My Favorite (and Least Favorite) Parts of the Second Trimester
The first few months of pregnancy dragged by, but the second trimester honestly flew. When I reflect, I guess a lot has happened in the past 14 weeks, but creeping up on the end of this pregnancy definitely seems a bit surreal. I think it’s so important to read posts like this while remembering that everyone’s body and pregnancy journey is so different, but it’s interesting to see how our bodies respond and change, nonetheless.
Weeks 14 - 15
The first couple of weeks of the second trimester were exactly like the first one. I was busting out of my jeans (the hair tie trick never worked for me), and I still felt nauseated, tired, and a big hungover every day. I was able to function, but some of my worst days occurred during week 15, when most people told me I was going to be “over the hump”. Most of my friends got their energy back around week 13 or 14, but my yucky symptoms stayed strong.
Weeks 16 - 20
Right before I hit 16 weeks, I woke up one day and felt like a new woman. Foods I loved (aka healthy foods) tasted good again, I wanted to cook, and I no longer felt weirdly nauseous around 9 am. It was glorious and also made me realize how much I’d been sucking it up and coping in the first few months. Yay for change!
During these weeks, I bought a few maternity clothes and nursing bras because truly, nothing fit, did an early maternity shoot with our wedding photographers, started seeing the chiropractor, went to the beach, traveled home for a Kentucky baby shower, and found out that we are having a boy!!! Our gender reveal was the best, and I shared some videos on my Instagram, in case you missed them. I won’t lie - it took me a solid two days to adjust to the thought of being a boy mom, since I’ll I’ve ever known is girls, but I’m honestly so excited and feel like it was meant to be. I think I knew it was a boy the whole time in my gut, and we’re pretty solid on our name at this point (we’ll share when he’s born)!
Weeks 21 - 24
As I mentioned in the previous section, I started seeing a chiropractor for prenatal care, and it has been a GODSEND. If you’re local, I go to Etio Chiropractic, and I connected with them because I saw that Dr. Kent specialized in the Webster Technique, which is ideal for pregnant women, and pediatrics, but they treat everyone! Chiropractic care in pregnancy can reduce pain in labor, get the baby into the optimal birth position, reduce the time of labor, and eliminate or help round ligament pain and other growing pains of pregnancy. I absolutely credit how well I have felt to my weekly visits to them!
On a different note, there were a few things that I was told about the second trimester that haven’t been totally true for me. While my energy is up from the first trimester, I don’t feel overly energetic at all. Working out is tougher because I feel lethargic, I could easily sleep 10 hours a night (not like me at all), and literally everyone told me I would have incredible hormones that would make my hair voluminous and make me feel extra romantic. To be honest, I love my baby and like being pregnant, but I definitely would prefer my old body for all of the above activities. I miss being able to kill it in a workout and having boundless energy, and I think all of that effects my confidence and mood when it comes to my daily life (my hair is also the exact same or even more oily). I don’t feel like I’ve had a ton of “pregnancy brain” moments, but I do feel less driven in some of my work, which I kind of hate. All in all, everything is good, but I don’t think the second trimester hype was all it was cracked up to be for me.
Weeks 25-27
Throughout the past few weeks, we started attending our childbirth classes through Westside Birth Connection, and I could not recommend them highly enough! Our class meets at Beginnings Birth Center (where I’ll be delivering), and it runs for 8 weeks, so it’s rather intensive. Because I love all things health and body, I’m really nerding-out in class and loving every bit of knowledge. I absolutely feel bigger and bigger with each day at this point, and Ross is fascinated by my ever-vanishing belly button, which is looking less like a belly button all the time.
The most frustrating part of this entire trimester also began around week 25 or 26, when sleep became elusive. I do have a pregnancy pillow (mine is linked here), and I love it with all of my heart. Ross has named it and refers to it as the third person in our bed, which is hilarious and true all at the same time. But nonetheless, my sleep has become very interrupted in the past couple of weeks. I wake up every night, usually to go to the bathroom, and though I feel a lot of kicks, I don’t think the baby is the culprit. Each time I find myself awake, I am plagued with anxiety over the most obscure things, and that is the main source of my stress. I took a poll on my Instagram the other day to ask for the best natural remedies, and here were the frontrunners, in case you also find yourself battling sleepless nights:
magnesium (Natural Calm is a really good brand that you can mix into hot water)
pregnancy pillow
lavender essential oil diffusing or in an eye pillow
avoid “just in case” peeing before bed because it loosens the pelvic floor
more omega 3s to combat anxiety
walks and epsom salt baths before bed to combat restless leg syndrome
stretching before bed
My educator at my birth class also said that waking up can be a sign of low blood sugar, so eating a little protein/fat rich snack right before bed or in the middle of the night can help combat sleeplessness. All in all, I’m willing to try anything natural at this point, so I’ll be working through the above list!
Favorite resources this trimester:
The Vaccine-Friendly Plan: This book offers a research-driven perspective about vaccines and how to properly stagger vaccines, if you are interested in doing so! HIGHLY recommend this resource to anyone! It’s relevant to someone who wants to fully vaccinate, someone who plans to stagger vaccines, and someone who plans to abstain from some or all vaccines.
Babywise: It covers much more than sleep training, but the knowledge is so common-sense and, in my opinion, not strict or difficult to swallow in any way.
Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth: It’s a little hippie at times, but I loved all the natural birth stories, and I find them so encouraging and educational if you desire a natural childbirth!
Wellness Mama Podcast: Her interviews and topics are great for overall wellness, not just parenthood, but I’ve really enjoyed her content!