d cry over a random commercial, then feel completely numb the next hour. There were nights I felt wildly confident and ready—and mornings I wondered if I was strong enough to do any of it. And I’ll be honest, some of those feelings scared me.

No one told me that the third trimester can feel like emotional whiplash. But the truth is, those feelings are part of the preparation. They’re not signs of weakness. They are signs that your body and spirit are softening, opening, getting ready to release and receive.

🌿 What I want you to hear: You’re allowed to feel everything. Every tear, every fear, every burst of joy—it all belongs. Let your emotions move through you. Talk to someone who won’t try to fix you. Journal when you can. You don’t have to be "together" to be powerful.

3. You’re Not Meant to Do This Alone

There’s this strong, quiet pressure on mothers to just figure it all out. To push through. To be strong and resourceful and capable. And we are. But we’re also not supposed to be doing this by ourselves. That’s not how it was meant to be.

In traditional cultures, the third trimester is a time when community gathers around the mother—bringing food, tending the home, reminding her to rest. But here, it often feels like we’re expected to do it all in isolation.

🌿 Here’s what I want you to know: You deserve to be held right now. Ask for help—whether that’s your doula, your partner, a friend, or your mom. Let people in. Let someone rub your feet, bring you soup, or just sit beside you while you cry. You don’t need to earn support. You simply need to receive it.

4. Rest Is Not Lazy—It’s Preparation

I know everyone says “sleep while you can,” and I know how frustrating that can sound when you’re tossing and turning and can’t get comfortable no matter what pillow tower you build. But rest isn’t just sleep. Rest is nervous system safety.

It’s quieting your mind. It’s breathing deeply. It’s being still enough to hear your body and your baby. This kind of rest prepares you for labor in a deeper way than any birth class or breathing technique.

🌿 What helped me: Herbal baths in the evenings. A gentle stretching ritual before bed. Saying no without guilt. Turning off my phone after dinner. Treating rest like a sacred part of my day—not a luxury, but a necessity. Give yourself permission to unplug. You are already doing enough.

5. You Are Already Doing It Right

There is so much pressure to have everything ready—to check off all the boxes, perfect the birth plan, feel 100% prepared. But birth doesn’t come when everything’s “done.” It comes when you surrender. It comes when you soften into trust.

Even if your nursery isn’t finished. Even if you feel scared. Even if nothing looks how you imagined—you are already doing it right. You are mothering already. Just by showing up. Just by breathing through another day. Just by loving your baby in your belly.

🌿 Here’s something I did: I wrote myself a little love letter in the third trimester and saved it for early labor. A reminder from myself, to myself: You are safe. You are strong. You are loved. You are not alone. I read it through tears before my baby was born, and it helped anchor me.

You’re Not Alone—And You Don’t Have to Be

If you’re in this season right now, I want to say this: I see you. You’re not “too much.” You’re not dramatic. You’re not falling behind. You’re just becoming.

And if you need someone to walk beside you as you move through this stretch—whether that’s helping you build a postpartum plan, supporting your birth space, or just being a calming voice in your inbox—I’m here.

This work is sacred. You are sacred. Let’s make space for all of it—together. 💛