I am finally getting around to sharing my second trimester recap and I’ll be honest, I didn’t take very good notes and it seemed to be a pretty uneventful trimester (which I’m not complaining about). If you missed my First Trimester Recap and want to catch up, be sure to check it out! In my First Trimester Recap I covered how we found out, if we were trying or not, and weeks 4-13. Now, let’s get to what went on during my second trimester! I just want to remind you, this is my journey and my honest opinion of how my pregnancy is progressing. All mommas and momma’s to be experience different things and this is my true, raw and honest feelings through my pregnancy.
The second trimester of pregnancy is weeks 13 through 27 weeks or roughly months four, five and start of six. Many times the second trimester is known as the “golden” trimester and easiest trimesters to get through because commonly momma’s energy increases, some may even experience more energy than pre baby, symptoms tend to subside, and you still aren’t big enough where you feel aches, pains and like the Michelin Man. Personally, I feel like my second trimester was pretty average. I never experienced a bout of energy, I noticed different aches and pains and my appetite seemed to fluctuate more often. However, I also have been able to continue to workout, my food tolerances and sensitives are under control, and my first trimester symptoms are no more.
Weeks 14-18
During these couple weeks there isn’t too much to report as they were pretty similar to what I was experiencing in my first trimester. At this time, indigestion was still a bit of an issue, but only at night after dinner. What I have been learning and figuring out is that I simply just can’t eat the amount of food that I used to because by the end of the day, there just isn’t enough room. As baby girl grows and moves more, my stomach is getting cramped so by the end of the day when I eat dinner (no matter the amount most times) I feel like a stuffed turkey after. It is said that in your second and third trimesters you need to consume about 300 additional calories per day. I did track my macros a couple times in my second trimester and I wasn’t even hitting my normal caloric intake. This used to really weigh on my mind because I wanted to be sure I was eating enough and giving her exactly what she needed. After a couple weeks of trying to hit a certain intake, I had to give it up. It just made me feel way too uncomfortable. So instead, I made sure to eat when I was hungry, stop when I started to feel a bit of fullness and make sure my meals were packed full as much nutrients as possible. I try to eat three balances meals a day consisting of protein, carbs and healthy fats and snack in between meals if I feel hungry. I have been doing this since about 16 weeks and even though I do feel overly full most evenings, this has really helped!
Also during these weeks, body parts started to fill in…. body parts like my thighs and hips that I worked so damn hard to shape to my liking started to revert back to before I started eating and working out routinely. I’ve always had some cellulite on my legs, but now it is the most I have ever had. Talk about a mental f*ck. As time went on, my legs seemed to expand, expand some more and then expand a bit more. Seeing and experiencing these body changes have been hard on me mentally. I see so many women that get this huge boost of confidence and love their pregnant body, I never experienced this. My pregnant body doesn’t make me feel confident. It can be hard to find something to wearing each day, my workout clothes show my dimply thighs, my boobs are out of control and make me feel bigger than I am, and some days my calves and ankles swell and become one. I have wished and hoped to be that woman that would love these body changes and be confident in the body that is growing her unborn child, but I’m not. I am so unbelievably grateful for this blessing and knowing my body is doing what it needs to do to create a healthy baby amazes me; but I just am not enjoying being pregnant. Judge me if you want, I am just keeping it real. I do and will love this girl more than anything in this world and will do anything and everything for her. I give props to all of the women that own their pregnant bodies and am so happy they have found their confidence.
As my body continued to change and grow I started to become a lot more clumsy. Tripping up stairs started to be a normal occurrence, I seem to drop everything I am holding onto or grabbing, and spills happen often. I just started to embrace this clumsiness and most times it is pretty hard to not laugh at myself when I do something embarrassing. We started to put together the nursery by order a few furniture pieces! We still have a ways to go in the nursery, but will be getting that all done very soon! I mentioned above that I never experienced the big burst of energy a lot of mommas do in the second trimester. I did notice that my energy was much higher in the mornings and I could get a lot done in a short amount of time. Once the late afternoon and night came around though, I was done for it.
In week 18, we officially hired a doula and so far I think this is the best decision we have made yet! I am a very coachable person and feel the doula will be able to keep me relaxed by telling me how to move, breath and when to do certain things. I want to do a lot of my laboring at home and she will help us decide when it is time to go to the hospital, she will be there throughout the birth, stay until baby girl breast feeds and visit us once we are home. I am hoping and praying for an all natural birth and hiring a doula gives me more peace of mind that I will have the birth I am imaging!
Weeks 19-20
These couple weeks were hands down the best weeks of pregnancy so far. Week 19 was our anatomy ultrasound and we finally found out that baby Weiss is a girl! I had so much fun during this ultrasound. Our technician was hilarious, my mom was able to experience it with us and it was absolutely amazing to see her up on the screen and how much she developed from our first ultrasound. We opted out of the 3D images, but did get a couple other images. One is of the bottom of her feet and it is just so dang precious. I had a checkup with my OB in week 20 and she walked us through the entire analysis of the ultrasound and explained everything they measure and look for. Let’s just say I left that appointment with my mind blown. The process from embryo to fetus to baby is astonishing. In this ultrasound they not only need to check measurements to ensure she is growing at the right rate, but they also have to check that the heart chambers all came together properly, that the esophagus aligned with the throat and stomach properly and so many other crazy things. My mind was literally blown. She was just a little peanut at that time and we were hopeful (well, I was hopeful for my lady parts and all) that she would be on the smaller end of average once born, but that quickly changed as the trimester went on!
Weeks 21-27
This is where my notes ended so this next little bit will just be from memory. Speaking of memory, pregnancy brain is legit. Like, how did I just all of a sudden stop remembering to jot down notes of what was happening? Anywho, just know that pregnancy brain is a thing and I have definitely become more forgetful.
Week 21 was when I felt the first kick! It took me by surprise and I first didn’t believe it was a kick. Everyone said it would feel like a flutter, but what does a flutter even feel like? I imagined a flutter being kind of like a tickling feeling. What I felt was more like a bubble popping so I didn’t know if it was it and it most certainly was! I felt kicks a little bit later than some mommas because I have an anterior placenta. This just means that my placenta sits between baby and my stomach giving more of a cushion for me to feel her move.
In the early 20ish weeks is when I started to have to modify some exercises and lower weight like squats and deadlifts. I am very happy that I have been able to continue to workout through my pregnancy and plan to until I go into labor. It has helped me to stay motivated to workout by focusing on the movements that I can do and just doing the type of workouts I enjoy most. Working out is one of the things that makes me feel the most “normal” and I am so grateful for it.
The belly growth really kicked into gear the last three to four weeks of my second trimester. I would wake up every morning and have a larger belly. For a little while I could get away with buttoning my pants with a hair tie, but that soon became too uncomfortable. I started to only wear dresses, joggers, leggings and shorts with elastic waistbands. I did cave and bought one pair of maternity capris. I think I have worn them twice, ha! Maxi and t-shirt dresses are definitely my go to’s!
Besides the crazy belly growth, the end of the second trimester was pretty uneventful. I started to become more comfortable with the uncomfortable and started thinking about labor a lot more. We started an all natural birth course which we are both learning a ton from. It will be an amazing tool for us to keep this birth as natural as possible. The second part of this trimester seemed to fly by and I have feeling the third trimester will too. I am beyond excite to meet our baby girl (who does have a name by the way) and be her mother!