It’s hard to believe the second trimester has come and gone- but I loved every bit of it!! I found the saying of the “Golden Trimester” very true- Around 14 weeks that nausea subsided, I started getting some energy back, and a few weeks after that I could honestly say I was feeling great! Sure, I was definitely tired many days, but compared to the first tri, it was night and day. I remember the first few days of “feeling like myself” again, and it was a relief to know I wasn’t going to feel that extreme fatigue, lack of motivation and nausea forever. My anxiety from the first trimester also improved dramatically in the second trimester. I truly enjoyed pregnancy.

I’m going to pick from Growing You for some prompts again and add a little extra here and there as random thoughts come to mind 🙂

Ways my body has changed: My bump really took a while to show..it didn’t show through all my clothes and scrubs until about 26 weeks! I started noticing it myself around 19/20 weeks though.

There were definitely some other, not quite as fun, changes that I know are likely temporary. My acne improved a little immediately after the first tri, but then toward the end of the second it came back with a vengeance. I talked to my OB about some options for treatment. Until that point I had switched out nearly all my skin products to entirely natural, but all it took was adding in a face wash he approved to make alll the difference. Toward the end of the second trimester, I noticed melasma darkening on my upper lip. I already had melasma there prior to getting pregnant (I’m guessing partly from the years of running outside in the sun), but it was pretty under control. I’m a little self-conscious about it, though I have found some good foundation to conceal it. Calf cramps started up in the second trimester on occasion too. The fatigue started settling back in around 26 weeks but it’s still not as bad at the first. Oh, and cannot forget the mood swings. Oh my goodness, they are embarrassing-it really is ridiculous funny the things I have gotten upset about or cried over. I just have to take a moment to say DJ has been the absolute best through everything and has been really understanding and supportive of it all.

Pregnancy brain is also so real. Apparently when unloading the dishwasher, I thought a great place for our colander would be the vegetable drawer, HA! I stumbled across this later and have zero recollection of putting it in there.

Now, the BEST change the second trimester brought with it is feeling my sweet little one move around and wriggle all over the place. I also have an admiration and appreciation for my body that I have never experienced before.

How I’d describe my sleep: I struggled a little with insomnia through the second trimester, but overall, it was ok! I can’t complain too much. Once I fell asleep, I slept pretty well. I did start my new job with the very early wakeup calls in the second trimester, so I think that was the biggest adjustment to my sleep schedule.

Things I was excited about: I had a few things I was simultaneously excited and nervous about, like the anatomy scan and starting my new job. I couldn’t wait to feel her really start to move, and I looked forward to the holidays while pregnant in the second trimester too! I also looked forward to my bump growing more and planning our baby moon, even though we technically took it in the third trimester.

Things I was nervous about: At the beginning of the second trimester, my biggest concerns were starting a new job while pregnant, making sure I gained back the weight I lost the first trimester, the anatomy scan and the glucose tolerance test. I know I’ve said it before, but I could not be more grateful for my job and the timing with starting could not have been better. My manager and the staff are all incredibly supportive of me being pregnant and are always looking out for me (AKA forcing me to take my breaks, hah). As soon as I entered into the second trimester, I was finally able to keep weight on. I was getting worried since I lost about seven lbs. the first trimester from the nausea, but the lbs. came back quickly in the second tri. The anatomy scan went wonderfully and was one of the most special days of the entire trimester and pregnancy. And the glucose test was totally fine. I feel really grateful everything was and is going smoothly.

Second trimester priorities: Getting the nursery ready (we are almost there!), creating a registry, growing and learning as much as I could in my job, taking a birthing course, and finishing the rest of the house since I had put that on hold through most of the first tri. I really tried to take advantage of the rush of energy to get as much done as possible, and I do have a sense of relief going into the third trimester knowing some of that “big stuff” is off the to-do list.

Epidural or No Epidural? I am not opposed to getting an epidural, but I would like to try to go without and see how it goes. Since I’ve never been through this before, I don’t want to set too many expectations- I just want to kind of go with the flow, let my body do its thing and make the decisions as they come with my preferences in mind.

Exercise routine: I try to get about 4 miles of walking throughout my day in total. Then about 3-4 days a week I try to get some very light cardio in for about 30 minutes- I’ve shifted to the elliptical much more than the treadmill because when I run I feel like I have to pee every 5 minutes hah. I lift 5-10 lb. weights & do core training exercises about 2x a week. I absolutely love this channel for core exercises- there’s a video for about every week of pregnancy. Exercise became way easier in the second trimester compared with the first, I just have to watch my heart rate closely.

Cravings: I had way fewer cravings in my second trimester compared with my first. Overall, I wanted tons of veggies and protein- I actually ate very similarly to how I ate pre-pregnancy, (with the addition of meat and the subtraction of soy products). It was nice that I had energy to make food again, and we put DoorDash on hold after single-handedly keeping them in business the first trimester. On a regular basis, I loved eating oatmeal for breakfast with berries, peanut butter and decaf coffee (on work days, I’ll have a few oz. of regular coffee), salads, cottage cheese, cheese of any kind really (well, of the safe ones), bananas, stuffed sweet potatoes, cashews and almonds, chicken/bison/beef, sardines (I know this sounds gross, but they are actually so good with some Hu crackers & they’re jam-packed with nutrients), eggs & egg bites, pitaya dragonfruit smoothie bowls and yogurt.

My packed lunch for work usually consists of a salad with tons of veggies and either a kale burger or caulipower chicken, fattoush salad dressing, greek yogurt with PB powder mixed in & berries (or some type of fruit), some type of salty snack like Hippeas or Harvest Snaps and a slice of cheese, a Go Macro bar and a couple pieces of Hu dark chocolate.

More specific cravings: AVOCADO, chocolate milk, sausage links, cabbage and noodles, Panera’s grilled mac & cheese and green goddess salad, & apple pie/crisp during the holiday season.

Traits I hope to instill in my baby: A love for Jesus, compassion and empathy for others, resilience, ability to have perspective and discernment in difficult situations, a sense of humor, a love for adventure & the willingness to forgive easily.

General reflection: I love that our baby girl has been with me already through such huge changes. She has been with me since we got Moose, since we settled into the townhouse and made it a home, since I started a new job and the learning curve with that and through this entirely new chapter. Burgeoning in the second trimester was this intense feeling of, “I just really cannot wait to meet her”. I’m not sure I have ever felt such overwhelming gratitude in my life, and I can now say I have loved being pregnant!

Bring on the third trimester! 2.5 months left!

Questions for you: 

• Any favorite baby Youtube channels, podcasts or books on having a newborn you recommend? I have Baby Wise, Newborn 101 & What to Expect the First Year but am open to all suggestions.
• Curious if you have any second trimester experiences of your own to share!

<3,

Mackenzie