I have officially rounded out the second Trimester of my pregnancy and can’t believe that I am already in the last trimester! I am recapping my second trimester because I love reading other people’s blogs about their pregnancies and finding solitude in what other people are feeling during this time! Everyone’s pregnancies are so different so it’s hard to compare but I think a lot of nuances of pregnancy are the same and you can relate to many women on the same topics even if they are experiencing some different symptoms than you! I have broken this down by category to help condense my main points and that way you can skip through it if it’s not something you’re interested in reading/not something you are experiencing yourself!
Body Changes: I would say this might have been one of the most challenging parts of my second trimester to be honest. I think watching your body change but not exactly having a full “bump” is kind of a mind f*ck. Since I am tall (5’7″) and this is my first baby I didn’t really “show” until around 22-24 weeks and then I didn’t really “pop” until I’d say 26 weeks – now at 30 weeks it’s game over haha I LOOK pregnant! With that being said, I am carrying her wide like a football. My hips have gotten wider and I can tell that my rib cage isn’t as small as it normally is. My hips definitely started widening around probably 18-20 weeks? Not entirely sure but I’d say around there is when I was feeling like I had a beer gut and no longer “felt” myself or like I had my “normal” body which was really weird. I could no longer wear tight clothes because it just looked like I had gained weight and around then is when my jeans stopped fitting me. So the period from 18ish-24 weeks was rough for me in the sense that it was hard to dress cute & I was feeling the most insecure about my body which is already something that I have always battled in my life. BUT I will say that working out and taking care of my body from an exercise aspect was really helpful in the sense that it helped clear my mind from the negative talk I was experiencing in my mind & also helped knowing that no matter what I looked like, I was keeping my body healthy by moving it and staying active. Please note these are my honest thoughts and I know that I shouldn’t be worried about what I look like because I am growing a human and that is such a blessing but that doesn’t take away from the fact that these are all real, raw emotions that I experienced during this time – everyone is different & everyone’s feelings are justified.
Sleeping/Body Aches: So this department is where I started to actually feel “pregnant.” The second trimester around the 18-20 week mark is when I started not sleeping through the night & was feeling “growing pains” in my hips – which suck. I also might be the only person who doesn’t like the pregnancy pillow? It honestly didn’t help me at all during my second trimester. Just felt like a big nuisance in our bed lol. I will say that I do have a small pillow that zips off my pregnancy pillow that I use though to put between my knees to help my hips at night and I also put it under one of my hips when I want to sleep on my back. Don’t let the apps scare you, you can sleep on your back if you elevate one side of your hips so not all the pressure is on your lower back. Obviously check with your doctor, mine said this was fine! So besides the growing pains in my hips at night that would keep me awake, my lower back and sciatica started to flare up to. Insert a Target pick up order for a heating pad which has been a game changer and a pregnancy must have! The back pain comes and goes and by the end of my second trimester I was sleeping through the night again but it’s honestly hit or miss. I will go a couple days and not wake up to go to the bathroom, no pains and sleep through the night and then the following night is rough! I also incorporated the 8 Sheep Organics Sleeping lotion which I put on my lower back, hips and calves at night and that helped with all the aches & pains! You can use my code COURTNEY66112 for a discount!
Eating: My second trimester is when I stopped having my coffee aversion that I was having in my first trimester – woo! My nausea went away completely in my second trimester which was so nice! I had the worst nausea at night in my first and this was no more I swear once I hit 14 weeks. As far as eating, I started to try eating more balanced meals during my 2nd tri. When I wasn’t feeling like eating greens I would supplement with my 8 greens tablets that I would put in 8 oz of water – my favorite flavor is the blood orange. Speaking of water, staying hydrated is key in pregnancy! I pretty much take my 40 oz Stanley cup with me everywhere and am constantly refilling it throughout the day. I love water regardless but I think it’s a huge part of pregnancy and feeling good throughout the day because you’re hydrated. For the most part I ate whatever I wanted but have tried my best to stay as healthy as possible. I LOVE fruit and it’s one of my biggest if not only craving. I love sweets at night but I was like that before too haha. I have also loved carbs during my pregnancy and definitely eat them. I usually don’t eat dairy in my normal diet but have added it back into my diet during pregnancy because I didn’t want baby girl to come out lactose because I didn’t have any dairy! Surprisingly it hasn’t affected me much but I do notice if I have too much in one day then I will break out the next day so everything in moderation! Overall I try my best to eat a healthy balanced diet and try not to splurge too much – 80/20 rule, which I was doing prior to my pregnancy anyways. I have definitely had more carbs that I usually would but I’m growing a human & hungry so who cares!
Energy: One of the best parts of the second trimester was getting all my energy back and literally feeling like a human again! The first trimester I was tired all the time and was having a hard time getting motivated to do anything in general, I just wanted to lay on the couch all day lol. I felt like I wasn’t even pregnant, energy wise, during my second trimester and it was so nice! So for anyone in their first trimester I promise there is light at the end of the tunnel!
Working out: For my second trimester I remained going to the gym (Team 44 is amazing if you’re in AZ) and doing my HIIT/weight training workouts 2-3 days a week and then incorporated doing reformer pilates 1-2 days a week which helped a lot with the hip & lower back pain that I was experiencing. I think adding pilates has been a huge help and great for my changing body, the lengthening movements and stretching is so good for the body during this time so I highly suggest adding that into your routine if you’re interested or experiencing any body aches/pain. Other than that I try to get 30 min of movement at least 5 days a week whether that be gym, pilates, Peloton ride or walking the dog! I think staying active has been a huge factor of how my pregnancy has gone so far and also a big help in keeping myself in the best mental state possible. I plan to continue working out up until the very end!
Hope that helps give anyone who is pregnant feelers on how their second trimester might go. Feel free to leaves any comments below on what your symptoms were & how your second trimester is going!
Xx, Courtney