Trimester Talk – part 2

Pascale Pruijser
Customer Service at Gebe Maternity
33 years old
Trimester 3: 34 weeks pregnant
Due date: December 21

Pascale talks about her pregnancy during this edition. Every month, another mommy-to-be tells her story. How do you experience your pregnancy, how do you prepare and do you have crazy or striking features? Pascale works at Gebe Maternity and that is why we can follow her even more closely during her beautiful pregnancy. Pascale tells in this Trimester Talk part 2 just before her leave how her pregnancy goes.

Pascale is now 34 weeks pregnant and almost ready for her well-deserved leave. We already talked about getting pregnant, how is your pregnancy so far?

“I’m feeling good. Very well. I have not had any nausea at all, not at all. Very occasionally a flurry in the beginning, but not worth mentioning. I was very tired the first trimester, really tired and very early to bed. Second trimester I suddenly got a lot of energy. Now in the third trimester I get small ailments that belong, everything becomes slower and heavier.”

“I have not developed any strange habits. Yes coffee. I drank a lot of coffee, 6 to 8 cups a day .. It didn’t taste when I became pregnant and I still do not drink it at all. It smells good now, so it probably comes back after my pregnancy. In terms of food I have less appetite for spicy food and now I eat a lot of chocolate in the last trimester.”

“I still do not really believe it, it is so special to be pregnant. Sometimes I walk past the mirror and I think, wow is this me? My body is changing and that feels very natural, but you just do not realize that a small person really grows in there, until it starts to kick, of course. Sometimes I even wake up in the morning and I notice nothing until I want to turn on my stomach. ‘Oh no, that does not work anymore’.”

Four ultrasounds with 20 weeks
“After the standard 20-week ultrasound, I have had a growth echo and done a 3D ultrasound. The growth echo was advised by the midwife after a check up, because she suspected that the baby was a bit big. I had to do a test for pregnancy sugar too. That would mean; fasting blood, afterwards I got a sugar drink with lemon flavor, sit still for 2 hours and prick again. The drink was really dirty actually. Fortunately, all results were good and the growth ultrasound was also very good. Fortunately nothing wrong.”

“After this I did the 3D ultrasound with a large part of the family and friends. I really wanted this because I was so curious about the baby’s face. But he or she is already stubborn. Every time there were arms, hands or feet. We just did not see the face! Because they also forgot to make a video recording, I was allowed to come again after a few days. She recommended taking a glass of cola before the ultrasound. Then we could see it well and I now have a nice video and pictures of the baby. How incredibly sweet! ”

“We are now busy with the birth announcement card, very special, my father and brother design the card. I find the design very beautiful and even more special to create it all together. The room is already finished. I also definitely have a boys and a girls name. I have collected names for years, but they have become other names. Because I still do not know what the gender of the child is, I have to choose two names.”

“I am not afraid for the birth yet, I do not know what to expect, so I can not stress it either. I am working on my birth plan for the midwife. I think it’s important that my mother and my sister are there and my family is close by. I want to give birth in the hospital and when possible no pain relief. I have already divided tasks, my sister is the contact person for my friends and she has to take photos,  my mother is there to support me. My father keeps the family informed.”