Seven Best Things About the Third Trimester

It’s the final countdown. The third trimester officially starts the first day of week 28, so you’ve got 12 weeks to go, just three months (give or take about two weeks) until your inside baby is an outside baby! If this thought makes you panic, be assured that those 84 days will feel progressively longer as you get wider, and by the end you will be more than ready to have the baby be born.

Dressing for comfort. Even if you have big bucks to spend on a designer pregnancy wardrobe, comfort is your first priority- anything tight, scratchy or pinching has no place in your life. This probably means your wardrobe is down to just a few basic favorites, which makes getting dressed and doing laundry a whole lot easier.

Goodbye, work! The idea of losing income can be scary if your workplace isn’t flexible for new parents, but some things really are more valuable than money. And time off will give you space to take account of your career accomplishments and consider the big picture of how you want to spend the rest of your life (unless you’re already a stay-at-home mom, in which case, never mind.)

Baby showers and gifts! Diapers, onesies, strollers and toys, oh my! Check out our registry lists then research and use a site or app like babyli.st to make a master registry.

Eating. Your stomach doesn’t hold much, which means you can (and should) eat a little snacks of a variety of foods all day long. In other words, every day is a tapas party.

Everyone’s so friendly! Something about a bump makes strangers ask when you’re due. They may even offer to carry bags, seats on the bus and places in the ladies’ room line. Neighbors you’ve never talked to before start saying hello. That’s because any woman who’s been pregnant before can’t help but empathize with you, and neighbors who are parents know a kid can’t have too many playmates on the block.

Just-us time with your partner, family and/or pets. Knowing it’s going to be only the two, three or more of you for just a few more weeks makes this time together especially meaningful.