Pregnancy Update: Second Trimester Recap
I’m excited to pop in with another pregnancy recap – my second trimester recap is already here! The past four weeks have been full of growth, travel, screening tests at the doctors, and lots of work! As I wrap up my second trimester, I’m excited to share the products I love and what’s been going on lately…
You can catch up with my first trimester recap here, plus weeks 13-20, weeks 20-24, and our babymoon. All recommendations are based off of personal use and preference. I know pregnancy updates can be triggering for some, so please know this is just a recap of my experience.
Compared to my first trimester, second trimester has been a BREEZE! I truly found my “pregnancy stride” and feel SO lucky to be carrying our babe through a healthy pregnancy.
Since my last pregnancy update, we’ve had A LOT going on…
We celebrated our first wedding anniversary…
Went away to Arizona for a quick babymoon…
And I finished my ebook!
For the most part, I feel so grateful to be carrying our babe through a healthy pregnancy thus far. I’ve been extra diligent with my workouts and healthy eating to support my lungs (you can watch my history with lung disease in “my health story” highlight on Instagram), sleep is getting harder to come by, and helloooo Braxton Hicks contractions, but I can’t complain because we’ll get to meet our tiny human soon!
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My Bump
I’m officially bumpin’! I know that’s not a surprise because I’m writing this at the end of my second trimester, but I’m bumpin’ bumpin’! Like helloooo baby, I can’t believe you’re 2 pounds! I was even offered a seat on the subway (which is saying A LOT for New Yorkers)!
But still, every time I think my belly is huge, babe goes through a growth spurt and I seem to get even bigger (and more active).
Like I mentioned in my last pregnancy update, I’ve been having fun to watch my body change, and I’ve honestly never felt more confident in my life. As someone who was always sucking in her stomach because of bloat or something or another (although working on that body confidence 100% of the time!!!), it feels liberating to let it all hang out loud and proud.
With that said, I think part of the reason I feel so confident is because I’m treating my body like gold. If there’s ever a motivating time to treat your body right, it’s when another developing human is depending on you! I’m not doing anything crazy or fancy, but I’m paying extra attention and I’ve been a bit more motivated to take care of my body during pregnancy. Regular workouts, balanced meals, a couple of massages, and minimizing stress as much as possible have all been playing a huge role.
But I’ve also liberally been giving into my cravings (see below) and eating what I want, when I want it… especially with my appetite revving up towards the end of my second trimester.
Cravings
I can’t say I’ve had any “have to have it now” cravings yet, but my sweet tooth says hello on the reg! I definitely did not hate having to test these popcorn cookies a couple of times and building my freezer stash (that’s now completely gone)! Maybe it’s babe’s way of saying he/she’s hungry…or that he/she has good taste and wants chocolate chip cookies?! Hmmmm… only time will tell!
P.S. These have been my favorite store-bought cookie (food allergy friendly!).
So what have I been eating?
Like I recommend to most of my clients, I’ve been following a balanced, high fiber eating plan for most of my meals and snacks… with dessert every night. The balance helps me stay full for longer periods of time and the fiber helps prevent pregnancy constipation.
Here are some of my go-tos…
- Whole grain english muffin or high fiber crackers with SunButter
- Salmon salad stuffed peppers or salmon salad on anything (to be cautious of my tuna intake – read this for more on fish intake during pregnancy!)
- Dijon salmon (clearly loving the salmon for all those omega-3 fatty acids!)
- Protein pancakes (I make a double batch to have as snacks, and love them for dinner some nights)
Gestational Diabetes Screening Test
But I’m not going to lie, my new sweets cravings definitely made me nervous about what this meant for my Gestational Diabetes Screening Test.
Although I don’t have any common risk factors, I was so nervous before the test. Stressing over it definitely didn’t help, but I was relieved to pass with flying colors! Of course, gestational diabetes is 100% manageable, but no one wants a complication.
My 1-hour Gestational Diabetes Screening Test was pretty easy, although I felt like absolute C-R-A-P afterwards. You have to drink a REALLY sugary drink in 2 minutes (it tasted like fruit punch). The first few sips were like Hawaiian Punch (although my memory could be SO off because I don’t know the last time I had that, and rarely did as a child!). Once I got past the first handful of sips my tongue got that sugary coating and it was gross (but tolerable to finish).
Then I had to wait for an hour before getting my blood drawn. I was OK at first but started to feel so sick (I hear this is common). I’ve had sweet cravings, but I don’t eat this much sugar at once and my body was not feelin’ it (headache central). Luckily, I didn’t have any clients scheduled that day and I was able to take it fairly easy.
A fellow dietitian on Instagram did message me and let me know that you can ask for a more “natural” substitute instead of this drink (that’s full of additives like Red 40 and Yellow 1). I didn’t know that, but believe that one instance of drinking Red 40 won’t kill you! But if you’re interested, ask your doctor!
Supplements
I’m busy taking the same supplements I’ve been taking all along. You can read more about my number one choice of prenatal vitamins and entire supplement routine here.
Current Obstacles
While I haven’t had any serious complications, my doctors are closely monitoring my lung health and babe’s growth because of my history of lung disease. Aside from frequent doctors appointments, so far, so good!
I also started to get Braxton Hicks contractions towards the end of my 2nd trimester. They’ve picked up over the past couple of weeks, so I’ll chat more about that in my next update…
Now let’s get to the good stuff…
Second Trimester Favorite Finds, Products, and Picks
I’ve been having a very minimal pregnancy (or at least I like to think I have). While you want to be comfortable during pregnancy, it really only is a blip on the radar of motherhood. I’ve tried to only buy the essentials that I really need. Plus, up until this point, a lot of my pre-pregnancy clothes were fitting well (like workout clothes and tops), so I haven’t needed all that much. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that I work from home so no one really cares what I wear – I know I’m lucky on that front!
Here are some of my pregnancy wardrobe essentials:
The BEST maternity jeans I found… OK, so a friend actually lent these to me, but I LIVE in them. They have the full belly band, which I find SO much more comfortable than just those little expanders on the side of some maternity jeans.
When I need to look a bit nicer, I’ve been loving these black jeans (from Old Navy) and my pleather SPANX maternity leggings. I even wore these leggings out for a fancy dinner for our anniversary!
When we were going somewhere warm for our babymoon, I knew I needed a maternity suit. Even if I wanted to make one of my old bikinis “work,” I couldn’t fit into any of them (thank you boobs!). I LOVED this suit from The Gap and felt so cute in it!
I also ordered these shorts for our babymoon, but it wasn’t warm enough to wear them!
In terms of workout clothes, I’m still wearing my pre-pregnancy Old Navy workout leggings, Champion sports bras from Target, and these t-shirts from American Eagle (they’re the most comfortable to me!).
I did pick up a few maternity basics, like these v-neck t-shirts from Old Navy. I think they’re super flattering and great for layering!
Other second trimester essentials:
The most essential second trimester product I use are the supplements I take (prenatal vitamins, fish oil, and calcium). I wrote an entire post on my supplement regimen and poured so much time and energy into researching the best supplements on the market. I feel so lucky that I got to work with New Chapter to share this post with you!
To support my higher impact dance cardio workouts, my doctor recommended a belly support band. She wasn’t specific, so I tried this Jill and Joey Belly Support Band from Amazon and it makes SUCH a difference. I was really getting worried that I’d have to slow down my workouts, which really help me feel so good, but when I wear the band I don’t! I put it on over my underwear and then my leggings go over it. It adds some bulk, but makes the workout so much more comfortable.
A body pillow has been sleep-saving!! Ever since our hotel provided a body pillow like this on our babymoon, I’ve been using one and it makes such a difference for a growing belly. I loved the wedge pillow I was using before and now put it behind my back (sorry hubby, you’re slowly getting kicked off the bed for pillows!).
Last, I’m still using Earth Mama Belly Oil and Lotion. I have NO idea if they’re actually helping, but I rub it on my belly usually in the morning and at night, always after I shower and I don’t really see any stretch marks so far (but I hear it’s more genetic than anything else).
Gearing up for the baby!
I ordered my breast pump, signed up for a virtual tour and walkthrough at the hospital, and am still debating between which diaper bag I want (I know, major problems). Over the next couple of weeks (after my brother’s wedding), I’m going to do the layette with my mom and grandma, plus furniture and stroller shopping so we’re ready for when this little girl or guy joins us! Ahhh I can’t believe how fast time is FLYING!
And that takes us to my third trimester! I can’t believe how fast my due date is approaching!!
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? I can’t wait to hear from you – come say hi over on Instagram! I’ll be back for my next update in several weeks!
XO