As much as my first trimester seemed to drag on with seemingly never-ending nausea and fatigue, trimester number two has seemed to have the opposite impression and sped right by! I can’t believe it’s already over (technically ended on February 14… this recap is quite late). The first few weeks of the second trimester were very reminiscent of the first with serious bouts of nausea all day everyday coupled with the most tired I’ve ever felt. But around 18 or 19 weeks the fog began to lift and I started to say, “I feel like a human again, which has never felt so luxurious!”

During week 18, my husband, Jacob, and I made a trip to Charleston, South Carolina to visit some friends and their two young children. It was a momentous trip for a few reasons: first, we’ve watched those kids grow since they were born and this was the first time we got to interact with them with the thought, “we’re doing this next!” going through my brain! Second, while we were in Charleston was the first time I felt little Baby Beep move! It was ever so slight but definitely a sensation I had never experienced before, so I was sure it was him moving and not just another bodily reaction. Very exciting, and the very next day Jacob got to feel him moving from the outside, too! My midwives were surprised at how early he could feel Beep’s movements, but it was definitely real. The flutters and “quickening” that it starts as quickly morphed into punches, jabs, and rolls and I felt a combo of all of those almost every day thereafter.

Another highlight of the second trimester was getting to do our 20 week anatomy scan. We actually did ours just after the 21 week mark, and it was probably the coolest science innovation thing I’ve ever witnessed. I knew ultrasound technology has come a long way since the grainy, “is that a baby, I’m not sure” days, but I was seriously blown away by how detailed they were able to zoom in for. We got to see Beep’s heart valves, the measurement of his calf bones, different areas of his brain, and so much more! He was very active during the ultrasound so we got to see a fair amount of wiggling with the ultrasound tech chasing him around my stomach. I think if I hadn’t been so enthralled with the science and mechanics around the process, I probably would have cried because it was also for sure an emotional moment. It was the first time we got to see little Baby Beep’s face and hands and toes!

And for sure a highlight of this trimester was getting to attend a joint baby shower for me and my sister-in-law. She is currently pregnant with twins (!!!), due in March, and it’s been so lovely to go through so much of this alongside (and, timing-wise, a little bit behind) her! Our shower was filled with so much love from family and friends and was such a treat to experience together!

Baby is the size of a…

Beep progressed from the size of a lemon to the size of a head of lettuce this trimester, which was very apparent when all of my “regular life” pants stopped fitting completely at week 22. Weeks 18, 19, and 20 were the sizes of a potato, tomato, and then mango, which seemed like an odd progression to me, but it also seems like my particular app changes between being more in tuned with the weight vs length of our boy.

How I’m feeling:

So. Good. Compared to the first trimester, the second felt like a breath of fresh air. For a few days I was still fitting in my old clothes, with no nausea to speak of and I definitely would forget that I was pregnant and then be in the middle of a meeting at work and have the thought, “oh yeah! This is real!”

I think I had a misconception around when pregnant women really start showing before all of this. I kind of assumed that it was earlier on, around month 3 or 4, or at the very least the halfway mark! For me, though, I didn’t really start showing until week 22, and even then it wasn’t super noticeable, especially if I was wearing leggings and a sweater (my go-to outfit when my pants started feeling too tight!). I really wanted to be showing so that I could look as pregnant as I felt with all the nausea. But nature and the human body are weird (a thing I’ve said SO many times over the last few months), and this is how it goes.

One thing I was very pleased with in the second trimester was my skincare game. There is a longer post to be written on this, but last year I put a decent amount of effort into removing chemicals from my skincare routine and going as organic as possible. Because of that my skin has been clear and healthy, a thing I’ve heard pregnancy hormones can really affect. I’ve been psyched to not deal with any acne or breakouts so far, and really credit that effort from months ago. I also felt much better about slathering myself in grapeseed oil instead of different lotions to both moisturize and help prevent stretch marks. As our skin is our biggest organ, it absorbs anything and everything we put on it, and that’s delivered (at least in some amount) to the growing baby inside. Knowing it was all natural really put me at ease.

What I’m eating:

Having an appetite again has been nothing short of marvelous. I am still heavily on the PB & J train if my stomach feels a little off, but I’ve pretty much gone back to my normal eating routines. Lots of stir fry, salads, sandwiches (though I am really missing deli meats!), etc. trying to load up on lots of veggies, proteins, and healthy grains.

My weirdest craving of pregnancy so far was a combo of brownies and deviled eggs! We had a “snacks” potluck to go to one weekend and I woke up wanting those two things and only those two things. So I made them. I ate them together. Everyone thought I was a bit nuts, but it hit the spot so sufficiently I really didn’t care. Beyond that I’ve had some lighter cravings for some not so out-of-the-box things: cauliflower, Nutella, hot chocolate, lasagna, and Starbucks Chai Tea Lattes.

What I’m doing:

Compared to the first trimester, my “doing” level really skyrocketed over the last couple of months! I was no longer confined to the couch or other horizontal positions as I ditched the nausea and had some semblance of my energy back. With that, yoga returned to my life as did hiking! I took lots of sculpt classes at my favorite hot studio as too many down dogs gave me quite a blood rush to my head and modified where necessary (took out twists, avoided too much ab work, etc.).

My husband and I kicked off trimester #2 right around Thanksgiving and took a lengthy hike with our dog, Melba, in the morning before joining family for dinner. I was definitely slower than usual so they had to do a fair amount of waiting for me to catch up, but overall it was nice to finally feel back to my old self out in nature and pushing up those switchbacks. We were also able to spend a long weekend in Big Bear with Melba and we hiked every day while there!

What I’m reading:

This trimester I finished ‘Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn‘ and ‘Nurture‘, and added quite the stack to my nightstand to read in the coming months more geared towards for when our baby is here: ‘Precious Little Sleep‘, ‘All Joy and No Fun‘, and ‘Simplicity Parenting‘ to name a few. My husband also added a few books to his to-read list including: ‘The Expectant Father‘ and ‘Geek Dad‘.

What I’m wearing:

New things! Week 22 was when all of my old pants hit their limit, so I’ve been living in these cropped pants and these jeans from Old Navy. I also grabbed a few new yoga things from Old Navy to hopefully get me through to May (loving this top, these shorts, and these pants). I was also lucky enough to receive some Pea in the Pod maternity gear from my step-mother for Christmas gifts: these tops [1], [2] and this tunic that quickly became my go-to work wear picks.

How I’m sleeping:

Sleep hasn’t really gotten any better or worse compared to the first trimester. I still routinely get up once or twice every night to pee. Luckily I don’t usually have trouble getting back to sleep, though towards the end of this trimester as my body really started to change, I have found myself tossing and turning a bit more to find a comfortable position. I have always had more pillows on our bed than Jacob (my two vs his one), but that number has increased… and may do so again before all this is over, ha!

One thing I’ve really been loving is that our dog, Melba, has been snuggling us a lot more on our couch in the evenings and in bed at night (a thing I swore I would never let her do!). The cooler winter temperatures means she’s much more apt to cozy up under a blanket with us and want to be near us for shared heat, but I like to think she’s just trying to get closer to Beep. 🙂

What I’m wondering!

Still lots of questions on my mind as far as what the rest of pregnancy will hold in store, what the first few hours/days/weeks will be like with a newborn, how we’ll be as parents, etc. Top of mind, always, is also “ohmygosh, what will we name him?!” as it’s everyone’s favorite question to ask and one we truly don’t have an answer for! Really need to start a list…

Labor is also starting to feel closer and I’ve had a few moments of nervous energy around that. I think it will probably stay that way until it’s happening and there’s nothing left to wonder about!

 

---

Do we have any pregnant readers? Anyone a new mama? Who has book recommendations?? Let me know in the comments!