Good morning!
It’s hard for me to believe I am already recapping second trimester! In so many ways it seems like this season and pregnancy has absolutely flown by… and then other days it feels like I’ve been pregnant for forever! I am now officially into my third trimester and it’s safe to say I can definitely see why so many people refer to the second trimester as the sweet spot!
As always, I am so grateful for the love, encouragement, and kindness we’ve been shown throughout this journey! Every well wish and prayer has been so appreciated and I just have to say thank you so much for loving Drew, myself and baby boy so well! Now, let’s catch up… a lot has happened since my last update!
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second trimester q&a
How far along are you? When is your due date?
Baby boy’s due date is September 5th… which is Labor Day! We are so excited to see when he’ll decide to come! I have my fingers crossed for a September baby… we’ll see if I still feel that way at the end of August, ha!
I’m currently 31 weeks… so this second trimester recap is coming a few weeks late as I’m now well into my third!
What was your most memorable moment of second trimester?
My precious school community threw the sweetest baby shower for us and it was truly one of my favorite days ever. I was so lucky to teach at the most incredible school filled with the kindest, most loving and Godly people I’ve ever known. The ways they have poured into me as a new mom and prayed over baby boy will be carried with me forever! That day, plus the gender reveal and class baby shower that my Kindergarteners had for me are definite stand outs! There’s just something extra special about having 15 six year old kids who love your baby, pray for him, and want to be a part of his story and life!
What’s been the hardest and best parts of your pregnancy?
I’ll keep this specific to my second trimester, because each part of pregnancy is so different! First trimester was a bit tough because of being so sick, and you can read about that and coping with it in my first recap!
Hardest: One thing was the lingering sickness in the beginning as I wasn’t fully out of the woods as far as nausea and fatigue goes when my second trimester came, but thankfully it finally subsided around week 16 or so. The other part that was a bit tough on me in second trimester were just so many things changing with my body. I know so many women love it and it really is such a beautiful gift that I am so grateful for, but I think it’s also okay and should be normalized for women to struggle with it some too. I mean your body goes through so much (hello growing a human life!) and at times it can be difficult to keep up with and accept those changes. I don’t take a bit of it for granted, so please don’t misunderstand that, but I won’t lie and say every day is just easy peasy because so much of your body and the changes happening are out of your control.
Best: Oh my goodness, those baby kicks are something sweet. It took a bit longer for me to really feel baby boy moving and kicking because I have an anterior placenta. I think most people start to feel those movements anywhere from 18-20 weeks, but for me it was much closer to like 23 or 24 before I really felt anything. There was a brief period there of concern, but we made sure to check in on baby boy often and once I finally was able to feel him, he has reminded his mama daily that he’s there and a healthy growing boy! 🙂 The other best part of second trimester was having more energy. Once I finally felt better from the nausea, I started to feel more like myself as far as being able to move, get up and go and get back to being active… things I am now missing in the thick of third trimester. 😉
Have you picked a name?
The struggle is real! This is the first question I am asked anywhere I go… and while the type A, planner in me would love to have it all finalized and every piece of clothing monogrammed with his name on it, we still haven’t made a final decision. We were confident in girl names from the get-go, but for some reason naming a boy has been a big challenge for us! We have it narrowed down to a few names we really like, and we have them written on a piece of paper posted in our kitchen. We decided to spend the next few weeks looking at those names over and over again before making our final decision. We know we still have a little bit of time, and we aren’t worried about it… we’ll know when we know!
Any cravings?
Toward the beginning of my second trimester I was all about homemade hamburgers! For a while we were having them just about every weekend! Since then I wouldn’t say I’ve had any specific cravings, but I’ve been loving spicy foods (not so great for the heartburn and indigestion lol), watermelon, and any frozen drink – mainly Sonic slushies!
Any new symptoms in second trimester?
For the most part, I’d take second trimester symptoms any day over first! The biggest symptoms I personally noticed in my second trimester were a little bit of indigestion, and random aches and pains mainly through my sides and torso – to be expected when you’re growing another human life within you though!
Side note: I don’t know if we can consider a belly button a “symptom”, but ya girl now has a very loud and proud “outie” that loves to shine, even through clothing! LOL If you know me well you know that I am not fond of belly buttons in general, it’s like a weird anti-fetish for me… so you can imagine the squeal I made the night I was sitting in a bath and realized I had a new outie belly button appear! It’s all good though, and I’ve even come around to kinda like the new feature I’m currently sporting! 😉 Baker (my 2 year old nephew) refers to it as my “baby button!”
What have you been doing to prepare for labor?
We start a series of classes through our hospital next week and I am so excited about them! I have tried to keep an open-mind and really listen to my body throughout pregnancy, so I am excited to learn more and make some plans with Drew by my side as we get closer to due date! Also, in second trimester I really took advantage of Megan Roup’s TSS Mama Program! She has pregnancy safe workouts outlined for each trimester as well as pelvic floor exercises that I’ve been trying to do consistently.
What are you packing in your hospital bag?
The hospital bag is not currently packed, but it’s a high priority on my to-do list and one thing that I need to do a bit more research on in the coming days! A few random things I’ve seen suggested through social media that I’ve made a note of are: a portable fan, extra long phone charging cord, slippers, sound machine, and my LAKE pajamas robe. I know there are many other things to add to that list, and if you have any great suggestions, I’d love to hear them! Once I get my bag packed I’ll make sure to share it on stories and maybe here in a post too!
What are your second trimester must haves?
- Tums!
- Pregnancy Pillow – I like this one better than the traditional U shaped pregnancy pillow because I can still use my normal pillow for my head and it’s less bulky in bed!
- Compression Socks – so many benefits to wearing compression socks, but the main things for me are to prevent swelling and helping with a lovely new varicose vein that has made it’s way to one of my ankles.
- Pool Float – this was my Mother’s Day gift, and all I’m saying is… if you’re pregnant through the summer… it’s a MUST HAVE. Life changing to be able to lay on your stomach in the pool and not have a one sided tan!
- Prenatal Vitamins
- Vitamin E Oil – for the bump!
- Belly Bandit – these shorts were so helpful for me, especially while at Miss Oklahoma, Miss Texas and a wedding I was a bridesmaid in! They help me feel secure, supported, and like everything was “held in” without feeling too tight or suffocating.
- Stanley Cup – my life saver for my water intake. Pregnancy in the Texas heat is no joke, and it has been so helpful in making me drink water daily! They do sell out so quickly, but I highly recommend if you’re ever lucky enough to grab one!
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And that’s it! Time is flying, before we know it, he’ll be here! Another major highlight of second trimester was being able to get away for our Babymoon to Charleston for a few days! It was the most precious time spent with Drew and celebrating our little family!
Second trimester really was so sweet, and I am just so thankful. I’ve fallen in love with this tiny little human inside of me and being able to feel him daily. I can’t wait to be his mama!
xx,
Madison
