2nd Trimester Recap

Hello and welcome to the 2nd Trimester Recap post! It has been a little over 14 weeks since the first day of the 2nd Trimester started and I’ve got LOADS to catch you up on! Feel free to check out my 1st Trimester Recap.

Mind
- How I’ve felt and feeling
Body
- Sleep & Sleeping Positions
  - And aches that come with it!
- Weight & Body changes
  - Medications & Prescriptions
- Anatomy Scan
  - Gender Reveal
- Glucose Screening
Baby & Hubby
- Finally THE KICKS
- How my husband as been
What’s Next

MIND

Hi Y’all! It is so exciting to be able to say that I have finally made it through the 2nd Trimester! I’m not going to lie, this trimester felt extremely long. It could’ve been because of the excitement of finding out left or just that there wasn’t a whole lot going on. However, when I look back and reflect upon the last 3 months there were actually a lot of fun things that happened and I cannot wait to share with you!

Currently, I can definitely tell you that I am feeling wonderful, mentally. I am very excited for what is to come for my husband and I. I mean, who wouldn’t be? The one thing I have noticed is that the closer I get to my due date the more emotional I am becoming. I am naturally an emotional person; I care deeply about things and people in my life so I’m not surprised.

I remember early on that I had a breakdown and cried in the middle of the woods because ALL the bees in the ENTIRE forest were out to get me. If you know anything about me – you’d know that I am extremely afraid of bees or really anything that flies towards me. That same day – I was also attacked by a turkey so… you could imagine that it was quite a day for me.

Overall, I have been more excited than anything however, at my 28 week appointment I was given a sheet about labor and what to do if I have questions. Let me tell you – that was my first time actually… nervous. One can read and prepare for anything and everything in life (to the best of their ability) but one can never fully be perfect at anything. And that… is frustrating for anyone especially one who is a perfectionist.

Luckily – I have the most amazing people in my life surrounding me with love, joy and the most generosity that anyone could ask for. Thus, my nervousness goes away because I know that I, and my hubby, are not alone in this new journey of ours. Bringing life into the world is truly a gift. <3

Body

Ok, the sappy, “I’m going to be a mom”, blurb is done so let’s get right to the nitty gritty! I’m going to talk about various topics so feel free to jump around for what you’re looking for or just read everything if you’re feeling up to it!

Sleep & Sleeping Positions

I wanted to talk about this one first because it is one of the topics that I’ve struggled with the most in the 2nd Trimester. I’d bet that this is also the area that 90% of other mom-to-bes deal with as well but I will just talk about my journey.

In the beginning of the 2nd Trimester, I couldn’t sleep because I needed to go to the bathroom. I would get up at least 3 times a night just to use the restroom. These days, I physically get about about 2 to 3 times to go to the bathroom, not because I need to go but because I woke up ‘so I mise well go’.

Unfortunately, I have been tossing and turning so much throughout the night that I truly do not remember what I felt like to sleep through the night. I am starting to realize that THIS moment right here is the moment that is training me to wake up in the wee hours of the night to feed and care for baby boy when he gets here.

Why doesn’t anyone ever talk about that? Get up at midnight to feed baby? No problem – I’ve been waking up at midnight since 2nd Trimester! I once got up at 4am and could never get back to sleep. Nights like that are dangerous when you have Amazon shopping on your phone 😉

The worst part about the tossing and turning throughout the night is that I was merely waking up because of the pain in my back. I knew that pregnancy brought on back pain but I never knew that it would be during the night. When I turned over – I had serious pain that appeared in the upper back/lower shoulder area. When this happened I couldn’t put my arms down and I had a hard time breathing. Sounds scary and painful doesn’t it? – It was and still is.

Finally, the last part sleeping during pregnancy is knowing what position to sleep. Don’t sleep on your back or right side or stomach or…. ever. What is left? oh yes, the left. So, for the last several months I have ONLY slept on my LEFT side. I have had fears that if I were to sleep on any other side or position that I would harm baby. Try it, even for a week and you’ll find out how hard it is!

Findings & Helpful Products for Sleep & Sleep Positions

After talking with my doctor, as long as you are not sleeping flat on your back any other position is okay. The left side is the best side but it’s being FLAT on your back that slows down the blood flow to your heart because of the uterus growing.
- As always, please check with your doctor if you have specific sleeping questions!
Get a Pregnancy Pillow!
- My husband got me THIS PILLOW for my birthday and if I didn’t have it, I would be much worse off!
Get a Pregnancy Pillow Wedge!
- Zach’s cousin wasn’t using her pregnancy wedge anymore and so she gave it to me! I honestly did not think I would use it but when my belly started growing I tested this out and it has been a life savor! It takes quite a bit of pressure off of my back throughout the night!
- I found this Amazon Choice one if you want to give it a try –> Boppy Pregnancy Wedge with removable jersey cover
If you have back pain, like me, try a lavender heat bag.
- My husband also got this for me for my birthday and it really helped sooth my back/shoulder pain when I’d wake up at 3am aching! Heat is definitely something you should consult your doctor about if you plan on using it. I only used it on my back and did not use it for more than 20 minutes.
- Here is the one that we have –> Tonic Australia Stress Relief Heat Pillow – Morning Bloom – Lavender
Pregnancy friendly Tylenol
- When I was in real bad pain in my back I did take Tylenol but, I tend to try not to take anything I don’t need to take. So, I only took it when I was in so much pain that I couldn’t get back to sleep without my other remedies from above.
The Best option: Spouse/Partner Massages!
- Luckily, this one is FREE and feels soooo good! When I would wake up in the wee hours my husband would too unfortunately… But, because I have such a gem of a man by my side he would take the time to massage my back to help with the pain and it was always the one thing that put me right back to sleep perfectly. <3

2nd Trimester Weight & Body Changes

What weight and body changes? Weird? Why would that happen? Cue face palm emoji… I started out this trimester (14 weeks) with a weight of 122lbs and ended the trimester (28 weeks) 144lbs. I’m not used to tracking my weight to actually gain weight so it definitely has been a weird experience. I measured my weight each week on Tuesdays. Every time I would have an appointment they would also take my weight but each machine can be different!

There are books and information you can read online about how much weight you are supposed to gain based on your bpi. I would consult your doctor for this information as every momma to be is different! Interesting enough, I had some weeks where I gained less than a pound and some weeks where I gain close to 3 pounds! Most of the weight has gone to my belly but I have recently noticed my thighs and face getting fuller which is probably from all the mac n’ cheese I’ve eaten or Covid ;).

Of course, my growing belly is definitely the biggest part of ‘body changes’ that I’ve encountered but something that is also new to me is a growing chest! I’ve always been pretty petite and have also had a pretty average to small chest. Since becoming pregnant I have grown out of all of my bras and have been resorting to nursing bras because – they are really comfy and I can use them post pregnancy!

Here are the bras that I have been using –> Womens Sleeping Nursing Bra Wirefree Breastfeeding Maternity Bralette Pack of 5

Other than the obvious changes – I have had extra sensitive skin, I got my first pregnancy charlie horse in my calf, experienced round ligament pain (mostly on my right side) and shortness of breath. The skin sensitivity is mostly caused by growing parts and just because in pregnancy your skin changes. This has mostly occurred around my belly and my chest. See below the products I’ve used to help remedy this – but, as always please make sure you check first with your doctor!

Products I’ve been using for itching, growing belly (stretch mark prevention), and sensitive skin

2nd Trimester Anatomy Scan

Ahh one of the best milestones during pregnancy!! The one where you get to find out the gender!! oh wait… we didn’t! yet… We decided that we wanted to find out the gender but we didn’t want to know until we got together with our parents which wasn’t until 5 days after our anatomy appointment.

I wrote an entire post just on our gender reveal party that you can find here –> Baby O’s Gender Reveal Party

The anatomy scan appointment does have other things that go on other than finding out the gender! We got to see baby move several times and was able to see how big he had gotten since our last ultrasound. My favorite part about this appointment was when we got to see his little feet! I feel like maybe that is a little weird but his little feet and toes were so cute!

Baby boy was doing excellent in our appointment all up until the doctor needed to get the measurements and view of his face. Little boy must have gotten nervous or scared because he kept moving away from the scan so that the doctor couldn’t get a good view. Because of this, we (I) had to take several laps in the hallway to get baby to move. Unfortunately, this didn’t work either so the doctor had to get the best images she could get.

Lastly, after we were told that all the measurements and images passed the doctors inspection, we were asked to stay a little longer to help with a trainee! That was interesting because we weren’t sure if we had to be there for the duration that we were there for the real appointment or not. Luckily, the trainee only was learning about a few positions and didn’t take that long! It was cool, though, to see someone learning a new skill in their trade!

2nd Trimester Glucose Screening & RH Levels

The timing for when to take this test varies with each pregnancy but I took mine at my 24 week appointment (9.22.20) as well as testing my RH & TSH levels. I’m pretty sure they had like 6 vials to sample various things. I always find that a little crazy taking all my blood. I’m thinking – can I even drive after this?

I was required to drink the glucose drink 1 hour before my appointment. I could not exercise, eat, or drink anything 8 hours prior to the appointment. Since I was aware of this, I decided to make my appointment as early as possible so that my sleeping hours were my fasting hours. Initially, everyone told me that this drink was gross and very hard to intake. Lucky for me, sugar-y things are my go too so I actually didn’t have a problem with it at all! However, I ended up failing the test.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed that I failed the test – as anyone would be. I was told that if the drink didn’t bother you – it was a good sign that you’d pass. However, I was also told that failing the first test is very common because of its sensitivity.

The next step was to take a 3 hour glucose test where you are required to take the same drink as before and get tested once every hour for 3 hours. Woo hoo right? I actually didn’t mind being at the doctors office that long. They put me in a closed in personal room with a nice recliner chair and it had a huge window so I didn’t feel closed in at all.

I was also able to bring my computer to work if I needed. This time, however, the drink did not sit well with me and I didn’t feel all that good. I ended up sleeping in-between blood draws. The worst part about all this was getting blood drawn in the same spot on both arms. That was pretty irritating. Good news though – WE PASSED 🙂

Lastly, I’ve written about my RH- before in my first few pregnancy posts. At my 24 week appointment I had to check my levels. Luckily, I passed those. Then, at my 28 week appointment I was required to get another rhogam shot to prevent any of my blood and baby’s blood from mixing. The next time I get a new shot is when baby boy is born.

Baby & Hubby

I might be bias but I have the best baby & hubby ever! My doctor told me that because of my anterior placenta I wasn’t going to be feeling early kicks like a mom-to-be with a non anterior placenta would. She described it as if I had a thick steak in-between the outside of my belly to baby. Thus, it makes it hard to feel the kicks. I was pretty sad to hear this because I’m not much of a waiter especially because everyone talks about the baby kicks being the best part of pregnancy.

I’d like to make an assumption that I started feeling them around week 18 when Zach and I were up at his family’s cabin. Unfortunately, when you aren’t sure what you’re looking for it is hard to determine when it happens. Plus, the other part is it could just be digestion.

These days however, I now know 100% when baby boy kicks and hubby can see and feel when it happens! It truly is a magical feeling. In fact, he is moving around as I’m writing this! I have come to realize baby boy really likes kicking when I am not active, I’m sitting down on the couch or laying down in bed. He also mostly kicks on my right side (not that he doesn’t kick on the left though)!

It’s amazing how you can feel something kicking you from the inside – it’s actually mind blowing really. There was a time that my husband actually got a bit squirmish because he felt and saw baby kick so hard that I think we both saw his foot come through my tummy. Speaking of my husband, he has truly been a gem during this pregnancy! Part of me feels bad that he can’t experience the uniqueness of being pregnant but you know I try to express the feelings to him the best that I can.

I’ve always believed that pregnancy is truly a two person process. The world is quick to point towards the mom-to-be because she is the one carrying the baby for 9 months but I never once want to forget about my husband. He has been by my side the entire time supporting me and baby and doing things that I have had zero energy for and that is really hard.

He wakes up at 3am with me when I’m in pain with my back. He always cooks and cleans. He has always been patient with me and doesn’t complain about me complaining. Honestly – he is so much better than me in so many ways that I don’t have time for in this already long post. Each and every day I thank God for the fact that our baby is going to have the best daddy in the world! Baby boy is already so lucky and I know this because I am lucky to have him by my side.

What’s Next

Rounding out the 2nd Trimester has my emotions starting to increase on various levels from high excitement to on the verge of nervous. It’s an interesting rollercoaster because this is an experience I have never been through so it is hard to say how the next three months will go for us.

Sometime during or after my 3rd Trimester I will be putting together a full post about Maternity Apparel but for now, please see the posts below if you are looking for some maternity friendly items I’ve come across!

Finally, I want to say THANK YOU for reading this rather lengthy post. It means the world to me that you care enough to hear my struggles, thoughts, and successes with my pregnancy. I also hope that there was at least ONE thing that you take from this that will help you in your pregnancy or someone you may know.

As always, If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out or comment below! Until next time…

2nd Trimester Recap

MIND