Second Trimester Recap

I cannot believe I am already writing my 2nd trimester recap…time seriously is flying. If you missed my pregnancy announcement and first trimester recap, check that post out here. Everyone says the first 8 months of pregnancy fly by, but the last month or so feels like forever. I’ll be curious to see if this is true come February. Nonetheless, I am so grateful to be feeling great and few major complaints during my pregnancy. The nausea-gods have been kind to me, and baby boy is moving and grooving everyday. Pregnancy is absolutely amazing, and I am forever fascinated by what the female body is capable of.

I really should’ve taken notes during my second trimester, to track how I was feeling. Instead, I took lots of photos (because I think I’ll look back and reference those more anyway). I’ve heard that for most, the second trimester is the most enjoyable because you have some energy again (compared to the first), and aren’t too uncomfortable yet. I will definitely agree on the energy front. Starting around 12-13 weeks, I began to feel much more like myself, and didn’t require the daily naps that I did the entire first trimester. I was able to motivate myself to take walks (I didn’t exercise AT ALL during the months of July or August just because I was so exhausted. Pregnancy and heat are a tough combination), which greatly benefitted both my mental and physical health.

Thinking back on some of the weekly milestones of my second trimester, here are some of the highlights:

15-17 weeks: Bump started to show. I no longer looked as bloated, and started to have a tiny baby bump.

18 weeks, 3 days: First kicks! Yale and I BOTH felt baby kick at 18 weeks, 3 days, which is definitely on the earlier side (especially early for Yale to be able to feel him kick). Per my ultrasounds, I have a posterior placenta, which means my placenta is on the back wall of my uterus. This enables baby’s kicks to be felt more easily and earlier on in the pregnancy. This has been the absolute best feeling and I think not feeling him kick after he is born will be what I miss most.

20 weeks, 5 days: Anatomy scan. I was SUPER nervous for our anatomy scan (because other people told me to be nervous…don’t tell pregnant people when they should or shouldn’t be nervous, FYI!), but thankfully, everything looked perfect. Baby was measuring right on track for his gestational age, and we were able to get really clear 3D images which I did not anticipate! We also already knew baby’s sex prior to the anatomy scan (NIPT testing and visual confirmation on an earlier scan thanks to good positioning), but many couples find out their baby’s sex at this time as well.

23 weeks: Sciatica. I have dealt with sciatica off and on for years, so was not remotely surprised once I started to experience increased sciatic nerve pain during my pregnancy. Nothing was unmanageable or horrible (because I’ve dealt with debilitating sciatica in the past), just uncomfortable. Sciatica is one of those super common things during pregnancy.

25 weeks: Bumpin! There was no denying the bump after 25 weeks. Morning and night, I be bumpin! I am so grateful for this healthy, growing boy.

26 weeks: Round ligament pain. My biggest issue during pregnancy has been intense round ligament pain on my right side. At 26 weeks 5 days, my pain actually got so severe, my doctor instructed me to go to my hospital’s Labor & Delivery unit for monitoring, to make sure I wasn’t going into early labor. Thankfully, I was not, and doctors confirmed my suspicions that the pain was indeed coming from round ligament. For those who don’t know, your round ligaments are basically the long ligaments that help support your uterus, but they become stretched during pregnancy, often causing sharp pain with sudden movements like sneezing or rolling over in bed. I’ve experienced round ligament pain since I was only 5 weeks pregnant, but the pain I experienced at 26 weeks was severe, constant pain. The doctors attributed my increased pain due to the fact that my legs aren’t the same length, and pelvic misalignment. They recommended rest, Tylenol, and physical therapy. I hope it doesn’t return with a vengeance as I get bigger, but time will tell.

27 weeks: Gestational diabetes glucose test. Passed! Phew! This test is performed between 24-28 weeks. Everyone talks about how horrible the glucose test is, but truly it wasn’t that bad. My doctor told me to eat a protein-rich breakfast 2 hours before my test, which I did and I am glad I did. I had 2 eggs and a handful of olives for some protein and healthy fats. The drink is super sweet and gross (I had fruit punch flavor…bleh!!), but I felt completely fine afterwards. Passing was a relief for sure.

I am grateful to be moving into my third trimester. My pregnancy has been a learning experience in so many ways, and I look forward to seeing what the final trimester has in store for our family.

Q&A (I asked you all over on Instagram send over any questions you have about my second trimester, here are those questions!):

How are you feeling (physically, mentally and emotionally)?:

Thank you for asking! I am feeling good physically. Insomnia sucks and the pain has been difficult, but all in all I am grateful for a healthy baby. I can endure the less glamorous side of pregnancy knowing I am giving my baby a safe home for 9+ months. Mentally, like most things, I have good days and bad. Pregnancy has been a wild ride for my anxiety, and that has been really hard. I think not physically seeing my baby to get visual confirmation that things are ok is the hardest part for me. I find myself messaging my OB often, asking questions that I am sure she laughs at. The mental side of pregnancy has been really hard for me, and I feel like I won’t be able to fully exhale until baby is here. Emotionally, I am so excited to be a mom. Of course it will be the biggest change I’ve ever experienced in my life, but I cannot wait to meet our baby, grow our family, observe Yale as a dad, and pour our love into our sweet boy. Despite the challenges of pregnancy, I know it will all be worth it when he is here.

Will you share some of your must have registry items?:

I have written an entire blog post on my top picks from our registry here.

Favorite pregnancy pillow:

I did not opt for a giant body pregnancy pillow like most people have. Instead, I went with this smaller Boppy pillow to help encourage me to sleep on my side. I am a back-sleeper, which is a pregnancy no-no (who knew?!), so this pillow helps keep me positioned on my side, while still allowing me to roll over comfortably in bed. My mom also gifted me this wedge pillow, which I think I will add back into my routine to support my belly or hips as baby grows. I think pregnancy pillows are great, but also somewhat unnecessary. You can definitely just use pillows you have on hand to prop yourself up or support various parts of your body. I already struggle with sleep as is, so I personally didn’t want to add a giant body pillow into my bed that I had to maneuver while I was sleeping. Personal preference for sure, but I like the pillows I am using at the moment.

Did you have morning sickness come back in the second trimester?:

I actually haven’t really dealt with true morning sickness at all during my pregnancy. I dealt with some nausea (mostly in the evenings), but never got sick thank goodness. I actually have a severe phobia of vomit, and it was one of the things I was most nervous for before getting pregnant (and I’m still nervous for in the future after baby comes).

Food aversions? Cravings?:

I’ve definitely had a few food aversions throughout my pregnancy. I really can’t stomach much meat outside of ground turkey, which is a bummer. Chicken breasts and thighs just gross me out, so we’ve been eating a lot of ground turkey tacos, burgers and eggs for protein. I am also struggling with getting enough veggies in during the day, but trying to make more smoothies with veggies blended in as much as I can. As far as cravings, I am STILL craving kumquats (I talked about this on my IG stories), but haven’t been able to find them ANYWHERE in Baltimore yet. Citrus season is here, so I am hoping it’s just a matter of time before I stumble upon my ‘quats! Also just craving (CRAVING) cold or frozen fruit like berries, oranges and clementines.

How do you feel about possibly having a Pisces baby?:

So good! Although, I would be grateful no matter what his astrological sign!

What has been your rose, bud and thorn?:

Ending on this sweet question from my best friend.

Rose: The kicks. They are just so magical, I cannot describe how amazing they are.

Bud: I am looking forward to the third trimester. Each week that passes, my anxiety feels a little more manageable, so I look forward to continuing to growing this baby.

Thorn: The sciatica and round ligament pain. It just really hurts, but worth it to grow this little dude!