Third Trimester Holistic Pregnancy Essentials

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Whether this is your first pregnancy or your fifth pregnancy, the moment you cross the line from the second trimester to the third trimester is such an exciting time. Your growing baby is now taking over your body, and you can start to truly imagine holding that sweet new life in your arms.

The third trimester can be one of the hardest, though, in my opinion, to get through both physically, mentally, and emotionally. Endurance is the true key to surviving the third trimester, especially in those final weeks, and in this blog post, I am going to be sharing my third-trimester holistic pregnancy essentials and how to keep you and your baby healthy in this last stretch. 

So much goes on in the third trimester; the baby is growing at a rapid rate, developing all the vital organs needed to survive outside the womb, thus putting a lot more pressure on your body. Your nutrient intake increases significantly, requiring about 450 more calories per day compared to pre-pregnancy.

Morning sickness has hopefully vanished at this point, but if you are anything like me, you will still get some waves of it here or there. The emotional toll of carrying a beautiful human for the past 28 weeks is beginning to really hit with thoughts of how to prepare best for this baby, and either living in bliss or couldn’t be more excited to not be pregnant soon.

Here are 8 of my favorite tried-and-true products that have helped me tremendously with this and previous pregnancies in the final stretch of a healthy pregnancy. 

*Affiliate Disclosure: I do have affiliate links in this blog post. If you purchase something from my link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.  This comes at no cost to you, but is paid by the company.  I do not take becoming an affiliate with any company lightly.  If I am, it’s because I believe in the company and their product. 

*This blog post should not act as medical advice; always check with your healthcare provider before starting a new regime

1. Nutrient-Dense Foods

I really try to make it a priority to feed my body super-nutrient-dense foods during pregnancy, as the baby is taking a lot of nutrients to grow. Essential nutrients such as protein, iron, folic acid, iodine, choline, and minerals need to be readily available to the body. I try to eat as many whole, unprocessed foods as possible. Foods that come from the earth, and not in a package, including whole grains. I try to shop at farmers’ markets as much as possible, and I always get my meat and healthy fats from grass-fed, pasture-raised sources as much as possible. Pasture-raised, grass-fed beef has so many more key nutrients and nutritional value than conventional beef, and beef is such a good source of iron, protein, and many B-vitamins, which many people are deficient in.

A study done by PubMed showed that pasture-raised beef shows a considerably higher essential fatty acids profile, especially in omega-3 and long-chain fatty acids  EPA and DHA. I always notice my energy levels increase significantly when I eat nutrient-dense foods, especially pasture-raised meats. 

Foods I try to eat during pregnancy for a healthy diet to optimize the baby’s development:

Sometimes, good quality, pasture-raised meats can be hard to come by, or super expensive, which is out of the picture for me. If you can’t buy local beef and meat from a trusted farmer, my next best option is to find online a great place that delivers at good prices. Grass Roots Farmers Co-Op is a great place to order pasture-raised meats right to your doorstep. What I love about Grass Roots is that every animal is born, raised, and harvested on small independent farms across the US. They offer pasture-raised beef, chicken, turkey, and pork (which is very hard to find pasture-raised). In my opinion, the best value at Grass Roots is the boxes. You can get anywhere from 10 to 23 lbs of pastured meat for a great price.

Get 15% off using code CLEANLIVINGNURSE

2. Genexa Clean Antacids

Luckily, I usually never deal with heartburn and acid reflux in the first trimester, but I almost always deal with it in the third trimester of pregnancy. I don’t love having to take any medication, but sometimes at 3 am, and I can’t sleep because of awful heartburn, I turn to Genexa. Thankfully, Genexa makes a clean antacid brand that doesn’t use any artificial dyes, artificial sweeteners, parabens or common allergens. It is made with organic ingredients and non-GMO dextrose. Compared to the popular name brand, which contains talc, artificial colors, flavors, mineral oil and sucrose, this brand is a game changer. I get immediate relief whenever I have to take one, and it lasts me the entire night of sleep.

3. Red Light Therapy

If you are familiar with my blog, you know my deep-rooted love for the benefits of red light therapy. Yes, I even highly utilize it all throughout pregnancy, from aches and pains to help with sleep. My Lumebox Pro is my go-to red light therapy device. My own personal experience with red light therapy during pregnancy is that it alleviates the most common discomforts, and I believe it can help with emotional support and supporting a healthy nervous system.

While you should always check with your healthcare provider before starting any new regimen, studies are showing positive benefits for placental health and for potential issues like preeclampsia and depression.

4. Fresh Test Glucose testing alternative

If you hate the gestational diabetes testing, I have good news for you! I love that there are alternatives to the third-trimester glucose testing nowadays. The Fresh test is made with just three ingredients: organic dextrose, crystallized lemon, and organic mint.

There are no artificial ingredients or dyes in the conventional drink is filled with. My OB office now carries the Fresh test for an additional price, but I love that more and more providers are now recognizing the Fresh Test as an alternative. I love that it actually tastes good, too. Depending on your needs, Fresh Test carries a 50 gram, 75 gram or 100-gram test pack.

Check with your provider which one you will need. Just mix with water, stir, and drink at the time instructed. I think it’s such a great alternative if you don’t want to drink the artificial dyes and artificial ingredients in the standard test or check your own blood sugar levels.

5. Magnesium Drink

If I expect to get any sleep at all during my third trimester, I rely heavily on my nighttime magnesium drinks. Magnesium plays such a crucial role in our bodies, especially during pregnancy. If you have ever dealt with restless legs during pregnancy, it is very likely that you need some magnesium.

One of my favorite natural wellness brands, Just Ingredients, carries my favorite magnesium drink. It contains tart cherry, L-theanine and inositol. Inositol can help lower the chances of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.I drink this hot about 30-40 minutes before bedtime, and I notice a huge difference in my sleep. I sleep so much better and deeper, and it’s just such a nice, cozy way to end the night.

6. Beef Liver Supplement

In my opinion, iron deficiency is way overlooked in women, especially in pregnant women. My ferritin levels run chronically low during pregnancy, as the baby is taking up so many more nutrients. My fourth pregnancy, I was dealing with such chronic fatigue, heart palpitations, and hair loss that I decided to do some research. Most providers don’t check your actual ferritin levels unless you ask them, and oftentimes your lab work won’t show up as “iron deficient.” However, if your ferritin is low, lower than 30, you will most likely be experiencing some symptoms.

Upon my research, I found that just taking iron pills usually isn’t the answer. Beef liver is such a great product to help boost ferritin levels, as it is one of the richest sources of heme iron, which is highly bioavailable to the body and easily absorbed.  It is amazing for fertility and fetal development as well.

The Ancestral beef liver supplement is my favorite brand as they are grass-fed, pasture-raised, 3rd party lab tested, GMP certified, and they really focus on putting out high-quality supplements. I usually replace prenatal vitamins with high-quality beef liver since it is filled with all of the important nutrients you and your growing baby need: Vitamin A in the form of retinol, folate(the real form of folic acid), choline,  vitamin B12, bioavailable iron, and Coq10. 

7. Nettle Leaf and Red Raspberry Leaf Tea

Stinging nettle and red raspberry leaf are two very nourishing herbs that can be used in the third trimester of pregnancy. They are known to nourish, replenish, and prepare the body for labor. Stinging nettle is a vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant powerhouse containing calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, manganese, B vitamins, vitamins A, C, and K. In those final weeks of pregnancy, your body is craving and needing all the nutrients it can get in, and tea is a great way to get those nutrients. Red raspberry leaf is well known for its ability to begin softening and ripening the cervix. It can also help to prevent hemorrhage and miscarriage. Nettle is also known to help prevent hemorrhage. I love nettle because it is helpful with hemorrhoid prevention as well. 

I love the Earth Mama Organic Third Trimester tea as it contains both red raspberry leaf and stinging nettles, along with several other amazing herbs. Earth Mama has high-quality teas that are organic and they use wood pulp instead of plastic for their tea bags. Check out my post on the best plastic-free tea brands here. Earth Mama is a great company that offers so many great products for women all throughout pregnancy.

8. Non-toxic Laundry products

I am such a huge advocate for using non-toxic products for everyday essentials we all use every day, like washing our clothes and cleaning products. Our clothes sit on our skin, the largest organ on our body, and our skin absorbs everything. Conventional laundry detergents have so many chemicals we don’t want our bodies absorbing, especially while growing another human. Studies are now coming out where large amounts of chemicals are being found in the newborn cord blood, which is very concerning. What we put on and in our bodies matter everyday, especially in pregnancy. I have a post all about the best non-toxic baby laundry products. Check it out here. 

I have two favorite everyday laundry detergents we use in my family. Truly Free and Molly’s Suds. Both of these brands perform amazingly well, taking care of tough stains and odors, all while not using toxic chemicals.

Truly Free

I think Truly Free is a great brand if you are trying to switch from conventional laundry detergents with certain “scents.” They have a signature scent and an unscented scent, and in my opinion, their signature scent smells a lot like a conventional detergent, but without all the toxic chemicals and fragrances. They use all-natural ingredients for their scents, and they list out the ingredients they use on their website. I like that the bottle is refillable, so you are also reducing plastic waste. It was founded by parents whose infant was breaking out in horrible rashes, and the doctor was able to trace it back to the conventional laundry products they were using. They then made it their mission to get non-toxic products and less plastic waste into homes.

Mollys Suds

Molly’s Suds has been a long-time favorite in our household. Like Truly Free, the founder was a mom who, unfortunately, had a stillborn child. She was a registered nurse and was yearning to find the reason why her child may have been born stillborn. She found out that of the 80,000 chemicals that were tested out at that time in 2005, only 200 of them were tested for human safety. On a mission to make a difference, and thus Molly’s Suds was born. They have both powdered laundry detergent and liquid laundry detergent. I just love their laundry detergent because you really don’t need to use much, and it cleans so well. It also lasts forever. They also make a special baby detergent, even though their regular detergent is safe enough for even the smallest bodies. 

I hope this blog post was beneficial to you. Pregnancy is such a wild ride and can get very challenging. Especially in the last trimester, and I would have loved recommendations to help get through.