There are so many lists online with what you should and shouldn’t do when you’re pregnant. Personally, I think most of them are overrated. This isn’t one of those lists.

Don’t eat sushi, they say.

I don’t eat raw fish because I have gotten food poisoning from eating raw oysters and it was worse than labor however no one said not to eat romaine lettuce and that has been the top reported food born illness during my second pregnancy.

This is a fun little list of 5 things not do during the third trimester. Share your own below.

#1. Don’t Avoid The Salon

Before I got pregnant, I heard you should not get pedicures as it induces labor. I honestly don’t even know where this old wives tale came from because I do not know anyone who has had a pedicure and gone into early labor. The dangers behind getting your nails done largely lie in the toxic fumes you breath from toxic nail polish in an ill-ventilated salon. There was even a New York Times investigative series on nail technicians and the increased risk in miscarriages in NYC salons.

However, after the first and second trimester these risks dramatically decrease and one appointment every two weeks in a well ventilated salon that preferably does not use toxic nail polish is safe for you and your baby. It’s warm out now and many salons even keep their doors open. If the smell is bothering you however, find another salon or skip getting your nails done all together.

Once the baby comes, especially if you plan to nurse, getting your hair and nails done is going to become very challenging. Go as many times as you can before the baby arrives.

I get balayage to color my hair. It doesn’t come very close to my scalp so the chemicals are not seeped into the blood stream. I wait until second or third trimester to color my hair but all the reason NOT to avoid the salon during your final trimester if you haven’t been!

#2. Stop Planking

Planking may cause diastasis recti in the 3rd trimester. See why I stopped planking early in my second trimester. Side planks are safe, and even better if you lower a knee for added support!

#3. Don’t Try a New Workout

You already knew not to start a new routine when you first found out you were pregnant. They say you can continue doing what you’ve been doing. First time around for me that meant running marathons, lol. Second time it was very different, hah!

Anyway, during the 3rd trimester, you start to get uncomfortable. You’re unmotivated and you want to find something that you like and feels good however now is not the time to take up Zumba. Sure you can dance at home, I’m not picking on Zumba specifically, but it is not advised to start a new workout routine especially this late in the game.

If your previous routines are no longer enjoyable, a few safe alternatives are prenatal yoga (it’s barely real yoga, more like stretching hour for pregnant ladies), walking and swimming.

#4. Stop Crowdsourcing Labor and Other Medical Questions

If you thought I was a little snarky, this will confirm it for you but one of my favorite past times is reading pregnancy message boards. It’s mind boggling the things people ask complete strangers. I don’t go out of my way but The Bump for some reason sends me an email every morning of the latest topics being discussed for women due in July 2018 and I’m too lazy to unsubscribe. Often however, I’ll google something like, “Does being induced the first time mean you’ll go late the second?” *I did ask my doctor this question by the way.

Any then all of a sudden Google brings me to a labor message board from 2014…

“Guys, I think I’m in labor but not sure, my contractions are like 8 minutes apart. What should I do?”

Ummmm…. maybe call your doctor or go to the hospital? Sometimes people ask if their boyfriends are being mean and then sometimes they want to know if strangers like the names they’ve chosen. It’s so weird to me but oddly entertaining. Sorry but I’m not sorry.

I just don’t understand what qualifies strangers to give you advice that is so life altering. These are sort of harmless examples but don’t ask strangers for advice online if you are concerned about your babies well being. Call your doctor or midwife. Don’t go down the rabbit hole of Google either because you will just give yourself more anxiety!

#5. Don’t Take The Last Few Weeks For Granted

During the last few weeks, go out to dinner as much as you financially can afford it. Go to the movies. Still to this day the last movie I saw in a Theater was the month before Tommy was born. It was Star Wars. I don’t even like Star Wars.

This time around, I am trying to enjoy spending time with Tommy one on one. I pulled him from daycare at the end of June because I plan to spend a lot of time in the Cape where my mom lives. Everyone said to keep him in daycare and I would have if the baby wasn’t due in July. I do however, want to enjoy our last weeks together. I’m trying to go to the Aquarium and Science Museum as much as I can. We’ve started going out to eat with him more often and doing more date nights just Nick and I.

You can’t bank sleep but I’m also just enjoying being able to go to bed early and sleep until 6 am or whenever Tommy wakes up.

What did I miss? Do you have any other don’ts for the third trimester?