2nd Trimester Hallmarks

Weeks 13-27

Welcome to the second trimester! In simplest terms, the second trimester is honestly the funnest. It is so exciting when you finally start to show! Yes sometimes you may feel fat or bloated, but who cares just embrace it! You are pregnant - you are not going to be or become a skinny bitch now. Not happening… You are expected to have a belly. And it just makes it that much more real that you have someone growing inside you. Especially when you feel your baby’s first kicks! Which first time around you are probably not even going to realize it at the beginning. They feel like little bubbles forming and popping in your belly. First time moms will feel it around 20 weeks whereas second time around you will feel it much earlier since you know what to expect (16 weeks for me second time). You can’t really explain it until you experience it for yourself, but it is pretty incredible feeling those first kicks when you realize positively what is going on. Seriously makes it more real!

I would say the 3 major second trimester hallmarks are the cute belly bump, surge of energy and nausea usually subsides. I say usually because there are rare cases where the nausea lasts the whole pregnancy - bless you poor moms!

With that you can enjoy the surge of energy you start to feel. And you will feel it. Some of it may have to do with the excitement you are feeling when it starts to become undeniable with the belly and the first kicks. Be realistic. You are still pregnant. You are still burning more calories. You will still feel tired at the end of the day. Especially if it’s your 2nd/3rd time around with a toddler and/or another kid running around. But it is a substantial difference from your first and especially third trimester. So embrace it! And start getting things done you don’t want to leave to the last second. This is the time! Start working on that to do list whether it is starting the nursery, figuring out your living situation, planning your maternity leave, making lists for baby items needed etc.

When your nausea subsides, enjoy eating! And no, you are not eating for two. It’s about an extra 400 calories (which is like a granola & yogurt) - so not a lot. Just be more conscious of what you are eating. It’s okay to eat sweets, but make sure you are getting enough fruits & vegetables throughout the day. As well as calcium is very important since the baby will drain sources from your bones if not. That means milks, yogurts, cheeses, leafy greens etc.

You don’t feel those aversions as intensely anymore so eat while you can. Before you start feeling full super fast, won’t have any room left or will start getting tons of acid reflux as the baby grows. Smaller meals and closer together are still the way to go to keep your energy up!

At first your belly bump will just look like you ate one too many burritos! But it will start to be more and more obvious that there is someone growing inside there. Don’t be self-conscious. Everybody is different the way they show and remember it is only temporary. I was lucky with my first pregnancy, I really wasn’t showing until 7 months. Like naked, yes you could see earlier on haha. But I could wear flowy shirts and you couldn’t really tell. Don’t hate, I’m tall. First pregnancy was different situation so I was not really trying to advertise it. 2nd time around I loved wearing tight fitting shirts (whenever I wasn't feeling bloated or fat) and showing off my baby bump. Especially since 2nd time around I was showing a lot sooner (my belly became elastic for the second one). Do whatever feels right for you!

To Do List

finding out gender or not ? (gender reveal party…?!)
start planning nursery (maybe once you find out gender or if you are going to keep it neutral)
babymoon (2nd trimester is best time if want to do vacation before baby comes)
start more regular check ups with your OB / midwife
maternity clothes (bras, belly bands, jeans). May seem tacky at first, but totally worth it! you can get some really affordable stuff from places like target, Old Navy, H &M or ASOS (or borrow from your mom friends)
start doing your Kegals! Flexing your pelvic muscles (the feeling of clenching when you are holding in your pee). Help prepare down there for the main event of delivery and it helps to reduce your chance of tearing. It will also help keep your vaginal walls strong so they can get tight again post pregnancy (continue after pregnancy).

Post anatomy ultrasound

Finding out gender