I can’t believe how quickly this trimester flew by. I thought the first one was fast but this one really quick. It was completely different to experience pregnancy with everyone else (since we kept it a secret for the first trimester). I was overwhelmed by how many people wanted to celebrate with us and how excited everyone has been for us. We had our first shower at the beginning of July and loved getting to see family and celebrate with everyone. They even shot off blue fireworks in honor of us finding out that we are having a boy!
What I Am Wearing
So. Many. Stripes. I feel like all maternity clothes come in a striped version and I received a wonderful box of hand-me-downs from Laura, many of which are striped items. It seems like the trend these days is to really show off the bump so most things I’ve bought seem to really highlight it. Towards the end of the second trimester, it was starting to get really hot outside so I invested in a few pairs of shorts and tried to buy a few items that were not striped so I could switch up the wardrobe a bit. I am trying to buy things from Old Navy/Gap and then fancier maternity brands second-hand on Poshmark just to keep my budget low. I’ll only be wearing these things for a few months, seems silly to spend too much money.
I was thrilled that quite a bit of my “normal” clothes fit for most of the second trimester, particularly the athletic wear and a few of my favorite dresses. By the end of the second trimester these leggings are all still fitting me: Lululemon Align Leggings – my favorite thing to wear ALWAYS and especially during pregnancy, the champion brand from Target, and these 90 Degree by Reflex leggings that I’ve bought at both Marshall’s and on Amazon. I love that I don’t have to buy something maternity-specific for yoga (yet).
I attended two weddings in the second trimester. The first one we were still in our secret-keeping-phase so as to not steal the thunder from the bride and groom, we told our family a couple of days later. The second wedding we attended everyone knew but I was still pretty early in the second trimester and wore a dress that didn’t show much at all. For both weddings, I felt very different and struggled a lot to find dresses that felt good at this stage. I landed on these two (BCBG High/Low Drape Dress and Amazon Midi Dress) and think they both ended up working perfectly for this early stage of trimester 2.
What I’m Eating
Everything. I am so lucky to have felt good during my entire pregnancy.
I had a couple of aversions/cravings in the first trimester but they went away for the second. Lately, I’ve been really into yogurt and peanut butter (separately and together). For most of the second trimester, I made myself a smoothie for first breakfast every morning. And followed it up with something heartier once I got to the office.
I’ve tried to keep up with all the things I can’t eat (soft cheese, hot dogs, radishes?!) but also not to get too crazy about it. I am drinking more water than I’ve ever wanted in my life (though I thought I drank a lot before pregnancy). I love sparkling water for a treat and every once in a while have a ginger beer or mocktail though I am trying to avoid the extra sugar.
How I’m Staying Active
I’ve been going to a lot of yoga, the schedules have been a little hard for me. I am surprised that so many prenatal classes are late at night. I just can’t stay up that late! But I still feel really good and my active days are always better days for me (mentally and physically). I’ve also been walking a lot and trying to fill in my non-yoga days with long sets of squats, arm weight reps and a few prenatal YouTube workout videos.
I’ve managed to stay on track for weight gain throughout the pregnancy so far.
What I’m Reading and Listening To
I’ve been reading two books that I really am loving. The first is Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born, the title says it all but I’ve been fascinated by our history and how birth practices have changed so much over the years. The second book is Brain Rules for Baby it’s all about how babies brains evolve and change as they grow starting as early as when they are in the womb. My husband has been on board to read these books too which I love and we’ve also been listening to the Birth Hour Podcast and we love coming home to talk about episodes together and discuss how we want our own birth experience to go.
I’ve started the first draft of my birth plan and am trying to do as much research as I can about what’s ahead so that I can make informed decisions as situations arise for us.
Looking Ahead
I want to do a lot of prep for what to expect once the baby is here. I feel like I’ve heard it over and over again from new moms that they are so focused on the pregnancy that they are a bit overwhelmed once it’s over and the “fourth trimester” begins. I have a lot of birth and baby prep classes booked for the next few months and am already working on a reading list for trimester three.
Is anyone else wrapping up the second trimester or starting your third? Let us know about your experiences in the comments!