Man, marketing is everywhere. It’s frustrating — because it makes it really hard to know what you need, vs what’s just fluff. Today I want to tell you 5 things you NEED for your third trimester. The good news? These aren’t super expensive, and many you may already have. I propose to cut through the fluff and really give you what’s important.
In case we haven’t met yet — I’m Hilary, the curly head here at Pulling Curls® but many of you may know me as The Pregnancy Nurse® as well. I’ve been a nurse since 1997 and started in L&D in 2001. I love research and sharing how things can support you to have a better (and safer) pregnancy! I’m glad you’re here!
Spoiler: my #1 third-trimester must-have is a birth class — this prenatal class has prepared over 5,000 couples (more on that in a bit!).
Water Bottle
Ok, probably on the list of “you already have” comes this one. Of course, I have favorites:
- This one is great for travel. I have the smallest/skinniest one to slide into my bag easily. When I talk “travel” — I mean appointments, errands (but it’s great for the plane too). I get a bright color to remind me to DRINK
- One like this sits on my desk. I fill it every morning and when it’s there it reminds me to drink. The stainless interior makes for water tasting fine every time.
- And, if you absolutely hate water, there is something like this. The cartidges really easily flavor the water — so you’re not grossed-out, because we do NOT need that!
So, why a water bottle? Great question.
It is hard for me to stress enough how important hydration will be in your pregnancy. It took me getting 2L of IV fluid with my second baby to realize how much I felt like trash when I wasn’t drinking enough (and I THOUGHT I was drinking enough).
If you’re like — Hilary, how do I know if I’m drinking enough? I have a pro tip:
Just check your toilet (as long as it’s white). Is that pee a really light yellow? You’re good to go — darker? Drink more! It’s like a built-in system to monitor it (and one that most people ignore).
Also, when you pee in a cup at your doctor’s office, be sure to check it out. As someone who’s seen tens of thousands of pee cups I’m here to tell you that pee comes in a variety of colors and it’s easy to see who’s drinking, and who is not.
Got an Involved Partner? — If they’re wanting to know what they can do to help out, get them in a routine of filling your water bottle for you every morning. They’ll feel useful, you’ll feel loved and it truly is something that WILL make a difference (even if it feels small). This will also be awesome postpartum! And, if you’re looking for more help with partners — keep reading!
Looking for more on pregnancy health? — be sure to check out these posts:
- Charlie Horses in Pregnancy: What you can do to prevent them?
- How Your Partner Can Support a Happier Pregnancy
- Pregnancy, Tylenol® & Autism: What Expecting Moms Need to Know
- How to Bond with Baby: Before Birth & After
- Normal Daily Fetal Movement – Kick Counts
Want the full list of third trimester must-haves? Grab my free Third Trimester Checklist.
Pillows
Speaking of something you already have…. pillows. I know everyone is trying to sell you on a pregnancy pillow, and they’re nice but you can also just use regular ol’ pillows. Many of these can even just be the “fancy” pillows from your bed as you won’t be getting them dirty.
Areas for pillows in the 3rd trimester:
- 1-2 between your legs (you want to get it so your hips are aligned and not turning inwards if possible to help support those ligaments in your thighs)
- One UNDER your belly (an often missed spot — but it needs support so it’s not “hanging” there as you sleep on your side.
- One to hug, because it just feels nice.
- A firm one for under your head (or two softer ones)
- And if you’re a back’ish sleeper — one to put under a hip to tilt you JUST a bit, and one for under your knees as it can put strain in your back if you’re just sleeping flat.
As you notice, one of those pregnancy pillows can also do this — but they do take up a lot of room in your bed… my husband was often like — is there ROOM FOR ME? Anyway, pillows of any type will work — I always used a Body Pillow (those u-shaped ones do take up a LOT of room — and we had a queen bed at the time).
What the research on sleep says: For a long time they’ve said to not sleep on your back as the uterus can put too much weight on a major blood vessel (your vena cava), but recent studies show it doesn’t really matter. That being said, I’ve seen babies who don’t look great when mom’s flat on her back so I still appreciate a small tilt. Doesn’t have to be much, just enough for that uterus to move off that vessel.
Looking for more info on pregnancy sleep? — be sure to check out these posts:
- Does Sleeping Stop Contractions?
- Is it OK to Sleep on Your Stomach When Pregnant?
- Sleeping Positions to Induce Labor: Best Positions to Dilate
- Unisom for Sleep During Pregnancy
Birth Class
I know, I know — you’re thinking — Hilary, I’m watching you on social media, that’s plenty.
But, I’m here to tell you that in 2026 women are less prepared for birth than they were 10 years ago — specifically because they think a few tiktoks are going to prepare them.
Social media videos lack context, and nuance — which is exactly what you need to pack in your brain as you head into labor and delivery.
I do think that social videos can help you feel less alone, and can sometimes give you a few tidbits that might be helpful, but they don’t give the whole story.
A full birth class (don’t worry — I’m not going to recommend one of those $400+ ones) is going to:
- Give you what you need from beginning to “end” (because you’re postpartum forever). You won’t miss anything – which you most certainly will with a social media plan.
- Be from an expert, you can be sure to trust what you’re learning (can’t do that on social).
- Will work for BOTH of you. You need a teammate, not just a cheerleader — and there IS things they can do to help, but they need to be educated on them!
My Online Prenatal Class for Couples covers everything from early labor to postpartum — for both of you, from an actual L&D nurse. It’s affordable, it’s fast and fun. Three things I know you need.
Belly Band
These can be tricky — because I think there are some problem I think it can make worse, and it has to be worn to correct your actual problem.
Honestly, best done with physical therapy helping you — but I think a belly band can be super helpful for both ligament pain and symphysis pubis (pelvis) pain.
Now, if you have no idea what I’m talking about — I have a whole post on a belly band and how it can help. But, these are the cliff notes:
(As always, check with your provider before you start wearing these, they can be really helpful to know what kind might be right for you!
I think one like this can be worn a bit lower than pictured and really help with hip pain. My pelvis was coming apart, and my pants weren’t doing it any favors. Something like that would have been nice (and helped a lot postpartum).
If your problem is more ligament or back pain, one like this is nice because it helps balance the weight of that belly a bit more.
Looking for more info on pregnancy pains? — be sure to check out these posts:
- Diastasis Symphysis Pubis During Pregnancy: When Your Pelvis Splits
- What to Do If You are in Pain During Pregnancy
- 5 Fixes for Groin Pain During Pregnancy
- Sharp Abdominal Pain During Pregnancy: Causes at 21’ish weeks?
- 6 Easy Ways to Get Relief from Hip Pain During Pregnancy
Compression Socks
Ooo-la-la now I’m talking sexy. 🙂
Yes, compression socks. But these aren’t going to be like the ones your grandma wears (or maybe you have a hip grandma, I have no idea).
I have a whole article on why they’re a good idea, but the cliff notes are:
- They can help with the pain and annoyance of lower limb swelling by helping push that fluid back up
- They can help with charlie horses
- They can also help prevent blood clots — important if you’re not moving a lot like during travel.
And just in case that last one is you — don’t miss: Travel During Pregnancy: 18 Tips to Trips in the Third Trimester
I got a few pairs at target I really like (I wore them when I worked as a nurse, but I also wear them when I go to Disneyland because my legs ache so much standing in lines).
You can also get them at different “weights” of compression, so I say start light and then increase from there if you think you need more… A few options:
- These have a graduated compression — which is nice if you have bigger calves like me!
- These are pretty ugly, but are a higher compression if you need it!
- And these are a little cuter…
- They also have ankle compression socks. I think the knee length are better, but these are better than nothing (I often wear them on a shorter plane trip because the knee length are just too much for me sometimes). I do notice they still decrease swelling
Like I said above, you can get them at most big box stores too — but pricing is pretty similar to those.
The items in this post aren’t going to break your bank, but they ARE going to make that third trimester better.
And if you want to feel truly ready for birth, my Online Prenatal Class for Couples is the one investment that’ll pay off the moment you walk into that hospital.
What do YOU need in your third trimester, tell us in the comments!
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