Second Trimester Recap

^^25 weeks

Today marks 27 weeks for me and this little lady growing in my belly, and it’s crazy how the time is flying by and how soon both of our worlds will never be the same :) In just one short week we will officially enter the third trimester—wild!

The second trimester is a very dynamic one, when it begins the baby bump is still pretty small, and a lot of changes happen over the course of those three months! Compared to the first trimester, the second trimester has been a breeze. I guess that’s why they call it the “honeymoon stage.”

Regaining an Appetite and Energy

The first trimester for me came with a lot of fatigue and almost no appetite due to morning sickness. But luckily almost exactly as the second trimester rolled around, my nausea started to go away and my appetite returned. This was a much welcomed change and finally I felt like a normal human again. Being someone who really loves food, I always assumed I’d have some pretty intense pregnancy cravings, but so far I really haven’t had any.

No More Secret!

If you decide to wait until the beginning of the second trimester to make the news public like us, this is also a welcomed change as you no longer have to awkwardly avoid passing up alcoholic drinks in public and can freely chat all things pregnancy and baby with your friends and family.

(15 weeks)(18 weeks)(21 weeks)

Growing Belly

Beginning at week 14, the baby bump was still very small, and not overly noticeable outside of looking like I just consumed a big lunch. Right around week 16 I could feel the growth acceleration pick up a bit and by week 18 there was clearly a little bump present. And then again at week 20 or so the acceleration sped up and by week 24 there was a full fledged baby belly. No more being mistaken for simply not sucking in. Especially while wearing tighter fitting tops, you can expect even the random stranger to ask how far along you are. And between weeks 24 and 28, the baby doubles in size, so at the end of the second trimester you will find yourself with quite the big bump.

Feeling Baby Kick

This is probably the most exciting part of the second trimester outside of the ultrasound. I remember sitting on the couch one night around 16 weeks and feeling what felt like a little bubble popping in my stomach. I had done some reading on what to expect you might feel once those first movements start happening, but even still it begins so faint, it’s hard to say you are really feeling what you think you might be. And then a few days later I felt the same thing, and a few days later…until about week 18 where I started feeling several of them in a row and usually at similar times of the day—in the evening while sitting down. At that point I was sure I was feeling the first kicks and from there they began to progress to be much more noticeable. This is the point in the pregnancy when it really starts to hit you that a real little baby is inside of you growing. It’s absolutely incredible! By week 20, Joe could easily feel her kick as well, which added a whole extra level of excitement to it all.

Ultrasound!

The 20 week ultrasound is so exciting, as it’s the halfway point and the first time you get to see your little one in miniature human form—little fingers and toes, the cute little nose :) In addition to the kicking, it’s the cherry on top that really solidifies the whole thing (for me at a least). Prior to seeing or feeling your little babe, you know you’re carrying a little one, but it’s all so incredible and hard to really comprehend. Once you see that little face and feel those little feet kick nothing is the same. It’s love at first sight.

Babymoon

The second trimester is dubbed “the sweet spot” of pregnancy and the ideal time to take a babymoon if you plan to do one. We decided to plan ours in the 21/22 week mark and the timing worked well. I hadn’t yet been having too many discomforts, my belly was present but manageable in size, no swelling in the feet and minimal back pain. This helped to make our time much more enjoyable than had I spent the whole time uncomfortable. (Read more on our California babymoon here and here)

(24 weeks)

Discomforts: Sore Tailbone, Stuffy Nose, Back Pain, Leg Cramps

Overall the second trimester has been a very easy one, with just a few discomforts along the way. I began having some pain in my tailbone early on if I spent too much time standing/walking or sitting in an uncomfortable chair. Having a stuffy nose was fairly common, and this could be at any time for any reason. The back pain started creeping in around the 24 week mark, as did waking up in the morning to some small leg cramps, but neither have been anything too terrible so far. We will see what the third trimester brings!

Exercise

Exercise has been pretty consistent with the first trimester until around 22 weeks I was less inclined to run and steered more towards 3 miles of daily walking with our dog + aerobic weights 3 times a week. As your belly grows, the pressure on your various organs intensifies and your center of gravity changes. Because of this, I began feeling more comfortable with a lower impact cardio combined with weights to maintain some muscle mass. The most important thing is to listen to your body. Everyone is different and each woman’s body reacts differently to pregnancy. The rule of thumb is that you should be able to hold a conversation and to make sure not to overheat your body.

Sleep

Beginning in the second trimester, you will need to begin sleeping on your side. Laying on your back puts can be dangerous in preventing adequate blood flow to your baby. Either side is okay but left-side is said to best maximize blood flow and help reduce swelling. I’ve yet to buy a special pregnancy pillow but have found it helpful to prop a pillow behind my back and also use one between the legs to be most comfortable.  In the last few weeks, sleep has become noticeably more difficult and I imagine this trend will continue into the third trimester.

Clothing

For a good portion of the second trimester I was able to still wear some looser non-maternity clothing. There are also a few tricks to stretching some of your non maternity clothes like the rubber band trick on pants. I’m putting together a full post on dressing the bump, so more on this to come!

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