Road Tripping while Pregnant (Third Trimester)

Photo I took as we drove through Star Valley, Wy. Isn't it beautiful there?

I was a teensy bit nervous about doing our road trip while pregnant, but figured that since it was at the beginning of the third trimester, rather than the end, it shouldn't be too bad.

For the most part, that was true :)

There were several things I did that made the hours and hours of sitting less uncomfortable than they could have been.


   - We stopped at least every 2 hours- I'd stretch, walk around, use the bathroom, etc. This was actually the one that worried me the most- we had long distances to travel each day, and I knew extra stops would make each day even longer. Usually our stops were combined with gas fill-ups, so we didn't end up adding that much extra time to each day's driving schedule.
   - I drank water, though I was not as good at this as I could have been due to a reluctance to have more potty stops. Because we were heading west, where it's a lot drier than we're used to, I also drank electrolyte drinks as well. By paying attention to my body, I could tell plain water just wasn't enough for me.
   - We ate regularly. You need proper nutrition even if you're just sitting in the car all day. We also had snacks in the car in case we went a little longer between meals and needed something to tide us over. We don't generally eat a lot of snacks, so it was a nice change of pace.
   - I brought an extra pillow to place behind my back when things did start getting uncomfortable, and I had a gel cushion to sit on as well.
   - In the evenings I would use my foam roller on the tight muscles I'd accumulated during the day. This was very helpful in keeping my hips and glutes from giving me too many problems.
   - I changed positions often- both feet up, one foot up, the other foot up, sitting cross-legged, etc.

The result:
No swelling in my feet, and overall I felt pretty good. The only real problem I had was that somewhere along the line I pinched a nerve in my back. This caused knots to form along the lower right side of my ribcage on my back, and the longer I sat the worse the pain would be. What helped?

   - Our truck has heaters in the seats and backs of the front seats, so I would turn my seat back heater on, kind of like a heating pad. That helped the pain somewhat.
   - Laying down helped as well, so every time we stopped for gas I'd go lay down on our bed in the trailer while Mr M pumped gas.

Since returning home the pinched nerve has continued to be an issue, with the pain extending around to the front of my ribcage, but at my last chiropractor visit I got an adjustment that has helped a lot. I can now stand and sit for much longer periods of time without having to stop what I'm doing and go lay down while my back calms down. It still gives me problems, but is much more manageable.

Would I recommend doing a road trip later in pregnancy? Only if you're properly prepared, and ready to take what comes and go with the flow. Knowing from the start that I probably wouldn't be super comfortable on the trip helped so much- low expectations are easy to exceed :)

Have you roadtripped while pregnant? What did you find helpful?